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Zurich Uni’s secret AI experiment manipulated Redditors’ opinions

Researchers at the University of Zurich have been accused of undertaking an unauthorized four-month-long experiment on a Reddit board using artificial intelligence-generated comments to test whether AI could alter people’s opinions. 

As part of the experiment, AI-powered accounts faked a variety of personas, including a rape victim, a person opposed to specific social movements and a trauma counselor specializing in abuse, moderators of the r/changemyview subreddit said in an April 26 post.

“Our sub is a decidedly human space that rejects undisclosed AI as a core value,” the moderators said. “People do not come here to discuss their views with AI or to be experimented upon.” 

The researchers used AI to generate responses but attempted to personalize the replies based on information from the original posters’ prior Reddit history, such as political orientation, gender, age, and ethnicity, according to a draft of the paper.

Moderators of the r/changemyview subreddit say researchers at the University of Zurich conducted an unauthorized experiment within their community. Source: Reddit

Over the four-month experiment, Zurich University’s fake AI accounts posted 1,783 comments and received 137 deltas — a mark showing when another Reddit user acknowledged the account had persuaded them to change their opinion on an issue. 

Zurich Uni’s secret AI experiment manipulated Redditors’ opinions
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Samourai Wallet, feds ask for time to mull dropping crypto mixer case

US federal prosecutors and the co-founders of the crypto mixer Samourai Wallet have asked a court for more time to consider potentially dismissing the case after the Justice Department rolled back its crypto enforcement.

Lawyers for Samourai Wallet CEO Keonne Rodriguez and chief technology officer William Hill said in an April 28 letter to Manhattan federal judge Richard Berman that they jointly requested with the government “for a continuance of the pretrial motions schedule by 16 days.”

The Samourai executives' lawyers said on April 10 that they wrote to Acting Manhattan US Attorney Jay Clayton to request the dismissal of the case after an April 7 memo from Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche shuttered the Justice Department’s crypto team.

“On April 24, 2025, defense counsel met with the prosecutors and their supervisors in person at the U.S. Attorney’s Office to discuss this request,” the lawyers said.

“The Defendants believe that a continuance of the pretrial motions schedule is warranted to permit Defendants to avoid the significant expense of preparing their motions while the Government determines its position,” the letter stated.

Samourai Wallet, feds ask for time to mull dropping crypto mixer case
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US dollar facing growing competition for stablecoin dominance: Tether co-founder

While United States dollar-denominated stablecoins dominate the stablecoin and real-world asset (RWA) tokenization game, other competitors are coming into play, according to Tether co-founder Reeve Collins. 

Speaking to Cointelegraph in Dubai, Collins said that while dollar-backed stablecoins may be dominant, other currencies and assets may compete to back stablecoins.

“The stablecoin definitely helps preserve the dollar dominance, especially in the crypto space,” Collins said. “The dollar is kind of the reserve currency of crypto. But now there are other currencies coming into play. But more importantly, it’s not currencies. It’s other types of backing,” he added.

Collins said that other assets used to back stablecoins may compete with US dollars by bringing a higher yield to users. 

Interview with Tether co-founder Reeve Collins in Dubai, UAE. Source: Cointelegraph 

Tether co-founder says tokenized assets can back stablecoins

Collins, who works bringing stablecoin yield for users through Pi Protocol, told Cointelegraph that apart from currencies, money-market funds, other commodities and gold could back stablecoins in the future. 

US dollar facing growing competition for stablecoin dominance: Tether co-founder
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Ray Dalio says global monetary order ‘on the brink’ of breakdown

Legendary investor Ray Dalio has said the world is “on the brink” of the global monetary order breaking down, which is being accelerated by the Trump administration’s tariff disruptions.

The trade tensions are fracturing the monetary, political and international world orders by fueling deglobalization and unsustainable trade imbalances, Dalio, the former CEO of hedge fund Bridgewater Associates, said in an April 28 X post.

Dalio added that this is leading to irreversible damage, and an increasing number of importers and exporters, particularly between the US and China, are drastically reducing interdependencies and “making alternative plans.”

“[They’re] recognizing that whatever happens with tariffs, these problems won't go away, and that radically reduced interdependencies with the US is a reality that has to be planned for.”Source: Ray Dalio


Dalio said America’s role as the world’s largest consumer of manufactured goods and the largest debt issuer is looking increasingly unsustainable, and the idea that trade partners would continue selling to the US and receive dollars was “naive thinking.”

As a result, more countries may increasingly bypass the US by forming new trade networks that rely on alternative currencies.

Ray Dalio says global monetary order ‘on the brink’ of breakdown
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Crypto group asks Trump to end prosecution of crypto devs, Roman Storm

The crypto lobby group, the DeFi Education Fund, has petitioned the Trump administration to end what it claimed was the “lawless prosecution” of open-source software developers, including Roman Storm, a creator of the crypto mixing service Tornado Cash.

In an April 28 letter to White House crypto czar David Sacks, the group urged President Donald Trump “to take immediate action to discontinue the Biden-era Department of Justice's lawless campaign to criminalize open-source software development.” 

The letter specifically mentioned the prosecution of Storm, who was charged in August 2023 with helping launder over $1 billion in crypto through Tornado Cash. His trial is still set for July, and his fellow charged co-founder, Roman Semenov, is at large and believed to be in Russia.

The DeFi Education Fund said that in Storm’s case, the Department of Justice is attempting to hold software developers criminally liable for how others use their code, which is “not only absurd in principle, but it sets a precedent that potentially chills all crypto development in the United States.”

The group also called for the recognition that the prosecution contradicts the Treasury Department’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) guidance from Trump’s first term, which established that developers of self-custodial, peer-to-peer protocols are not money transmitters. 

Crypto group asks Trump to end prosecution of crypto devs, Roman Storm
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Mastercard links with Circle, Paxos for merchant stablecoin payments

Mastercard says it will allow merchants across its network to be paid with stablecoins in a partnership with payment processor Nuvei and stablecoin issuers Circle and Paxos. 

Through the venture, 150 million merchants across the Mastercard network will now have the option to receive payments in stablecoins, regardless of how a customer pays, Mastercard said on April 28.

The payments giant also partnered with crypto exchange OKX for a crypto-enabled bank card, which Mastercard product chief Jorn Lambert said creates a “360-degree approach” where consumers can spend stablecoins and merchants can receive them.

He added that the “mainstream use cases are clear” for blockchain tech, and the company wanted “to make it as easy for merchants to receive stablecoin payments and for consumers to use them.”

Source: Mastercard News

The stablecoin market has continued to make gains, crossing a market value of $230 billion, an increase of 54% since last year, with Tether (USDT) and USDC (USDC) dominating 90% of the market.

Mastercard links with Circle, Paxos for merchant stablecoin payments
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Ethereum Foundation shuffles leadership, splits board and management

The Ethereum Foundation, which backs the development of the Ethereum blockchain, has overhauled its leadership structure to separate the responsibilities of its management team and board of directors.

The board will act as the “security council to protect the heart and soul” of the foundation and set visions for Ethereum, while the new management will be focused on the strategic and operational execution of those visions, the Foundation said in an April 28 blog post.

It added in an April 28 X post that Hsiao-Wei Wang and Tomasz K. Stańczak were appointed as co-executive directors on March 2 to deliver on those visions — which are centered around championing censorship resistance, open-source innovation, privacy and security

Wang and Stańczak’s roles took effect on April 28 with the foundation setting a two-year term for Stańczak to address some of Ethereum’s biggest challenges. Stańczak’s new role will be balanced with his work as founder of Ethereum infrastructure firm Nethermind and a soon-to-be-announced Ethereum-focused venture capital firm.

Source: Ethereum Foundation

Bastian Aue and Josh Stark are also a part of the management team, with Aue to focus on organizational strategy, hiring and training, and Stark to primarily be tasked with project execution, communications and marketing.

Ethereum Foundation shuffles leadership, splits board and management
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BONK price gains 60% in a week as Solana memecoins make a comeback

Key takeaways:

BONK price is up 73% since April 22, hitting a five-month high of $0.00002167.

BONK’s open interest surged 290% to $43.2 million. 

Bonk (BONK), the second-largest Solana-based memecoin by market capitalization, is on track to continue the recovery it began on April 22. BONK has climbed approximately 73% from its April 22 low of around $0.00001247, bringing its price up to an intraday high of $0.00002167 on April 28.

Data from Cointelegraph Markets Pro and TradingView shows BONK trading at $0.00001923, up 3% over the 24 hours and 60% over the last seven days.

BONK price gains 60% in a week as Solana memecoins make a comeback
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MetaMask to launch self-custody crypto card with Mastercard

Wallet provider MetaMask is launching a crypto payments card that will allow users to spend self-custodied funds, offering crypto holders additional ways to use their tokens.

The new card is backed by Mastercard and is being developed in partnership with CompoSecure and Baanx, according to the company. The product uses smart contracts to execute the IRL (In Real Life) transactions, with a processing speed under five seconds. It operates on the Linea network, a layer-2 scaling solution on Ethereum.

The companies marketed the self-custodied crypto card as an alternative to the potential risks associated with centralized exchanges. In February, the second-largest crypto exchange by volume, Bybit, was hacked for $1.4 billion, an event that sparked widespread consternation in the crypto space.

With the launch of its card, MetaMask is entering a competitive segment of the cryptocurrency market. Major exchanges like Binance, Bybit, Coinbase, and Crypto.com already offer crypto debit cards, some of which feature "crypto-back" rewards that allow users to earn digital assets on their purchases.

MetaMask has struggled lately as interest in and participation in the Ethereum ecosystem have dried up. According to Dune Analytics, the wallet collected just $289,312 in fees for the week of April 14, much less than the $1.3 million in fees collected for the same period a year ago.

Related: Spar supermarket in Switzerland starts accepting Bitcoin payments

MetaMask to launch self-custody crypto card with Mastercard
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Tether still dominates stablecoins despite competition — Nansen

Despite growing competition from emerging issuers, the stablecoin market remains largely dominated by a few key players. According to data from Web3 research firm Nansen, Tether’s USDt continues to lead among US dollar-pegged stablecoins, even as competition intensifies.

As of April 25, Tether (USDT) has a roughly 66% market share among stablecoins, compared to around 28% for USDC (USDC), Nansen said in the April 25 report. Ethena’s USDe stablecoin ranks a distant third, touting a market share of just over 2%.

Nansen expects Tether’s lead to endure even as rivals such as USDC clock faster growth rates.

“With nearly 3x as many users as Uniswap and 50+% more transactions than the next app, Tether is by and far the largest use case of onchain activity,” Nansen said.

“Despite the potential dispersion in stables, we inevitably believe this is a ‘winner-takes-most’ market dynamic,” the Web3 researcher added. 

Tether still dominates stablecoins despite competition — Nansen
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Arizona legislature moves forward with Bitcoin reserve bills

Lawmakers in the Arizona House of Representatives have voted to pass two bills that could allow the state to adopt a reserve using Bitcoin (BTC) or other cryptocurrencies.

In a third reading on April 28 of the Senate Bill 1025 (SB1025), a proposal to amend Arizona’s statutes to allow for a strategic BTC reserve, 31 members of the Arizona House voted in favor of the bill, with 25 opposed. A similar bill, SB1373, to establish a state-level digital assets reserve, passed with 37 lawmakers in favor and 19 voting nay.

“This bill basically takes the approach that probably 15 other states are considering the same legislation nationwide that allows the treasurer to invest up to 10% into, probably mainly Bitcoin but other things as well,” said State Representative Jeff Weninger on SB1025. “I think this probably would start as a ‘may’ for the foreseeable future, but as things continue to pivot towards Bitcoin and these things, would have that already in place in the future.”

Voting for SB1025 in the Arizona House of Representatives on April 28. Source: Arizona State Legislature

The approvals bring the bills closer than any other state-level initiative in the US to getting a cryptocurrency or Bitcoin strategic reserve signed into law. Similar legislation proposed in New Hampshire passed the state’s House in April and is expected to head to the Senate for a full floor vote soon.

Related: Bitcoin reserve backlash signals unrealistic industry expectations

Arizona legislature moves forward with Bitcoin reserve bills
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Bitcoin price consolidation likely as US Core PCE, manufacturing, and jobs reports print this week

Key takeaways: 

A week full of US macroeconomic reports could impact Bitcoin traders’ sentiment. 

Bitcoin’s rally could stall if there’s a sharp reduction in spot buy volumes.

If PCE, the ISM PMI, and jobs data align with market expectations, BTC could rally. 

Bitcoin (BTC) price could face a period of range-bound trading after managing a 10.37% rally over the past 7 days. Robust spot purchasing demand from Strategy, the spot BTC ETFs, and announcements from 21Shares and Coinbase played a role in Bitcoin’s rally to $95,700. With the exception of the April 28 announcement of a $1.42 billion BTC purchase from Strategy, a quiet week on the crypto news front could translate to a reduction in spot demand and lower support tests from Bitcoin price. 

Bitcoin price consolidation likely as US Core PCE, manufacturing, and jobs reports print this week
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Gold-backed cryptocurrencies spike amid global trade uncertainty

Gold-backed cryptocurrencies have spiked in value amid the global trade war unleashed by US President Donald Trump’s April 2 tariffs.

Tether Gold (XAUT) and Paxos Gold (PAXG) reached all-time highs on April 22, with Tether Gold touching $3,529 and Paxos Gold recording a peak of $3,520, according to data from CoinMarketCap. Two other gold-backed cryptocurrencies — Quorium (QGOLD) and Kinesis Gold (KAU) — have seen rises of 8.5% and 7.6%, respectively, in the past 30 days. All four tokens are up 40% or more in the past 12 months, CoinGecko data shows.

Related: Tether clocks $13B in 2024 profits, US bond holdings hit all-time highs

According to a report by Tether, the increased demand for XAUT is due to macroeconomic factors, such as escalating global economic uncertainty, geopolitical conflicts, and a rising demand for inflation-resistant assets.

Since US President Trump’s renewed trade war, gold has increased significantly in value. On April 2, Trump’s “Liberation Day,” when the tariffs were announced, the price of one ounce of gold was $3,115. At the time of this writing, on April 28, the ounce price is at $3,335, representing a 7% jump in less than 30 days.

Gold-backed cryptocurrencies spike amid global trade uncertainty
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US senators press for answers on Trump's crypto interests

Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren has called on government officials to address questions related to US President Donald Trump’s memecoin and his media company.

In an April 25 letter to Jamieson Greer, acting director of the US Office of Government Ethics (OGE), Warren, a Democrat from Massachusetts and California Democratic Senator Adam Schiff requested that officials address concerns about Trump’s memecoin after the president announced a dinner and White House tour for some of the individuals who held the most TRUMP tokens. The two senators requested that Greer provide information on safeguards and guidelines related to whether foreign actors and others could buy political influence with the president, potentially impacting his policy positions and federal pardons.

“President Trump’s announcement promises exclusive access to the presidency in exchange for significant investment in one of the President’s business ventures,” wrote the two senators.

“In promising such access, this proposition may implicate several federal ethics laws and constitutional prohibitions, including the federal bribery statute and emoluments clauses of the US Constitution. It also raises the troubling prospect that foreign actors are using the memecoin as a vector to buy influence with President Trump and his associates without needing to disclose their identities publicly.”

April 25 letter from Sens. Warren and Schiff to OGE. Source: Sen. Schiff

The letter was sent the same day Warren reportedly expressed similar concerns about Trump’s potential conflicts of interest with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). According to an April 25 Reuters report, the Massachusetts senator urged SEC Chair Paul Atkins to ensure that oversight of Trump’s media company was “free from undue political interference and influence from the President and his administration.”

US senators press for answers on Trump's crypto interests
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Bitcoin price pullback to $91K possible, but onchain data highlights ‘healthy’ market fundamentals

Key Takeaways:

Bitcoin’s year-over-year return and realized price metric signal strong long-term support from holders and suggest that BTC is currently undervalued.

Standard Chartered estimates a Bitcoin price target in the $110,000–$120,000 zone by Q2 2025.

Positive funding rates point to a potential long squeeze to $90,500.

Bitcoin’s (BTC) weekly close near $94,000 delivered an impressive year-over-year total return of 53.61%. Since the last halving in 2024, the market has shifted from the early 2024 euphoric phase to a "mature bull trend" based on onchain growth, rather than speculative frenzy. 

Bitcoin price pullback to $91K possible, but onchain data highlights ‘healthy’ market fundamentals
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Price predictions 4/28: SPX, DXY, BTC, ETH, XRP, BNB, SOL, DOGE, ADA, SUI

Key points:

Bitcoin continues to face resistance at $95,000, but the possibility of an upside breakout remains high.

Solid spot Bitcoin ETF inflows do not always signal a short-term top.

Select altcoins are showing early signs of a short-term trend change.

Bitcoin (BTC) pierced the $95,000 resistance on April 28, but the bulls are struggling to sustain the higher levels. This suggests that the bears have not given up and are trying to defend the level. A minor positive in favor of the bulls is that they have not ceded much ground to the bears. That improves the prospects of a move toward $100,000.

Price predictions 4/28: SPX, DXY, BTC, ETH, XRP, BNB, SOL, DOGE, ADA, SUI
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Global central bank gold rush could spark Bitcoin price run to new all-time highs

Key takeaways:

US Treasury funds saw $19 billion inflows, the highest since March 2023, as the 30-year yield fell 30 basis points.

Foreign central banks cut US Treasury holdings to 23%, a 22-year low, as gold reserves hit 18%.

Bitcoin soared in 2020 from $9,000 to $60,000 amid similar trends, hinting at a similar outcome in 2025.

The global financial tides are shifting significantly, and Bitcoin (BTC) price could greatly benefit from it. Recent data indicates that US Treasury funds saw $19 billion in net inflows last week, exceeding the 2020 pandemic peak of $14 billion, with the 4-week moving average rising to $7 billion—the highest since March 2023.

Global central bank gold rush could spark Bitcoin price run to new all-time highs
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Loopscale hacker in talks to return stolen crypto

The hacker behind the $5.8 million recent Loopscale exploit is in talks to return the stolen funds in exchange for a bounty, the Solana-based protocol said. 

The exploiter pilfered approximately 5.7 million USDC (USDC) and 1,200 Solana (SOL) tokens from two of Loopscale’s yield vaults on April 26, prompting the decentralized finance protocol to temporarily pause its lending markets

The following day, the hacker sent a message on the Etherscan blockchain scanner “indicat[ing] a willingness to return the exploited funds in exchange for a bounty,” Loopscale said in an April 27 X post. 

“We are agreeable to collaborating with you to reach a white hat agreement. However, we would like to negotiate the bounty percentage; our expectation is 20%,” the hacker said. “To demonstrate our commitment to a cooperative approach, we will immediately return the 5,000 wSOL funds following the transmission of this message,” they added.

Negotiations are ongoing for the remaining funds, according to the public messaging exchange on Etherscan. 

Loopscale hacker in talks to return stolen crypto
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Bitcoin price cools off amid worrying macroeconomic data — Will $95K hold this week?

Key Takeaways:

Bitcoin price dropped alongside falling Treasury yields, signaling investors’ flight to safer assets.

Strategy’s $4.28B Bitcoin purchases and stock market strength have supported BTC above $90,000.

A true breakout toward $100,000 will require Bitcoin to decouple from equities and stronger liquidity signals.

Bitcoin (BTC) experienced a sharp $2,000 correction to $93,500 on April 28. This price movement closely tracked the decline in US Treasury yields, suggesting that traders were seeking the relative safety of more secure assets.

Bitcoin price cools off amid worrying macroeconomic data — Will $95K hold this week?
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Polymarket bets on Mark Carney for PM as Canadians head to the polls

Crypto users betting on the outcome of the snap election to determine Canada’s next prime minister appear to be favoring a Liberal Party victory as residents head to cast their votes.

As of April 28, cryptocurrency betting platform Polymarket gave current Canadian Prime Minister and Liberal Party candidate Mark Carney a 79% chance of defeating Conservative Party candidate Pierre Poilievre in the race to become the country’s next PM. Data from the platform showed users had poured more than $75 million into bets surrounding the race, predicting a Poilievre or Carney victory.

Polymarket chances favor the Liberal Party’s Mark Carney over the Conservative Party’s Pierre Poilievre to be the next Canadian prime minister. Source: Polymarket

The odds suggested by the platform, as well as those from many polls, show a sharp change in the two candidates’ prospects since former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau resigned in January. Trudeau and Liberal Party, faced criticism over the handling of Canada’s housing crisis and questions about how he would face US President Donald Trump’s then-proposed tariffs.

Following Trudeau’s resignation, Trump stepped up rhetoric disparaging Canada, repeatedly referring to the country as the US’s “51st state” and Trudeau as its “governor.” Trump also imposed a 25% tariff on goods imported from Canada in March.

The election is not really focused on crypto

In contrast to the 2024 US election, in which Trump often made statements suggesting he would enact policies favorable to the crypto industry, neither Carney nor Poilievre seemed to have made digital assets central to their campaigns.

Polymarket bets on Mark Carney for PM as Canadians head to the polls
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BNB Chain price among ‘most resilient’ altcoins of the bull market — Here’s why

What to know:

Altcoins have lagged Bitcoin year-to-date, but BNB price shows relative resilience, trading only 10% lower than the previous cycle’s all-time high.

BNB Chain shows a robust activity, consistently ranking third in daily transactions, active addresses, and TVL, while leading in the number of DApps.

The blockchain’s weakest point is its revenue, which still lags compared to competitors.

Altcoin price action has been underwhelming for much of the 2023-2026 cycle, pushing many crypto traders to focus primarily on Bitcoin. However, with moderate optimism returning to the markets, a closer look reveals that not all altcoins are struggling. In fact, the total altcoin market cap remains solidly above $1 trillion — $1.17 trillion, to be exact — and its 9% surge over the past week offers a glimmer of hope.

BNB Chain price among ‘most resilient’ altcoins of the bull market — Here’s why
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Bots against humanity — The battle for blockchain supremacy

Opinion by: Steven Smith, head of protocol and applied research, Tools for Humanity

Blockchains were designed as systems of trust that are transparent, decentralized and accessible. The age of AI has, however, introduced significant new challenges. Nearly half of all internet traffic is generated by bots, with up to 80% of blockchain transactions now automated and AI agents accounting for most onchain activity. 

While some bots serve legitimate and helpful purposes, others — like those used for airdrop farming and fake account creation — clog networks, drive up fees, and monopolize space and resources.

It’s up to humans to protect the blockchains we know and love, ensuring that people aren’t unfairly disadvantaged by automated systems, insulated from the effect of maximal extractable value attacks and exploits, and free from the need to pay significant gas fees to be included in a block.

The bot takeover is already here

AI bots are becoming more integral to networks and capable of more sophisticated exploits, dominating trading volumes, driving up gas fees, and manipulating decentralized finance (DeFi) markets.

Bots against humanity — The battle for blockchain supremacy
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Ethereum Fusaka hard fork set for late 2025 with major EVM changes

Ethereum’s Fusaka hard fork is expected to take place in the third or fourth quarter of this year, according to an Ethereum Foundation official.

In an April 28 X post, Ethereum Foundation co-executive director Tomasz Kajetan Stańczak said that the organization is aiming to deploy the Fusaka Ethereum network upgrade in Q3 or Q4 2025. Still, the exact rollout schedule has not been decided yet.

The comments come amid controversies over the upcoming implementation of the EVM object format (EOF) upgrade for the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM). As Stańczak pointed out, EOF is expected to be a part of the Fusaka network upgrade.

Source: Tomasz Kajetan Stańczak

The EVM is the software that runs Ethereum smart contracts. EOF would implement a series of protocol changes, known as Ethereum improvement proposals (EIPs), with profound implications for how it operates. EOF introduces an extensible and versioned container format for the smart contract bytecode that is verified once at deployment, separating code and data for efficiency gains.

Related: Researcher proposes scaling Ethereum gas limit by 100x over 4 years

Ethereum Fusaka hard fork set for late 2025 with major EVM changes
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Bitcoin could hit $210K in 2025, says Presto research head

Peter Chung, head of research at quantitative trading firm Presto, has repeated his prediction that Bitcoin (BTC) will reach $210,000 by the end of 2025.

In an April 28 interview with CNBC, Chung cited institutional adoption and global liquidity expansion as the primary drivers behind his long-term bullish outlook.

The analyst acknowledged that market conditions this year haven’t been as expected, specifically the challenging macroeconomic environment and market reaction.

However, he described the recent corrections as a “healthy” adjustment, suggesting they have laid a stronger foundation for Bitcoin’s progression toward becoming a mainstream financial asset.

“In hindsight, I think it was actually a healthy correction which has paved the way for the further re-rating of Bitcoin as a mainstream asset,” he said.

Bitcoin could hit $210K in 2025, says Presto research head
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Why do crypto bros like freedom cities?

When Donald Trump was running for president, he pledged to build 10 new US cities, dubbed “freedom cities,” from scratch, designed to improve the quality of life for Americans. 

These new high-tech communities were to be created on public land, and they were going to be free of the “nightmare of red tape,” including lengthy environmental reviews, that had hampered the development of affordable housing in many parts of the US.

Freedom cities aren’t really a new idea. They are a rebranding of charter cities, which have been around since the late 1800s. Still, Trump’s proposal won the gung-ho support of many of Silicon Valley’s tech bros, whose backing helped tilt the last US presidential election in his direction, and many of whom — e.g., the PayPal mafia consisting of Elon Musk, Peter Thiel, Marc Andreessen and Balaji Srinivasan — were also enthusiastic early supporters of cryptocurrencies and blockchain technology. 

In mid-March, the new administration made some tentative moves to make freedom cities a reality. Department of Interior Secretary Doug Burgum and Housing and Urban Development Secretary Scott Turner announced a Joint Task Force on using underutilized federal land suitable for housing.

“America needs more affordable housing, and the federal government can make it happen by making federal land available to build affordable housing stock,” they wrote in The Wall Street Journal.

Why do crypto bros like freedom cities?
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Strategy added 15,355 Bitcoin for $1.42B as price surged above $90K

Michael Saylor’s Strategy added to its massive Bitcoin stash last week as the cryptocurrency surged above $90,000.

In an April 28 announcement, Strategy reported acquiring 15,355 Bitcoin (BTC) between April 21 and 27.

The latest purchases cost Strategy $1.42 billion at an average price of $92,737 per BTC, increasing the company’s aggregate BTC holdings by roughly 3% to a total of 535,555 BTC worth more than $50 billion.

An excerpt from Strategy’s Form 8-K filing with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission. Source: Strategy


Strategy’s latest buy is its largest since late March, when the firm bagged 22,048 Bitcoin for $1.92 billion at an average price of $86,969 per BTC.

Strategy’s Bitcoin yield is at 13.7%

Announcing the purchase on X, Strategy co-founder Saylor said the firm has achieved the BTC yield of 13.7% year-to-date.

Strategy added 15,355 Bitcoin for $1.42B as price surged above $90K
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What happened to sUSD? How a crypto-collateralized stablecoin depegged

sUSD depeg, explained: Why Synthetix’s stablecoin fell below $0.70

In a significant and concerning event in the cryptocurrency space, sUSD, the native stablecoin of the Synthetix protocol, saw its value plummet to $0.68 on April 18, 2025. 

This drop represents a dramatic 31% deviation from its intended peg of 1:1 with the US dollar, a threshold that is fundamental to the concept of stablecoins. As the name implies, stablecoins are designed to maintain a stable price, which is crucial for their role as a reliable store of value within decentralized finance (DeFi) applications.

For stablecoins like sUSD, maintaining this price stability is essential for ensuring confidence in their usage. However, the steep drop in sUSD’s value sent shockwaves through the crypto community, creating an atmosphere of uncertainty. 

The question arises: How did this once-stable digital asset fall below its peg, and why does this matter to the broader cryptocurrency ecosystem?

What happened to sUSD? How a crypto-collateralized stablecoin depegged
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Coinbase to launch yield-bearing Bitcoin fund for institutions

Coinbase, the world’s third-largest cryptocurrency exchange by volume, is launching the Coinbase Bitcoin Yield Fund on May 1, aiming to offer Bitcoin (BTC) exposure for institutional investors outside the US.

The fund targets an annual net return of 4% to 8% on Bitcoin holdings, according to an April 28 blog post by Coinbase.

“To address the growing institutional demand for bitcoin yield, Coinbase Asset Management is excited to introduce the Coinbase Bitcoin Yield Fund (CBYF),” the company wrote.

The fund is backed by multiple investors, including Aspen Digital, a digital asset manager based in Abu Dhabi and regulated by the Financial Services Regulatory Authority.

Coinbase introduces a Bitcoin yield-bearing fund. Source: Coinbase

Related: Michael Saylor hints at Bitcoin purchase as whales stack aggressively

Coinbase to launch yield-bearing Bitcoin fund for institutions
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Playing Web3 games with one wallet still the ‘vision’ — The Sandbox

Wallet interoperability still remains the vision for Web3 gaming, according to Arthur Madrid, the co-founder and CEO of the decentralized metaverse and gaming platform The Sandbox. 

In an exclusive interview with Cointelegraph at the Crypto Polo event in Dubai, Madrid and The Sandbox co-founder and chief operating officer Sebastien Borget told Cointelegraph that Web3 gaming interoperability remains the goal for The Sandbox. Madrid said: 

“So, the vision is still kind of obvious for us. It’s like you need to be able to play any games using one wallet that will enable you to combine the utilities of all that you collected and all what you earned.”

The Sandbox CEO said that one of the main narratives they’ve seen in the last couple of months is that players can move from one game to another using a single wallet. The executive told Cointelegraph that players accessing games with one wallet and using their items on different platforms remains an exciting topic for Web3 gaming enthusiasts. 

The Sandbox co-founders at the Crypto Polo event in Dubai. Source: Cointelegraph

Web3 gaming still “booming” as tools become accessible

Madrid added that despite a market slowdown, the Web3 gaming space is still booming. The executive told Cointelegraph that the tools and infrastructure needed to create new games have become more accessible. 

“I can feel that the tools you need to create games are becoming more accessible. If you look the number of games that have been created on gaming platforms over the last two years, it's still booming,” Madrid told Cointelegraph. 

Playing Web3 games with one wallet still the ‘vision’ — The Sandbox
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Stacks Asia expands Bitcoin initiatives with Abu Dhabi partnership

The Stacks Asia DLT Foundation has become the first Bitcoin-based organization to establish an official presence in the Middle East, aiming to promote institutional Bitcoin adoption through expanded educational initiatives.

Stacks Asia has partnered with the Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM) — one of the world’s fastest-growing financial centers — in a move that could boost the adoption of its Bitcoin (BTC) layer-2 (L2) solution in the Middle East and Asia.

The new partnership will play a “pivotal role” in shaping the future of Bitcoin’s “programmability and adoption” in these regions through educational programs and support for Bitcoin builders, according to an April 28 announcement shared with Cointelegraph.

Through the collaboration, Stacks and the ADGM aim to make it easier for institutions and investors to participate in the growing Bitcoin economy and help set “new standards for regulatory clarity and technical growth” for the rising global Bitcoin capital, according to Kyle Ellicott, executive director at Stacks Asia DLT Foundation.

Stacks Asia DLT partners with ADGM. Source: Stacks Asia DLT Foundation

Related: Crypto options desk QCP Capital wins Abu Dhabi license: Report

Stacks Asia expands Bitcoin initiatives with Abu Dhabi partnership
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