🟢 Deutsche Bank's Marion Laboure on Trump's Bitcoin Reserve: A Continuation of Crypto Evolution

💬 Marion Laboure, managing director and macro strategist at Deutsche Bank, recently commented on President Trump's decision to establish a strategic bitcoin reserve and a crypto stockpile. She views this move as "nothing new," but rather a continuation of the crypto evolution that began last year. Laboure emphasized that many cryptocurrencies are likely to crash.

I would see it more like as a reclassification, nothing really new given that uh there were already like a lot of talks going on mid 2024,

said Laboure.

🔍 She pointed out that there are still many uncertainties surrounding the operation of such a reserve, which may explain the market's lukewarm response to these developments.

We don’t know which crypto are going to be selected we don’t know anything about the quotas, we don’t know uh much about uh the asset mix, we don’t know much about the timeline,

she assessed.

📉 Laboure's perspective aligns with some analysts who anticipated that the U.S. would begin purchasing bitcoin immediately. However, the order for establishing budget-neutral strategies to grow the reserve instead of imposing costs on taxpayers was a different approach.

⚠️ Finally, Laboure cautioned that crypto as an asset class remains highly volatile. She noted that aside from bitcoin and ether, many of the cryptocurrencies available today are destined to crash.

💰 DOJ's $23 Million Crypto Crackdown on Gotbit

🚨 The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced on March 27 its pursuit of civil forfeiture for approximately $23 million in digital assets following a guilty plea from Gotbit Consulting LLC and its founder, Aleksei Andriunin. This action comes after a federal court in Boston accepted Gotbit's admission of manipulating trading activities for cryptocurrency clients. The firm, which acts as a market maker in the digital asset industry, allegedly fabricated trading volumes to mislead investors about liquidity and demand.

🔗 As part of its agreement with the federal government, Gotbit will surrender the crypto holdings linked to these activities. The DOJ reported that it seized USDT (Tether) and USDC (Circle) from un-hosted cryptocurrency wallets controlled by Gotbit. These stablecoins are tied to the U.S. dollar.

⚖️ The government claims these assets are proceeds of wire fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud, as well as property involved in unlawful transactions. These allegations are part of a civil forfeiture complaint that has yet to be adjudicated.

👤 Aleksei Andriunin, a 26-year-old dual citizen of Russia and Portugal, was arrested abroad in October 2024 and extradited to the U.S. in February 2025. Prosecutors allege that from 2018 to 2024, Gotbit operated a wash trading scheme, using custom software and multiple accounts to simulate trading activity and manipulate token prices. Tokens like Robo Inu and Saitama, which were clients of Gotbit, are now under separate investigation. As part of the plea deal, Gotbit agreed to cease all operations and forfeit the $23 million. The DOJ stated,

pursuant to the plea agreement with Andriunin, the government will recommend a sentence of up to two years in prison.

📉 Bitcoin's Weekend Struggles: A Dip Towards $80,000

📉 This Sunday evening, Bitcoin (BTC) is trading at $81,678, recovering slightly from a dip to $81,551. However, over the past week, BTC has decreased by 4.27% against the dollar, leaving holders less optimistic. The crypto market has faced challenges this weekend, with Bitcoin's value edging closer to the $80,000 threshold.

🟢 As of 8 p.m. Eastern Time, the total cryptocurrency market capitalization stands at $2.66 trillion, reflecting a 0.41% decline. This week, Bitcoin retreated by 4.27% against the dollar, while Ethereum (ETH) experienced a 9.7% contraction and XRP faced a sharper correction, losing over 12% of its value. Sunday’s trading activity was subdued, with volume slipping 17% below yesterday’s pace. BTC hit its intraday low of $81,551 at 6:10 p.m. Eastern Time.

📌 Data from cryptoquant indicates a tepid Coinbase Premium Index, suggesting muted buying enthusiasm among U.S. investors. In contrast, there are vigorous exchange-traded fund (ETF) inflows and more energetic accumulation by South Korean retail traders. While Bitcoin maintains a global average near $82,239 across major exchanges, Upbit’s South Korean platform commands an $83,676 premium, highlighting a disparity in regional demand.

➡️ Despite the market's gradual descent, it has triggered $192.64 million in derivatives liquidations over the past day. Bitcoin longs contributed $44.08 million to this total, with Ethereum positions adding $45.09 million. Binance experienced the day’s most significant liquidation event, with a $13.31 million ETH/USDT position being wiped out. In total, 69,760 traders saw their leveraged bets unravel within a single trading session.

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📈 Bitcoin's Resilience Amid Tariff Uncertainty

🧐 Last week, crypto markets showed relative strength despite ongoing macroeconomic uncertainties and looming tariffs. Market participants seem to have priced in certain risks, such as tariffs and global tensions, but some uncertainty remains.

➡️ Next Wednesday marks Liberation Day, when Trump's reciprocal tariffs are set to begin. This adds to the uncertainty surrounding the situation. There's speculation about whether other nations will respond, how significant the tariffs will be, and what impact they will have.

🤔 If the tariffs turn out to be worse than what market participants have anticipated, will traditional U.S. markets suffer more than bitcoin? Typically, bitcoin and crypto perform worse during traditional market downturns. However, some analysts suggest this time might be different. Bitcoin has corrected harder than U.S. equities, and there has been a withdrawal of money from America to local markets. This could mean that bitcoin, as a global asset, would be less affected by these developments.

💭 Despite these arguments, I believe that if U.S. equities fall, bitcoin will likely fall as well.

the market can remain irrational longer than you can stay solvent

as Keynes famously said. If U.S. equities experience a downturn, bitcoin is likely to follow suit.

📈 In the mid to long term, however, bitcoin seems well positioned for price appreciation. This week saw bullish news about companies starting to include bitcoin on their balance sheets. Metaplanet, a Japanese hotel developer, has seen its stock price soar over 2,300% since it first bought bitcoin less than a year ago.

Today, the company recorded a record high trading value of 50.4 billion yen

the CEO announced.

🎮 Gamestop also made headlines this week by announcing it is raising $1.3 billion to begin its Bitcoin treasury strategy. This move mirrors an aggressive playbook similar to Microstrategy's approach.

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Graham Stone advised if U.S. equities fall.

🟢 Additionally, a French Bitcoin Treasury Company purchased 580 BTC this week, and earlier this month, Rumble acquired 188 BTC. These developments indicate a growing trend of companies embracing bitcoin as part of their financial strategies.

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💰 Ripple Predicts $18.9 Trillion Surge in Tokenized Assets by 2033

🌍 Ripple has made a bold prediction about the future of tokenized real-world assets, forecasting a staggering growth from $0.6 trillion today to $18.9 trillion by 2033. This projection, developed in collaboration with the Boston Consulting Group (BCG), indicates a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 53 percent driven by institutional demand, evolving regulations, and advancements in blockchain technology.

The financial world is undergoing a fundamental shift,

Ripple stated. The report outlines a three-phase evolution of tokenized finance: initial institutional onboarding with familiar products, scaling into more complex asset classes, and finally, embedding tokenization across all sectors.

🔗 Tibor Merey, Managing Director at BCG, emphasized the transformative power of tokenization:

Tokenization is transforming financial assets into programmable, interoperable tools, recorded on shared digital ledgers.

Ripple’s Markus Infanger added,

The market is transitioning from tokenized assets simply sitting on-chain to integrating into real economic activity.

🚀 The report highlights several catalysts for this rapid adoption, including regulatory clarity in regions like the European Union and UAE, mature technology infrastructure, and increased fintech mergers. However, it also acknowledges challenges such as infrastructure fragmentation and uneven global regulation.

Tokenization is no longer just a concept—it’s the foundation for the future of global finance,

stressed BCG’s Bernhard Kronfellner.

🟢 Thailand Strengthens Digital Asset Laws to Combat Cybercrime

🛡 Thailand has made significant amendments to its Digital Asset Business Law and Cybercrime Law to enhance protections against cybercrime and the misuse of “mule accounts” in the digital asset sector. These changes aim to safeguard public financial transactions and address online scams, with the new regulations set to take effect following their publication in the Government Gazette.

➡️ The amendments emphasize improved collaboration among financial institutions, digital asset businesses, and regulatory bodies. A primary focus is on combating mule accounts that facilitate illegal activities. Pornanong Budsaratragoon, Secretary-General of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), noted the joint efforts with the Thai Digital Asset Operators Trade Association (TDO) and industry operators to establish standards against these accounts, similar to measures in the traditional banking sector.

➡️ The revised framework will allow for quicker information sharing among agencies and improve the screening and suspension of suspicious transactions. It also introduces a blacklist of individuals and digital asset wallet addresses associated with cybercrimes, preventing them from transacting with registered businesses.

⚖️ A key element of the amendments is the shared responsibility placed on commercial banks, telecom providers, social media platforms, and digital asset businesses for damages resulting from cybercrimes if they do not adhere to regulatory standards. Individuals who open or permit their digital asset accounts to be used for cybercrimes may face up to three years in prison and fines of up to $8,857 (300,000 baht).

🚫 Under the new regulations, the Ministry of Digital Economy and Society is empowered to promptly block websites and applications of foreign platforms that solicit or advertise services to Thai investors, aiming to prevent their use for money laundering and other illegal activities.

🌟 The SEC has clarified what constitutes soliciting activities within Thailand, including offering payment options in Thai Baht, accepting payments through Thai bank accounts, and using the Thai language on platforms. This clarification is expected to strengthen the SEC’s enforcement against foreign exchanges.

🔴 Budsaratragoon stated,

The SEC will collaborate with the Ministry of Digital Economy and Society and relevant agencies, including the TDO and digital asset business operators, to implement the aforementioned laws to enhance the efficiency in preventing the use of digital assets as a means for money laundering, and to reduce public damage from online crimes.

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🌍 Experts Assess BRICS Payment System's Impact on Dollar Dominance

💬 Analysts from various international organizations are evaluating the potential effects of a BRICS international payment system on the dominance of the U.S. dollar in global trade. They highlight sanctions evasion, cost reduction, and transaction confidentiality as key advantages of this system over traditional methods like SWIFT.

⚡️ Alexander Ignatov from the Presidential Academy emphasizes the benefits of adopting an alternative to SWIFT. He points out three main factors: bypassing Western infrastructure, lowering transaction costs, and diversifying financial risks. Anton Tabakh, chief economist at Expert RA, underscores that such a system would allow for trade without complying with Western sanctions against countries like Russia.

The main advantage of the new platforms will be that they are not American/European and cannot be used to implement sanctions or will not depend on changes in the policies of the U.S. authorities, or the Eurozone, or individual countries,

said Tabakh.

📉 He also notes that recent events, including tariff disputes during the Trump administration, have weakened the U.S.'s position in financial markets. However, he stresses that the absence of alternative financial infrastructures has supported the dollar's supremacy. As alternatives emerge, it will become easier to challenge this dominance.

🌐 These insights follow remarks from Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, who stated that the proposed BRICS payment system would be accessible to non-member countries.

📈 Bitcoin ETFs Rebound with $76.42 Million in Inflows; Ether ETFs Struggle

📊 On April 15, Bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs) experienced a resurgence, recording $76.42 million in net inflows for the second consecutive day. This rebound was primarily driven by five major funds, with Blackrock’s IBIT leading the way, attracting $38.22 million. Other significant contributors included Ark 21shares’ ARKB and Bitwise’s BITB, which brought in $13.42 million and $10.98 million respectively.

💰 Additional gains came from Grayscale’s Mini Bitcoin Trust with $8.93 million and Franklin’s EZBC adding $4.87 million. Notably, all 12 spot bitcoin ETFs reported no outflows, indicating a strong day for the sector. Despite a trading activity of $1.60 billion, total net assets for bitcoin ETFs reached $93.72 billion by the end of the day.

📉 In contrast, ether ETFs faced continued challenges, suffering $14.18 million in outflows. Grayscale’s ETHE was the hardest hit, with $10.57 million exiting, followed by Fidelity’s FETH at $3.61 million. The trading volume for ether ETFs stood at $209.01 million, and net assets fell to $5.36 billion.

🔄 This divergence in performance highlights a significant trend: while bitcoin ETF sentiment is stabilizing, ether ETFs remain entrenched in a cycle of outflows with no immediate recovery in sight.

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📉 JPMorgan Highlights Shift from Bitcoin to Gold in Safe-Haven Demand

➡️ JPMorgan Chase analysts have indicated a significant shift in market sentiment, noting a decline in bitcoin's appeal as a safe-haven asset compared to gold. In a recent research note, led by managing director Nikolaos Panigirtzoglou, the team pointed out that bitcoin is losing ground amid fading investor interest. They stated,

Bitcoin has failed to benefit from the safe haven flows that have been supporting gold.

📉 The analysts observed that bitcoin has experienced three consecutive months of outflows from exchange-traded funds (ETFs) and a decrease in speculative interest in the futures market. In contrast, gold has attracted steady inflows from both institutional and speculative investors. They noted,

Despite a decline in market breadth and liquidity, gold continues to benefit from safe haven flows in a similar fashion to currencies like the Swiss franc and the yen.

📊 Global gold ETFs saw significant net inflows of $21.1 billion in the first quarter of 2025, including $2.3 billion from China and Hong Kong-based ETFs. Earlier this month, JPMorgan analysts had warned that bitcoin's status as a safe-haven asset may be weakening. They mentioned that the cryptocurrency's "digital gold" narrative is under pressure as gold experiences stronger demand.

💰 The report also highlighted that gold is leading the current debasement trade and remains its primary beneficiary. JPMorgan continues to view bitcoin's estimated production cost as a key price indicator. Analysts identified $62,000—bitcoin's estimated production cost—as a critical support level.

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💱 U.S. Cryptocurrency Endorsement Strains EU Relations

➡️ The U.S. endorsement of cryptocurrencies and promotion of dollar-based stablecoins have reportedly created tensions between the European Commission (EC) and the European Central Bank (ECB). The ECB views this U.S. embrace as a threat to Europe's financial system, while the EC considers the ECB's concerns to be exaggerated.

⚖️ According to a Politico report citing an ECB policy paper, the ECB's demand for a rewrite of cryptocurrency laws conflicts with the EC's perspective. The EC believes that the ECB's demands challenge its lawmaking authority. This disagreement comes as EU officials express concerns over the rise of cryptocurrencies and dollar-based stablecoins.

📌 For example, the Italian economy minister recently warned that dollar-based stablecoins pose a greater threat to the euro than the ongoing trade war. The EU has previously stated its intention to promote the digital euro as a response to dollar-based stablecoins.

📈 However, upcoming U.S. reforms are expected to significantly expand the American stablecoin industry, potentially reaching a $2 trillion supply by 2028. This projected growth has raised alarms from ECB President Christine Lagarde and digital payments head Piero Cipollone.

🚫 Both Lagarde and Cipollone believe that the Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) rules are insufficient to withstand dollar-based stablecoins. They fear that an influx of dollar-based stablecoins could divert European savings into the U.S. However, EC officials disagree and recently expressed their differing views at a meeting.

🗣 An anonymous diplomat who attended the meeting stated,

The Commission was quite clear that they had different views on this topic [and] not very many [countries] supported the idea that we should now jump the gun and start making quick changes in [the rules] based on this alone.

🤔 The diplomat suggested that the ECB may be exaggerating concerns about stablecoins to gain political support for its digital euro project. This initiative aims to create a pan-European payment system to protect Europe's financial infrastructure from crypto assets.

🛡 However, the EC has defended the effectiveness of MiCA rules and insisted that it is premature to assess the impact of the U.S. crypto resurgence on EU markets.

➡️ Bitcoin's Resilience Amid Trade Tensions

📈 Despite concerns over a 35% drop in Chinese imports affecting the economy, Bitcoin has surged to nearly $95K. Economists warn that President Trump's unpredictable trade policies may pose greater risks than his initial tariff announcements, leaving markets in a state of uncertainty.

🟢 Chinese shipments to the Port of Los Angeles have significantly decreased following Trump's imposition of a 145% tax on imports. This has led to a cautious approach from markets as they evaluate the real-time effects of such abrupt policy changes. However, Bitcoin is currently trading at its highest level in 60 days, despite the unpredictable future influenced by Trump's actions.

📊 In the past 24 hours, Bitcoin reached a peak of $95,768.39 before settling at $95,318.24, marking a 1.92% increase for the day and an impressive 12.90% rise over the past week. This upward momentum is reflected in the broader positive trends in both traditional and crypto markets, despite tariff-related anxieties.

↪️ Trading activity has intensified, with a 24-hour volume of $40.48 billion—up 26.34%—indicating renewed interest from institutional and retail investors. Bitcoin's market capitalization now stands at $1.89 trillion, a 1.91% gain from the previous day, while its market dominance has increased to 64.50%.

📈 In the derivatives market, BTC futures open interest rose to $68.39 billion, up 5.45% over the past 24 hours. This suggests growing leverage and confidence in continued price increases. Total Bitcoin liquidations were relatively low at $2.10 million, with bearish traders likely caught off guard by Bitcoin's strength.

💰 Surge in Digital Asset Inflows Amid Trade Concerns

📈 Last week, digital asset funds experienced a significant inflow of $3.4 billion, marking the third-largest weekly total on record. This surge comes as investors increasingly seek alternatives amidst ongoing concerns over tariffs.

Bitcoin products dominated, pulling in $3.18 billion in inflows,

helping total digital asset assets under management (AuM) climb back to $132 billion, levels not seen since February 2025.

💪 Ethereum also saw a resurgence, netting $183 million in inflows after suffering eight consecutive weeks of outflows. Meanwhile, altcoins remained mostly quiet. Solana bucked the positive trend with $5.7 million in outflows, though XRP and Sui registered notable inflows of $31.6 million and $20.7 million, respectively.

🌍 Regionally, the surge was led by U.S. investors, who contributed $3.3 billion, with notable support from Germany and Switzerland as well. Blockchain equities also enjoyed positive momentum, with $17.4 million in inflows, primarily into bitcoin mining ETFs.

The sharp move into crypto underscores growing demand for alternative assets as macroeconomic uncertainty lingers.

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📉 April Sees Significant Decline in NFT Sales Despite Modest Gains in Crypto Economy

📊 April brought slight improvements to the overall cryptocurrency market, but non-fungible token (NFT) sales continued to decline sharply, dropping by 39.62% over the past month. Ethereum remained the top blockchain for NFT sales, but its figures fell by 44.86% compared to March.

📉 NFT sales totaled $388.77 million in April, a decrease of 39.62% from March. Data from cryptoslam indicates a drop in participation, with buyers decreasing by 48.46% and sellers by 39.05%. The total number of NFT transactions also fell significantly, plummeting 54.12% from the previous month.

🔝 Ethereum, Polygon, and Bitcoin were the top three blockchains for NFT sales. Ethereum-based NFT sales amounted to $108.19 million, reflecting a 44.86% decrease. Polygon followed with $73.84 million, down 42.4% from March. Bitcoin NFTs reached $62.45 million, falling 27.25% from the prior month. In contrast, Flow saw an increase of 14.9% over the same period, with $5.94 million in sales.

🏆 The top NFT collection for the month was Courtyard on Polygon, which generated $66.42 million in sales, up 20.9%. Polkadot’s Mythos-backed Dmarket secured second place with $39.72 million, while Ethereum’s Cryptopunks collection came in third with $18.22 million.

💰 The most expensive NFT sale of the month was Cryptopunk #3100, which sold for $6.04 million. An Uncategorized Ordinal followed in second place at $558,755, and a gUSDC locked deposit NFT on Arbitrum rounded out the top three with a sale price of approximately $500,000. Overall, the NFT sector appears severely impacted, with little indication of recovery in 2025.

➡️ Monero's Rise Amidst Bitcoin Theft: A Year of Outperformance

📈 Monero (XMR) has recently gained attention due to hackers converting 3,520 stolen BTC into XMR. This privacy-focused cryptocurrency has significantly outperformed both BTC and ETH this year.

📊 In 2025, Monero has shown impressive market returns, increasing in value from early January to May. It rose from about $197 in January to $285 by early May, marking a 45% gain. This spike was particularly notable in April, coinciding with the high-profile Bitcoin theft that was later converted into Monero.

Over the last 12 months, XMR has risen 120% against the U.S. dollar.

💰 This money-laundering incident heightened interest in Monero due to its privacy features. It triggered a significant price increase at the end of April, with the price rising from $234.59 on April 28 to $258.13 by April 29. Additionally, Monero's network saw several developments in 2025, including the launch of version 0 18 4 0 on April 5.

🔒 The latest upgrade, along with research into optimized ring signatures and the FCMP++ optimization contest, boosted users' trust in the protocol's effectiveness and privacy. While XMR delivered a 45% return since January, BTC only increased by 3.83%, and ETH faced a 44% decline.

🟢 Looking at the broader 12-month period, BTC rose by 64%, ETH fell by 38%, and XMR appreciated by 120%. Despite facing widespread delistings from major exchanges, XMR has thrived. However, it still trades over 47% below its all-time high of $542 set seven years ago.

♾ Looking ahead, Monero's resilience suggests its growing appeal among privacy-conscious individuals. As it carves out a distinct niche, Monero and other privacy-oriented cryptocurrencies may increasingly separate from mainstream counterparts, thriving on the principles of uncompromising privacy.