U.S. House Committee Advances Stablecoin Bill, While Dems Warn of Trump Conflicts

U.S. stablecoin legislation took another major step on Wednesday as a House of Representatives committee joined Senate counterparts in advancing a bill to be considered by the overall House, bringing stablecoin regulations closer to reality.

Eventual approvals in both the overall House and Senate would let lawmakers start melding the two versions into a unified piece of legislation that could get a final nod. Republican lawmakers and President Donald Trump have aimed toward an August goal in getting the effort completed.

Though the crypto industry and their most reliable Republican allies in Congress were happy to welcome many Democrats to the yes side on moving the Stablecoin Transparency and Accountability for a Better Ledger Economy (STABLE Act) out of the House Financial Services Committee on Wednesday, the Democrats on the panel consistently raised concerns about Trump’s connections to the industry and stablecoins. Still, five Democrats joined 27 Republicans on the committee to advance the bill after a marathon markup session.

A week before the House committee focused on the bill in Wednesday’s markup — a session in which lawmakers make changes and debate amendments on legislation — the Trump-tied World Liberty Financial (WLFI) announced it’s supporting its own stablecoin (USD1). Trump has been highly active in crypto, including in selling non-fungible tokens (NFTs) and memecoin $TRUMP, even as he pushes for crypto-friendly policies at the federal level.

U.S. regulation of stablecoins — generally dollar-tied tokens, such as Tether’s USDT and Circle’s USDC — is one of the two top policy priorities for the industry. And committee Chairman French Hill argued on the industry’s behalf that “innovation needs guardrails, not roadblocks.”

Republican members declined to discuss President Trump’s industry involvement in any explicit terms. When Waters and other Democrats pushed amendments to block the potential conflicts raised by the president’s business interests and his direct authority over regulators who would make decisions about stablecoins, they were rejected by the panel’s Republicans, who repeatedly called such protections “unnecessary.”

“We don’t discriminate on entrepreneurs based on who they are and where they come from,” Hill said. If the government wants clear guardrails around this space, he repeatedly argued, the best move is to pass the bill that establishes oversight.

Representative Maxine Waters, the senior Democrat on the panel, said that Trump “leveraged the power of the presidency to establish multiple crypto schemes to enrich himself and his family,” calling it a “display of greed.”

“He’s unlike any other issuer, because he’s the president of the United States,” said Representative Stephen Lynch, the ranking Democrat on the panel’s digital assets subcommittee, who argued Trump would be in a position to sign off on any government help needed by his own business interests were they to fail. “If this was a Democratic president who was trying to do this, the Republicans’ hair would be on fire, and rightly so. This should not be happening.”

Another Democrat, Illinois Representative Sean Castin, argued that Tron’s Justin Sun has put tens of millions of dollars into WLFI for no clear return other than its relationship to the Trump family. He contended that government officials tied to stablecoins could be influenced by foreign investors in a way that’s hidden from public scrutiny.

The Democratic arguments failed to move the committee’s Republican majority, so no new amendments stuck to the effort. Supporters have said this House version is largely parallel to the Senate’s. Representative Bill Huizenga, a Michigan Republican, said the House version properly maintains sufficient authority in the hands of state regulators, which offers a “lighter touch, at times.”

“We have an administration that is ready to embrace these products, and the time is now,” Huizenga said.

This was one of a few bills before the House Financial Services Committee dealing with crypto-tied topics. Another piece of legislation debated on Wednesday was one that would form a cross-government group of law-enforcement agencies to address illicit crypto use and another that would ban U.S.-issued central bank digital currency (CBDC). Lawmakers also voted on dozens of amendments to the stablecoin bill before voting to advance the bill itself, prompting Rep. Lynch to joke that the panel may have set a record for the most failed votes in a row.

The cross-government bill, the Financial Technology Protection Act, passed with unanimous support, 49-0. The anti-CBDC bill passed with 27 votes, with 22 lawmakers voting against.

Though lawmakers initially had issues with their electronic voting system, they began making good time after starting votes near 10:30 p.m. ET – nearly 12.5 hours after the markup began. Voting on all five bills wrapped up by 11:15 p.m. ET.

As the stablecoin bill continues to move forward, Trump is also poised to sign the first pro-crypto congressional action: a resolution that erases an Internal Revenue Service rule that targeted decentralized finance (DeFi) operations. The president is expected to sign the resolution, though he hasn’t announced a schedule to do so.

UPDATE (March 3, 2025, 01:15 UTC): Adds vote totals.

Bitcoin Fear & Greed Index Approaches Neutral As BTC Recovers To $85,000

Data shows the Bitcoin market sentiment has closed in on the neutral territory as the cryptocurrency’s price has recovered to $85,000.

Bitcoin Fear & Greed Index Is Now Close To Neutral Region

The “Fear & Greed Index” refers to an indicator created by Alternative that tells us about the average sentiment present among the investors in the Bitcoin and wider cryptocurrency markets.

To determine this sentiment, the index uses data on five factors: volatility, trading volume, market cap dominance, social media sentiment, and Google Trends.

The metric makes use of a numeric scale running from zero to hundred for representing this estimated mentality. All values above 53 correlate to a sentiment of greed, while those under 47 that to fear. The territory between these cutoffs represents a net-neutral mentality.

Now, here is what the current Bitcoin sentiment is like, according to the Fear & Greed Index:

Bitcoin Fear & Greed Index

As is visible above, the Bitcoin Fear & Greed Index has a value of 44 at the moment, which suggests the investors as a whole share a sentiment of fear. This crowd despair is only slightly dominant, though, as the metric is just three units away from the neutral zone.

The same wasn’t the case just yesterday, however, as the indicator held a value of 34, firmly placing it in the fear region. Below is a chart that shows how the index’s value has developed during the past year.

Bitcoin Fear

From the chart, it’s apparent that the Bitcoin Fear & Greed Index was around the neutral zone in the final week of March, but the price plunge that came during the last couple of days of the month led to a rapid deterioration of sentiment.

At its lowest, the indicator touched the 26 mark during the plummet. This value was so deep into the fear region that it was on the entryway to a special zone called the extreme fear (25 and under).

Historically, Bitcoin and other digital assets have tended to move in the direction that the crowd least expects. The probability of such a contrary move rises, and the stronger investor sentiment becomes, so extreme fear is where bottoms are likely to take place.

During the recent plunge, the index didn’t enter into this zone, but it did come close, which may be why BTC’s price was able to reach a local bottom. Since the low, the asset has made some recovery and has now broken past $85,000.

With investor sentiment no longer being strong in any direction following this recovery, the cryptocurrency might be roughly equally probable to move in either direction.

BTC Price

At the time of writing, Bitcoin is trading at around $85,000, down almost 4% in the last seven days.

Bitcoin Price Chart

‘National emergency’ as Trump’s tariffs dent crypto prices

‘National emergency’ as Trump’s tariffs dent crypto prices

Crypto markets dipped after US President Donald Trump’s declaration of a national emergency and sweeping tariffs on all countries as part of his latest salvo in the ongoing trade war. 

The Trump administration has hit all countries with a 10% tariff starting April 5, with some countries facing even larger rates, such as China facing a 34% tariff, the European Union 20%, and Japan 24%. 

During an April 2 speech in the Rose Garden at the White House, Trump said the US is charging countries “approximately half of what they are and have been charging us.”

The crypto market briefly went up at the news of a 10% sweeping tariff,  but once the full scope became known, it dipped with bleeding across the board. 

Bitcoin (BTC) had been staging a rally, reaching a session high at $88,500 but dropped 2.6% back to around $82,876. Meanwhile, CoinGecko data shows Ether (ETH) dropped over 6% from $1,934 to $1,797 following the tariff announcements and the total crypto market cap dropped 5.3% to $2.7 trillion. 

The Crypto Fear & Greed Index, which measures market sentiment for Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies, returned a score of 25, classed as extreme fear, in its latest April 2 update. 

However, prices have clawed back some losses since. Bitcoin has recovered 0.8% to $83,205. While Ether regained 1.2% to take back $1,810.

Cryptocurrencies, Investments, United States, Stocks, Donald Trump

The crypto Fear & Greed Index score has returned an average rating of fear for the last week but has now dipped to extreme fear. Source: Alternative.me

Stock markets didn’t fare much better; trading resource The Kobeissi Letter said in an April 2 post to X that the stock market index S&P 500 erased over $2 trillion in market cap, working out to be roughly $125 billion per minute.

Trump tariffs could bring certainty to markets

Rachael Lucas, a crypto analyst at Australian crypto exchange BTC Markets, said the brief surge was a case of “uncertainty relief,”  then a sell-off as the full tariff details were released. 

“On BTC Markets, trading volume surged 46% as local traders scrambled to reposition. Big players took profit on the spike, while smaller investors hesitated,” she said in a statement.

Cryptocurrencies, Investments, United States, Stocks, Donald Trump

Source: Daan Crypto Trades

She added that if China or the European Union “hit back hard,” expect another round of panic selling.

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent urged US trading partners in an April 2 interview with Bloomberg against taking retaliatory steps, arguing “this is the high end of the number” for tariffs if they don’t try to add more levies in response, which could provide a “ceiling” and certainty for markets.

David Hernandez, a crypto investment specialist at crypto asset manager  21Shares, told Cointelegraph that markets experienced significant volatility during Trump’s speech, but the clarity could be a good thing in the long term. 

“Although the tariff rates were slightly higher than expectations, the announcement provided much-needed clarity on the scope and scale of the policy,” he said.

Related: 70% chance of crypto bottoming before June amid trade fears: Nansen

“Markets thrive on certainty, and with speculation now largely removed, institutional investors may see an opportunity over the coming days to take advantage of compressed valuations.”

Hernandez says global responses will be key for the market going forward, speculating that Mexico and key East Asian economies, including China, South Korea, and Japan, could be evaluating countermeasures.

Magazine: Financial nihilism in crypto is over — It’s time to dream big again

XRP Price Reversal Toward $3.5 In The Works With Short And Long-Term Targets Revealed

The XRP price is showing signs of a strong bullish reversal, with a crypto analyst predicting a potential rebound toward $3.5 and even higher. After experiencing significant volatility and undergoing a consolidation due to recent price declines, technical indicators now show support for XRP’s bullish outlook. As a result, the analyst has provided a short—and long-term price target for the cryptocurrency. 

XRP Price Projected To Reverse To $3.5

According to ‘Setupsfx’, a crypto analyst on TradingView, XRP is now in a bullish reversal phase, meaning its price is expected to break out of its recent downturn and rise to new highs. Based on the expert’s chart analysis of XRP, the cryptocurrency is predicted to see an explosive increase to $3.5 following the end of its consolidation phase.

The chart indicates that the price of XRP is expected to rise to $3.5 in the coming months. However, from a fundamental analysis perspective, the analyst believes XRP is not limited to this bullish price target and could potentially surpass it to exceed current all-time highs of $3.84.

XRP

While the TradingView expert’s analysis of XRP maintains a neutral stance, implying uncertainty in the trend, he has also emphasized the cryptocurrency’s strong potential for growth. Hence, XRP could experience significant upward movement if market conditions align favorably and investor sentiment and confidence strengthen.

For his short-term price target, the crypto analyst forecasts that XRP could rally to a level above $3.5. He advises traders who intend to hold their positions for a short period to aim for this price level, as it could be a strategic exit point before a potential pullback. 

Notably, the analyst’s long-term price target for XRP has been set at $4.0 or higher. Considering XRP’s price is currently trading at $2.09, a surge to $4 would represent an almost 100% increase in its price.

Technical Elements Supporting Bullish Reversal

In his chart analysis, Setupsfx highlights XRP’s price action in a 12-hour time frame, showcasing key movements, trends, and technical elements that support his bullish projection. These elements include liquidity and IMB zones, which are areas where price action is expected due to pending orders. 

The analyst also highlights an accumulation phase, as XRP has been consolidating at lower levels, signaling the possibility of a potential breakout. The appearance of strong low wicks further indicates that buyers are regaining control of the market. 

Finally, the TradingView analyst has indicated that the altcoin has already undergone a three-point trendline rejection, which means it has tested and rejected a resistance level multiple times. The expert’s price chart also provides an ideal entry point for both short and long-term traders, marked at $1.8. A stop loss has also been placed significantly lower around $1.2 to minimize potential losses.

XRP

Former New York governor advised OKX over $505M federal probe: Report

Former New York governor advised OKX over $505M federal probe: Report

Cryptocurrency exchange OKX reportedly hired former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo to advise it over the federal probe that resulted in the firm pleading guilty to several violations and agreeing to pay $505 million in fines and penalties.

Cuomo, a New York-registered attorney, advised OKX on legal issues stemming from the probe sometime after August 2021 when he resigned as New York overnor, Bloomberg reported on April 2, citing people familiar with the matter.

“He spoke with company executives regularly and counseled them on how to respond to the criminal investigation,” Bloomberg said.

The Seychelles-based firm pled guilty to operating an unlicensed money-transmitting business in violation of US Anti-Money Laundering laws on Feb. 24 and agreed to pay $84 million worth of penalties while forfeiting $421 million worth of fees earned from mostly institutional clients.

The breaches occurred from 2018 to 2024 despite OKX having an official policy preventing US persons from transacting on its crypto exchange since 2017, the Department of Justice noted at the time.

A spokesperson for Cuomo, Rich Azzopardi, told Bloomberg that Cuomo has been providing private legal services representing individuals and corporations on a variety of matters since resigning as New York governor.

“He has not represented clients before a New York city or state agency and routinely recommends former colleagues for positions,”  Azzopardi added.

OKX reportedly wasn’t willing to comment on its relationships with outside firms.

Cuomo also influenced OKX to make executive appointments: Bloomberg

Cuomo, who is now running for mayor of New York City, also advised OKX to appoint his friend US Attorney Linda Lacewell to OKX’s board of directors, Bloomberg said.

Lacewell, a former superintendent of the New York Department of Financial Services, was added to the board in 2024 and was named OKX’s new chief legal officer on April 1, according to a recent company statement.

Former New York governor advised OKX over $505M federal probe: Report

Source: Linda Lacewell

Related: New York bill aims to protect crypto investors from memecoin rug pulls

After the investigation concluded, OKX said it would seek out a compliance consultant to remedy the issues stemming from the federal probe and bolster its regulatory compliance program.

“Our vision is to make OKX the gold standard of global compliance at scale across different markets and their respective regulatory bodies,” OKX CEO Star Xu said in a Feb. 24 X post.

Magazine: Financial nihilism in crypto is over — It’s time to dream big again

Solana Bearish Continuation: $118 Support, The Last Barricade Against Deeper Correction

Solana’s price action is flashing warning signs as bearish pressure intensifies, threatening to push the asset below the critical $125 support level. Despite previous recovery attempts, sellers remain dominant, preventing any meaningful upside momentum. 

If SOL fails to hold this key support, it could trigger a wave of panic selling, accelerating losses and exposing the price to deeper declines. With market sentiment hanging in the balance, all eyes are on whether bulls can stage a defense or if bears will finally break through, setting the stage for further downside.

Solana Ongoing Bearish Trend In Focus

The Solana price chart is currently displaying a bearish triangle formation, signaling a continuation of the downward trend. Initially, SOL attempted to break out above the upper boundary of the triangle, but the breakout lacked strong bullish momentum, leading to a swift rejection. This failure to sustain an upward move pushed the asset back toward the lower boundary of the triangle, where the $118 support level now comes into focus.

With continued selling pressure, Solana could face an extended bearish move, breaking below its current key support level and accelerating its decline. A confirmed breakdown beneath the bearish triangle would lead to a drop toward $118, the first major support zone. However, if the bearish momentum intensifies, this level may not hold.

Solana

Below $118, the next significant support lies at $99, where some buyers could attempt to slow the decline. Should this level fail to provide stability, SOL could slide toward $79, a crucial psychological and technical support zone. 

Continued weakness in market sentiment may push the price even lower, with $58 coming into play. For now, bulls must step in to defend these levels, or Solana risks an extended bearish phase.

Can $118 Spark Up Bullish Again

The $118 support level has emerged as a critical zone for SOL, with many traders watching closely to see if it can trigger a bullish turnaround. Historically, this level has acted as a strong demand zone, where buyers stepped in to absorb selling pressure and push prices higher. If similar market behavior plays out, SOL could see a rebound from this point.

According to CURB, in an X post on March 15, he forecasted that Solana’s price eyes decline to the $118 support level before experiencing a potential rebound. He believes that strong demand in this zone could trigger a significant price surge to the $1,000 mark in the long run.

Fundamental factors, such as positive news on Solana’s ecosystem, increased network adoption, or improved overall market sentiment, could also act as catalysts for a price recovery. A surge in buying volume, particularly from whales and institutional investors, is likely to provide the momentum needed to shift market sentiment.

Solana

EY updates privacy L2 as nixed Tornado Cash sanctions ease fears

EY updates privacy L2 as nixed Tornado Cash sanctions ease fears

Big Four accounting firm EY, formerly Ernst & Young, has changed its enterprise-focused Ethereum layer-2 blockchain Nightfall to a zero-knowledge rollup design as it says corporate clients are more comfortable with privacy solutions with easing US sanctions.

EY said in an April 2 announcement that Nightfall’s new source code, “Nightfall_4,” simplifies the network’s architecture and offers near-instant transaction finality on Ethereum while making it more accessible to users than its previous optimistic rollup-based version.

EY’s global blockchain leader, Paul Brody, told Cointelegraph that switching to a ZK-rollup model “means instant finality, but it also makes operations simpler since you don’t need a challenger node to secure the network,” which verifies the correctness of transactions.

The move away from optimistic rollups means Nightfall users won’t need to challenge potentially incorrect transactions on Ethereum and wait out the challenging period, leading to faster transaction finality.

No such feature is present with zero-knowledge rollups, meaning that a transaction becomes final as soon as it is added into a Nightfall block, EY said. 

It is the fourth major update to Nightfall since EY launched the business-focused Ethereum layer 2 in 2019.

Nightfall enables the firm’s business partners to transfer tokens privately using Ethereum’s security while being cheaper than the base network. It also uses a technology that binds a verified identity to a public key through digital signatures to try to stem counterparty risk.

Nixed Tornado Cash sanctions “helped people feel comfortable”

Brody said the US Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctions on the crypto mixing service Tornado Cash “had a chilling effect on legitimate business user interest.”

“Even though we long ago took steps to make Nightfall unattractive to bad actors, since it cannot be used anonymously, the removal of OFAC sanctions has really helped people feel comfortable that using a privacy technology will not be risky,” he added.

Nightfall’s code is open source on GitHub but remains a permissioned blockchain for EY’s customer base, competing with the likes of the IBM-backed Hyperledger Fabric, R3 Corda and the Consensus-built Quorum.

Brody said that EY’s blockchain team is working toward “a single environment that supports payments, logic, and composability.”

Currently, the firm requires Nightfall and Starlight, a tool that can change smart contract code to enable zero-knowledge proofs “to enable complex multiparty business agreements under privacy,” he added.

“We’ll spend some time supporting Nightfall_4 deployments initially,” Brody said. “Then we’ll move on to the development of Nightfall_5.”

Magazine: What are native rollups? Full guide to Ethereum’s latest innovation 

Kraken Secures Restricted Dealer Status in Canada Amid ‘Turning Point’ for Crypto in the Country

Crypto exchange Kraken has registered as a restricted dealer in Canada, allowing the exchange to continue offering crypto trading services to Canadian users under the country’s evolving regulatory framework.

The registration, announced on Tuesday, comes after a multi-year process that required exchanges to meet higher standards for investor protection and governance. Kraken said it worked closely with Canadian regulators during this pre-registration phase, upgrading its compliance systems and internal controls to meet expectations set by the Ontario Securities Commission (OSC).

To lead its Canadian expansion, Kraken named Cynthia Del Pozo as general manager for North America. Del Pozo, a fintech and operations veteran, will oversee strategy, regulatory engagement and business development across the region.

“Canada is at a turning point for crypto adoption,” said Del Pozo in a statement, pointing to growing interest from both retail and institutional investors. A recent survey cited by Kraken found that 30% of Canadian investors currently hold crypto assets.

Kraken also announced it will offer free Interac e-Transfer deposits for Canadian users, a move aimed at reducing friction for newcomers to the platform. The exchange claims it doubled its team and user base in Canada over the last two years and now manages over $2 billion CAD in client assets.

Mayur Gupta, Kraken’s chief marketing officer and general manager of growth, will be speaking at CoinDesk’s Consensus 2025 in Toronto on May 14-15.

Disclaimer: Parts of this article were generated with the assistance from AI tools and reviewed by our editorial team to ensure accuracy and adherence to our standards. For more information, see CoinDesk’s full AI Policy.

Trump imposes 10% tariff on all countries, reciprocal levies on trading partners

Trump imposes 10% tariff on all countries, reciprocal levies on trading partners

United States President Donald Trump signed an executive order establishing reciprocal tariffs on trading partners and a 10% baseline tariff on all imports from all countries.

The reciprocal levies on will be approximately half of what trading partners charge for US imports, Trump said. For example, China currently has a tariff of 67% on US imports, so US reciprocal tariffs on Chinese goods will be 34%. Trump also announced a standard 25% tariff on all automobile imports.

Trump told the media that tariffs would return the country to economic prosperity seen in previous centuries:

“From 1789 to 1913, we were a tariff-backed nation. The United States was proportionately the wealthiest it has ever been. So wealthy, in fact, that in the 1880s, they established a commission to decide what they were going to do with the vast sums of money they were collecting.”

“Then, in 1913, for reasons unknown to mankind, they established the income tax so that citizens, rather than foreign countries, would start paying,” Trump said.

Economy, US Government, United States, Donald Trump

Full breakdown of reciprocal tariffs by country. Source: Cointelegraph

Trump presented the tariffs through the lens of economic protectionism and hinted at returning to the economic policies of the 19th century by using them to replace the income tax.

Related: Bitcoin rally to $88.5K obliterates bears as spot volumes soar — Will a tariff war stop the party?

Trump proposes eliminating federal income tax and replacing it with tariff revenue

Trump proposed the idea of abolishing the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and funding the federal government exclusively through trade tariffs while still on the campaign trail in October 2024.

According to accounting automation company Dancing Numbers, Trump’s plan could save each American taxpayer $134,809-$325,561 in taxes throughout their lives.

Economy, US Government, United States, Donald Trump

US President Donald Trump addresses the media about reciprocal trade tariffs at the April 2 press event. Source: Fox 4 Dallas

The higher range of the tax savings estimate will only occur if other wage-based taxes are eliminated at the state and municipal levels.

Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, who assumed office in February, also voiced support for replacing the IRS with the “External Revenue Service.”

Lutnick said that the US government cannot balance a budget yet consistently demands more from its citizens every year. Tariffs will also protect American workers and strengthen the US economy, he said.

Magazine: Elon Musk’s plan to run government on blockchain faces uphill battle

US lawmakers press SEC for info about Trump family-backed crypto firm

US lawmakers press SEC for info about Trump family-backed crypto firm

Two Democratic lawmakers in the US Senate and House of Representatives have called on acting Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Chair Mark Uyeda to preserve information regarding World Liberty Financial, the crypto firm backed by President Donald Trump’s family.

In an April 2 letter, Senator Elizabeth Warren and Representative Maxine Waters — ranking members of the Senate Banking Committee and House Financial Services Committee, respectively — asked Uyeda to provide information to Congress based on Trump’s ties to World Liberty Financial (WLFI). The two lawmakers suggested the SEC may be being influenced by the firm, and “this conflict of interest may be interfering with its mission to protect investors and maintain fair and orderly markets.”

“The Trump family’s financial stake in World Liberty Financial represents an unprecedented conflict of interest with the potential to influence the Trump Administration’s oversight — or lack thereof — of the cryptocurrency industry, creating an obvious incentive for the Trump Administration to direct federal agencies, including the SEC, to take positions favorable to cryptocurrency interests that directly benefit the President’s family,” said the letter.

Law, Congress, Donald Trump, Stablecoin

April 2 letter to acting SEC chair Mark Uyeda. Source: House Financial Services Committee

The letter came roughly a week after WLFI announced it had launched a stablecoin, USD1, on the BNB Chain and Ethereum blockchain. However, since January, Trump has followed through with several crypto policies and projects with potential conflicts of interest, including plans to establish a national cryptocurrency stockpile and the launch of a TRUMP memecoin.

Related: Crypto has a regulatory capture problem in Washington — Or does it?

According to Warren and Waters, Americans deserved transparency about Trump’s crypto ventures and how they could potentially influence policy at the SEC, a financial regulatory agency largely intended to be independent of the administration. The two called on Uyeda to preserve records and communications related to WLFI from Trump and his family, as well as communications with the SEC.

“The American people deserve to know whether their financial markets are being regulated impartially or whether regulatory decisions are being made to benefit the President’s family financial interests,” wrote the Democratic lawmakers.

The letter reiterated arguments Waters made in an April 2 House Financial Services Committee hearing. The California lawmaker said that without oversight and accountability, Trump could install WLFI’s stablecoin for government payments and profit directly from his position as president. Many other lawmakers and financial experts across the political spectrum have expressed concern over Trump’s potential conflicts of interest with the crypto industry.

SEC leadership under Trump

Since Trump appointed Uyeda as acting chair, the SEC has dropped investigations and enforcement actions into several crypto firms, including those with executives who contributed directly to the president’s 2024 campaign.

Paul Atkins, Trump’s pick to chair the SEC after Uyeda, is expected to face a vote in the Senate Banking Committee on April 3. If Atkins’ nomination moves out of committee, the full chamber will decide whether to confirm him.

Magazine: Trump’s crypto ventures raise conflict of interest, insider trading questions

Curve Finance clocks $35B trading volume in Q1 2025

Curve Finance clocks $35B trading volume in Q1 2025

Curve Finance, a decentralized lending protocol and exchange, notched record-breaking trading volumes of nearly $35 billion in the first quarter of 2025, a spokesperson for the protocol told Cointelegraph. 

Trading volumes increased more than 13% from the first quarter of 2024, largely due to a surge in transactions, from around 1.8 million to some 5.5 million in Q1 2025, Curve said. 

The strong Q1 volumes come amid overall declines in the cryptocurrency market, with the total market capitalization of cryptocurrencies dropping by more than 20% in the year-to-date as of March 31, according to data from CoinGecko.

Curve Finance clocks $35B trading volume in Q1 2025

Curve’s total value locked (TVL) over time. Source: DefiLlama

Related: Curve Finance launches ‘Savings crvUSD’ yield-bearing stablecoin

Changing DeFi Landscape

Launched in 2020, Curve has taken numerous steps in the past year to keep pace with the changing decentralized finance (DeFi) landscape.

In June 2024, Curve adopted crvUSD, its stablecoin, for fee distribution to tokenholders, replacing an older model that paid holders in shares of the 3crv liquidity pool.

In November, Curve partnered with Elixir, a blockchain network, to help onboard BlackRock’s tokenized money market fund, BUIDL, to DeFi. 

By the end of 2025, Curve plans to consolidate its lending markets into a single user interface and provide borrowers with more time to close positions before they are liquidated, it told Cointelegraph. 

Curve founder Michael Egorov said in March that he expects many decentralized exchanges (DEXs) to evolve into bespoke platforms for stablecoins pegged to various currency denominations. 

“Exchanges between stablecoins of different denominations like the euro, US dollar, and others are not yet properly solved. How to provide liquidity without losing money, but while earning a lot of money, is kind of an open question that I think will be solved soon,” Egorov said.

Despite the rise in transactions, the total value locked (TVL) on Curve’s platform is approximately $1.8 billion as of April 2, according to data from DefILlama, down from highs of roughly $2.5 billion at the start of the year.

Curve’s native token, Curve DAO (CRV), has a market capitalization of approximately $640 million at this writing, marking a more than 40% decline in the year-to-date, according to data from Cointelegraph.

Related: BTC miners adopted ‘treasury strategy,’ diversified business in 2024: Report

Fidelity introduces retirement accounts with minimal-fee crypto investing

Fidelity introduces retirement accounts with minimal-fee crypto investing

Fidelity, a financial services company with $5.9 trillion in assets under management, has introduced new retirement accounts that will allow Americans to invest in crypto nearly fee-free.

The three accounts — a tax-deferred traditional IRA and two Roth IRAs (one is a rollover) — permit the buying and selling of Bitcoin (BTC), Ether (ETH), and Litecoin (LTC). While there are no fees to open or maintain the accounts, Fidelity charges a 1% spread on the execution price of crypto buy and sell transactions.

The crypto IRAs are offered by Fidelity Digital Assets, a subsidiary of Fidelity that has traditionally offered institutional investors the opportunity to buy and sell crypto.

The broadening of its client base may be another signal of the changing crypto landscape in the United States, which has seen the adoption of a strategic Bitcoin reserve and multiple companies, including stablecoin issuer Circle, filing for an initial public offering.

Fidelity states that, for security, it holds the majority of its crypto in cold storage, which consists of crypto wallets not connected to the internet.

Related: Bitcoin ETFs for retirement planning: A beginner’s guide

BTC and ETH exposure already offered for retirement accounts

While the direct purchase of cryptocurrencies in an IRA has never been strictly prohibited, few IRA providers have allowed such purchases, according to Investopedia. Therefore, Fidelity’s new IRAs may signal a change in the environment.

Still, for enthusiasts of BTC and ETH, there have been other options since 2024, such as exchange-traded funds (ETFs) of those corresponding coins.

Since the debut of those ETFs, investors in the US have been able to gain exposure to crypto markets from their retirement accounts — depending on the brokerage. There has also been the rise of Bitcoin IRAs, which are self-directed retirement accounts that offer tax advantages.

Some crypto companies offer digital-asset-specific IRAs like BitIRA, where individuals can add altcoins such as LTC to their retirement portfolios.

The move to allow more Americans to invest crypto into retirement accounts may be gaining momentum. On April 1, Alabama Senator Tommy Tuberville announced the reintroduction of a bill to allow Americans to add cryptocurrency to their 401(k)s. The process would involve scaling back regulations issued by the Department of Labor.

Magazine: X Hall of Flame: Bitcoin will ‘start ripping’ as Trump’s polls improve — Felix Hartmann 

Chainlink Consolidates In Triangle Pattern – Is A 35% Breakout Imminent?

Chainlink is currently trading at a crucial demand zone after enduring heavy selling pressure throughout Q1 of this year. Like many altcoins, LINK has struggled to recover in the face of broader macroeconomic instability and a hostile market environment fueled by U.S. President Donald Trump’s unpredictable policy decisions. Tariffs, trade tensions, and volatile global sentiment have created significant headwinds for high-risk assets, and Chainlink has been no exception.

Despite the recent weakness, some analysts believe a turnaround may be near — but only if LINK can hold its current support levels. A strong defense here could lay the foundation for a meaningful recovery rally in the weeks ahead.

Top analyst Ali Martinez shared new insights on X, highlighting a potentially bullish setup forming on Chainlink’s chart. According to Martinez, LINK is currently consolidating within a triangle pattern, which often precedes major moves. He notes that this structure could be setting up for a significant price move, with a breakout potentially imminent.

As LINK coils tighter within this pattern, traders are watching closely. A confirmed breakout from this zone could spark a strong directional move — and possibly mark the beginning of Chainlink’s next major trend.

Chainlink Struggles Below Key Levels as Triangle Pattern Signals Imminent Move

Chainlink is currently trading below critical resistance levels after losing nearly 30% of its value since late February. The sharp drop has left bulls in a defensive position, struggling to hold prices steady and spark a meaningful recovery. The $13 mark now stands as a crucial support level — a zone that must hold to preserve market structure and investor confidence. A decisive defense of this area could provide the foundation needed for a recovery rally.

While selling pressure has dominated in recent weeks, bears have so far failed to break LINK below its current demand zone. This has led to cautious optimism among traders, who see a potential reversal if buyers can defend key levels and reclaim momentum. If LINK maintains support above $13 and gains strength, a push toward higher liquidity zones could quickly follow.

However, risks remain. US President Donald Trump’s unpredictable economic policies, especially on tariffs and trade, continue to shake financial markets and drive uncertainty. Crypto, as a high-risk asset class, remains particularly vulnerable to this kind of volatility.

Martinez’s technical analysis noted that Chainlink is consolidating within a triangle pattern — a structure that often precedes significant price movements. According to Martinez, this setup could result in a 35% breakout, with $16 identified as the level to watch closely for confirmation.

Chainlink forming a 12h pattern | Source: Ali Martinez on X

If bulls can reclaim that level, a powerful move higher may follow. For now, all eyes are on the $13 support and the triangle’s upper boundary as Chainlink coils tighter and prepares for its next major move. A breakout — in either direction — appears imminent.

Bulls Hold Support But Battle Key Resistance

Chainlink (LINK) is trading at $13.5 after several days of consistent selling pressure, struggling to gain momentum below the critical $16 mark. The current level now acts as a short-term support zone, and bulls must defend it to avoid further downside. A successful hold above this price could offer a foundation for recovery, but the path forward remains challenging.

LINK trading below 200-da MA & EMA | Source: LINKUSDT chart on TraidngView

To shift sentiment and reignite bullish momentum, LINK must reclaim the $17.20 level — an area that aligns closely with both the 200-day moving average (MA) and the 200-day exponential moving average (EMA). These indicators have historically marked key trend reversals, and a clean breakout above them would signal strength returning to the market.

If bulls manage to push LINK above the $18 mark, a strong rally could follow, possibly retesting higher resistance levels and restoring confidence in the broader trend. However, if LINK fails to reclaim these levels in the near term, it risks slipping into a consolidation phase or even experiencing a deeper correction.

A breakdown below $12.5 would likely trigger further losses and shift the short-term outlook more bearish. For now, LINK remains in a fragile state, and the next move will depend on the bulls’ ability to reclaim momentum.

Featured image from Dall-E, chart from TradingView 

The Protocol: Vana Introduces Token Standard for Data-Backed Assets

Welcome to The Protocol, CoinDesk’s weekly wrap-up of the most important stories in cryptocurrency tech development. I’m Ben Schiller.

In this issue:

Vana launches token standard

Hashgraph to debut private blockchain

ASICs will look more like servers

An interview with Gensyn’s Ben Fielding

This article is featured in the latest issue of The Protocol, our weekly newsletter exploring the tech behind crypto, one block at a time. Sign up here to get it in your inbox every Wednesday.

Network News

VANA’S DATA-BACKED TOKEN STANDARD: Crypto enthusiasts might have heard of the ERC-20 token standard, which provides guidelines to ensure that tokens created on the Ethereum smart contract blockchain are compatible and can interact with other tokens and applications within the network. A similar standard for data-backed tokens, called VRC-20, has now emerged. Vana, an EVM-compatible Layer 1 blockchain that helps users monetize personal data by bundling it into DataDAOs for AI model training, introduced the new standard early this week to boost trust and transparency in the market for data-backed digital assets. The VRC-20 standard design includes specific criteria such as fixed supply, governance, and liquidity rules while ensuring real data access by tying tokens to actual data utility. Additionally, it promotes continuous liquidity through rewards that ensure market stability. “This isn’t speculation. This is real financialization of data,” Vana noted on X. Vana launched its mainnet in December, with VANA as its native cryptocurrency. Since then, the network has onboarded over 12 million data points through multiple DataDAOs, reflecting strong demand for user-owned data. DataDAOs or data liquidity pools are decentralized marketplaces that bring data on-chain as transferable digital tokens. DLPs are where data is contributed, tokenized and made ready for use in applications such as AI model training. — Omkar Godbole Read more.

HASHGRAPH LINES UP Q3 PRIVATE CHAIN: Hashgraph, the blockchain development firm focusing on the Hedera (HBAR) network, is building a private, permissioned blockchain for enterprises in highly regulated industries with plans to debut in the third quarter of 2025. HashSphere, built with Hedera’s technology, aims to bridge private and public distributed ledgers, ensuring compliance with regulations while maintaining interoperability, the company said Monday. Hashgraph is looking to provide services to asset managers, banks and payment providers seeking secure, low-cost cross-border transactions with stablecoins.While public blockchains offer security and transparency, enterprises in industries like finance and payments often face compliance challenges, particularly with know your customer (KYC) and anti-money laundering (AML) requirements. HashSphere addresses this by restricting access to verified participants, enabling firms to develop tokenized assets, AI-powered services and other blockchain-based products while meeting regulatory standards. The network also integrates Hedera’s existing tools, including the Token Service for managing digital assets and the Consensus Service for recording transactions with trusted timestamps. The platform is compatible with the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM), allowing developers to deploy decentralized applications using Solidity and other EVM languages. — Kris Sandor Read more.

ASICS TO BE MORE LIKE SERVERS: In the beginning, there were only CPUs, then GPUs, for bitcoin mining. Then came the mighty ASIC in 2013, and with it, the “shoebox” form factor that has become emblematic of the bitcoin mining industry. What comes next? ASIC manufacturers are increasingly betting on a hydro-cooled server rack design to become a substantial portion of bitcoin mining fleets, leaning into the “direct-to-chip” cooling for further efficiency gains. Last September, Bitmain announced its model U3S21EXPH developed in a partnership with Hut 8. Its U3 design means that one unit takes up three spaces in a traditional server rack. MicroBT soon followed with its M63 Hydro series, as did Bitdeer’s Sealminer A2 Hydro unit. Following suit, Auradine released its server rack model, the AH3880, this March. Its U2 design, which occupies two server slots, is a bit smaller, but it packs more hashrate per unit of space at 600 TH/s (or 300 TH/s per slot) versus Bitmain’s 860 TH/s (286.66 TH/s per slot). The benefit of a server rack ASIC lies in standardization. Bitcoin miners are increasingly marching in step with the traditional datacenter industry, and that industry could see 40% adoption of direct liquid-to-chip cooling by 2026, according to data center developer Cyrus One. If miners adopt this design, then theoretically, they can optimize their supply chains by converging on server designs that are becoming best practice in the big-boy data center sector. — Colin Harper, Blockspace Read more.

GENSYN CEO BEN FIELDING: Ten years ago, when he was still a young AI researcher beginning his PhD track, Ben Fielding explored how “swarms” of AI — clusters of many different models — could talk to each other and learn from each other, which might improve the collective whole. There was just one problem: He was handcuffed by the realities of that noisy machine beneath his desk. And he knew he was outgunned by Google and other Big Tech. Compute constraints would always be an issue, he realized. The solution? Decentralized AI. Fielding co-founded Gensyn (along with Harry Grieve) in 2020, or years before Decentralized AI became fashionable. The project was initially known for building decentralized compute, but the vision is actually something wider: “The network for machine intelligence.” They’re building solutions up and down the tech stack. And now, a decade after Fielding’s noisy desk annoyed his lab-mates, the early tools of Gensyn are out in the wild. Gensyn recently released its “RL Swarms” protocol (a descendant of Fielding’s PhD work) and just launched its Testnet — which brings blockchain into the fold. Fielding talked with Jeff Wilser about AI Swarms, how blockchain snaps into the puzzle, and shares why all innovators — not just tech giants — “should have the right to build machine learning technologies.” — Jeff Wilser Read more.

In Other News

Web3 lacks a dedicated memory layer, making its current architecture inefficient and difficult to scale. Random Linear Network Coding (RLNC) offers a solution by enhancing data propagation and storage efficiency in decentralized systems. Implementing RLNC can address Web3’s scalability challenges by optimizing memory and data access without compromising decentralization, says Muriel Médard, co-founder of Optimum. Read her op-ed here.

Ripple, an enterprise-focused blockchain service closely tied to the XRP Ledger (XRP), said on Wednesday it has integrated its stablecoin to the company’s cross-border payments system to boost adoption for Ripple USD (RLUSD). Select Ripple Payments customers including cross-border payment providers BKK Forex and iSend are already using the stablecoin to improve their treasury operations, the company said. Ripple plans to further expand the token’s availability of its token to payments customers. RLUSD reached a $244 million market capitalization, growing 87% over the past month. — Kris Sandor reports.

Regulatory and Policy

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has dropped or paused over a dozen ongoing cases (and lost one) since U.S. President Donald Trump retook office just over two months ago and appointed Commissioner Mark Uyeda as acting chair. Here is a rundown of what’s left on the SEC’s enforcement docket. — Nik De reports.

Calendar

April 8-10: Paris Blockchain Week

April 30-May 1: Token 2049, Dubai

May 14-16: Consensus, Toronto

May 20-22: Avalanche Summit, London

May 27-29: Bitcoin 2025, Las Vegas

June 30-July 3: EthCC, Cannes

Oct. 1-2: Token2049, Singapore

Ethereum price may have bottomed, but pro traders show little interest in buying ETH

Ethereum price may have bottomed, but pro traders show little interest in buying ETH

Ether (ETH) price has risen 6.4% from its March 30 $1,768 low but the altcoin has struggled to regain the $2,000 level. Some traders believe that the downturn is partially connected to the deflating memecoin market, which, while not exclusive to the Ethereum network, significantly reduced activity across the decentralized applications (DApps) ecosystem and broader crypto space.

Ether is currently 44% down year-to-date, and derivatives metrics indicate that traders are far from bullish and show little confidence in a strong recovery in the near term. Proof of this can be found in the premium on Ether futures relative to spot markets. 

While the figure rose to 4% on April 2, up from 2% on March 31, it is still below the neutral 5% threshold. This data indicates that Ether investors remain far from turning bullish, despite the strengthening support at the $1,800 price level.

Cryptocurrencies, DApps, Markets, Cryptocurrency Exchange, Donald Trump, Leverage, Futures, Ether Price, Memecoin

Ether 2-month futures annualized premium. Source: Laevitas.ch

To assess whether whales and market makers lack confidence in Ether’s performance, one should analyze the ETH options market. Under neutral conditions, the 25% delta skew should be balanced between call (buy) and put (sell) options, typically ranging from -6% to 6%.

Cryptocurrencies, DApps, Markets, Cryptocurrency Exchange, Donald Trump, Leverage, Futures, Ether Price, Memecoin

Deribit ETH 30-day options 25% delta skew (put-call). Source: Laevitas.ch

The Ether delta skew metric has retreated from the 9% level seen on March 31, yet the current 7% reading suggests that risk-aversion sentiment remains strong. The rising cost of hedging indicates that whales fear further downside for ETH, suggesting it may take longer for traders to regain confidence.

Ethereum adoption remains strong despite DApps revenue drop

It’s easy to attribute much of Ether’s price decline to the 49% drop in Ethereum DApps revenue between January and March. However, while the reduced network activity limits the influx of new users and dampens overall demand for ETH, its advantages over traditional financial markets and its dominance in decentralized finance (DeFi) remain unchanged.

The stablecoin holdings on Ethereum are nearing an all-time high of $124.5 billion, and Ethereum is still the undisputed leader, with $49 billion in total value locked (TVL). This data suggests significant potential for ETH adoption, particularly as new use cases emerge, such as structured products and more complex DeFi applications leveraging synthetic assets.

Despite the early struggles of metaverse applications, declining interest in memecoins, and the sharp downturn in non-fungible token (NFT) marketplace activity, the Ethereum network continues to expand.

ETH funding rate neutral as ETFs dampen retail trading enthusiasm

Instead of focusing solely on how professional traders are positioned, it is also valuable to assess retail investors’ sentiment. Perpetual futures (inverse swaps) typically follow spot prices closely, as leverage imbalances are corrected through a fee known as the funding rate, which is charged every eight hours. In neutral markets, this rate fluctuates between 0.1% and 0.3% over a seven-day period.

Cryptocurrencies, DApps, Markets, Cryptocurrency Exchange, Donald Trump, Leverage, Futures, Ether Price, Memecoin

Ether 8-hour perpetual futures funding rate. Source: Laevitas.ch

The ETH perpetual funding rate has been neutral since March 31, indicating that retail traders are not attempting to catch a falling knife. A key factor behind this lack of enthusiasm is the spot Ether exchange-traded funds (ETFs), which saw $37 million in net outflows over the past two weeks.

While derivatives data is often backward-looking and does not necessarily signal further ETH price declines, sentiment could shift quickly given the positive momentum from the Trump family’s World Liberty Financial investment in ETH and Eric Trump’s vocal support for Ether. For the time being, professional traders and retail investors remain cautious about ETH’s price outlook.

This article is for general information purposes and is not intended to be and should not be taken as legal or investment advice. The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed here are the author’s alone and do not necessarily reflect or represent the views and opinions of Cointelegraph.

President Trump to Order ‘Reciprocal Tariffs’ to Begin at Midnight

In a Rose Garden ceremony on Wednesday, U.S. President Donald Trump said he intends to immediately sign an order for “reciprocal tariffs” to be levied against U.S. trading partners.

“Our country and its taxpayers have been ripped off for more than 50 years but it’s not going to happen anymore,” said Trump, adding that the tariffs will begin at midnight.

The first specific tariff announced at the ceremony was a 25% levy on all foreign-made autos.

Among country-specific tariffs: China will see a rate of 34%, Vietnam 46%, Taiwan 32% South Korea 25%, European Union 20%, Switzerland 31%.

The price of bitcoin (BTC) initially rose in the ceremony’s early stages, but began to give ground as the tariffs were detailed. The price has retreated to $86,000, down about 1% from prior to the announcements.

U.S. stock index futures are plunging, with the Nasdaq 100 lower by 2.3% and the S&P 500 by 1.7%. Gold, meanwhile, shot higher to a new record high just below $3,200 per ounce.

Bitcoin rally to $88.5K obliterates bears as spot volumes soar — Will a tariff war stop the party?

Bitcoin rally to $88.5K obliterates bears as spot volumes soar — Will a tariff war stop the party?

Bitcoin price caught an unexpected bid by rallying to a session high at $88,500, but will the price gains be capped at a multimonth overhead resistance that is aligned with the 50-day moving average? 

Key points:

  • Bitcoin extended its April. 1 gains as news that the Trump administration had not finalized its “Liberation Day” tariffs emerged. 

  • Israel, Mexico and India have already rolled back their tariffs on US imports or suggested that they will not do “tit for tat” tariffs in response to the expected April 2 US tariffs. 

  • Bitcoin (BTC) trades slightly below a 3-month descending trendline resistance where the price has consistentlybeen rejected during past rallies. 

  • Total market liquidations over the past 12-hour trading period have reached $145 million, with $69.4 million of the figure being Bitcoin shorts.  

Data from Kingfisher, CoinGlass and Velo show short liquidations playing a role in today’s push above $88,500. 

Bitcoin rally to $88.5K obliterates bears as spot volumes soar — Will a tariff war stop the party?

Crypto market liquidations in the past 12-hours. Source. CoinGlass 

For the past few months, Bitcoin price has struggled to hold the gains accrued from rallies driven by leverage. Looking beyond futures markets, there are some positives that suggest that the market structure is slowly transitioning from bearish to bullish. 

As shown in the chart below, recent rallies were accompanied by a strong bid in the spot market and the return of the Coinbase Pro premium, leading some analysts to speculate that the shift was influenced by buying from Strategy and other companies focused on building Bitcoin reserves. 

Bitcoin rally to $88.5K obliterates bears as spot volumes soar — Will a tariff war stop the party?

Coinbase premium index. Source: CryptoQuant

Over the last two weeks, GameStop, MARA, Metaplanet and Strategy all announced plans to buy more Bitcoin, with GameStop being on the verge of purchasing and Strategy actively adding to its BTC position. 

Bitcoin rally to $88.5K obliterates bears as spot volumes soar — Will a tariff war stop the party?

GameStop secures $1.5B for possible BTC purchase. Source: Arkham

In the short-term, sustained spot buy volumes at Binance and Coinbase Pro, and the crypto and equities markets’ response to President Donald Trump’s “Liberation Day” tariffs are likely to be the most impactful factors that will influence the current bullish momentum seen in Bitcoin price.  

Related: Bitcoin price on verge of breaking 10-week downtrend — Is $90K BTC next?

This article does not contain investment advice or recommendations. Every investment and trading move involves risk, and readers should conduct their own research when making a decision.

West Virginia's BTC reserve bill is 'freedom' from a CBDC — State Senator

West Virginia's BTC reserve bill is 'freedom' from a CBDC — State Senator

West Virginia’s Bitcoin (BTC) strategic reserve bill would give the state more sovereignty from the federal government and freedom from a potential central bank digital currency (CBDC), State Senator Chris Rose told Cointelegraph in an exclusive interview.

“You hear these rumors that there are people at the federal government that will want to have a central bank digital currency,” Rose said. “And people don’t want that. People want decentralized currency. They want freedom.”

The bill, introduced in February, seeks to allow the state treasury to invest up to 10% of public funds in precious metals like gold and silver, stablecoins, or any digital asset that has had a $750 million market capitalization or higher over the last 12 months. Currently, the only digital asset with such a market cap is Bitcoin.

Legislation, United States, Bitcoin Reserve

West Virginia State Senator Chris Rose. Source: Cointelegraph

Rose, the bill’s sponsor, said that the reason they decided on the market cap requirement was to allow the state to have exposure to cryptocurrency, but not to get trapped “in any things like memecoins.”

Adopting Bitcoin on the state level would “give us a little more state sovereignty,” Rose added. “And I think that’s one reason why you see a lot of people who normally buy [Bitcoin] for themselves want to see their state government do the same.”

He added that a 10% allocation of state funds would be a “good way to introduce [Bitcoin] to the state” while avoiding any fear from people who don’t understand digital assets. “It’s a good way to cap that where they feel comfortable, but also give us at least a decent exposure as well.”

Bitcoin: “a very powerful” investment and freedom tool

Rose said that one of the roadblocks to getting the bill passed is fear, in particular among those who don’t understand cryptocurrency. “Just like any other state, we have people who understand it. We also have people that don’t understand it, and people are always afraid of what they don’t know.”

He added that “once they understand it, they realize it’s a very powerful investment tool and freedom tool for every one of us to adopt.”

Legislation, United States, Bitcoin Reserve

Excerpt of West Virginia Bitcoin reserve bill. Source: West Virginia Legislature

West Virginia Governor Patrick Morrisey, who has envisioned a future state economy powered by crypto and other tech, won’t be a roadblock, Rose said. And the state treasurer, whom Rose consulted before introducing the bill, won’t either.

However, according to WVNews, a West Virginia publication, some lawmakers and financial experts remain skeptical. Investing state funds into Bitcoin may be risky due to the asset’s volatility and price swings, which can cause financial instability and make Bitcoin a controversial choice for state investments.

Although Bitcoin strategic reserve bills have been popping up in state legislatures around the United States, some bills have failed to pass or have scrapped key provisions, including some of those in traditionally conservative states.

Currently, 47 strategic Bitcoin reserve bills have been introduced in 26 states according to Bitcoin Laws. While, in most of the states, the bills have only been introduced or referred to committees, some have made headway in three: Arizona, Oklahoma, and Texas.

Related: Texas Senate passes Bitcoin strategic reserve bill

Rose clarified that the 10% of state funds allocated to precious metals, stablecoins, or Bitcoin would be sourced from two key areas.

“It would be the assets under the pensions fund and under the severance tax fund,” Rose said. “They would be able to divest some of those ETF funds into these assets. We wanted to keep it separate from the petty cash fund, which is day-to-day, just paying the bills of the state. We wanted to keep it to our longer-term assets,” he added.

Magazine: X Hall of Flame, Benjamin Cowen: Bitcoin dominance will fall in 2025

Ethereum Pain Is Far From Over: Why A Massive Drop To $1,400 Could Rock The Underperformer

Crypto analyst Klejdi has indicated that Ethereum’s pain is far from over, with the second-largest crypto by market cap set to suffer a further downtrend. Specifically, he warned that ETH could still drop to as low as $1,400 before it finds a bottom. 

Ethereum May Still Drop To As Low As $1,400

In a TradingView post, Kledji stated that Ethereum may drop to $1,400, providing a bearish outlook for the altcoin, which has underperformed other top cryptocurrencies. The analyst noted that ETH lost nearly 12% of its value within just three days after breaking out of its recent pattern last Friday.  

He further mentioned that Ethereum’s movement and the rest of the crypto market are closely tied to Bitcoin. As such, this ETH crash is likely to happen, seeing as the flagship crypto has dropped to $81,300 and is already showing signs of further decline

Klejdi highlighted in his accompanying chart that ETH will likely consolidate near its current level before continuing to move lower. However, the chart showed that the move to this $1,400 target will likely happen this month. 

Ethereum

In the meantime, the analyst believes it would be wise to wait for Ethereum’s price to form another bearish pattern before entering a trade. He again reaffirmed that there is a strong possibility that ETH may extend its drop to $1,400

Ethereum whales are already capitulating ahead of this projected price crash. Onchain analytics platform Lookonchain revealed an ETH OG that has sold off all its holdings. This investor bought 5,0001 ETH while trading at $277 in 2017 and didn’t sell when the altcoin hit its ATH during the last bull run. The whale started selling last month, possibly giving up on Ethereum making a comeback anytime soon. 

ETH Will Still Reach New Highs

Crypto analyst Virtual Bacon is still confident that Ethereum will reach new highs. He noted that ETH is back at its key bear market breakout zone, retesting the $1,700 and $2,100 range. He predicts that the altcoin will continue to chop around this range in the short term. However, he remarked that Ethereum tends to catch up fast once the US Federal Reserve pivots and global liquidity turns. 

Crypto analyst Crypto Patel affirmed that Ethereum’s biggest run is coming. He stated that Q2 to Q4 of this year will be life-changing for ETH. The analyst added that this could be the cycle top window and advised market participants not to miss it. Crypto Patel advised that they should accumulate between $1,900 and $1,300 with the target of between $7,000 and $10,000 in mind. 

At the time of writing, the Ethereum price is trading at around $1,850, up in the last 24 hours, according to data from CoinMarketCap.

Ethereum

DoubleZero protocol announces validator token sale

DoubleZero protocol announces validator token sale

The DoubleZero Protocol, a blockchain infrastructure network aiming to multiply speeds and efficiency for distributed networks, announced a validator token sale to sell token-purchase agreements for its native token to prospective validators.

Applications for the sale will be accepted April 2-10 through the CoinList platform, marking its first public token sale in the United States since 2019. The round is only available to accredited investors.

According to the protocol, only validators currently serving the high-throughput Solana, Celestia, Sui, Aptos, and Avalanche networks are eligible to apply.

Interested parties are invited to submit bids declaring a per-unit token price and maximum budgets, which will be aggregated to determine the final sale price offered to the participating validators.

Funding

A diagram of the DoubleZero validator funding round process. Source: CoinList

In a statement to Cointelegraph, Austin Federa, co-founder of the Double Zero protocol and former Strategy lead at the Solana Foundation, said:

“The DoubleZero CoinList sale is a first-of-its-kind opportunity for the validators who are already securing the most performant and distributed blockchains. It opens access to infrastructure that will power the next generation of distributed systems.”

“This industry has seen huge investment and innovation at the top of the stack — it is time to revolutionize the physical infrastructure layer powering high-performance distributed systems,” Federa said in the statement.

The token-purchase agreement comes amid a recent uptick in capital fundraising from crypto firms and crypto venture capitalists — suggesting that the market has room to grow in 2025.

Related: Crypto VC giant targets $1B for new funds, expects oversubscription — Report

DoubleZero protocol targets mainnet launch in the second half of 2025

The DoubleZero Protocol is aiming to launch its mainnet during the second half of 2025 following a successful $28 million fundraising round completed in March.

Crypto venture capital firms Multicoin Capital and Dragonfly Capital led the most recent fundraising round.

Funding

First page of the DoubleZero Protocol white paper. Source: DoubleZero

DoubleZero aims to increase the speed and communication of blockchain networks by using a dedicated network of fiber optics to provide the physical infrastructure for high-speed, low-latency blockchain connectivity.

The focus on a dedicated fiber optic network for higher speeds is similar to the shift from dial-up internet that used 56K modems operating through 20th-century telecommunication infrastructure to broadband systems in the early 2000s.

Magazine: Is measuring blockchain transactions per second (TPS) stupid in 2024? Big Questions