crtypto & forex news

The crypto market suffered a slight dip on Saturday, April 18th, after the tensions in the Middle East took an interesting turn over the weekend. On Friday, United States President Donald Trump announced that Iran fully reopened the Strait of Hormuz (for the first time since March) for the free passage of oil vessels, with the global financial markets and crypto reacting positively to the news. However, Iran announced on Saturday that it has closed the Strait again, with digital asset prices dropping on the back of the fresh development. Bitcoin Falls Below $76k As Iran Closes Strait Again On Saturday, Iran’s military announced the closure of the Strait of Hormuz again, with reports suggesting at least three attacks on commercial ships along the waterway. After President Trump’s several announcements going into the weekend, the Iranian Speaker of the Parliament, Mohammad Ghalibaf, said the US president made “seven claims in one hour, all seven of which were false.” What’s interest...

Iran’s Foreign Ministry came out swinging on Sunday, accusing the United States of committing war crimes through what it described as an unlawful naval blockade — a charge that landed just hours after US President Donald Trump accused Tehran of firing in the Strait of Hormuz and breaking the terms of an active ceasefire . Both Sides Point Fingers Spokesperson Esmail Baghaei posted the accusation directly on X, arguing the US blockade of Iranian ports and coastline violated not just the ceasefire brokered by Pakistan, but international law. He cited Article 2(4) of the UN Charter and referenced a 1974 UN General Assembly resolution that explicitly defines a naval blockade as an act of aggression. The United States’ so-called “blockade” of Iran’s ports or coastline is not only a violation of Pakistani-mediated ceasefire but also both unlawful and criminal. It violates Article 2(4) of the UN Charter; it constitutes an act of aggression under Article 3(c) of the UN General… — Esmaei...

The price of Bitcoin saw a rise in bullish momentum over the past week, as the initially improving situation in the Middle East served as a significant catalyst. This optimism seems to have spread across the digital asset market, as fresh capital also flowed into the US-based spot Bitcoin ETFs (exchange-traded funds). According to the latest market data, the spot BTC exchange-traded products saw the addition of nearly $1 billion in value over the past trading week. This fresh capital influx reflects an uptick in investor sentiment and demand over the past few weeks. US Bitcoin ETFs Register $664M Net Inflows On Friday, April 17th, the US-based Bitcoin ETFs recorded a total net inflow of $663.9 million, reflecting a return of investor demand into the market in recent weeks. This single-day performance marked the fourth consecutive day of inflows for the crypto-linked investment products. Data from SoSoValue shows that BlackRock’s iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT) led the day’s activity...

The price of Bitcoin has been on a tear in the past week, drawing positive momentum from the improving conditions of the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. On Friday, April 17, the premier cryptocurrency s urged to around $77,500 , reaching a new 10-week high on the day. Despite the heating price action, on-chain data suggests that there has not been a commensurate increase in investor sentiment. Bearish Investor Sentiment Could Mean Continued BTC Rally? In a recent post on the social media platform X, Santiment revealed that the Bitcoin market sentiment is still at an extreme low after the latest run-up toward the $77,500 level. Contrary to general expectations, the latest spurt of bullish price action did not trigger a wave of FOMO (fear of missing out) sentiment among investors. According to data from Santiment, there are currently two bearish comments for every two bullish remarks about the world’s largest cryptocurrency. The on-chain analytics firm mentioned that retail inve...

Charles Edward, founder of the digital asset hedge fund Capriole Investments, has warned that BTC miners are rapidly shifting to artificial intelligence (AI), raising concerns about the future of mining activity and its impact on the Bitcoin price . He described the trend as both unexpected and worrying based on statements from publicly listed Bitcoin mining companies about future revenue targets.  Bitcoin Price At Risk As Miners Pivot to AI Edwards reported in an X post that every major public Bitcoin mining firm has announced plans to pivot toward AI services . According to the data he shared, these companies expect their Bitcoin revenue to fall sharply, from an average of about 90% to roughly 30% over the next two to three years. Notably, Edwards pointed to stock market performance as one of the main signals behind the recent shift. He explained that companies that set aggressive AI revenue targets above 80% reportedly saw their share prices rise by an average of more than ...

In a recent development, the Russian government has introduced a bill before its lower legislative house to criminalize the operation of unregistered crypto services in the country. Unlicensed Crypto Operators To Face Up To Four Years In Prison In a bill proposal to the lower house of the Federal Assembly of Russia, the State Duma, Russian lawmakers proposed criminal liability for entities engaging in activities related to the organization and circulation of cryptocurrencies and other digital assets without regulatory approval from the country’s central bank. The draft law’s explanatory note read: In accordance with the proposed Article 1717, it is proposed to introduce criminal liability for carrying out activities related to the organization of digital currency circulation without registration 0037822-UCH-2026 (7.1) or without a special permit (license) in cases where such a permit (license) is mandatory. According to this proposed bill, individuals could incur as high as $4,...

Crypto pundit James has highlighted what the XLS-66 amendment is about and what it would mean for XRP holders in terms of earning yields. This comes as the XRP Ledger validators prepare to vote on the amendment, which will introduce the institutional lending protocol.  How XRP Holders Can Earn Yields Through XLS-66 Amendment In an X post , James noted that, contrary to what XRP holders may think, the XLS-66 amendment is not just about depositing one’s tokens and collecting interest. Instead, it is a structured, institutional lending protocol in which investors’ yields accrue within the single-asset vault and are realized only when they choose to redeem their deposits.  As such, the XLS-66 amendment won’t give XRP holders automatic payments or dividends. Instead, they receive an MPT token, which represents the altcoin they deposited into the vault. These MPT shares grow in redemption value over time. James noted that the borrowers aren’t retail investors but banks, market...