Arthur Hayes believes Bitcoin bottomed around $60,000 and says a breakout toward $126,000 is inevitable.
In his new essay titled “The Butterfly Effect,” Hayes argues that the global AI arms race, rising military spending, and increasing focus on infrastructure and strategic resource accumulation will drive further expansion of credit in both U.S. dollars and Chinese yuan — a strong macro tailwind for Bitcoin and crypto assets.
According to Hayes, BTC is likely to retest and then break above $126,000, with momentum potentially accelerating sharply once the $90,000 level is cleared.
He also revealed that his family office, Maelstrom, is currently investing heavily in Hyperliquid (HYPE) and Zcash (ZEC).
In his new essay titled “The Butterfly Effect,” Hayes argues that the global AI arms race, rising military spending, and increasing focus on infrastructure and strategic resource accumulation will drive further expansion of credit in both U.S. dollars and Chinese yuan — a strong macro tailwind for Bitcoin and crypto assets.
According to Hayes, BTC is likely to retest and then break above $126,000, with momentum potentially accelerating sharply once the $90,000 level is cleared.
He also revealed that his family office, Maelstrom, is currently investing heavily in Hyperliquid (HYPE) and Zcash (ZEC).
Aptos will launch an internal encrypted mempool to protect user transactions that are pending execution, reducing risks such as frontrunning, censorship, and order information leakage at the protocol level.
The mechanism hides transaction details during block ordering and decrypts them right before execution, while confirmed transactions will still be recorded on-chain normally.
Aptos Labs stated that the batch-encryption design can provide this functionality with minimal impact on network latency.
The mechanism hides transaction details during block ordering and decrypts them right before execution, while confirmed transactions will still be recorded on-chain normally.
Aptos Labs stated that the batch-encryption design can provide this functionality with minimal impact on network latency.
MARA Holdings stated in its shareholder letter that it no longer views itself solely as a Bitcoin mining company.
MARA now describes itself as a digital infrastructure company built around energy resources, targeting artificial intelligence, high-performance computing, sovereign computing systems, and Bitcoin mining.
The company believes the primary bottleneck in current AI infrastructure is no longer chip supply, but access to reliable energy.
MARA now describes itself as a digital infrastructure company built around energy resources, targeting artificial intelligence, high-performance computing, sovereign computing systems, and Bitcoin mining.
The company believes the primary bottleneck in current AI infrastructure is no longer chip supply, but access to reliable energy.
📊 crypto prices:
BTC ≈$79,316
ETH ≈$2,254
SOL ≈$91.02
BNB ≈$668
XRP ≈$1.42
Market cap ≈$2.65T
Fear & Greed Index: 47 (“Neutral”)
Altseason Index: 47
BTC ≈$79,316
ETH ≈$2,254
SOL ≈$91.02
BNB ≈$668
XRP ≈$1.42
Market cap ≈$2.65T
Fear & Greed Index: 47 (“Neutral”)
Altseason Index: 47
Former Binance executive Vladimir Smerkis has been sentenced to 5 years in a general-regime penal colony.
He was found guilty of large-scale fraud under criminal law.
According to the case materials, in June 2024 a crypto blogger approached Smerkis seeking to attract new users to social media platforms. Smerkis allegedly promised to launch an advertising campaign and bring in around 2 million new users in exchange for more than 8.8 million rubles.
The blogger transferred the funds to a crypto wallet, but the campaign was never carried out, and prosecutors stated that the money was used for personal purposes instead.
He was found guilty of large-scale fraud under criminal law.
According to the case materials, in June 2024 a crypto blogger approached Smerkis seeking to attract new users to social media platforms. Smerkis allegedly promised to launch an advertising campaign and bring in around 2 million new users in exchange for more than 8.8 million rubles.
The blogger transferred the funds to a crypto wallet, but the campaign was never carried out, and prosecutors stated that the money was used for personal purposes instead.
The total amount of staked Ether has surpassed 85 million coins.
Since Ethereum transitioned to the Proof-of-Stake consensus mechanism, the staking trend has remained consistently upward, with staking deposits continuing to grow even during the bear market period.
Since Ethereum transitioned to the Proof-of-Stake consensus mechanism, the staking trend has remained consistently upward, with staking deposits continuing to grow even during the bear market period.
According to BitGo, investors with high conviction now hold nearly 4 million Bitcoin — roughly 300% more than at the end of 2025.
This two-quarter increase is reportedly the largest since the market turmoil caused by the COVID-era crash.
Commenting on the trend, Bitfinex noted that an increasing share of Bitcoin’s realized value is moving into the hands of large, low-activity holders.
This two-quarter increase is reportedly the largest since the market turmoil caused by the COVID-era crash.
Commenting on the trend, Bitfinex noted that an increasing share of Bitcoin’s realized value is moving into the hands of large, low-activity holders.
Polymarket has reached a new all-time high in open interest at $14.05 billion.
That represents growth of +338.9% over the past 10 months.
Other key metrics:
⚪️ TVL increased by 334% over the same period
⚪️ Sports betting volume reached $4.29 billion (ATH)
⚪️ Political betting volume hit $2.61 billion (ATH)
⚪️ Monthly fees climbed to $32.35 million (ATH)
That represents growth of +338.9% over the past 10 months.
Other key metrics:
⚪️ TVL increased by 334% over the same period
⚪️ Sports betting volume reached $4.29 billion (ATH)
⚪️ Political betting volume hit $2.61 billion (ATH)
⚪️ Monthly fees climbed to $32.35 million (ATH)
JPMorgan Chase is launching a new tokenized money market fund called OnChain Liquidity — Token Money Market Fund (ticker: JLTXX).
The fund will operate on Ethereum and is aimed at stablecoin issuers that need to comply with reserve requirements under the GENIUS Act in the United States.
Key details:
JLTXX will invest in short-term liquid assets, including U.S. Treasuries and overnight repo agreements backed by Treasuries or cash.
The goal is to help stablecoin issuers hold reserves in assets compliant with GENIUS Act requirements.
Blockchain infrastructure will be handled by Kinexys Digital Assets.
At launch, the fund will be available only on Ethereum, though expansion to other blockchains remains possible.
The SEC registration becomes effective on May 13, but the exact launch date has not been disclosed.
This is JPMorgan’s second tokenized fund on Ethereum after MONY, which focused more on institutional liquidity management.
Similar products already exist: Morgan Stanley recently launched a reserve-focused stablecoin fund without blockchain infrastructure, while Franklin Templeton continues expanding its BENJI tokenized fund.
According to RWA.xyz, the tokenized real-world asset market has grown to approximately $32.2 billion, with around $15.9 billion tied to tokenized U.S. Treasury products.
The fund will operate on Ethereum and is aimed at stablecoin issuers that need to comply with reserve requirements under the GENIUS Act in the United States.
Key details:
JLTXX will invest in short-term liquid assets, including U.S. Treasuries and overnight repo agreements backed by Treasuries or cash.
The goal is to help stablecoin issuers hold reserves in assets compliant with GENIUS Act requirements.
Blockchain infrastructure will be handled by Kinexys Digital Assets.
At launch, the fund will be available only on Ethereum, though expansion to other blockchains remains possible.
The SEC registration becomes effective on May 13, but the exact launch date has not been disclosed.
This is JPMorgan’s second tokenized fund on Ethereum after MONY, which focused more on institutional liquidity management.
Similar products already exist: Morgan Stanley recently launched a reserve-focused stablecoin fund without blockchain infrastructure, while Franklin Templeton continues expanding its BENJI tokenized fund.
According to RWA.xyz, the tokenized real-world asset market has grown to approximately $32.2 billion, with around $15.9 billion tied to tokenized U.S. Treasury products.
📊 crypto prices:
BTC ≈$81,519
ETH ≈$2,306
SOL ≈$93.17
BNB ≈$681
XRP ≈$1.47
Market cap ≈$2.71T
Fear & Greed Index: 50 (“Neutral”)
Altseason Index: 44
BTC ≈$81,519
ETH ≈$2,306
SOL ≈$93.17
BNB ≈$681
XRP ≈$1.47
Market cap ≈$2.71T
Fear & Greed Index: 50 (“Neutral”)
Altseason Index: 44
Tether has reportedly purchased more gold over the last six quarters than the official reserves accumulated by China during the same period.
El Salvador continues its strategy of buying 1 Bitcoin per day, bringing its holdings to 7,651 BTC.
AI-driven cryptocurrency fraud reportedly reached $17 billion in 2025, while the cost of attacking smart contracts fell to as little as $1.22 per attack.
According to data associated with Binance, the use of AI-based detection systems helped prevent potential user losses totaling $10.53 billion between Q1 2025 and Q1 2026. In Q1 2026 alone, the company says it intercepted 22.9 million fraud and phishing attempts.
Additional figures reported include:
$12.8 million recovered across 48,000 cases in 2025
Assistance to authorities in seizing $131 million in illicit funds across more than 71,000 law-enforcement requests
These numbers point to two simultaneous trends: AI increasingly being used to scale fraud operations, and AI also becoming a larger part of defensive security systems.
According to data associated with Binance, the use of AI-based detection systems helped prevent potential user losses totaling $10.53 billion between Q1 2025 and Q1 2026. In Q1 2026 alone, the company says it intercepted 22.9 million fraud and phishing attempts.
Additional figures reported include:
$12.8 million recovered across 48,000 cases in 2025
Assistance to authorities in seizing $131 million in illicit funds across more than 71,000 law-enforcement requests
These numbers point to two simultaneous trends: AI increasingly being used to scale fraud operations, and AI also becoming a larger part of defensive security systems.
Kraken will replace LayerZero Labs with Chainlink Labs for transferring assets between blockchains.
Tether, TRON, and TRM Labs announced that their joint unit, T3 Financial Crime Unit (T3 FCU), has frozen more than $450 million in crypto assets linked to illicit activity.
The initiative was launched in September 2024 to combat criminal blockchain transactions, primarily involving USDT and the TRON network.
Key points:
T3 FCU says it has frozen more than $450 million in illicit crypto assets since launch.
In 2025, the volume of intercepted criminal funds reportedly increased by 43.9% compared with prior years.
The unit has worked with law enforcement across 23 jurisdictions, including the United States, Spain, and Germany.
Investigations covered exchange hacks, activity linked to North Korea, terrorism financing, fraud, and violent crimes.
In one case, T3 FCU assisted Brazil’s federal police in freezing assets that included 4.3 million USDT.
The initiative was launched in September 2024 to combat criminal blockchain transactions, primarily involving USDT and the TRON network.
Key points:
T3 FCU says it has frozen more than $450 million in illicit crypto assets since launch.
In 2025, the volume of intercepted criminal funds reportedly increased by 43.9% compared with prior years.
The unit has worked with law enforcement across 23 jurisdictions, including the United States, Spain, and Germany.
Investigations covered exchange hacks, activity linked to North Korea, terrorism financing, fraud, and violent crimes.
In one case, T3 FCU assisted Brazil’s federal police in freezing assets that included 4.3 million USDT.
Coinbase has become the official custodian for USDC on Hyperliquid under the Aligned Quote Asset (AQA) framework.
This strengthens USDC’s integration into the Hyperliquid ecosystem as the primary quote stablecoin for markets and settlements.
Key points:
✅ Coinbase is expanding support for on-chain markets and will act as the official deployer of USDC on Hyperliquid.
✅ Native Markets agreed to grant Coinbase the right to acquire USDH-branded assets.
✅ USDH will continue operating for now but is expected to be phased out over time.
✅ Users will be able to convert USDH into USDC or fiat without fees through the USDH Dashboard.
✅ According to Coinbase, the amount of USDC on Hyperliquid is around $5 billion, roughly doubling year over year.
This strengthens USDC’s integration into the Hyperliquid ecosystem as the primary quote stablecoin for markets and settlements.
Key points:
✅ Coinbase is expanding support for on-chain markets and will act as the official deployer of USDC on Hyperliquid.
✅ Native Markets agreed to grant Coinbase the right to acquire USDH-branded assets.
✅ USDH will continue operating for now but is expected to be phased out over time.
✅ Users will be able to convert USDH into USDC or fiat without fees through the USDH Dashboard.
✅ According to Coinbase, the amount of USDC on Hyperliquid is around $5 billion, roughly doubling year over year.
📊 crypto prices:
BTC ≈$79,027
ETH ≈$2,209
SOL ≈$88.81
BNB ≈$673
XRP ≈$1.43
Market cap ≈$2.63T
Fear & Greed Index: 45 (“Neutral”)
Altseason Index: 34
BTC ≈$79,027
ETH ≈$2,209
SOL ≈$88.81
BNB ≈$673
XRP ≈$1.43
Market cap ≈$2.63T
Fear & Greed Index: 45 (“Neutral”)
Altseason Index: 34
Strategy filed an 8-K form with the SEC.
Key points:
⏺️ Strategy agreed to repurchase part of its 2029 convertible notes.
⏺️ The company plans to buy back approximately $1.5 billion in notes at face value for around $1.38 billion in cash.
⏺️ The final repurchase amount may still change and will partly depend on the volume-weighted average price of Strategy Class A shares during the agreed measurement period.
⏺️ Strategy intends to finance the transaction using available cash reserves, securities sales, and/or sales of Bitcoin. This is notable because the company explicitly acknowledged the possibility of using BTC to fund the buyback.
⏺️ The expected closing date is around May 19, 2026, subject to standard closing conditions. After completion, Strategy plans to cancel the repurchased notes.
⏺️ Roughly $1.5 billion in the same 2029 notes will remain outstanding after the cancellation.
💡 The move reduces Strategy’s debt exposure tied to the 2029 convertible notes while taking advantage of a discount to par value. However, the financing plan leaves open the possibility of Bitcoin sales alongside cash usage and securities issuance.
Key points:
⏺️ Strategy agreed to repurchase part of its 2029 convertible notes.
⏺️ The company plans to buy back approximately $1.5 billion in notes at face value for around $1.38 billion in cash.
⏺️ The final repurchase amount may still change and will partly depend on the volume-weighted average price of Strategy Class A shares during the agreed measurement period.
⏺️ Strategy intends to finance the transaction using available cash reserves, securities sales, and/or sales of Bitcoin. This is notable because the company explicitly acknowledged the possibility of using BTC to fund the buyback.
⏺️ The expected closing date is around May 19, 2026, subject to standard closing conditions. After completion, Strategy plans to cancel the repurchased notes.
⏺️ Roughly $1.5 billion in the same 2029 notes will remain outstanding after the cancellation.
💡 The move reduces Strategy’s debt exposure tied to the 2029 convertible notes while taking advantage of a discount to par value. However, the financing plan leaves open the possibility of Bitcoin sales alongside cash usage and securities issuance.
📊 crypto prices:
BTC ≈$78,201
ETH ≈$2,179
SOL ≈$86.73
BNB ≈$656
XRP ≈$1.41
Market cap ≈$2.6T
Fear & Greed Index: 43 (“Neutral”)
Altseason Index: 37
BTC ≈$78,201
ETH ≈$2,179
SOL ≈$86.73
BNB ≈$656
XRP ≈$1.41
Market cap ≈$2.6T
Fear & Greed Index: 43 (“Neutral”)
Altseason Index: 37
📊 crypto prices:
BTC ≈$76,422
ETH ≈$2,100
SOL ≈$84.11
BNB ≈$639
XRP ≈$1.37
Market cap ≈$2.55T
Fear & Greed Index: 38 (“Fear”)
Altseason Index: 30
BTC ≈$76,422
ETH ≈$2,100
SOL ≈$84.11
BNB ≈$639
XRP ≈$1.37
Market cap ≈$2.55T
Fear & Greed Index: 38 (“Fear”)
Altseason Index: 30
Strategy purchased 24,869 Bitcoin for approximately $2.01 billion at an average price of $80,985 per coin.