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Make CryptoSlate preferred on USDT stablecoin issuer Tether has stepped in to anchor a massive recovery plan for Drift Protocol, the Solana-based decentralized exchange (DEX) that was crippled by a $286 million exploit earlier this month.However, the rescue package includes a potent commercial string that could challenge Circle’s dominance of USDC on the Solana blockchain.According to the recovery plan, Drift must abandon its long-standing reliance on Circle Internet Financial’s USDC and pivot its entire ecosystem to Tether’s USDT.Solana has quietly become the main highway for cheap, fast stablecoin payments, with USDC long seen as the safer default. Forcing one of its flagship DEXs…

In brief Stablecoin issuer Circle is facing a class action lawsuit from Drift Protocol investors who lost money in a recent $280 million exploit of the DeFi protocol. The suit targets Circle’s handling of the exploit, alleging that hackers moved stolen USDC through the firm’s own cross-chain infrastructure. Circle has defended its actions, saying it only freezes assets when legally mandated to do so. USDC issuer Circle has been hit with a class action lawsuit from Drift Protocol investors who lost money during the April 1 exploit that saw $285 million drained from the the Solana DeFi platform.The suit, filed…

Make CryptoSlate preferred on Japan has long been one of Ripple’s most fertile markets. SBI’s investment in Ripple dates to 2016, SBI Remit launched Japan’s first XRP-enabled international remittance flow in 2021, and SBI VC Trade counts XRP among its most popular assets.When Ripple and SBI announced in August 2025 that SBI VC Trade intended to distribute RLUSD in Japan, the move read as a natural extension of an already deep local partnership.A recent survey of 518 investment professionals in Japan, conducted by Nomura and Laser Digital between December 2025 and January 2026 and released Apr. 16, found that 63%…

Trusted Editorial content, reviewed by leading industry experts and seasoned editors. Ad Disclosure Data shows the crypto Fear & Greed Index is still inside the extreme fear territory despite the recovery that Bitcoin and other coins have made. Bitcoin Fear & Greed Index Is Still Pointing At ‘Extreme Fear’ The “Fear & Greed Index” is an indicator created by Alternative that tells us about the average sentiment present among traders in the Bitcoin and wider cryptocurrency markets. The index takes into account for the data of the following five factors to determine the investor mentality: trading volume, market cap dominance,…

Global central banks just recorded a massive month-on-month increase in their gold purchases. According to the World Gold Council, global central banks purchased 27 tons of gold worth just over $4.6 trillion in February. That’s a 575% increase from the four tons that the reserve banks bought in January. “Just two months into the year, central banks have bought 31t, a pace much slower than the same period last year (50t).” Gold is trading at $4,833 at time of writing. Poland’s central bank was the largest buyer of gold among the global reserve banks, purchasing about 74% of the gold…

Trusted Editorial content, reviewed by leading industry experts and seasoned editors. Ad Disclosure Bitcoin has pushed back above $70,000 and is now testing resistance near $75,000, riding a wave of risk appetite that has sent equities sharply higher across global markets. The move looks straightforward on the surface — risk is on, assets are rallying, and Bitcoin is participating. But an XWIN Research Japan analysis argues that what is happening beneath the surface is considerably more interesting than a simple risk-on trade. The report begins with a warning dressed as reassurance. The VIX has declined back to pre-conflict levels, suggesting…

In brief Snap laid off approximately 1,000 team members, representing 16% of its full-time workforce. The cuts are expected to reduce the company’s annualized cost base by more than $500 million by the second half of 2026. AI agents are already generating over 65% of Snap’s new code and responding to over 1 million queries monthly. Snap Inc., the parent company of Snapchat, announced significant layoffs on Wednesday as part of a major restructuring driven by its embrace of AI capabilities, cutting 1,000 jobs—about 16% of its workforce.“Last fall, I described Snap as facing a crucible moment, requiring a new…

In brief Meta is raising Quest VR headset prices by $50-$100 starting April 19, citing component shortages. Global memory chip constraints are affecting consumer electronics across multiple categories. Quest 3S models will cost $349.99 (128GB) and $449.99 (256GB), up $50 each. Meta announced it will raise prices on its Quest 3 and Quest 3S virtual reality headsets by $50 to $100 starting April 19, citing rising component costs that have squeezed the consumer electronics industry. The Quest 3S will jump to $349.99 for the 128GB model and $449.99 for 256GB, while the high-end Quest 3 with 512GB storage will cost…

In brief Charles Schwab President and CEO Rick Wurster indicated that America’s largest discount brokerage will likely support prediction markets. However, he said that the company plans to steer clear of topics that touch pop culture, politics, and sports in favor of wagers tied to financial events. Separately, the company said that it is rolling out access to Bitcoin and Ethereum trading in the coming weeks. America’s largest discount brokerage is eyeing prediction markets, but Charles Schwab President and CEO Rick Wurster sees a big distinction between speculation on Taylor Swift’s love life and the latest inflation numbers.“At some point,…

In brief A Polymarket trader made $320,000 correctly betting on Joe Biden’s last-minute pardons with perfect timing. Two linked wallets placed high-risk bets with low odds and won every time, raising possible insider concerns. The trades add to broader scrutiny of well-timed bets on political events and calls for tighter oversight. A supremely well-timed Polymarket trader netted hundreds of thousands of dollars in profit betting flawlessly on former President Joe Biden’s last acts in office, newly surfaced on-chain data has revealed.Last year, on Biden’s final day in office, two connected Polymarket accounts correctly chose four of the five individuals the…

Trusted Editorial content, reviewed by leading industry experts and seasoned editors. Ad Disclosure Coinbase’s Chief Policy Officer, Faryar Shirzad, said in a Thursday interview with FOX Business that meaningful progress is being made on the long-delayed CLARITY Act, the crypto market-structure bill that has been stuck in Congress for nearly five months.  Potential Markup As Early As This Month During the interview, Shirzad described recent developments as encouraging. He said that over the past days, there has been “really great work taking place” and that Coinbase has been focused on the stablecoin rewards topic, which he described as critical for…

In brief Russian exchange Grinex says it was hacked for more than 1 billion rubles or greater than $13 million. The exchange alleged the attack was an attempt to “destabilize” Russia’s financial sector and was conducted by “foreign special services.” Grinex previously been linked to Garantex, an exchange that was seized and removed by the U.S. Secret Service for alleged ties to sanctioned Russian entities. Russian crypto exchange Grinex said Thursday that it was hacked for more than 1 billion rubles, or around $13 million in funds.The firm, which has been linked to the sanctioned and seized exchange Garantex, alleged…

In brief Cardano founder Charles Hoskinson says the latest Bitcoin improvement proposal won’t be able to save all the Bitcoin vulnerable to quantum computing. The proposal would block, then freeze old coins, across three phases before a potential recovery could take place for those that missed deadlines. Hoskinson says at least 1.7 million coins, from before 2013, would still be at risk of being stolen. A new Bitcoin improvement proposal dubbed BIP-361 seeks to save as much as 34% of Bitcoin’s supply—or more than 7 million coins valued at $536 billion—by freezing coins that don’t migrate to quantum-resistant addresses in…

In brief The Ethereum Foundation reported that a six-month program helped detect around 100 DPRK IT workers across 53 crypto projects. The report follows a record-breaking year for North Korean hackers, who stole around $2 billion worth of crypto in 2025. Meanwhile, two individuals that helped DPRK IT workers infiltrate U.S. companies received multi-year prison sentences in the U.S. North Korea’s hacking spree has kept the crypto industry on high alert for years, but the Ethereum Foundation has indicated that the tide could turn in a matter of months.Establishing a program with blockchain security groups helped expose around 100 IT…

Trusted Editorial content, reviewed by leading industry experts and seasoned editors. Ad Disclosure A Russian-linked crypto exchange, Grinex, has suspended its services after a major cyber attack that resulted in the theft of roughly 1 billion roubles ($13 million).  Crypto Exchange Grinex Accuses ‘Unfriendly States’ In a statement released on Thursday, the exchange claimed that the attack was carried out by “foreign intelligence services,” claiming that the “digital footprints” and overall character of the hack pointed to an unprecedented level of resources and technology available only to entities from “unfriendly states.” The exchange also claimed that, based on preliminary information,…

Aleš Michl has been officially confirmed as a speaker at Bitcoin 2026, where he will deliver a keynote titled “Diversifying Central Bank Reserves With Bitcoin” on April 28 at 10:20 AM PT on the Nakamoto Stage at The Venetian Resort in Las Vegas. Michl serves as Governor of the Czech National Bank (CNB) — and his presence at the event marks a significant moment as he becomes the first central bank governor to speak at The Bitcoin Conference. In January 2025, Michl proposed allocating up to 5% of the CNB’s €140 billion reserves into Bitcoin, citing its low correlation with…