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In brief Todd Blanche was elevated to lead the Department of Justice this week after the firing of Attorney General Pam Bondi. As deputy attorney general, Blanche pushed pro-crypto reforms, like shuttering the DOJ’s crypto-dedicated unit. But he has also overseen the continued prosecutions of crypto software developers. On Thursday, President Donald Trump fired his attorney general, Pam Bondi—and elevated her deputy, Todd Blanche, to run the Department of Justice. Trump suggested the promotion was temporary, but reports suggest the president is waiting to see how Blanche, his former personal attorney, performs in the new role.Blanche’s promotion has many implications,…

In brief Myriad traders are becoming increasingly confident that the U.S. will put boots on the ground in Iran before the end of this month. Meanwhile, they expect Iran’s current ruling regime to remain in place by October. At the same time, Myriad traders penciled in an 83% chance that WTI crude oil futures hit $120 per barrel before falling to $55. Traders grew confident on Friday that U.S. military personnel will physically enter the terrestrial territory of Iran after an American fighter jet was reportedly shot down.On Myriad, a prediction market owned by Decrypt’s parent company DASTAN, users penciled…

Bitcoin, once promoted by some investors as a hedge against geopolitical turmoil, is behaving like a liquidity-sensitive risk asset at a time when energy prices are climbing, and macro stress is spreading.This comes as the conflict between the United States and Iran deepens, with shock rippling through oil, the dollar, and broader financial conditions before landing in a crypto market that is already showing signs of fatigue.That has reopened discussion of a far steeper downside path than the market had been willing to entertain only weeks ago.Why this matters: This marks a shift in Bitcoin’s behavior under stress. Instead of…

Tech entrepreneur and longtime Bitcoin advocate Jack Dorsey sparked excitement in the BTC community on Friday when he posted a link to a new page titled “Bitcoin Day | Earn Free Bitcoin.” The post quotes an announcement from the “Bitcoin at Block” account stating that “The bitcoin faucet is back” on April 6, 2026, with a link to btc.day. Dorsey’s shared URL (hosted on AWS CloudFront) currently displays only the bold headline promoting free BTC on “Bitcoin Day,” with a countdown timer.  No further details were given.  In 2010, a site known as the Bitcoin Faucet gave visitors 5 BTC…

In brief Bitcoin miner MARA cut 15% of its workforce amid the firm’s shifting focus to AI. The layoffs, reportedly not due to financial constraints, follow its recent $1.1 billion Bitcoin sale. Shares in MARA finished Thursday up more than 8%, but are down 53% in the last six months. Publicly traded Bitcoin miner MARA has cut its workforce by 15% shortly after it sold $1.1 billion worth of the top crypto asset, the company confirmed to Decrypt following an initial report from Blockspace Media.Citing sources close to the matter, the publication reported that the cuts impact full-time employees across…

Trusted Editorial content, reviewed by leading industry experts and seasoned editors. Ad Disclosure Crypto pundit Cryptoinsight has pointed to Google’s latest research on quantum computing, which discussed XRP. The report specifically highlighted the XRP Ledger and the network’s efforts to protect against quantum threats.  Google’s Latest Quantum Research Report Discusses XRP In an X post, Cryptoinsight highlighted Google’s research report, which discussed XRP and the XRPL’s quantum efforts. He also noted that Google’s claim that 2/3 of the short-dated U.S. treasury bills are on the Ledger, while the majority of the remaining are on the Ethereum network.  In the quantum…

In brief Dmail Network, a decentralized email platform, announced it will shut down on May 15 after five years of operations The team cited unsustainable infrastructure costs, failed monetization attempts, and token economics issues as key factors The network’s token, DMAIL, is down 70% on the day and hit a new low price. Dmail Network, a decentralized email platform that operated for five years, announced it will gradually cease all services beginning on May 15. The team had been working to build what it called “truly decentralized email,” according to the shutdown announcement.The Dmail Network team cited multiple factors behind…

Stablecoin issuer Circle is facing mounting scrutiny from blockchain researchers after millions of USD Coin (USDC) were stolen and flowed unimpeded through its proprietary bridge during the $285 million exploit of the Solana-based Drift Protocol.The inaction during the April 1 attack, which is now the largest decentralized finance (DeFi) hack of 2026, stands in stark contrast to Circle’s aggressive asset freeze tied to a sealed US civil case just days prior.This juxtaposition has reignited debate over the responsibilities and inconsistencies of centralized stablecoin issuers operating within permissionless markets.According to on-chain investigator ZachXBT, the attackers bridged more than $230 million in…

In brief Bitcoin posted its worst quarterly performance since 2018, falling about 22%. The cryptocurrency outperformed equities and gold after the Iran war outbreak. Analysts point to Fed policy and a resolution to the Middle East conflict as key Q2 catalysts. Bitcoin closed the first quarter of 2026 with its worst performance since early 2018, shedding nearly a quarter of its value as war, tariffs, and a hawkish Federal Reserve battered risk assets.The cryptocurrency fell from around $95,000 in February to roughly $66,700 by quarter’s end, a decline of about 22% year-to-date, according to a report from institutional trading firm…

In brief The team behind Drift, a Solana-based decentralized exchange, signaled on Friday that it wants to negotiate with hackers linked to North Korea. If the funds were actually stolen by a state-sponsored group, the odds of recovery are zero, according to Curve Finance founder Michael Egorov. The on-chain messages sent by Drift’s team provoked a response from a seemingly random wallet holding $200 worth of Ethereum. Finding the group or individuals that stole $285 million worth of crypto from Drift earlier this week may be a tough task in the real world, but the team behind the Solana-based decentralized…

In brief Riot Platforms sold more than $250 million in BTC during Q1. The firm, which has begun pivoting into AI, has now sold Bitcoin in consecutive quarters. Shares in RIOT finished Thursday up nearly 2.5%, but are down 33% in the last six months. Publicly traded Bitcoin miner Riot Platforms parted ways with more than $250 million worth of BTC during the first quarter of the year, the firm announced on Thursday. The firm sold 3,778 Bitcoin at an average price of more than $76,000, decreasing its total holdings to 15,680 BTC at the end of Q1—now valued around $1.04…

Washington has escalated its fight with states over prediction markets, launching lawsuits that could decide whether these platforms operate as national financial products or state-regulated gambling. The outcome will determine if sports contracts can scale or get forced back into local licensing regimes.On Apr. 2, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) sued Arizona, Connecticut, and Illinois, with the Department of Justice as a litigation partner.The regulator demanded expedited rulings that federal derivatives law preempts state efforts to classify event contracts as illegal gambling.Washington moved to the offensive, trying to establish, as a matter of national market structure, that these products…

In brief The Ethereum Foundation staked 45,034 ETH worth approximately $93 million in blocks of 2,047 ETH. The deposits bring the foundation near its 70,000 ETH strategic target announced in February. Annual staking rewards could generate $4-5 million based on current yields. The Ethereum Foundation staked 45,034 ETH worth roughly $93 million Friday morning, depositing the tokens in blocks of 2,047 ETH to the Eth2 Beacon Chain deposit contract.The move brings the foundation close to completing its 70,000 ETH staking target announced in February, representing one of the largest institutional commitments to Ethereum’s proof-of-stake infrastructure. 1/ The Ethereum Foundation has…

SpaceX is moving toward a public listing that could redefine how Bitcoin shows up in equity markets. The scale of the IPO matters more than the size of its holdings.SpaceX has reportedly filed confidentially for an initial public offering with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), a step that would move Elon Musk’s rocket and satellite company closer to what could become the largest stock market debut in US history.According to reports, the firm is looking to raise as much as $75 billion at a valuation of about $2 trillion, with a listing as early as June. This would…

Riot Platforms sold 3,778 bitcoin in the first quarter of 2026, generating $289.5 million and marking a shift in strategy as the miner redirects capital toward infrastructure and high-performance computing. The volume sold exceeded the company’s quarterly production of 1,473 BTC by roughly 2.6 times, signaling a drawdown of treasury holdings rather than routine profit-taking. Riot ended the quarter with 15,680 BTC, down 18% from 18,005 BTC at the close of 2025. The selling appears to have extended beyond the reporting period. Blockchain analytics firm Arkham Intelligence flagged a 500 BTC outflow from a wallet linked to Riot following the…

Trusted Editorial content, reviewed by leading industry experts and seasoned editors. Ad Disclosure A Solana memecoin linked to a false death report about Jonathan, the 193-year-old tortoise, reportedly jumped more than 6,000% before pulling back sharply after the hoax spread across X and other news outlets caught on. The token, called JONATHAN, was still trading at $0.00007998, according to reports. Token Surge Followed The Hoax The scam began with a post from an account pretending to be veterinarian Joe Hollins, the real doctor who has cared for Jonathan on Saint Helena, a British territory in the South Atlantic. The fake…

In brief Cambodia’s National Assembly has passed a draft law to tackle cyber crimes as part of a push to shut down scam compounds. The law would impose sentences of 15-30 years or life for scam bosses, with harsher penalties tied to deaths or violence. Scam compounds in Southeast Asia drive billions in global fraud, using crypto for cross-border movement and laundering. Cambodia has moved to impose some of the world’s toughest penalties on online scam operations, many of which are powered by crypto—but experts warn the crackdown is more likely to “displace the industry than destroy it.”The country’s National…