A proposed Bitcoin fork called “eCash” would redistribute Satoshi Nakamoto’s dormant ~1.1 million BTC. The market for Bitcoin staying above $68,000 by April 26 sits at 99.9% YES.
The fork, scheduled for August 2026, includes a 1:1 airdrop of eCash tokens to BTC holders and would reassign Satoshi’s unspent BTC to early investors. The Bitcoin dip to $60,000 in April 2026 market is priced at 99.9% YES, unchanged from 24 hours ago. The proposal raises questions about supply expansion and breaks from Bitcoin Core’s consensus model.
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The 99.9% YES pricing reflects deep skepticism about the fork’s near-term effect on Bitcoin’s price. A 15% expected move suggests traders are pricing in potential volatility if the proposal gains traction, but the April 26 market itself hasn’t budged.
Trading volume on the April 26 market is $13,175 in daily USDC, and it takes $67,380 to shift prices by 5 percentage points. That depth means any meaningful repricing would require a major catalyst. At 99.9¢, a YES share pays $1 if Bitcoin stays above $68,000 by April 26.
The proposal matters because it directly challenges Bitcoin’s established ownership norms. Redistributing coins attributed to Satoshi introduces a concrete governance dispute: whether any fork can legitimately reassign coins that have never moved. The real question is whether the fork attracts enough mining and node support to be taken seriously. Watch for updates from Paul Sztorc and public positions from major Bitcoin holders. Shifts in Federal Reserve monetary policy could also affect broader price action around the fork timeline.
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Disclosure: This article was edited by Estefano Gomez. For more information on how we create and review content, see our Editorial Policy.
Paul Sztorc wants to fork Bitcoin into a new chain called eCash and reassign part of Satoshi Nakamoto’s 1.1 million dormant BTC to early investors — the Bitcoin community is calling it theft.
Posted April 27, 2026 at 6:31 am EST.
Long-time Bitcoin developer Paul Sztorc has announced plans to hard fork Bitcoin into a new chain called eCash, set to launch in August at block height 964,000.
Every BTC holder at the time of the fork would automatically receive an equal amount of eCash on the new chain. A coin-splitter tool will be released to help users cleanly separate their holdings. The new chain will run on a near-copy of Bitcoin Core software using the same SHA-256 hashing algorithm, but with a reduced initial mining difficulty and seven layer-2 scaling networks called Drivechains, a technology Sztorc first proposed in 2015 and has been trying to merge into Bitcoin Core ever since.
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The funding mechanism for eCash, however, has the Bitcoin community up in arms. Sztorc intends to manually reassign “fewer than half” of Satoshi Nakamoto’s estimated 1.1 million BTC, worth nearly $40 billion at current prices, to investors in the new chain before the fork goes live. The goal is to give early contributors a tangible incentive and build momentum before launch, he said.
“This will no doubt be a controversial decision,” Sztorc wrote on X, “but I think it is necessary, and in fact, ideal.”
Podcaster and Bitcoin advocate Peter McCormack called the proposal “theft and disrespectful,” adding that eCash is already a name used in the Lightning‐adjacent payments space. Critic “PakoVM” predicted the project would collapse within two or three years.
Others warned that touching Satoshi’s coins, even on a forked chain, sets a precedent that could be applied to any dormant address in the future. Josh Ellithorpe, chief technology officer at Pixelated Ink, wrote that the move shows the team “can and will steal coins,” adding that “now it’s Satoshi, but it could be anyone later.”
Sztorc has since posted a second version of the proposal that does not involve Satoshi’s coins, though the final structure has not been confirmed. No miners, exchanges, or major ecosystem participants have yet signaled they will support the chain.
In brief LayerTwo Labs CEO Paul Sztorc has proposed a Bitcoin hard fork called eCash. The fork would clone and "reassign" coins linked to Bitcoin creator Satoshi Nakamoto and give them to eCash investors. Previous Bitcoin and Ethereum hard forks have been far less successful than the originals long-term. Bitcoin developer Paul Sztorc has proposed a hard fork that would reassign some of the earliest coins on the original crypto network—widely believed to belong to pseudonymous creator Satoshi Nakamoto—to investors in a new project.
The co-founder and CEO of LayerTwo Labs, Sztorc announced the project, called eCash, on Friday. The plan would “manually reassign” about 500,000 of the roughly 1.1 million Bitcoin associated with the so-called “Patoshi pattern,” a mining pattern some researchers believe is linked to Nakamoto.
“This will no doubt be a controversial decision,” Sztorc wrote on X. “But I think it is necessary, and in fact, ideal.”
Sztorc would not (and could not) move the Satoshi-linked coins on Bitcoin itself. Instead, eCash would create a separate blockchain that copies Bitcoin’s history and changes the ledger to assign all but 600K of those coins to new owners. Current on-chain Bitcoin (BTC) holders would also receive coins on the eCash network equivalent to their holdings at the time of the fork.
Important: I've also devised a way that some can *invest* in this hardfork, now, before the fork-date, in August:
- Satoshi has 1.1M coins in the so called "patoshi" pattern.
- We will be manually reassigning some of these coins (fewer than half) to investors today.
This will…
— Paul Sztorc (@Truthcoin) April 24, 2026
“Your coins will split. For example, if you have 4.19 BTC, then you will get 4.19 eCash,” he wrote on X. “You may sell your eCash—or keep it. Or ignore it!”
Named after the original eCash, cryptographer David Chaum’s early digital money project, the new fork is a callback to one of crypto’s earliest ideas. The original eCash used cryptographic “blind signatures” to let people make private electronic payments, but DigiCash, Chaum’s company developing the project, filed for bankruptcy in 1998 after the project failed to gain widespread adoption.
“It’s not Satoshi’s Bitcoin, it’s just [unspent transaction outputs] that are presumed to belong to Satoshi that are being cloned and modified onto a completely different network,” Bitcoin developer and Casa Chief Security Officer Jameson Lopp told Decrypt.
Lopp dismissed the move as a publicity stunt, calling it “clever outrage marketing.”
According to Loop, such a reassignment could only happen on Bitcoin itself if the broader network of developers agreed to adopt the fork.
“If the entire Bitcoin ecosystem decided to migrate to a hard fork that reassigned Satoshi’s coins to keys that other people controlled, then sure, it’s theoretically possible,” Lopp said.
Sztorc has said the reassignment would allow early supporters to invest in the project before its planned August launch. He has argued the move is needed to keep the chain from becoming a “zombie” project without enough capital or contributors.
Bitcoin has split before. Bitcoin Cash launched in 2017 after a dispute over scaling, splitting off and creating a new network. Ethereum split in 2016 after the DAO hack, with most network backers choosing to reverse the transactions with stolen funds while Ethereum Classic kept the original chain. Both Bitcoin Cash (BCH) and Ethereum Classic (ETC) have been far less valuable and popular than their respective original coins and networks.
The eCash website says the chain is expected to launch in about 119 days and will include “Drivechain” scaling network support, with seven sidechains in development.
“The upside is enormous: global scalability, privacy, competition, rapid improvement, and adoption,” Sztorc wrote on the eCash website. “In fact, it may be a matter of life or death for Bitcoin. The downside is small: some drama, plus every Bitcoiner gets some free money.”
Sztorc did not immediately respond to a request for comment by Decrypt.
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Peter Sztorc, a long-time developer, has defended his Bitcoin hardfork plans via eCash, dismissing recent claims of plans to steal Satoshi’s 1.1 million BTC.
In a statement on the 28th of April, Sztorc clarified,
We do not take any of Satoshi’s BTC. We **gift** Satoshi 600,000 eCash, instead of gifting 1.1 million. That is **600k more** than Satoshi got from Litecoin, Ethereum, Solana, Tether, etc (ie, 0).
Source: X A hard fork happens when a blockchain splits into two separate entities, each operating independently. Sztorc’s eCash Bitcoin hard fork proposal was floated last week, and it’s scheduled to go live in August at block height 964,000.
Per his plan, the split allows BTC holders to have eCash on a 1:1 basis. That means, after the hard fork, users holding 2 BTC will also receive 2 eCash. The new chain will feature Ethereum‑style Layer 2 ‘drivechains,’ making it programmable for smart contracts.
According to Sztorc, the drivechains will enable various applications, including privacy, quantum resistance, prediction markets, and more. But some community members strongly slammed the hard fork plans.
Bitcoin hard fork plan elicits criticism According to Peter McCormack, a BTC investor and chairman of Real Bedford FC, Sztorc’s plans were ‘poor choices.’ He claimed that the hard fork’s planned 1:1 redemption for Satoshi Bitcoin for eCash was ‘theft and disrespectful.’
Besides, the Lightning Network already uses a privacy feature called ecash, which could likely confuse the community.
Source: X In response, however, Sztorc claimed that Satoshi Nakamoto’s BTC coins will remain intact. However, about 600K of his 1.1 million ‘gifted’ eCash tokens will be sold to fund the project.
Will eCash escape past Bitcoin hard fork failures? But this is not the first attempt to improve the Bitcoin network via hard forks. In 2017, Bitcoin Cash (BCH) and Bitcoin Gold (BTG) were proposed to ensure cheap transfers and decentralized mining, respectively.
BCH succeeded in enabling faster, cheaper transactions. However, it didn’t build enough trust, leading to a decline in price and hash rate relative to the original Bitcoin network. On the other hand, Bitcoin Gold has become irrelevant after suffering multiple 51% security attacks amid low hashrate.
In 2018, another hard fork, Bitcoin SV (BSV), also failed to gain traction to achieve its larger blocks (up to 2 GB) to enable massive data and millions of transactions. Top exchanges like Coinbase delisted the token.
In fact, other proposals, like Mt. Gox’s hard fork, didn’t even see the light of day. It remains to be seen whether eCash will escape pitfalls suffered by past hard forks.
Final Summary Peter Sztorc clarified that the eCash Bitcoin hard fork is a 1:1 ‘gift’ of tokens and not a theft of Satoshi’s BTC. However, the community has raised ethics and viability concerns ahead of the August implementation.
A longstanding debate in the Bitcoin community has resurfaced, centering on the ownership of early-era coins and their uncertain future. Paul Sztorc, co-founder and CEO of LayerTwo Labs, has proposed a dramatic new hard fork aimed at reallocating nearly 500,000 BTC linked to the controversial “Patoshi” pattern in Bitcoin’s blockchain history. These coins, widely believed to be controlled by Bitcoin’s pseudonymous creator Satoshi Nakamoto, but with no definitive proof to date, would be reassigned under the plan.
The new chain: eCash projectAccording to Sztorc’s proposal, the existing Bitcoin network would remain entirely intact, while a completely separate blockchain named “eCash” would be launched. This new chain would copy Bitcoin’s full transaction history but change the ownership of coins from certain early blocks, specifically redirecting the roughly half a million BTC associated with the Patoshi pattern to a new set of investors. While most analysts believe the Patoshi mining pattern points to Satoshi Nakamoto, no conclusive evidence confirms this theory.
Under the plan, anyone holding BTC at the time of the fork would receive an equivalent amount of eCash coins. Importantly, the distribution and ownership structure of coins on the main Bitcoin chain would remain untouched.
Paul Sztorc explained that the goal of this redistribution is to support early investors in the eCash project and drive early momentum for the chain. He emphasized, “This is simply a copy of Bitcoin, and a totally new chain. Existing Bitcoin balances will be mirrored exactly at the moment of the eCash fork.”
Jameson Lopp, a prominent Bitcoin expert, disagreed with characterizing the fork as a direct Bitcoin transfer, considering the eCash chain a separate blockchain event altogether. Pointing to similar precedents, he noted that previous forks—such as Bitcoin Cash in 2017 and the Ethereum–DAO split in 2016—introduced new assets without altering the main chain.
As a result, BTC ownership on the primary chain wouldn’t change. Instead, at the forking snapshot, Bitcoin holders would receive identical amounts of the new eCash coin. The eventual market value of the new asset would depend entirely on uptake and trading volume.
Long-dormant coins and quantum computing risksSztorc’s proposal enters the debate amid ongoing concern over nearly 5.6 million BTC that have remained untouched in wallets for over a decade. Developers and market analysts are discussing whether these coins should be frozen to shield the ecosystem from potential “quantum computing threats,” with some warning that advances could someday crack old wallets’ cryptographic secrets and enable unauthorized access.
Opponents counter that Bitcoin’s founding principle is the inviolability of coin ownership: assets should never be altered due to centralized or collective decisions. They warn that revising ownership structures—even on a separate fork—could undermine user trust and erode the institutional credibility that Bitcoin has built.
Thus, while altering ownership on an entirely different chain like eCash may not impact the main Bitcoin network directly, experts caution it could further inflame debates over the value and legitimacy of dormant coins and forked networks attributed to Satoshi.
On the technical side, it is only possible to change the Bitcoin main chain through broad ecosystem backing and full community consensus. With forks like eCash, value depends entirely on whether investors, exchanges, and miners are willing to support the new asset, which is never guaranteed.
Disclaimer: The information contained in this article does not constitute investment advice. Investors should be aware that cryptocurrencies carry high volatility and therefore risk, and should conduct their own research.
The Bitcoin community is abuzz with debate following the announcement of a new blockchain fork called eCash, raising questions about the fate of Satoshi Nakamoto’s substantial coin holdings. Scheduled to occur in August at block height 964,000, the fork will create a complete copy of the Bitcoin blockchain’s history, granting current BTC holders an equivalent amount of eCash. As with previous forks in Bitcoin’s history, users will automatically receive assets on the new chain proportional to their existing BTC.
Satoshi’s coins at the heart of a new controversyWhat sets the eCash fork apart from earlier splits is the handling of approximately 1.1 million BTC attributed to Satoshi Nakamoto, which have remained untouched since 2009 and are viewed as a symbol of fairness and transparency in the community. Under normal circumstances, these coins would also be duplicated as eCash. However, LayerTwo Labs CEO Paul Sztorc has proposed allocating only 600,000 eCash to Satoshi’s presumed addresses, diverting the remaining 500,000 eCash to early project investors instead.
This proposal has triggered an intense ethical dispute regarding property rights. In response to accusations of “theft” circulating on X (formerly Twitter), Sztorc emphasized that there is, from a technical perspective, no misappropriation involved.
Satoshi’s untouched holdings are considered the most important collateral at the core of Bitcoin. The fact that even the network’s creator has never accessed their coins is evidence that the same rules apply to everyone. While selling the rights to these coins to finance a new project might not be technically an abuse, it is widely seen as morally questionable.
Beau Turner, CEO of Abundant Mines, told CoinDesk that Bitcoin was built upon universal property rights, emphasizing that any interference targeting Satoshi’s coins constitutes a major ethical error.
“Bitcoin was created to safeguard everyone’s inviolable property rights. Any suggestion that seizes the creator’s coins represents such a grave mistake that it’s difficult to comprehend how this idea even surfaced,” he remarked.
As the community discusses the fork, concerns have also emerged about restricting or freezing unspent coins in old, often insecure addresses, particularly those linked to Satoshi. These debates are regarded as especially sensitive issues for Bitcoin’s immutability and the broader social contract underpinning the network.
Ethics debated across platformsIn Bitcoin culture, the inviolability of Satoshi’s holdings carries deep significance. Vijay Selvam, author of “Principles of Bitcoin,” has argued that freezing these assets in any way fundamentally undermines Bitcoin’s monetary principles.
“Freezing Satoshi’s coins would irreversibly harm Bitcoin’s monetary attributes. Once such a precedent is set, users will never again feel fully assured that their assets are safe, always fearing potential future infringements.”
Selvam further warned that the fork’s approach threatens Bitcoin’s status as “digital gold,” as the stability and reliability expected by future generations are put at risk by such measures.
Paul Sztorc’s prior proposals for adding sidechains via BIP300 and BIP301 also failed to gain broad community backing. The eCash fork is now seen as both an alternative path and a means to press the community, should his earlier projects continue to be sidelined.
Sztorc has stated he might abandon the eCash plan if these sidechain proposals are approved by the Bitcoin network. To date, however, Bitcoin’s developer community has taken no steps in this direction.
While it remains uncertain whether the fork will have lasting value, the accompanying social pressure and ethical debates have become the dominant issues. Previous Bitcoin forks have failed to maintain parity with the original chain; the eCash project, by focusing on Satoshi’s coins, once again challenges the ethical legacy embedded within Bitcoin’s design.
Disclaimer: The information contained in this article does not constitute investment advice. Investors should be aware that cryptocurrencies carry high volatility and therefore risk, and should conduct their own research.
The Bitcoin community is facing heated debate following the announcement of a new fork called eCash, which is set to launch in August at block height 964,000. With this fork, the entire Bitcoin blockchain will be duplicated, meaning existing BTC holders will receive the equivalent amount in eCash. As seen in previous forks, users will automatically get new coins on the new chain in proportion to their BTC holdings.
Satoshi’s unspent coins raise concernsWhat makes the eCash fork different from earlier splits is the fate of around 1.1 million BTC long believed to belong to Satoshi Nakamoto. These untouched holdings, resting since 2009, have become symbols of fairness and transparency within the Bitcoin community. Under normal circumstances, the same amount would be credited as eCash on the new chain. However, LayerTwo Labs CEO Paul Sztorc has proposed crediting only 600,000 eCash to addresses associated with Satoshi, distributing the remaining 500,000 eCash to early project backers instead.
This proposal has ignited intense ethical debate regarding property rights. On X, Sztorc rejected accusations of “theft,” emphasizing that, from a technical standpoint, no theft is actually occurring.
Sztorc argued that Satoshi’s untouched coins serve as crucial guarantees at the core of Bitcoin, suggesting that even the creator’s decision not to move these coins proves equal application of rules. While reallocating these coins to fund a new project is not technically exploitative, he acknowledged it remains ethically controversial.
Concerns over property rights and fairnessAbundant Mines CEO Beau Turner told CoinDesk that Bitcoin’s foundation lies in the principle of universal property rights, and any intrusion on Satoshi’s coins would represent a significant ethical misstep.
Turner explained: “Bitcoin was created to protect the inalienable property rights of everyone globally. Any suggestion to seize the founder’s coins is such a grave error that it’s hard to understand how an idea like this even comes up.”
As the potential fork draws closer, discussion has also arisen about whether to freeze or restrict older and less secure addresses, particularly those associated with Satoshi. These subjects are highly sensitive, as they drive core debates on Bitcoin’s immutability and the community’s social contract.
Cross-platform ethics go under the microscopeThe inviolability of Satoshi’s coins occupies a central position in Bitcoin’s ethos. Vijay Selvam, author of “Principles of Bitcoin,” contends that any attempt to freeze these coins would inflict irreparable harm on Bitcoin’s monetary fundamentals.
Selvam said that freezing Satoshi’s coins would deeply undermine Bitcoin’s monetary properties, cautioning that, if such a precedent were set, users could never be certain their holdings would remain secure, leading to constant anxiety about future rights violations.
Selvam further emphasized that Bitcoin is expected to serve as a reliable, time-resistant store of value for future generations, like digital gold, and that manipulative practices arising from forks like eCash jeopardize this narrative.
Paul Sztorc’s earlier proposals to implement sidechains in Bitcoin, known as BIP300 and BIP301, received little support from the broader community. Now, the eCash fork is being positioned as both a contingency and a tactic to generate community pressure should these proposals continue to face rejection.
Sztorc has stated he may withdraw the eCash plan if his proposed sidechain upgrades are adopted, but so far, there has been no indication of developer consensus in that direction.
While it remains uncertain whether this fork will achieve lasting economic significance, the social and ethical debate it has sparked is already the main story. Most earlier forks failed to retain substantial value in the long run; eCash, however, puts Bitcoin’s ethical legacy under renewed scrutiny through its handling of Satoshi’s coins.
Disclaimer: The information contained in this article does not constitute investment advice. Investors should be aware that cryptocurrencies carry high volatility and therefore risk, and should conduct their own research.
The Bitcoin community is gripped by heated debate after news broke of an upcoming fork called eCash. Scheduled for August at block height 964,000, the fork will duplicate the entire Bitcoin blockchain. Every BTC holder at the time of the split will receive an equal amount of the new asset, eCash, reflecting their Bitcoin balance. Like previous Bitcoin forks, this means users will automatically own new coins on the new chain, matching their original holdings.
Satoshi’s coins under scrutinyWhat sets the eCash fork apart from past forks lies in its treatment of nearly 1.1 million BTC believed to be owned by Bitcoin’s pseudonymous creator, Satoshi Nakamoto. These untouched assets have stood as a symbol of fairness and transparency in the Bitcoin community since they have not moved since 2009. Traditionally, these coins would be mirrored as eCash in the new chain. However, LayerTwo Labs CEO Paul Sztorc has proposed that only 600,000 eCash should be credited to Satoshi’s addresses, with the remaining 500,000 distributed to early contributors funding the eCash project.
This proposal has sparked an intense ethical debate over ownership rights. Responding to accusations of “theft” on X, Sztorc firmly denied any wrongdoing, stating the move would not amount to technical theft.
The untouched coins belonging to Satoshi are the bedrock collateral of Bitcoin’s foundation. Even the network’s founder never moved his coins, proving the rules applied equally to everyone. Selling rights to these coins to fund new projects, even if not a technical violation, is ethically contentious.
Community concerns about rights and ethicsBeau Turner, CEO of Abundant Mines, told CoinDesk that Bitcoin’s core principle is universal property rights, arguing that any intervention targeting Satoshi’s coins would be a grave ethical misstep.
“Bitcoin was created to uphold inviolable property rights for everyone worldwide. Any proposal that seizes the founder’s rightful coins is such a major error, it’s difficult to understand how it’s even up for discussion.”
At the same time, the community is also wrestling with related issues about freezing or restricting old, less-secure addresses—especially those thought to belong to Satoshi. These conversations are pivotal in view of Bitcoin’s unchangeability and social contract.
Ethical lines drawn across platformsWithin the Bitcoin ethos, the untouchability of Satoshi’s coins holds special significance. Vijay Selvam, author of Principles of Bitcoin, insists that freezing these coins, no matter the justification, would fundamentally damage the monetary principles of Bitcoin.
“Freezing Satoshi’s coins inflicts irreparable harm on Bitcoin’s monetary attributes. Once this happens, users can never truly trust that their assets are safe, always fearing the next violation of rights.”
Selvam emphasized hopes that Bitcoin would serve as a lasting and reliable store of value across generations, akin to digital gold, but warned that such forks threaten this vision and undermine Bitcoin’s claim as the digital equivalent of gold.
Paul Sztorc’s previous attempts to integrate sidechains to Bitcoin via BIP300 and BIP301 failed to gain widespread community support. Now, the eCash fork is perceived both as an alternative plan and as leverage, should those proposals remain sidelined.
Sztorc remarked he might abandon the eCash plan if BIP300 and BIP301 become active in the network. However, the developer community has yet to respond to this call.
Uncertainty persists over whether the fork will create lasting economic value. For now, social pressure and ethical frictions seem to outweigh technical or financial factors. Unlike previous forks, which struggled to retain value, eCash places renewed focus on the ethical legacy of Bitcoin by targeting Satoshi’s coins.
Disclaimer: The information contained in this article does not constitute investment advice. Investors should be aware that cryptocurrencies carry high volatility and therefore risk, and should conduct their own research.
Updated Jun 9, 2026, 11:46 a.m. Published May 2, 2026, 4:00 p.m.
3 min read
(CoinDesk)Summary
Critics say eCash is less a Bitcoin fork and more a complex airdrop that could expose users to security risks.Concerns focus on replay protection, custody complications and the redistribution of Satoshi-linked coins.Support exists but is limited, largely framing eCash as an optional experiment tied to long-standing scaling proposals.Paul Sztorc’s proposed eCash fork has been framed as a battle over Bitcoin’s principles. But among developers and infrastructure builders, a different interpretation is taking hold.
This isn’t really a Bitcoin fork, they argue. It’s an airdrop — and a potentially hazardous one.
“I’m firmly against Paul’s fork, but not because it represents a ‘hostile Bitcoin hard fork,’ as some claim,” said Sergio Lerner, co-founder of Rootstock Labs, told CoinDesk in an email. “eCash is a new blockchain…It is not directly taking anything away from bitcoin holders.”
That distinction cuts through much of the early backlash. Unlike past splits that attempted to carry the Bitcoin name or compete for hashpower, eCash is structurally closer to a new token being airdropped to existing bitcoin holders.
But for Lerner and others, that framing shifts the concern rather than resolves it.
Airdrops are common across crypto. In Bitcoin, they are rare — and often messy.
Lerner argues that distributing eCash based on Bitcoin’s UTXO set — the collection of “unspent transaction outputs,” essentially the chunks of bitcoin that make up user balances — exposes users to avoidable operational risk, particularly if they try to claim the tokens.
“Airdropping to UTXO owners does not help bitcoiners and instead exposes them to significant risk,” he said, pointing to the need for users to move funds out of cold storage and interact with unfamiliar software.
That risk is compounded by the lack of full replay protection between the two chains. Without a clean separation, transactions intended for Bitcoin could inadvertently affect funds on the eCash network, or vice versa.
Dan Held, a Bitcoin entrepreneur, framed it more bluntly: “Reallocating Satoshi’s coins is shock value marketing, and the no-replay protection makes it quite hazardous to redeem.”
No-replay protection could allow a valid, signed transaction from the hard fork to be maliciously broadcast and accepted on another chain. This causes identical, unwanted transactions on both networks, leading to accidental loss of funds. It occurs when two chains share the same transaction format.
Distribution questionsBeyond security concerns, the distribution itself is being questioned.
Because Bitcoin ownership is often intermediated by exchanges, custodians and institutional platforms, the entity controlling private keys is not always the economic owner of the coins.
“The custodians controlling UTXO keys are often not the rightful economic owners,” Lerner said. “This places users who hold bitcoin through custodians at a disadvantage.”
In practice, that means some users may never receive eCash at all, while others may take on new risks to access it. For systems built on top of Bitcoin — including sidechains, like Rootstock, and federated custody networks — the situation becomes even more complex, potentially requiring coordination or upgrades to safely split coins across chains.
Lerner also criticized the project’s funding model, which allocates a portion of Satoshi-linked coins on the new chain to early investors, calling it “morally objectionable and unnecessary.”
Philosophical fault lineFor others, the objection goes beyond mechanics.
Jay Pollak, head of strategy at Bitcoin sidechain VerifiedX, sees the proposal as part of a broader category of attempts to reinterpret Bitcoin’s core properties through derivative systems.
“It’s mind boggling to think that anybody would think that’s a really good idea,” Pollak said, referring to the combination of forking and reassigning dormant coins.
Pollak argues that even indirect changes to how Bitcoin ownership is represented risk undermining the system’s core guarantee.
“You can’t break the native ownership of Bitcoin. It’s totally contradictory to what Bitcoin is,” he said.
In that framing, eCash is less about whether Bitcoin itself changes — it doesn’t — and more about whether the ecosystem should tolerate structures that reinterpret its ledger.
Most Bitcoin forks fail to gain meaningful traction. eCash may follow the same path.
But the reaction to it is already clarifying something else: Bitcoin’s resistance to change is not just about code or consensus rules. It extends to how users are expected to behave, how risk is introduced, and what kinds of experiments are considered acceptable at the edges.
Framed as an airdrop, eCash looks less like a challenge to Bitcoin — and more like a test of how far its social boundaries actually reach.
AI 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.
Recently, the eCash project has sparked heated debate within the Bitcoin ecosystem. Unlike a typical Bitcoin fork, eCash is being called a new airdrop. The proposal, brought forward by Paul Sztorc, has split the community, with developers and major infrastructure providers warning of potentially dangerous consequences.
eCash launches as separate blockchainSergio Lerner, co-founder of Rootstock Labs, emphasizes that eCash does not take any assets directly from Bitcoin, but rather is launched as an entirely new blockchain asset. While Lerner opposes typical Bitcoin forks, he states his main concern with eCash is its attempt to target Bitcoin’s existing user base through an airdrop instead of creating a true chain split.
“An airdrop to UTXO holders doesn’t benefit Bitcoin users. Instead, it exposes them to substantial risks, since they have to move their cold storage funds and interact with unfamiliar applications,” explains Lerner.
Airdrops of this kind are very rare in Bitcoin and have caused confusion in the past. Because the distribution relies on the set of “unspent transaction outputs” (UTXO), it creates significant operational risks, especially for those Bitcoin holders who do not wish to move their old holdings. Additionally, if users choose to claim the tokens, the risk of encountering illicit transactions rises.
Replay protection missing raises concernsThe biggest concern within the community is eCash’s lack of robust replay protection on the Bitcoin network. Since both blockchains have similar transaction formats, any valid transaction on one could be accepted on the other. This could result in users unintentionally executing the same transaction on both networks, putting their assets at risk.
Dan Held views the project’s proposal to reallocate coins thought to belong to Satoshi as “a marketing move designed for impact” and argues the absence of replay protection makes it extremely dangerous for users to claim their tokens.
Technical security is not the only criticism. The distribution method itself is under scrutiny, as many users hold assets through exchanges or custodians. Determining key ownership becomes complex, and there is a risk that new tokens may never reach some rightful owners, or may be claimed by unintended parties. This creates challenges for sidechains and institutional platforms operating on Bitcoin, potentially requiring new coordination efforts or major software updates to safely split coins between the two networks.
Community boundaries and ethical debateIn eCash’s funding mechanism, a portion of the coins expected to belong to Satoshi on the new chain is allocated to early investors. Lerner labels this practice unethical and unnecessary. Jay Polack, from the strategy team at VerifiedX, a Bitcoin sidechain project, notes that this move is part of a broader trend questioning the basic ownership structure of Bitcoin itself.
“Bitcoin’s true ownership cannot be altered. This kind of initiative is fundamentally opposed to Bitcoin’s core principles,” Polack says.
Ultimately, the incident shows Bitcoin is as influenced by social norms as it is by software or consensus mechanisms. While eCash does not represent a major technical change for Bitcoin, it has ignited debate about the types of experiments that should be permitted within the ecosystem. The Bitcoin community’s response to new projects is shaped not only by code, but also by user behavior and the culture that has evolved around the network.
Disclaimer: The information contained in this article does not constitute investment advice. Investors should be aware that cryptocurrencies carry high volatility and therefore risk, and should conduct their own research.
A new Bitcoin fork project reignites tensions within the ecosystem. Led by developer Paul Sztorc. The initiative named “eCash” does not just propose a basic parallel chain: it introduces technical and economic choices that directly affect fundamental principles of the network, notably the management of UTXOs and the controversial use of Satoshi Nakamoto’s historical holdings. Between promises of innovation and fears of misuse, the debate intensifies around the project.
In brief Paul Sztorc’s eCash project plans a Bitcoin hard fork with token distribution equivalent to BTC holders. Drivechains integration aims to extend uses (DeFi, privacy, prediction markets) but raises technical debates. Potential use of funds linked to Satoshi Nakamoto to finance the project crystallizes criticism. Several experts warn about major risks, including violations of property rights, dangerous precedents, and increased user exposure. Bitcoin faces a new parallel chain project The project announced by Paul Sztorc, founder and CEO of LayerTwo Labs, plans a hard fork at block height 964,000. This step should create a new chain called eCash, with its own native tokens. Holders would thus receive an equivalent balance on this separate network.
To limit confusion, a coin separation tool should accompany the launch. It would help users distinguish their BTC from the new eCash asset. Primarily, this measure aims to reduce errors during fund transfers.
The future chain would adopt almost the entire existing Bitcoin structure. However, it would integrate a major evolution: drivechains. Sztorc proposed this extension architecture in 2015 and then presented it to developers via BIP300 and BIP301.
According to him, eCash would not follow BCH’s logic in 2017. The project does not just seek to increase block size. It wants to offer a more sustainable solution without using the Bitcoin name in its branding. Moreover, a four-month notice should give the community time to prepare.
eCash fork: Drivechains at the center of the debate The fork would also carry several technical projects already in development. Sztorc cited seven Drivechains, including a privacy chain inspired by Zcash. He also mentioned Truthcoin, CoinShift, and Photon.
These extensions would cover varied uses. Truthcoin would target prediction markets. CoinShift would operate as a decentralized exchange. Photon, on the other hand, would seek quantum computer resistance.
However, the most discussed point concerns launch funding. Sztorc wishes to use coins sent to equivalent Satoshi Nakamoto addresses on eCash. He believes this mechanism can attract investors before the fork.
The developer defends this approach with an operational argument. According to him, it would provide contributors a concrete incentive to act early. Without that, the project could become a “zombie project” delivered incomplete. It could also become more centralized, with excessive influence from a small circle of developers.
This proposal remains very sensitive as it touches on historical balances. By adopting the complete Bitcoin history, eCash would display the 1.1 million coins of Satoshi as an equivalent balance on the new chain.
A community divided over ownership and risks The eCash hard fork project quickly triggered a wave of reactions within the Bitcoin ecosystem, revealing deep fault lines between supporters of experimentation and defenders of a strict interpretation of protocol rules.
This is notably the case regarding distributions based on UTXOs, which some consider risky for users. Sergio Lerner, co-founder of Rootstock Labs, adopts a particularly critical stance on this point. In a statement attributed to CoinDesk, he emphasizes:
I am firmly opposed to Paul’s fork, but not because it represents a ‘hostile Bitcoin fork’… eCash is a new blockchain… It does not directly take anything from Bitcoin holders. Distributing airdrops to UTXO owners does not help Bitcoiners and instead exposes them to significant risks.
Sergio Lerner, co-founder of Rootstock Labs. Source: CoinDesk According to him, these mechanisms force holders to adopt potentially dangerous behaviors, such as moving funds from cold storage or interacting with unfamiliar software. An approach that, far from strengthening security or usefulness for Bitcoin users, instead rekindles tensions around fork models and management of historical assets.
At the same time, Jay Pollak, Head of Strategy at Sidechain Bitcoin VerifiedX, voices a more fundamental critique of attempts to reinterpret Bitcoin’s network properties.
It’s stunning to think someone could truly believe this is an excellent idea; you cannot break Bitcoin’s native ownership—that is completely contrary to what Bitcoin is.
Jay Pollak, Head of Strategy at Sidechain Bitcoin VerifiedX. Source: Coindesk However, he warns that even indirect changes, notably via forks or derived mechanisms, could compromise the system’s essential guarantee.
Furthermore, other ecosystem players have adopted a harsher line of criticism, even raising accusations of theft. Bitcoin lawyer Peter McCormack denounced the project logic by stating, “Taking Satoshi’s coins is theft and disrespect, and eCash is already used for Lightning payments with Cashu and Fedi. These are bad choices.”
Josh Ellithorpe, CTO at Pixelated Ink, warns of the precedent such actions could create. In a post on X, he states, “eCash created a dangerous precedent, proving they can steal cryptocurrencies, and they will. Today it’s Satoshi’s, but it could be anyone’s. They also distorted reality regarding the BCH fork, hijacked another project’s name, and implemented no replay protection,” he warns, highlighting potential risks for all BTC holders.
Beyond technical considerations, the eCash project highlights a deeper rift within the Bitcoin community: how far can one innovate without betraying the network’s founding principles? This potential BTC fork exposes the ongoing tensions between experimentation and conservatism within the ecosystem, highlighting the conflict between ambitions for expansion through drivechains and concerns about ownership, security, and legal precedents.
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Ghiles A.
Journaliste et rédacteur web passionné par l’univers des cryptomonnaies et des technologies Web3. J’y traite les dernières tendances et actualités afin de proposer un contenu de haute qualité à un large public du secteur.
DISCLAIMER
The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed in this article belong solely to the author, and should not be taken as investment advice. Do your own research before taking any investment decisions.
The idea of Bitcoin sidechains, first introduced by researchers at Blockstream and later materialized by Rootstock in 2018, represents one of the most promising paths to extend Bitcoin’s functionality without altering its ethos or base-layer properties.
Drivechains, more precisely described as hashrate escrows or hashrate locks, are one of the approaches proposed to enable more decentralized sidechains. Paul Sztorc invented the idea of drivechains in 2015 and in 2016, I introduced an early drivechain proposal based on the COUNT_ACKS opcode. Later that same year, Paul presented his own drivechain design. Since then, the concept of hashrate escrow has been widely discussed and debated across Bitcoin forums and conferences. Ultimately, no consensus emerged to incorporate it into Bitcoin, and the community continued exploring alternative approaches to sidechains. More recently, the emergence of BitVM and platforms such as BitVMX has renewed interest in trust-minimized sidechain constructions.
However, Paul Sztorc did not accept the lack of consensus around his proposal. He founded a company to pursue drivechains and continued development using investor funding. From a startup perspective, this path predictably creates a competitive dynamic between the proposed system and Bitcoin itself. Instead of deploying sidechains using alternative bridging mechanisms to attract real users and demonstrate product–market fit—potentially strengthening his position within the Bitcoin ecosystem, he prioritized the technology over adoption. As a result, the success of his company has become tightly coupled to the deployment of drivechains, making that outcome effectively irreversible, regardless of whether it is the best direction.
Before proceeding, it is important to clarify that the eCash project is not a Bitcoin hard fork as some have claimed. eCash is a new blockchain. It is not a Bitcoin hard fork because
it does not attempt to appropriate the Bitcoin brand, and it distributes a new token to bitcoiners rather than directly extracting value from them. However, there are three critical design choices that makes eCash hostile and harmful to bitcoiners:
eCash cannot be merge-mined with Bitcoin (even if eCash sidechains can be merge-mined with eCash!) so it competes with Bitcoin hashrate. eCash transaction replay protection is only partially implemented (it does not clearly separate the domains of transaction signatures). eCash initial coin distribution is not an airdrop, as claimed, but a forkdrop. An airdrop typically distributes new tokens based on a snapshot of an existing ledger—account balances in EVM systems or the UTXO set in Bitcoin, while ensuring that transactions on one chain cannot be replayed on another. This is not the mechanism being used here: bitcoin transactions are valid on both chains until an eCash transaction breaks this entanglement. I refer to this approach as a forkdrop.
From the three design decisions mentioned follow several serious consequences, many of which are highly controversial and, in my view, detrimental to the broader ecosystem:
eCash mining decreases Bitcoin’s security budget and can destabilize both chains.
This is a direct consequence of eCash not being merge-mined with Bitcoin. While eCash internal drivechains can be merge-mined with the eCash base layer, the base chain itself operates as an independent proof-of-work network competing for SHA-256 hashpower. This design choice directly undermines Bitcoin’s security model: instead of extending Bitcoin’s security budget, it diverts it into a parallel chain.This creates structural risks. Competing for the same hashpower can lead to oscillations in mining allocation—similar to what has historically occurred between Dogecoin and Litecoin before stable merge-mining equilibria emerged. Such oscillations can destabilize both networks in the short term and weaken their security assumptions. More broadly, the approach is divisive: rather than aligning incentives to reinforce Bitcoin as a single security anchor, it fragments them across competing systems. Forkdropping does not help bitcoiners and instead exposes them to significant risk.
Claiming the forkdrop generally requires moving bitcoins from cold storage to hot storage and executing scripts created by unknown eCash developers rather than trusted Bitcoin developers, often on less secure hardware. There are many ways this process can fail, and users may end up losing both their bitcoins and their eCash tokens. Forkdropping is not a fair distribution mechanism.
The custodians controlling UTXO keys are often not the rightful economic owners, but intermediaries. Because institutional bitcoin custody typically involves strict security procedures, those intermediaries may be unable or unwilling to split funds and recover the associated eCash coins. This places users who hold bitcoin through custodians at a disadvantage. If users attempt to withdraw funds to self-custody in order to claim the forkdrop, they may lose the security protections the custodian provides. The entire splitting event creates disruption. Even if intermediaries can perform the split, the procedures may be risky and largely untested, since such events occur only rarely. The splitting problem is especially severe for highly secure sidechains such as Rootstock.
Coins in these systems may be protected by HSM-based custody systems that do not expose private keys by design. In that case, splitting funds may require a hard fork of Rootstock itself to introduce a one-time migration or splitting procedure. That would require months of planning, and testing such procedures is inherently difficult. If the Rootstock community does not permit this, then some users may attempt to capture the sidechain’s share of eCash by pegging in bitcoin-only UTXOs and pegging out coins valid on both chains. Another possibility is that users rush to peg out before the UTXO snapshot date, depleting the vault UTXOs because change outputs must confirm before reuse. This could create an unnecessary run to exit before the deadline. Similar issues could affect other systems such as Citrea and Liquid Network. eCash is a premined coin.
Early investors may receive coins instantaneously and without any vesting mechanism. That exposes all other participants to greater volatility and uncertainty, while creating pressure to act quickly. Rushed decisions in these contexts often lead to mistakes and loss of funds. Paul chose to use Satoshi’s coins (those in the Patoshi pattern I identified).
In my view, this is morally objectionable and unnecessary. New coins could have been created to compensate early investors instead of allocating value taken from an existing party. Even if one argues that the owner may be deceased or permanently absent, nobody truly knows. Replay protection was not fully implemented.
Paul did not provide replay protection for Bitcoin transactions, but only for eCash transactions. This means bitcoin users may accidentally lose their eCash forkdrop simply by transacting normally on Bitcoin. That places pressure on users to take defensive action, increasing the likelihood of mistakes and losses. The eCash transaction format should have been changed so that signatures could never be valid on both chains. The proposed drivechain design is not the best possible implementation.
I am not particularly satisfied with the BIP he proposed. Back in 2016, I proposed an alternative drivechain BIP that I believe is more flexible and better aligned with the stateless nature of Bitcoin Script [1]. In my view, the Bitcoin community’s rejection of BIP300 was not only about opposition to the concept of drivechains itself, but also about the fact that the proposed implementation was far from the best possible design. To summarize, I strongly disagree with the eCash fork on technical, moral, and user-fund security grounds.
Update 12/05/26: An early version of this article did not make it wholly clear that it was indeed Paul Sztorc who invented the concept of drivechains. To clear up any ambiguity on the subject, Paul Sztorc did invent drivechains and an edit was made to clarify this. Ps. Paul Sztorc invented drivechains.
PANews reported on May 11th that, according to SoSoValue data, the cryptocurrency market is generally trending upward, with the PayFi sector performing particularly well, rising 3.26% in the last 24 hours. Specifically, XRP rose 3.29%, Trust Wallet (TWT) rose 6.55%, and eCash (XEC) rose 12.85%. Meanwhile, Bitcoin (BTC) rose 1.17%, returning above $81,000; Ethereum (ETH) rose 1.75%, approaching $2,400.
In other sectors, Layer 2 rose 2.76% in the last 24 hours, with Mantle (MNT) up 4.12%; DeFi rose 2.56%, with Uniswap (UNI) up 7.72%; Meme rose 2.25%, with TROLL (TROLL) surging 50.14%; Layer 1 rose 2.08%, with Sui (SUI) up 24.00%; AI rose 1.85%, with Unibase (UB) up 13.24%; and CeFi rose 1.57%, with Cronos (CRO) up 6.53%.
Bitcoin’s on‑chain data is flashing a strange mix of softer retail‑style activity and still‑robust throughput, fees and capital flows that look more like consolidation than exhaustion.
Summary
Active Bitcoin addresses have dropped to roughly 660,000 on a seven‑day basis, a 12‑month low that coincides with more batching, consolidation and custodial use. The network still processes around 400,000–450,000 transactions per day, with average fees in a $2.50–$4.00 band that signals steady economic activity rather than a ghost chain. Research on Ordinals finds inscriptions contributed about 22% of fees between 2023 and early 2024, with each 1‑point blockspace share increase driving roughly 3.2% higher regular‑tx fees. Bitcoin’s (BTC) on‑chain data is flashing a strange combination: softer retail‑style activity, but still‑elevated throughput, fees and capital flows that look more like consolidation than exhaustion.
Activity and addresses: weak surface, noisy signal Metrics that usually stand in for “user activity” have rolled over. By December 2025, the seven‑day average number of active Bitcoin addresses had fallen to roughly 660,000, a one‑year low and well below the levels seen during the Ordinals craze at the end of 2024. On‑chain analysts at BecauseBitcoin and MEXC note that this drop coincides with more wallet batching, UTXO consolidation and the growth of custodial solutions, all of which can depress address counts without necessarily reflecting a collapse in real economic usage.
Transactions, volume and fees: consolidation, not coma Under the hood, the network is still busy. A February 2026 review of on‑chain data finds Bitcoin processing around 400,000–450,000 transactions per day, with relatively stable throughput even as prices chop. That same analysis highlights “robust institutional‑scale flows” visible in large transactions and cluster behaviour, describing current traffic as “genuine economic activity rather than speculative trading alone.”
Fees are sitting in an awkward middle zone that suits miners better than traders. Average transaction costs have hovered in roughly the $2.50–$4.00 range in early 2026 – far above the sub‑$1 lull of mid‑2025 but well below the $50‑plus spikes logged during prior bouts of memecoin and inscription congestion. A separate snapshot from early March puts 24‑hour BTC trading volume near $73 billion, roughly 5% of market cap, a ratio that MEXC flags as historically preceding “significant directional moves” as positioning builds.
Ordinals, inscriptions and blockspace demand Part of the fee story is structural. Academic and industry research on Ordinals and inscriptions estimates that between mid‑2022 and early 2024, inscription transactions accounted for about 22% of total Bitcoin fees and that a 1‑percentage‑point rise in their share of blockspace corresponded to roughly a 3.2% increase in fees paid by ordinary transactions. Galaxy Research and other desks have documented multiple periods where inscriptions generated more than 20% of daily fee revenue, effectively subsidizing miners while competing with payments and exchange transfers for blockspace.
Mixed but constructive into 2026 Taken together, the picture into 2026 is mixed but not obviously bearish. A composite view of “crypto on‑chain signals” described by Blockchain.News shows fundamental activity measures softening even as realized profit/loss and capital‑flow indicators stabilize, consistent with a market that is digesting past gains rather than falling apart. With Bitcoin trading in the low‑$70,000s and on‑chain volumes still punchy, the network looks less like a ghost chain and more like a maturing settlement layer where speculative froth has drained faster than institutional usage.
The dollar index fell below 100 as traders sold the greenback after the Fed meeting, with USD/JPY sliding on rising BOJ hike and intervention risks and mixed signals for emerging markets and Bitcoin.
Summary
DXY slid 0.5% to 99.79 and USD/JPY dropped 1% to 158.22 as traders unwound crowded dollar longs after the Fed flagged sticky inflation but acknowledged rising macro uncertainty. Markets now eye a possible BOJ move toward 1% and FX intervention if USD/JPY threatens 160, shifting rate divergence away from a one-way dollar trade. A weaker dollar gives only limited relief to crypto, with Bitcoin still down over 4% around $71,313 as the Fed’s higher-for-longer stance and oil shock overshadow FX tailwinds. The U.S. Dollar Index (DXY) fell below the psychologically significant 100 level on Thursday, sliding 0.5% to 99.79 as markets digested the aftermath of Wednesday’s Federal Reserve meeting and recalibrated positions across currency markets. USD/JPY dropped 1% to 158.22, one of its sharpest single-session declines in weeks, as a combination of post-FOMC profit-taking, rising rate divergence expectations, and the looming prospect of Bank of Japan intervention weighed on the dollar against the yen.
The move is notable precisely because of its direction. As recently as last week, the DXY had broken back above 100 for the first time since late 2025, driven higher by safe-haven demand from the Iran conflict and inflation fears stemming from the Strait of Hormuz disruption. That rally had pushed USD/JPY as high as 159.40 during Tuesday’s Asian session. Thursday’s reversal therefore represents a meaningful technical breakdown, with the 100 level now flipping from support to resistance.
The Post-FOMC Paradox The dollar’s weakness in the wake of a hawkish Fed statement appears counterintuitive on its surface — Powell raised the 2026 inflation forecast to 2.7%, signalled only one rate cut for the year, and explicitly cited the oil shock as a persistent inflationary risk. In a traditional macro framework, that combination should support the dollar. But currency markets have responded differently, focusing instead on three complicating factors.
First, much of the hawkish repricing had already occurred in the days leading up to the FOMC meeting, with market expectations for Fed easing having compressed from two-to-three cuts earlier in the year to just one. With that narrative largely priced, the announcement became a sell-the-news event for dollar bulls who had positioned for upside. Second, Powell’s acknowledgement of heightened economic uncertainty — including the risk that the oil shock could simultaneously depress growth while keeping inflation elevated — raised fresh concerns about the dollar’s medium-term trajectory if the U.S. economy weakens while the Fed’s hands remain tied by inflation. Third, and critically, the divergence between the Fed and other major central banks is shifting.
The Bank of Japan held its policy rate unchanged at 0.75% on Thursday — its highest since September 1995 — but markets are pricing a rate increase to 1.00% by end-June. Mizuho Financial’s markets co-chief Kenya Koshimizu told Reuters in February that up to three BOJ hikes in 2026 are entirely possible. Japan’s Finance Minister has also stated explicitly that authorities stand ready to intervene in FX markets if yen weakness persists, with USD/JPY above 160 viewed as a potential trigger for BOJ action. Thursday’s 1% drop in USD/JPY, pulling the pair to 158.22, suggests markets are pre-empting that intervention risk.
The dollar’s stumble below 100 is also a signal to emerging markets and commodity-linked currencies. The Philippine peso breached the 60-per-dollar level on Thursday as oil costs weighed on the country’s import bill, while gold stabilised following a sharp 4% decline in the prior session. For crypto markets, a weaker dollar historically provides modest tailwind support — but with Bitcoin already down 4.62% to $71,313 on the day, macro headwinds from the Fed’s inflation posture are currently overwhelming any currency-driven relief.
Robert Kiyosaki says an imminent “biggest financial bubble in history” will end in a crash that sends Bitcoin to $750k and Ethereum to $95k within a year, even as critics doubt his methods.
Summary
Kiyosaki argues a financial bubble inflated since 2008 will soon burst and forecasts Bitcoin at $750,000 and Ethereum at $95,000 within one year of that crash, alongside gold at $35,000 and silver at $200. He frames BTC, ETH, gold, and silver as scarce “escape hatches” from fiat, noting he recently bought another 1 BTC around $67,000 and claims he would still buy more even if price fell to $6,000. Critics highlight his decade-long record of missed crash calls and say his numbers lack rigorous modeling, but his alarm now lands amid tighter Fed policy and rising geopolitical risk. Robert Kiyosaki, the author of Rich Dad Poor Dad and one of the crypto space’s most vocal mainstream advocates, has issued his most dramatic price predictions yet — forecasting Bitcoin (BTC) at $750,000 and Ethereum at $95,000 within one year of what he describes as an imminent and catastrophic global financial crash.
Speaking on X, Kiyosaki framed his outlook around the thesis that the world is approaching the “biggest financial bubble in history” — one he argues has been inflating since the root causes of the 2008 financial crisis were papered over with stimulus and monetary expansion rather than resolved structurally. His message was unambiguous: the question is no longer whether a crash will happen, but when.
The post-crash price targets Kiyosaki outlined are striking in their scale. For Bitcoin, he projects a rise to $750,000 per coin within a year of the collapse — a roughly 10x move from current levels near $69,900. For Ethereum, his target of $95,000 implies an approximately 45x gain from where ETH trades today at around $2,130. He also projected gold reaching $35,000 per ounce and silver hitting $200 in the same post-crash window — suggesting a broad revaluation of scarce, non-sovereign assets as confidence in fiat currencies erodes.
The underlying logic Kiyosaki applies is consistent with his long-held worldview: when the traditional financial system fractures, assets with capped supply or physical scarcity — Bitcoin, gold, silver — will be the primary beneficiaries of the capital flight that follows. He has continued to put his money where his mouth is, most recently disclosing the purchase of an additional 1 BTC at approximately $67,000, and stating he would consider buying more if prices fell to $6,000.
Critics, however, are quick to note the limitations of Kiyosaki’s track record. His crash predictions span more than a decade, with calls for collapses in 2016 and 2020 that did not materialize as forecast. One response to his latest post on X summarized the skeptical view plainly: his forecasts are “big numbers to grab attention,” lacking the methodological grounding of rigorous financial analysis. Others pointed out that major crashes rarely stem from a single trigger, but rather from compounding pressures — tighter monetary policy, credit contraction, and forced asset repricing — a dynamic already partly visible in current market conditions.
That said, Kiyosaki’s warnings land at a moment when macro conditions are unusually fraught. The Federal Reserve held rates steady this week while signaling fewer cuts ahead. Geopolitical tensions in the Middle East are escalating. Bitcoin’s 30-day correlation with equities is at its highest of 2026. Whatever one thinks of his methodology, the macro backdrop he has been warning about for years looks more plausible today than at any point in recent memory.
Anthony Scaramucci is openly backing Michael Saylor’s high‑yield Bitcoin strategy at the same time he jolts markets with a tongue‑in‑cheek X video announcing a 2028 presidential run, sharpening the line between his crypto advocacy and broader economic message.
Summary
Scaramucci calls himself a “big fan” of Michael Saylor while dissecting Strategy Inc.’s roughly 11.5% perpetual yield tied to Bitcoin, warning that leverage and drawdowns remain real risks. In a previous crypto.news story, he linked that same wealth‑gap narrative to stalled CLARITY legislation in Washington and his long‑term Bitcoin thesis. His April 1 “Mooch 2028” video on X, framed as an April Fools’ gag, doubles as a campaign‑style address on inequality, debt and digital assets. In a recent episode of the All Things Markets podcast, SkyBridge Capital founder Anthony Scaramucci and Galaxy Digital CEO Mike Novogratz pulled apart Strategy Inc.’s (NASDAQ: MSTR) use of high‑yield perpetual securities, which Scaramucci said can deliver “four quarterly dividend payments equivalent to a yield of approximately 11.5%” for Bitcoin believers. He was explicit about his own position: “I’m a big fan of Saylor, and obviously SkyBridge owns a lot of Bitcoin. We don’t hold any of those assets, but I just wanted to disclose that to people.”
After years of telling everybody else how to run the country and months of deliberation, I have a special announcement:
I’m running for President of the United States in 2028.
I am aware of what happened the last time I worked in the White House.
But I do believe I can help… pic.twitter.com/O2wPkq4Ob8
— Anthony Scaramucci (@Scaramucci) April 1, 2026 Saylor’s 11.5% Bitcoin‑backed yield under scrutiny Novogratz stressed the structure’s dependence on leverage: “It’s leverage on the strategy,” he said, arguing Saylor currently enjoys a “big margin of safety” because of his large Bitcoin corpus but that a sharp drop in BTC would “inevitably” eat into that cushion. He warned that if Bitcoin crashed to around $30,000, perpetual investors “naturally” fear losing principal, because they “don’t have the right to get their money back” and Saylor can theoretically halt dividends, which would likely push the instrument to a steep discount.
From “Mooch 2028” to CLARITY gridlock That nuanced pitch to yield‑hungry Bitcoin holders landed just hours before Scaramucci’s latest viral video on X, where he stood in his office wearing a “Mooch 2028” cap and declared, “I’m running for President of the United States in 2028… Join me and help me heal America.” The clip, posted on April Fools’ Day, was quickly framed by outlets like Benzinga and Breitbart as a prank, but it reads like a test balloon: he references his ill‑fated 11‑day stint in Donald Trump’s first White House and insists, “I do believe I can help guide this country in the right direction.”
In a separate BeInCrypto interview covered by BloomingBit, Scaramucci said that passing the CLARITY Act, Washington’s flagship crypto market‑structure bill, is “not an easy situation,” adding that “in the current political environment, securing 60 votes in the Senate is almost impossible.” Earlier comments to Coinness underscored how partisan rancor over Trump’s launch of a memecoin, which he said earned between $600 million and $700 million, has further poisoned the well for bipartisan crypto rules.
Price‑wise, Scaramucci has hardly turned cautious: in February he told Benzinga that Bitcoin “doesn’t reward being early, but being patient,” even as BTC traded near $70,981, down about 7.2% on the day, and more recently has floated scenarios of $2 million to $3 million per coin over the next decade. For a would‑be “Mooch 2028” candidate, the message is clear enough — leverage can juice returns, but the real bet is that Bitcoin outlasts U.S. political dysfunction.
On-chain data shows whale-sized Chainlink wallets have reached a new all-time high (ATH), a sign that big-money interest has been flowing into the network.
Chainlink Wallets With At Least 100,000 LINK Have Set A New Record According to data from on-chain analytics firm Santiment, Chainlink has seen large wallets reach a new record. The indicator of relevance here is the “Supply Distribution,” which tells us about the total number of addresses that belong to a particular address group.
Wallets or investors are divided into these cohorts based on the number of tokens that they are carrying in their balance. For example, the 1 to 10 coins group includes all addresses holding between 1 and 10 LINK. In the context of the current topic, the range of interest is the one with a lower bound at 100,000 LINK and no upper limit.
At the current exchange rate, the cutoff for the range converts to $957,000, which is a significant amount. Thus, the only investors who would qualify for the group will be the big-money entities like the sharks and whales. Such holders can carry some degree of influence on the network so their behavior can be worth keeping an eye on.
Below is the chart shared by Santiment that shows how the Supply Distribution has changed for these Chainlink investors over the past few months.
The value of the metric seems to have been rising in recent weeks | Source: Santiment on X As is visible in the graph, the Chainlink wallets with 100,000 LINK or more have witnessed a rise in the indicator during the last couple of months. This suggests that the population of big-money investors on the network has grown.
More specifically, the Supply Distribution of the LINK whales has increased by 8.2% over the last seven weeks, a notable figure. Interestingly, this inflow of large investors into the network has arrived while the cryptocurrency has followed an overall trend of sideways movement.
Currently, there are 805 wallets holding at least 100,000 LINK, which is a new ATH. “Key stakeholders are showing bullishness toward the #16 market cap in crypto,” noted Santiment. It now remains to be seen whether the optimism from the LINK whales will end up reflecting on the cryptocurrency’s price.
While Chainlink has witnessed a trend of accumulation, Bitcoin has observed distribution from its large hands instead. As analyst Ali Martinez has highlighted in another X post, the supply of the BTC whales registered a decline recently.
Looks like the whales have been participating in net selling | Source: @alicharts on X From the chart, it’s apparent that the Bitcoin whales sold 18,447 BTC between the 18th and 21st of this month, worth approximately $1.41 billion.
LINK Price At the time of writing, Chainlink is trading around $9.57, unchanged from one week ago.
The trend in the price of the coin over the last five days | Source: LINKUSDT on TradingView Featured image from Dall-E, chart from TradingView.com
The market is in a dull phase right now, with Bitcoin rising while altcoins are dropping. On the other hand, Livepeer crypto recently experienced its highest daily candle in months, surging more than 100% in a single day.
$LPT on the weekly chart. pic.twitter.com/R552R6VsaW
— WiseCharts (@WiseCharts) May 30, 2025
DISCOVER: Top 20 Crypto to Buy in May 2025
Livepeer is a platform for decentralized live video broadcasting on the Ethereum network. It’s building the open video infrastructure for the AI era. Founded in 2017, it comprises a P2P infrastructure that runs on the Ethereum blockchain. Users can stream video content like coding, gaming, education, and entertainment through apps built on Livepeer. Content creators, such as streamers, can also use Livepeer to stream and cut infrastructure costs.
Recently, expanding the token accessibility and branding, LPT got listed on Upbit. It’s a Korean exchange that specializes and is very popular in the Asian market. The exchange does over 4B daily volume. This resulted in Livepeer surging to a four-month high of $14.16, representing over 130% growth. Upbit also listed other coins, like POKT, FORT, FLOCK, and SOPH, all within a period of 3 days.
On another note, earlier this week, asset manager Grayscale unveiled its Artificial Intelligence Crypto Sector, with Livepeer featured as one of the 20 cryptocurrencies included. This rise in value, while other AI coins are performing poorly, has caught the attention of many investors.
An unknown whale began accumulating $LPT from Binance on May 13, and many others followed along before the token pumped in price. If you’re interested in following the whales’ buys, check out this presale that also attracted the whales’ attention.
DISCOVER: Top Solana Meme Coins to Buy in May 2025
Solaxy: The L2 Revolutionizing Solana Raises $42 Million — Limited Time Left To Buy You'll find a way to get to Solaxy any way you can. 🪐🛸
We don't blame you! 🔥https://t.co/mdaTX9aVVx pic.twitter.com/xXzhbXJG9z
— SOLAXY (@SOLAXYTOKEN) May 30, 2025
As the crypto bull run approaches, analysts see the market soaring, and transaction volume will keep hitting new highs. This increases the traffic on most blockchains, especially with Solana, which has created a lot of need for L2 networks on blockchains.
Solana has been facing a lot of transaction congestion from time to time over the last few months. Here is where Solaxy comes into play. The first-ever Solana Layer-2 blockchain directly addresses main Solana pain points: congestion, a lot of failed transactions, and huge scalability limitations.
It’s a multi use L2 that developers can build dApps on and engage with users. Furthermore, Solaxy aims to offload the huge limit on Solana and unlock the chain full potential for many users, developers, and investors alike, just like the Arbitrum network did for the Ethereum chain.
Solaxy’s presale has successfully raised $42.5 million, closing its initial goal of $43 million. Currently, $SOLX is priced at $0.00175 in the presale, and staking rewards offer up to 95% APY
Those presales that raise funds quickly and get many investors’ attention often experience gains of 5x to 10x after launch and usually get listed on many tier 1 centralized exchanges.
Savvy and experienced whales often quietly accumulate these projects to optimize their profits. Recently, one of these whales purchased over $400k worth of $SOLX on the Ethereum chain; click here for the transaction ID.
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Key Takeaways Livepeer’s token LPT surged 130% after being listed on Upbit, a major Asian exchange. Grayscale’s AI Crypto Sector features Livepeer, boosting investor interest amid rising whale activity. #Presales #DeFi
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Livepeer has surged by over 14% and is now trading at $8. LPT’s daily trading volume has skyrocketed by more than 498%. Bearish momentum continues to weigh on crypto assets with the largest assets, Bitcoin (BTC) and Ethereum (ETH), tumbling toward $104.7K and $2.6K, respectively. All the major assets are trading within the red territory. In the meantime, Livepeer (LPT) has stood out from the crowd with a 14.25% surge in the last 24 hours.
Livepeer has kicked off the day trading at the bottom range at $7.57. The sudden bullish encounter in the market has triggered the price to ascend to its daily high of $10.71. Crucial resistance between the $8.75 and $9.50 zones was tested and confirmed the bullish wave.
Livepeer, with its market cap at $366.26 million, is trading at the level of $8.88. Moreover, the daily trading volume has exploded upward by over 498%, reaching $1.06 billion, as per CMC data. Notably, the market has experienced a $4.08 million liquidation of Livepeer, according to Coinglass.
LPT has registered an increase of over 58.80% in the last seven days. The asset began the week trading in the $5.60 range. The bullish pressure has pushed the price to mount to a high of around the $13 mark.
Is Livepeer’s Uptrend Here to Stay? Livepeer has reported a positive trading sentiment in the market with its solid gain in the recent session. The asset might climb above the $9 range to strengthen the momentum. Gradually, a golden cross could likely unfold and trigger the asset to move up toward the $10 threshold.
Assuming the ongoing trend reversal of the asset, the price could slip to its recent low at around the $8.70 mark. Should Livepeer lose this support, the bears gain enough power to invite the death cross to take place, pulling the price back to its established low at the $8 level.
In addition, the asset’s Moving Average Convergence Divergence (MACD) line is positioned above the signal line. This suggests a bullish signal in the market, and the buying pressure may increase. More upside could be underway. Livepeer’s Chaikin Money Flow (CMF) indicator is resting at -0.06, indicating a slight bearish sentiment, with the money flowing out of the asset. There has been more selling pressure than buying.
Furthermore, the daily Relative Strength Index (RSI) value of 52.12 hints at a neutral momentum with a slight bullish bias; the asset is neither overbought nor oversold. Livepeer’s Bull Bear Power (BBP) reading is found at 0.219, signalling that the bulls are moderately dominant over bears, supporting the short-term bullish outlook.
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Livepeer is up 4%, holding steady near the $5 mark. LPT’s daily trading volume has exploded by 462%. The crypto market is riding the mixed signal wave with the neutral sentiment lingering across the assets. The largest assets like Bitcoin (BTC) and Ethereum (ETH) trade at $107.4K and $2.4K. With the red and green painted altcoins, Livepeer (LPT) is trying to bounce back, jumping by over 4.89% in the last 24 hours.
Notably, LPT kicked off the day trading on the downside, visiting its daily low of $5.51. A sudden shift in momentum triggered the bulls to push the price to a high of around the $6.57 range. Moreover, a steady correction on the upside can help the price movement stay up.
Meanwhile, as per CoinMarketCap data, Livepeer is currently trading at the $5.80 zone, with its market cap at $242 million. In addition, the daily trading volume of LPT has exploded by over 462%, reaching $158 million.
Where is Livepeer Headed? Assuming the bull entry, the asset could rise and test the nearby resistance at the $5.90 mark. With the sturdy bullish momentum, Livepeer might invite the golden cross to take place and likely initiate a rally, with the price heading toward its high range crossing $6 threshold.
On the downside, if the bullish sentiment fades and bears take command, the price might slip to its initial support at the $5.74 zone. A failure in holding this level could trigger the Livepeer bears to the emergence of a death cross, driving the price to the former lows below $5.67.
Livepeer’s Moving Average Convergence Divergence (MACD) line is above the zero line, indicating upward momentum. However, if the signal line is below the zero line, the uptrend is still developing, potentially at an early stage. Besides, the Chaikin Money Flow (CMF) evaluates the capital flow into the asset; currently, the value is found at -0.15, suggesting a moderate selling pressure in the market, with the money flowing out of the asset.
Furthermore, the asset’s daily Relative Strength Index (RSI) is positioned at 49.50, which implies that the asset is in a neutral zone, neither overbought nor oversold. LPT’s Bull Bear Power (BBP) value of 0.034 signals a mild bullish pressure in the market, with fluctuating momentum.
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Livepeer jumps over 36%, holding around the $8 mark. LPT’s daily trading volume has skyrocketed by 942%. The crypto assets are displaying mixed waves, with neutral sentiment across the market. Most of the assets are dipped in green, and a few struggle in red. Notably, Bitcoin (BTC) and Ethereum (ETH) are hovering at $110.6K and $4.5K. Following suit, Livepeer (LPT) has jumped by over 36.15% in the last 24 hours.
LPT kicked off the day trading on the downside, at a low of $5.96. A sudden and steady shift in momentum pushed the bulls, and the price moved to a high range at around the $8.67 range, breaking the resistance between $5.96 and $8.67 zones.
As per CoinMarketCap data, at the time of writing, Livepeer traded at the $8.13 mark, with its market cap reaching $354.78 million. In addition, the daily trading volume of LPT has exploded by over 942%, likely touching $367.2 million.
What is the Next Price Move for Livepeer? If the Livepeer bulls enter, the price could climb and test the immediate resistance at $8.19. With the sustained upside correction, the asset might trigger the emergence of the golden cross and initiate a rally. The price is heading toward the $8.25 threshold.
Assuming the fading of the bullish sentiment and the bears gain momentum, the price might plummet to find its nearby support at the $8.07 zone. Upon a failure in holding this price level, a death cross of Livepeer could form, sending the price below $8.01.
Livepeer’s Moving Average Convergence Divergence (MACD) line is above the zero line, but the signal line is below zero, likely showing mixed momentum. This hints at the trend trying to shift upward, but it has not been fully confirmed yet.
Besides, the Chaikin Money Flow (CMF) indicator, which evaluates the capital flow into the asset, is currently found at 0.10, pointing to mild buying pressure in the market. Also, the money is flowing into the asset, but not very strongly.
Moreover, the asset’s daily Relative Strength Index (RSI) at 80.15 signals a strong overbought condition in the market. There is also a high risk of a pullback or correction. Livepeer’s Bull Bear Power (BBP) value of 2.605 implies that the bulls are currently dominant. The higher the value, the stronger the buying momentum compared to selling.
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Crypto cycles have increasingly tracked macro data, with strong jobs and PMI figures tightening liquidity, while weaker prints often revive risk-on demand. Investors now closely watch unemployment and PMI thresholds, using them as signals to determine when to rotate between high-beta altcoins and more defensive, utility-heavy allocations. AI-driven creator platforms are emerging as a structural theme, transforming fragmented content tools and opaque revenue-sharing models into on-chain, programmable economies. SUBBD targets excessive creator‑platform fees, arbitrary bans, and fragmented AI stacks by merging Web3 payments, governance, and advanced AI tools into a single tokenized ecosystem. Macroeconomic data has quietly turned into one of crypto’s biggest mood swings. One minute, Bitcoin is surging higher on a soft US jobs report, the next it’s plummeting on a hotter-than-expected inflation print, as traders constantly adjust their expectations for rates, liquidity, and risk appetite.
Back in 2023, when unemployment flirted with 3.4% and PMI readings hovered near the 50 expansion line, markets reacted like everything was finally calming down.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Bitcoin and Ethereum surged, while higher-beta sectors took off, and even AI and creator-economy tokens experienced outsized flows as investors chased momentum.
Then you have the other side of the coin. A stronger payrolls report or a surprise rebound in manufacturing can send bond yields flying, push the dollar higher, and suck liquidity out of speculative assets.
You have probably seen it play out a hundred times, with majors swinging 10 percent around Non-Farm Payrolls or PMI data. Altcoins without real utility usually get hit twice as hard.
That’s why more traders are starting to migrate toward projects with tangible use cases and real user demand. SUBBD fits neatly into that shift.
The token powers an AI content creation platform aimed at the $85B creator economy and continues attracting buyers even during choppy macro conditions.
The presale has already raised $1.3M; each SUBBD is currently priced at $0.057, and staking offers a 20% APY, which helps support long-term participation, regardless of whether the next data print sends markets into a risk-on or risk-off phase.
For a deeper dive into market drivers and long-term growth potential, you can explore our full SUBBD token price outlook.
How Jobs And PMI Data Steer Crypto Liquidity Cycles If you zoom out and look at major crypto tops and bottoms since 2020, they line up neatly with shifts in global liquidity. Ultra-loose policy, near-zero rates, and trillions in stimulus helped fuel the 2020 to 2021 bull run.
Once central banks began hiking aggressively in 2022 to fight sticky inflation, Bitcoin slid more than 70 percent from its all-time high, and speculative capital dried up across the board.
US employment and PMI data sit right at the center of that macro picture. Strong payroll growth and PMI readings comfortably above 50 usually signal a healthy economy. That gives central banks cover to keep policy tighter for longer, which pushes real yields higher and makes risk assets less appealing.
Softer data has the opposite effect; it revives rate cut bets, eases financial conditions, and often pulls fresh liquidity back into crypto.
In this kind of stop-start environment, investors have been rotating toward AI and creator economy plays that actually solve problems, from Render and Livepeer in compute and streaming, to Web3 social projects that are rebuilding the social graph.
SUBBD AI Creator Feature: Coming Soon SUBBD is trying to sit in that same lane, a content-focused AI and Web3 stack that aims to attract real creators and viewers, not just short-term speculation. That positioning can matter when the next payroll or PMI print flips sentiment from risk on to risk off in a single session.
Why SUBBD’s Utility Story Matters When Macro Turns Risk Off When liquidity tightens after a hot payroll report or a stronger PMI reading, tokens with weak foundations and no real revenue paths are usually the first to bleed. SUBBD is built on a different thesis.
The project combines Web3 rails with AI creator tooling to challenge platform fees that can reach 70 percent on legacy creator apps, while giving both creators and fans protection from arbitrary bans and geography-based restrictions.
At the center of the ecosystem is the SUBBD AI Personal Assistant, a toolkit that automates fan interactions, manages chats, handles basic support, and powers AI voice cloning and full AI influencer creation. All of these features are directly connected to crypto payments, token-gated content, and on-chain governance.
As the platform grows, transactional demand for the SUBBD token grows with it, regardless of whether the next PMI print lands at 48 or 55.
While many AI creator projects stop at simple chatbot functionality, SUBBD stacks multiple monetization routes on top. Creators can earn from subscriptions, pay-per-view content, NFT drops, and tipping, while users gain XP multipliers and additional rewards through the token.
The presale has already raised over $1.3M with each SUBBD priced at $0.057, which suggests that investors are willing to back a utility-driven model long before the full platform goes live.
On the reward side, staking starts with a 20% APY in the first year, then shifts into a model where stakers unlock platform benefits that include exclusive livestreams, in-house content, and daily behind-the-scenes drops.
In a macro climate where yields on traditional assets can shift after every jobs report, this blend of predictable on-chain rewards and real product utility is an appealing setup for investors who are comfortable taking measured risk.
A simple move, not a gamble, is often the smarter play, and the SUBBD presale gives early participants a chance to position before the platform reaches scale.
This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial or investment advice.
Authored by Aaron Walker, NewsBTC – https://www.newsbtc.com/news/will-pmi-and-jobs-data-move-crypto-subbd-token
Livepeer has jumped by over 20%, trading at $3.45. LPT’s daily trading volume has exploded by 1,378%. The current market momentum is bearish, with the major assets struggling to break free from the red zone. All the recent gains are fading, and the largest assets, like Bitcoin (BTC) and Ethereum (ETH), are attempting to escape the bear market. Among the altcoin pack, Livepeer (LPT) has registered a 20.64% jump in value over the last 24 hours.
In the early hours, the asset traded at a bottom of $2.80. A sudden bullish encounter has triggered the LPT price to mount toward a high range of $3.57. It has tested and broken the crucial resistance zones to confirm the building uptrend. Livepeer is currently trading at around $3.45, with its daily trading volume having exploded by 1378% to $144.97 million.
Livepeer’s four-hour trading chart exhibits the growing bullish zone. If the bulls gained more power, they could climb to the $3.66 resistance. Further upside likely initiates the golden cross formation and sends the asset’s price toward the $3.87 zone or even higher.
Conversely, upon the asset’s bullish tone fades, the Livepeer price could slip to its immediate support at the $3.24 mark. Assuming it fails to hold this level, the bearish correction strengthens and triggers the emergence of the death cross, pushing the price below $3.03.
Livepeer Gains Bullish Traction as Indicators Show Uptrend Potential Zooming in on the technical chart of Livepeer, the Moving Average Convergence Divergence (MACD) line is above the zero line while the signal line remains below zero. This points to a transition phase in momentum, and the bullish momentum is starting to build, but it has not been fully confirmed yet.
Besides, the Chaikin Money Flow (CMF) is a technical indicator that evaluates the capital flow into the asset. The value sits at 0.14, showing moderate buying pressure, and the capital is flowing into the asset. The momentum of LPT is not very strong, but more upside would strengthen the bullish trend.
Livepeer’s daily Relative Strength Index (RSI) of 62.10 indicates moderate bullish sentiment. It is leaning toward the overbought zone, and the buyers are in control. Notably, a pullback could occur if the value continues to climb toward 70. In addition, LPT’s Bull Bear Power (BBP) reading resting at 0.355 suggests bullish dominance. Significantly, the upward pressure is outweighing the selling pressure, but it is still moderate.
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On July 24, 2025, Taiwan-based trading platform WOO X became the latest victim in a bruising summer of crypto breaches when attackers made off with roughly $14 million in unauthorized withdrawals from nine user accounts, forcing the exchange to pause withdrawals while it investigated and promised to reimburse affected users.
New chain-analysis shared by Yehor Rudytsia, Head of Forensics and Incident Response at Hacken, paints the post-heist picture as far more organized than a one-off theft. According to Rudytsia, the exploit, which Hacken dates to July, resulted in total losses of about $14 million and was carried out by a DPRK-linked actor tracked in law-enforcement circles as “TraderTraitor.”
Hacken says it is actively monitoring the on-chain movements and is supporting recovery efforts by flagging malicious addresses to the wider security community. The laundering choreography, as mapped by Hacken, left half the stolen funds on EVM networks and the rest on Tron and Bitcoin.
In the last 24 hours, on-chain traces show that the bulk of the EVM-side proceeds, more than $7 million, were routed through THORChain and swapped into Bitcoin, a technique observers have increasingly flagged as a common laundering path after major exchange thefts earlier this year. Rudytsia noted that THORChain’s native cross-chain swap functionality has repeatedly been used to convert large sums of ETH and ERC-20 tokens into BTC, making it attractive to sophisticated operators moving stolen assets across ecosystems.
On-chain Evidence Hacken’s report also documents the handling of the Tron-denominated portion (about $2.5 million in TRX). Those funds, the team found, were converted into USDT, bridged to Ethereum via LayerZero infrastructure, and from there, some of the bridged USDT was again pushed to Bitcoin through THORChain.
On-chain evidence of a nine-figure USDT transfer arriving on Ethereum from a LayerZero executor appears in public transaction records from October 1, 2025, which match the pattern Hacken described.
Complicating the trail, part of the funds that surfaced on Ethereum were sent to a wallet previously tied to the BingX hot-wallet exploit in 2024, itself attributed by investigators to North Korean-linked groups, suggesting either reuse of laundering infrastructure or coordination across multiple thefts.
The address that received those transfers is publicly visible on Ethereum explorer records, and investigators say the link deepens the picture of an organized laundering chain connecting multiple high-profile incidents.
Taken together, the movements indicate that roughly $8–9 million from the WOO X breach was bridged on the same day from Ethereum to Bitcoin, almost entirely via THORChain, leaving an estimated 90% of the stolen value now sitting on Bitcoin addresses as perpetrators accelerate conversion into the oldest and most liquid on-chain asset.
Security teams monitoring the flows warn that once funds consolidate on Bitcoin, conventional tracing and intervention become harder and the risk of eventual cash-out increases. Rudytsia told Blockchain Reporter that Hacken is continuing to monitor the accounts and will push flagged addresses to exchanges and compliance partners in the hope of freezing or otherwise freezing flow paths where possible.
For now, the case is a fresh reminder that as cross-chain tooling gets more powerful, it also gives sophisticated attackers faster, lower-friction routes to turn stolen tokens into harder-to-trace assets, and that forensic work on multiple chains, together with cooperation from on- and off-ramp services, remains the only immediate line of defence in today’s time.
AUTHOR
Mushumir Butt is a seasoned crypto journalist with over three years of experience reporting on the world of blockchain and cryptocurrency. At Blockchain Reporter, he delivers insightful news, in‐depth project reviews, and precise price analysis and predictions. With a strong background in SEO and digital marketing, Mushumir excels at breaking down complex trends into clear, accessible content, ensuring readers stay ahead in the fast‐paced crypto space.
What Happened: The installation, located in Parco Ciani and crafted to symbolize Bitcoin's decentralization ethos, had been torn from its base and discarded into the water over the weekend.
City officials confirmed the recovery of the fragmented artwork on Monday.
Designed by Italian artist and long-time Bitcoin supporter Valentina Picozzi, the piece stood as a faceless optical illusion, a visual metaphor for Satoshi's mystery and the cryptographic roots of Bitcoin.
The structure, made from stainless steel and corten blocks, took nearly two years to complete and was unveiled during the 2024 Plan B Forum hosted by Lugano and stablecoin issuer Tether (CRYPTO: USDT).
The destruction, first noticed by park visitors and flagged on social media, triggered swift response from Picozzi's initiative, Satoshigallery.
The collective, which uses art to advance Bitcoin awareness, has offered a reward of 0.1 BTC for credible information on the perpetrators.
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"You can steal our symbol, but you will never be able to steal our souls," they posted, doubling down on plans to erect 21 similar statues across the globe.
The motive remains unclear, though speculation points to potential acts by intoxicated individuals during Swiss National Day celebrations.
Meanwhile, supporters have launched a petition urging city officials to restore the monument, with private donors pledging to fund the replacement.
Why It Matters: The Lugano piece is part of a broader international trend celebrating Bitcoin through physical art.
Other tributes include a reflective bust in Budapest, an inflatable protest rat in New York, and recent installations in Slovenia and Tokyo.
Together, they represent a cultural shift anchoring Bitcoin's presence beyond the digital sphere, even as Satoshi Nakamoto, the network's founder, remains an enigma, with over 1 million BTC untouched to this day.
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The $100 Billion Bitcoin Bet: How Treasury Companies Are Fueling The Crypto Run Image: Shutterstock
Market News and Data brought to you by Benzinga APIs
On March 28, MicroStrategy Executive Chairman Michael Saylor updated his X profile with laser eyes and a simple message: “It’s time to put the laser eyes back on. $BTC.”
The post surpassed one million views within hours, reigniting bullish sentiment across crypto social media. But every time Saylor used this symbol, it held an important meaning.
Michael Saylor and the Symbol With WeightThe laser eyes symbol carries significant weight in Bitcoin culture. The trend originated in 2021, when believers, including Saylor, Anthony Pompliano, and dozens of public figures, added glowing red eyes to their profile pictures as a declaration that Bitcoin would hit $100,000.
Saylor has since used the symbol selectively, reserving it for moments of strong conviction.
Michael Saylor. Source: XMicroStrategy Doubles Down Despite Unrealized LossesThe timing is deliberate. MicroStrategy currently holds 761,068 BTC, approximately 3.6% of Bitcoin’s entire fixed supply, with an average purchase price of around $75,696 per coin.
Despite the company sitting on significant unrealized losses at current market levels, Saylor’s laser eyes suggest he views the situation as an opportunity, not a threat.
Strategy has publicly set a target of accumulating 1 million BTC by the end of 2026.
Cardone Follows: 100 Bitcoin This WeekReal estate billionaire Grant Cardone wasted no time. One day after Saylor’s post, Cardone asked his 1.5 million X followers, “Do you still believe?” before announcing he would add 100 Bitcoin to his holdings this week.
The back-to-back moves from two of Bitcoin’s most visible advocates send a clear message: major players are potentially treating the dip as an accumulation window.
Adding 100 BTC this week
— Grant Cardone (@GrantCardone) March 30, 2026 Whether the laser eyes mark the beginning of a new rally or simply renewed resolve, the conviction among Bitcoin’s biggest names appears unshaken.
Gold (XAU) and silver (XAG) futures have climbed into the top five by trading volume on Binance Futures.
Binance Metal Rush Doesn’t Leave Crypto Behind Just weeks after Binance rolled out gold and silver perpetual futures settled in USDT, the cumulative volume across the metals contracts already reached the tens of billions of dollars, a CryptoQuant report from yesterday claims.
However, CryptoQuant’s analyst Marteen assures that Binance is still overwhelmingly crypto‑native. Bitcoin leads the futures volume around the low‑$20‑billion range with Ethereum following behind at $18.1B and Solana at a distant third at $3.0B. But the metals’ rise into the top bucket shows non‑crypto assets are no longer a sideshow. Gold is already in 4th place at $2.15B, and silver is right behind it at $1.98B.
Marteen’s conclusion is simple. Binance still leans heavily toward crypto, but it has outgrown being a pure crypto venue. Commodities have soaked up liquidity at speed, and equity‑linked products are now starting to see meaningful flow as well.
[Binance] – Snapshot Futures Volume – April 1st, 2026. Source: CryptoQuant. Binance Joins The Oil Rush Too According to WuBlockchain, Binance’s new “TradFi” futures suite (gold, silver and stock‑linked products) has rapidly captured a meaningful share of overall derivatives activity on the platform.
On April 2, the first full trading day after launch on Binance, USDⓈ-margined perpetual contracts for crude oil assets CL and BZ recorded trading volumes of $760 million and $358 million respectively, ranking third and fourth among Binance TradFi perpetual products. Meanwhile,… pic.twitter.com/PoROHzQsur
— Wu Blockchain (@WuBlockchain) April 3, 2026
Crude oil benchmarks CL and BZ posted volumes of $760 million and $358 million dollars respectively, placing them third and fourth among Binance’s traditional‑finance perpetual products.
Daily Volume by Symbol. Binance TradFi-USDT Perp. Source: WuBlockchain. Trading activity, however, remains dominated by gold (XAU) and silver (XAG), which together generated $5.58 billion in daily volume, makin up more than 70% of the total.
Are Crypto Venues Morphing Into Multi‑Asset Trading Hubs? Let’s keep in mind that Binance is not the only crypto venue experiencing such a dramatic shift. In recent weeks, Hyperliquid has been under the spotlight for many reasons, but one of the main ones is that the leading perp DEX’s combined HIP-3 (oil, gold and silver) open interest reached all-time highs. The platform is now trading more volume in tokenized commodities than digital assets. Just yesterday, NewsBTC reported that tokenized Brent oil futures on Hyperliquid generated about $46.6 million in liquidations in 24 hours, making oil the third‑most liquidated asset on the decentralized exchange.
Gold Perpetual Contracts on Binance right now, showing the performance. They are trading for almost $4.7k Source: XAUUSDT.P on Tradingview. Gold and silver have been ripping on the back of inflation worries, rate‑cut bets and geopolitical stress. Binance is joining the 24/7 RWA’s trading hub bandwagon by effectively letting traders express those macro views with high leverage and stablecoin collateral, instead of using legacy commodity exchanges.
Gold and silver breaking into the top five on Binance Futures is a signal that the line between crypto and TradFi markets is dissolving, with liquidity, speculation and hedging all moving onto the same rails.
A portion of derivatives capital rotating into metals and stock‑linked contracts can thin order books and amplify volatility in smaller altcoins during risk‑off episodes.
Silver Perpetual Contracts on Binance right now, showing the performance and technicals. They are trading for almost $73. Source: XAGUSDT.P on Tradingview. Sophisticated players might use metals futures on Binance as a hedge against crypto drawdowns. Correlation regimes between BTC and gold (as the one between oil and Bitcoin explained by NewsBTC yesterday) could shift as both trade on the same venue. Ignoring this new macro layer on Binance’s futures board could mean missing an important signal about where “smart” derivatives flow is going.
At the moment of writing, BTC trades for almost $67k on the daily chart. Source: BTCUSD on Tradingview. Cover image from Perplexity. All charts from Tradingview.
Bybit has secured a $600 million Ethereum (ETH) infusion from Mirana Ventures as it recovers from the $1.5 billion hack.
The breach, which was labeled the largest crypto heist in history, saw unauthorized access to Bybit’s ETH cold wallet. However, the exchange’s rapid response, bolstered by key partnerships, is restoring confidence in its stability.
Bybit Recovers From Ethereum HackAccording to blockchain analytics firm Arkham, Mirana Ventures has deposited $600 million worth of ETH to Bybit over the past three days, making it the largest ETH depositor since the hack.
“Mirana Ventures appears to have acquired this ETH by selling $500 million BTC and $100 million USDT through FalconX, Galaxy Digital, and Wintermute OTC,” Arkham posted on X (formerly Twitter).
Mirana Ventures is an early-stage global investment fund investing in crypto companies strategically relevant to Bybit and its affiliate BitDAO. Notably, Bybit’s co-founders are also among the capital providers of Mirana Ventures.
Meanwhile, in the aftermath of the hack, Bybit demonstrated impressive financial resilience. Within 48 hours of the incident, the exchange had secured 254,830 ETH.
According to the latest blog, this was made possible by strategic partnerships with major crypto players such as Galaxy Digital, FalconX, and Wintermute, alongside support from Bitget, MEXC, and DWF Labs.
In fact, last week, Bybit CEO Ben Zhou publicly confirmed the successful restoration of its Ethereum reserves. The exchange has also fulfilled its financial commitments. According to Lookonchain data, Bybit has repaid Bitget’s loan by transferring 40,000 ETH back to the platform.
Bybit Hackers Move Stolen ETHWhile Bybit continues to recover stolen funds, the hackers responsible for the breach are actively moving the stolen Ethereum. According to Arkham, the hackers have already bridged at least $6.2 million worth of stolen ETH to Bitcoin (BTC) using Thorchain and swapped ETH for DAI on OKX’s Web3 Swap.
An on-chain analyst also revealed that the hackers laundered 45,900 ETH, worth about $113 million, over the past 24 hours. Thus, the total amount laundered so far now stands at 135,000 ETH, or roughly $335 million—nearly one-third of the total stolen.
A significant amount of stolen funds—363,900 ETH, worth around $900 million—remains in the hacker’s wallet. At the current rate, the analyst suggests it could take 8 to 10 more days for the hackers to clean out the remaining funds.
Bybit isn’t standing still. In response, Bybit has rolled out a new API system to help track blacklisted wallets in real time. Furthermore, the CEO has introduced a bounty site dedicated to tracking the money laundering activities of the North Korean hacker group Lazarus.
“We have assigned a team to dedicate to maintain and update this website, we will not stop until Lazarus or bad actors in the industry is eliminated. In the future we will open it up to other victims of Lazarus as well,” the post read.
This new platform will allow bounty hunters to trace stolen funds and earn rewards for successful freezes, all while fostering greater transparency within the crypto industry.
To further protect user assets, Bybit has also frozen $42.89 million in stolen assets. This was achieved through coordinated efforts with crypto giants like Tether, CoinEX, and OKX.
Tether froze 181,000 USDT, CoinEX secured 847,000 USDT, and OKX froze 2,783 ETH. Other partners, including FixedFloat, ChangeNow, and Avalanche (AVAX), also froze additional assets.
TLDR:Institutional Adoption Moves from Pilot to ProductionBlockchain Infrastructure and Regulatory Frameworks Take ShapeGet 3 Free Stock Ebooks BlackRock’s Larry Fink emphasizes tokenisation necessity as markets accelerate blockchain adoption for funds. Central banks prioritize wholesale CBDCs and regulated stablecoins to enhance settlement and cross-border payments. Bank of America and BNY Mellon prepare for transactional blockchain integration once regulatory clarity arrives. Bitcoin’s fixed supply positions it as potential reserve asset with sovereign allocations driving higher valuations. The World Economic Forum in Davos 2026 witnessed financial institutions shifting from questioning cryptocurrency’s validity to implementing tokenisation and blockchain technology across their operations.
Institutional Adoption Moves from Pilot to Production The financial sector has reached an inflection point where digital assets transition from experimental projects to regulated deployment.
Wholesale applications in settlements, collateral management, and securities markets are advancing first, with retail adoption expected to follow.
Major institutions plan to activate blockchain networks, treating tokenised funds and real-world assets as programmable alternatives to traditional ETFs operating continuously.
BlackRock’s Larry Fink addressed this transformation during the forum. According to André Casterman’s analysis, Fink stated that “tokenisation is necessary” and emphasized that “markets need to move very rapidly with tokenisation.”
Fink described on-chain products such as tokenised money-market and bond funds as next-generation instruments for established financial exposures. Blockchain technology provides the foundational record-keeping and settlement infrastructure for these products.
Central banks and financial institutions converged on wholesale-first strategies for central bank digital currencies, tokenised deposits, and regulated stablecoins including USDC and RLUSD.
These mechanisms aim to reduce settlement cycles, improve cross-border payment efficiency, and increase intraday liquidity. The approach contrasts sharply with volatile, unbacked cryptocurrencies that dominated earlier market cycles.
Bank of America’s Brian Moynihan predicted banks will “come in hard on the transactional side” once regulatory frameworks solidify. He views public and permissioned blockchains as interconnected payment layers where traditional banks maintain intermediary roles.
BNY Mellon CEO Robin Vince characterized digital assets as a “new interesting, innovative technology” that will reshape custody and settlement operations over the coming decades.
Blockchain Infrastructure and Regulatory Frameworks Take Shape Changpeng Zhao of Binance identified three areas showing promise: tokenisation for operational efficiency, payments for accelerated cross-border transfers, and artificial intelligence integration for automation.
Circle’s Jeremy Allaire positioned stablecoins as a “neutral layer” that complements rather than competes with traditional banking infrastructure.
Blockchain’s technical capabilities drove discussion at the forum. Shared ledgers enable simultaneous verification, programmable smart contracts automate processes, and composable architecture allows seamless system interconnections.
A panel featuring the Bank of France governor and Coinbase’s Brian Armstrong debated Bitcoin’s role as a scarce, decentralised alternative to fiat currencies, potentially countering inflation and monetary debasement.
Major fiat currencies abandoned gold standards during the twentieth century and currently lack hard asset backing.
Bitcoin’s fixed supply cap of 21 million units offers deflationary characteristics, operational transparency, and protection against debasement.
These attributes position Bitcoin as a potential reserve asset, with sovereign allocations possibly driving valuations to $500,000-$700,000 according to Fink’s projections.
United States regulatory developments include the forthcoming Digital Asset Market CLARITY Act, which divides oversight responsibilities between the SEC and CFTC.
White House Crypto Czar David Sacks commented on institutional participation, noting that “after market structure passes, banks are going to get fully into the crypto industry” and predicted “it’s going to be one digital assets industry.”
The framework enables traditional institutions to engage with digital assets under defined parameters.
XDC Network represents enterprise-grade blockchain infrastructure supporting this evolution. The platform’s hybrid protocol accommodates tokenised real-world assets, rapid settlements, and ISO 20022-compliant payments suited for wholesale finance.
The network targets dozens of new masternodes in 2026, scaling toward thousands by 2035 to support expanding institutional adoption.
Crypto has spent years chasing its grand institutional moment. Most of the attention has gone to Bitcoin ETFs, tokenized funds, stablecoins, and the promise of Wall Street moving on-chain. Yet one of the clearest use cases may sit in a far less glamorous corner of finance: trade finance.
That is the market Travis John, Head of Institutional DeFi at XDC Network, believes blockchain can improve in a practical way.
Speaking at Consensus Miami, Travis described a global trade system still dependent on fragmented records, slow bank coordination, paper-heavy processes, and expensive financing.
“Since 2019, we’ve been building these rails,” Travis said. The goal, he explained, is “a better, faster, cheaper, more transparent way to track global commerce.”
Global Trade Still Runs on Broken Records The problem is easy to understand. A shipment of coffee can involve nine parties. Copper can involve eleven. Banks, exporters, importers, logistics providers, and financiers all touch the same transaction, yet they often work from separate records.
That creates delays and mistrust. When banks cannot see the full picture, they price risk higher. When smaller importers or exporters cannot prove their records clearly enough, they may lose access to financing altogether.
Travis pointed to the scale of the problem.
“The trade finance industry is about $15 trillion, give or take,” he said. Within that market, he cited “a $2.5 trillion plus gap” where businesses cannot access the financing they need.
That gap affects real companies moving real goods. Many exporters and importers cannot close deals because lenders do not have enough trusted data to underwrite them fairly.
XDC Wants to Make Trade Finance Visible This is where XDC’s pitch becomes more interesting than another generic real-world asset story. The network is focused on trade documents, shipment details, certificates, invoices, and other proofs that multiple parties need to trust.
Travis described blockchain as the record layer that brings those moving parts into one shared view. If every party can see the same verified information, financing can become cheaper and faster.
The opportunity is especially strong for smaller companies locked out of traditional trade finance. Travis said many are forced into high-cost funding because lenders cannot underwrite them properly.
With better records, he said, costs can fall sharply. In some cases, he suggested the improvement could be around 50%.
A great way to close out Consensus Miami.
Under The Stars with @StJude & @NolchaShows brought together builders, institutions, investors, creators, and supporters from across both the XDC ecosystem and the broader digital asset industry for an incredible evening of conversation,… pic.twitter.com/0Pmnn43YsW
— XDC USA (@XDC_USA) May 11, 2026 Stablecoins Were the Missing Payment Layer XDC has been building trade finance rails for years, but Travis said the market needed a practical payment mechanism before the system could scale.
“The thing that really needed to be in place that was missing was stablecoins,” he said.
A blockchain ledger can track the transaction, but stablecoins can move the money. Travis described a “stablecoin sandwich,” where fiat enters on one side, stablecoins move through the middle, and fiat comes out at the other end.
A process that can take seven days through traditional channels could happen in closer to 24 hours, depending on the parties involved. That means faster settlement, lower costs, and better cash flow for businesses that depend on cross-border trade.
The Real Asset Is Cash Flow For investors, Travis frames trade finance as something more grounded than speculative crypto yield.
“This is a claim on cash flows. This is real businesses, real goods that are moving from point A to point B with real purchase orders, real invoices.”
That may be the real hook. Trade finance is dull. It is paperwork, shipping, settlement, and funding. Travis admitted as much: “It’s kind of a boring business.”
But boring markets are often where infrastructure matters most. If crypto can reduce friction in a $15 trillion market, it does not need hype to prove its value.
It needs cheaper financing, faster settlement, and records people can trust. And XDC is betting on this version of institutional DeFi: better rails for global commerce.
Cardano’s total stablecoin market cap has climbed to roughly $54.88 million, a 15% jump from where it stood in early March 2026. That figure captures just how quickly liquidity has been building on the network over the past several weeks.
USDCx Drives the Surge Circle’s USDCx now commands the largest share of Cardano’s stablecoin market at 45.20%, with USDM at 26.90%, USDA at 15.45%, and DJED at around 5.90%. Data from Cexplorer shows that nearly 8 million USDCx were minted within just the last two days of the reporting period.
According to Messari data, Cardano recorded a 61% rise in stablecoin market cap over the past seven days — the highest among major blockchain networks tracked during that period. Polygon came in second at 36%, followed by World Chain at 10.3%, HyperEVM at 7.4%, and XDC Network at 3.5%.
Source: Messari Net stablecoin flow for the current epoch on Cardano has reached approximately $8.55 million. Reports indicate that around $9.57 million worth of stablecoins were minted during this stretch, while roughly $1 million were burned.
A Gap That Still Remains The minting surge has been concentrated in USDCx, which is Circle’s on-chain representation of USDC on the Cardano blockchain. That product has seen consistent minting activity throughout the week, with activity accelerating in the final two days.
ADAUSD currently at $0.23. Chart: TradingView Despite the momentum, Cardano has not yet secured a direct integration of a Tier-1 stablecoin such as Circle’s native USDC or Tether’s USDT.
Cardano founder Charles Hoskinson has raised this point repeatedly, saying that such an addition would significantly strengthen the network’s DeFi activity and liquidity depth.
What The Numbers Reflect The figures point to rising on-chain activity across the Cardano ecosystem, even as the network continues working toward deeper stablecoin infrastructure.
Analysts generally treat stablecoin inflows as a signal of expanding financial activity and wider DeFi adoption on a given chain.
Cardano’s one-week performance puts it well ahead of the other networks in Messari’s rankings for stablecoin market cap growth.
Whether that pace holds will likely depend on how quickly new stablecoin integrations and minting activity continue across the ecosystem.
Featured image from Unsplash, chart from TradingView
HTX, a leading global cryptocurrency exchange, is leading the charge in a unique dual celebration on May 22, as Bitcoin Pizza Day coincides with the Trump Dinner.
This moment, where history meets the present, is drawing global attention. In celebration of this special occasion, HTX has proudly partnered with diamond sponsors JUST Protocol, SunPump, APENFT, BitTorrent, and WINkLink, alongside platinum sponsors Levva and ChainGPT, to launch a series of Pizza Day-themed promotions across multiple business lines, including Spot, Futures, Earn, and Community, boasting a total prize pool of nearly 1 million USDT. Whether you’re a new or existing HTX user, you’ll discover exclusive opportunities and exciting benefits throughout these events.
Event 1: HTX Pizza Day Celebration: 200,000 USDT in Surprise Gifts with Seven Project Partners Get ready for Pizza Fest! From May 13 to May 26, HTX is joining forces with seven esteemed partner projects—SunPump, APENFT, JUST Protocol, WINkLink, BitTorrent, Steem, and MEVerse—to deliver a 14-day Pizza Day Celebration packed with over 200,000 USDT in Surprise Gifts. During the event, users can claim daily gifts on the HTX App, distributed at 02:00 (UTC) daily. On May 22 at 12:00 (UTC), Bitcoin Pizza Day, HTX will drop even more Surprise Gifts featuring bigger rewards, distributed in the form of tokens, Cashback Vouchers, Futures Trial Bonuses, Margin Interest Vouchers, and APY Booster Coupons.
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From May 20 at 10:00 (UTC) to May 25 at 10:00 (UTC), HTX invites both new and existing users to join the four-tiered rewards event and share a total prize pool of up to $200,000. See below for details:
1. New users who sign up and complete any spot, futures, or margin trade during the event will receive a welcome package that includes a 20 DOGE airdrop, APY Booster Coupons for SmartEarn, and Margin Interest Vouchers.
2. Users will receive 15 USDT for their first successful referral. By inviting more friends, they’ll unlock Mystery Boxes worth up to 1,500 USDT each, containing popular cryptos like $BTC, $TRUMP, and $HTX. Additionally, they can earn up to another 1,500 USDT when their invitees reach the trading volume target.
3. Eligible returning users who complete spot trading on HTX will have a chance to win BTC in a lucky draw. Additionally, after funding their USDT-M Futures account, they can earn APY Booster Coupons for SmartEarn.
4. Users who trade designated cryptos in spot or futures, or create spot grid trading strategies, will have a chance to share $30,000 in $HTX.
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From May 16 at 02:00 (UTC) to May 23 at 15:59 (UTC), HTX Square is launching a quiz challenge where users can win rewards. Participants who follow HTX Square in the HTX Community and answer all the quiz questions correctly will have the opportunity to share the 200 USDT prize pool.
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Event 4: HTX Earn Bonanza for BTC Pizza Day: Enjoy Up to 10% APY on Popular Assets Celebrate Bitcoin Pizza Day with the HTX Earn Bonanza from 16:00:00 (UTC) on May 19 to 16:00:00 (UTC) on May 25. HTX is launching this special campaign featuring Earn products for both new and existing users. First-time subscribers at HTX Earn can enjoy New User Exclusive products with 100% APY. All users can subscribe to Fixed, Flexible, and Shark Fin products with 14 designated cryptocurrencies, including USDT, and earn up to 10% APY on HTX Earn. Additionally, participants who meet the net subscription increase requirement will each receive a 5% APY Booster Coupon for the USDT Flexible product.
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Event 5: HTX Affiliates Pizza Day Special: Team Up & Trade with Your Invitees to Win a Full Case of Kweichow Moutai Celebrate Bitcoin Pizza Day with the limited-time HTX Affiliates Special Event, running from 10:00 (UTC) on May 20 to 10:00 (UTC) on May 25. HTX Affiliates can refer friends to sign up using an exclusive invitation link or code and form a trading team with invitees. Once the team reaches the required trading volume, rewards will be unlocked. The top prize is a 6-bottle case of Kweichow Moutai Flying Fairy.
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Event 6: HTX Convert Contest Now Live with 10,000 USDT Up for Grabs Don’t miss the HTX Convert Contest! It runs from 16:00:00 (UTC) on May 14 to 15:59:59 (UTC) on May 31. Trade designated cryptos on HTX Convert and reach a total trading volume of ≥500 USDT during the event to qualify for a share of the 5,000 USDT prize pool, with the top individual reward of up to 1,000 USDT. Complete 10 or more trades to unlock an additional prize pool — the more trades made, the bigger the share. Additionally, first-time converters on HTX Convert can also join an exclusive 2,000 USDT prize pool for new users, with up to 20 USDT per person available.
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May 22 isn’t just about commemorating Bitcoin’s first “real-world transaction”; it is also a day for the global crypto community to celebrate the growth of the crypto industry and to share in its rewards. To honor this special day, HTX is launching a multifaceted celebration featuring diverse events that boost user engagement, elevate the festive atmosphere, and fully showcase the platform’s dynamic ecosystem.
Pizza’s on the table and the party’s heating up. Join HTX today and experience the biggest crypto event of the year!
About HTX Founded in 2013, HTX has evolved from a virtual asset exchange into a comprehensive ecosystem of blockchain businesses that span digital asset trading, financial derivatives, research, investments, incubation, and other businesses.
As a world-leading gateway to Web3, HTX harbors global capabilities that enable it to provide users with safe and reliable services. Adhering to the growth strategy of “Global Expansion, Thriving Ecosystem, Wealth Effect, Security & Compliance,” HTX is dedicated to providing quality services and values to virtual asset enthusiasts worldwide.
To learn more about HTX, please visit HTX Square or https://www.htx.com/, and follow HTX on X, Telegram, and Discord.
Binance, one of the world's leading cryptocurrency exchanges, has announced that it will support the planned technical update for the Moonriver network.
30.03.2026 - 05:47
Update: 30.03.2026 - 05:47
Binance, one of the world’s leading cryptocurrency exchanges, has announced that it will support the planned technical update for its Moonriver (MOVR) network. According to the official statement, user transactions will be temporarily suspended as part of the network upgrade.
Accordingly, Binance will suspend token deposits and withdrawals on the Moonriver network on March 30, 2026, at approximately 3:00 PM Turkish time. This step is stated to be taken to ensure the smooth execution of the planned network upgrade and to protect the user experience.
According to information provided by the project developers, the upgrade on the Moonriver network will take place at block height 15,692,116. This upgrade is expected to be completed around 4:00 PM Turkish time on the same day. Following the network update, the system will need to stabilize before deposit and withdrawal operations can be reopened.
Binance advised users to plan their deposit and withdrawal transactions in advance to avoid any transaction disruptions during this process. They also emphasized that the upgrade would not affect token trading and that spot trading would continue uninterrupted.
Experts note that these types of network upgrades typically include performance improvements and security updates. Therefore, it is important for investors to closely monitor technical updates and pay attention to platform announcements.
*This is not investment advice.
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Binance announced it will support a planned network upgrade on the Moonriver network to protect user experience. According to the exchange’s official statement, token deposits and withdrawals on the Moonriver network will be temporarily suspended starting May 12, 2026, at 3:00 PM.
According to information shared by Binance, the network upgrade will take place at block height 16,249,119. This update is expected to be completed around 4:00 PM on May 12, 2026. The exchange stated that all technical requirements will be automatically managed by the platform during the upgrade process and users do not need to take any action.
The exchange emphasized that the network upgrade will only affect deposit and withdrawal transactions. Trading of tokens on the Moonriver network on Binance spot and other markets will continue uninterrupted. Users will be able to manage their existing positions and continue their trading activities on the platform during this period.
Binance also announced that deposits and withdrawals will automatically resume once system stability is restored following the network upgrade. No further announcements will be made. Users are advised to take this temporary suspension period into account when planning their transactions.
Moonriver is known as one of the smart contract platforms running on the Kusama ecosystem, and it specifically enables the rapid integration of Ethereum-compatible decentralized applications. The upcoming upgrade to the network is expected to bring several improvements in terms of performance, security, and scalability.
*This is not investment advice.
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SK Hynix market cap briefly exceeded Samsung Electronics on Monday, June 22, ending a reign that stretched back to 2000 and marking one of the most dramatic reversals in Korean corporate history.
The new market cap high puts the South Korean company above the likes of Berkshire Hathaway, Eli Lilly, and Walmart. It is also now bigger than Bitcoin.
From Near-Bankruptcy to No. 1As of 03:47 GMT, June 22, SK Hynix’s market capitalization reached 2,082.5 trillion won ($1.35 trillion), edging past Samsung Electronics’ 2081.3 trillion won. The gap is narrow, but it is a significant move. Samsung had held the top spot on the Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) without interruption since November 2000.
SK Hynix is cashing in on its dominance in the AI memory chips market. Image Source: Trading ViewThe turnaround is all the more striking given that SK Hynix was near collapse in 2002, when a debt-laden Hynix Semiconductor nearly sold itself to Micron. Its shares fell as low as 135 won in 2003.
As BeInCrypto reported on the KOSPI rally, Korean retail investors have been rotating aggressively into chip stocks this year.
AI Boom is Boosting New PowerhousesThe reversal reflects two very different trajectories this year. SK Hynix shares are up roughly 345% year-to-date, while Samsung has gained around 194%.
SK Hynix benefits from its near-total focus on memory chips, particularly high-bandwidth memory (HBM) used in AI systems, contrasting with Samsung’s diversified business across logic chips and consumer electronics.
The milestone also puts SK Hynix ahead of Bitcoin (BTC), whose market cap sits at approximately $1.29 trillion, making the chipmaker a larger asset by value than the world’s leading cryptocurrency.
“The emergence of customised AI memory fundamentally changed the industry’s economics and allowed SK Hynix to establish itself as the market leader,” said Kim Sunwoo, senior analyst at Meritz Securities, via Reuters.
