Tensions in the Middle East have cooled after US President Donald Trump revealed that the ceasefire with Iran has been extended. According to the American leader, the government of Iran is “seriously fractured,” while Pakistan has requested a hold on the attacks until such time as their officials can come up with “a unified proposal.” “I have therefore directed our Military to continue the Blockade and, in all other respects, remain ready and able, and will therefore extend the Ceasefire until such time as their proposal is submitted, and discussions are concluded, one way or the other,” he added . The de-escalation news triggered a substantial uptick for the cryptocurrency sector, whose total market capitalization surged past $2.7 trillion. Bitcoin (BTC) surpassed $78,000, while popular altcoins like Ethereum (ETH), Monero (XMR), Bitcoin Cash (BCH), and many others posted daily gains of 4% to 9%. This isn’t the first time crypto has reacted positively to such a development. Earlier this month, the whole market entered green territory after the USA and Iran agreed to lay down their weapons for a period of two weeks. The latest resurgence has negatively affected traders who have opened too risky positions with high leverage. Data shows that total liquidations for the past 24 hours have reached roughly $460 million, with short positions accounting for 70% of the figure. Wrecked Bitcoin trades have risen to $212 million, while those involving ETH have climbed to $123 million. The largest single liquidation happened on Bitget and was worth more than $7.5 million. Total Crypto Liquidations, Source: CoinGlass The post Bitcoin Rockets Above $78K After News From the Middle East, Liquidations Approach $500 Million appeared first on CryptoPotato .

2026-04-22 09:51

There have been hundreds of Bitcoin obituaries. Here are 3 reasons why this XRP obituary will age just as poorly. Earlier this month, an article appeared sowing doubt about XRP’s price on the popular investing website, The Motley Fool. But XRP holders and altcoin investors may not have to worry based on what the article says. In fact, its claims are easy for the average crypto trader to debunk by “doing your own research.” The article claims XRP will be worth less than $1 in 5 years. This is not, however, at all in line with XRP tokens’ historical price trend. Here are three reasons why. Bitcoin Cycle Price Ratchet The article’s first reason for FUDing XRP’s price is: “XRP is down more than 60% from its July high.” This has happened before to XRP and to Bitcoin, and it will probably happen again. Massive corrections in the high-tech space are normal because swift rallies that overheat these assets and drive their prices to new highs are normal. Even the Nasdaq Composite, which tracks US tech stocks, fell 80% after the Dot-Com bubble in the early 2000s. Cryptocurrencies are no different. XRP’s price has fallen so far since the last Bitcoin all-time high price last year because it pumped so high in the first place. There are many reasons altcoin investors believe it will pump even higher on the next macro cycle rally. XRP Price Fundamentals The Motley Fool article goes on to say: “The long-promised demand from banks using XRP for cross-border payments has never materialized.” But this isn’t really a fair overview of Ripple’s usage in recent months. In fact, XRP Ledger (XRPL) saw record activity by December last year. Moreover, by mid-March this year, XRPL saw the highest number of wallets ever. So the demand for XRP tokens is certainly driven by the need to use its network to make payments. The fact-based fundamental analysis proves it. Furthermore, in February, major Wall Street bank Goldman Sachs revealed that it held XRP tokens worth $153 million in crypto markets at the time. But big banks like Goldman Sachs aren’t the only ones holding XRP. Even the U.S. government is planning to pile up Ripple tokens for its digital asset fund. US Digital Asset Stockpile The U.S. digital asset stockpile, signed into policy by President Donald Trump, names 5 cryptocurrencies— and XRP is one of them. Now, it’s far from clear whether that order will materialize into something noteworthy in terms of creating a sustainable support for the price, but it’s a sign of acceptance, at least under the current administration. The post This $1 XRP Price Prediction Is Wrong: Here’s Why (Opinion) appeared first on CryptoPotato .

2026-04-22 08:32

The Attorney General for New York filed a lawsuit against the prediction market arms of Coinbase and Gemini on Tuesday. The claim is that these platforms violate state laws against illegal gambling. According to the petitions filed in the state court in Manhattan, Attorney General Letitia James argues that both Gemini and Coinbase have not obtained New York State Gaming Commission licenses to operate these markets. The AG also says that the event contracts that the platforms allow users to bet on are “quintessentially gambling.” This is because the outcomes of those events are typically outside the bettors’ control or amount to games of chance. “Gambling by another name is still gambling, and it is not exempt from regulation under our state laws and Constitution,” said AG James in a statement. In response to the lawsuit, Paul Grewal, Chief Legal Officer at Coinbase, said that the company will “continue to fight for the federal oversight of these markets that Congress intended.” The move comes at a time when prediction markets are surging in popularity. As CryptoPotato recently reported , Polymarket aims to raise another $400 million at a valuation of a whopping $15 billion, highlighting investor appetite and continuous expansion. Moreover, this came just a few weeks after Kalshi, Polymarket’s main competitor, raised a massive $1 billion at a $22 billion valuation. The post New York Sues Coinbase and Gemini Over Prediction Markets appeared first on CryptoPotato .

2026-04-22 07:43

Ethereum is trading around $ 2,350 and is at a pivotal moment that will likely define its trajectory in the weeks ahead. The asset has spent the better part of April building a case for a genuine bullish reversal, and while that is not yet closed, the evidence on multiple timeframes is quietly accumulating in favor of the buyers. Ethereum Price Analysis: The Daily Chart The daily chart shows ETH pressing against the $2.4K resistance zone for the third time in recent weeks, with the 100-day MA now converging with the channel’s upper boundary as the price struggles to hold above both. The RSI has also been above 50 for the past couple of weeks, indicating that momentum remains in favor of buyers and that a breakout above $2.4K is much more likely than before. ETH is holding its ground above $2300, and if it breaks above the $2.4K zone, the $2800 level above will be the next target, which is heavy with resistance as it is accompanied by the declining 200-day MA. On the downside, losing the $2K psychological level on a daily close would be the first genuine warning sign, but judging by the current market momentum and structure, a breakout above $2.4K is still more probable. Source: TradingView ETH/USDT 4-Hour Chart The short-term ascending channel that has guided ETH’s price action since the late March lows came under pressure earlier this week, with the cryptocurrency briefly breaking below the lower boundary. But the breakdown was immediately absorbed, and the price rebounded back inside the channel, which is a classic bear trap that actually strengthens the bullish case rather than weakening it. False breakdowns of this nature, where sellers fail to follow through below a key trendline, and buyers quickly reclaim it, tend to precede accelerated moves in the opposite direction, as trapped shorts are forced to cover. ETH is currently near $ 2,350, just below the $2.4K resistance band, with the ascending channel’s lower boundary near $2.2K now acting as a solid floor. The RSI is also hovering around 50 with room to build, and the failed breakdown has reset the short-term setup in favor of another attempt at $2.4k. Given the pattern, the market has a higher probability of succeeding than prior attempts. Source: TradingView Sentiment Analysis Ethereum’s exchange reserve has dropped to approximately 14.5M ETH, which is a fresh low in the dataset and a notable acceleration from the 16M level seen just weeks ago during the February crash. The pace of the decline has picked up sharply in recent weeks, with the reserve falling more steeply than at any point during the entire correction period. The timing of this accelerating outflow is significant. Coins leaving exchanges at an increasing rate, precisely as price attempts a breakout above a major resistance level, suggests holders are choosing to withdraw and hold rather than position to sell into strength. This is the opposite of distribution behavior. Combined with the failed channel breakdown on the 4-hour chart, the exchange reserve data adds a meaningful on-chain dimension to the bullish technical setup. Not only are buyers defending key levels on the chart, but the underlying supply dynamics are tightening at exactly the moment when a breakout attempt is maturing. Source: CryptoQuant The post Ethereum Price Prediction: $2,500 Seems Imminent as ETH Gains 14% Monthly appeared first on CryptoPotato .

2026-04-22 07:31

While Bitcoin presses against recent months’ highs and Ethereum builds a case for a bullish breakout, XRP continues to tell a different story. Trading around $1.44, the altcoin has largely failed to participate in the broader market recovery. This divergence has become one of the defining characteristics of this correction cycle and shows little sign of resolving in the near term. Ripple Price Analysis: The USDT Pair The most striking feature of the USDT chart right now is how aggressively the moving averages are converging toward the current price. The 100-day MA has declined to approximately $1.50, and the 200-day MA is sitting near $1.90. Both moving averages are sloping downward and compressing the available space above, creating a tightening ceiling that will become harder to push through the longer the price remains range-bound beneath it. XRP has been oscillating between roughly $1.20 and $1.60 since February with no directional conviction, and the RSI has been oscillating in the same uninspiring mid-range territory throughout that period. The $1.80 supply band above the 100-day MA remains the first level that would genuinely shift the narrative, but getting there requires clearing the moving average and the channel’s upper boundary. Below, the $1.20 demand zone is the only thing standing between the current price and a psychological and structural breakdown toward $1.00. Source: TradingView The BTC Pair The XRP/BTC ratio is perhaps the most damning chart in the XRP narrative right now. While Bitcoin has broken its descending channel and reclaimed the 100-day MA, XRP/BTC sits at approximately 1,880 sats, languishing near the lows of the entire correction with both the 100-day MA (~2,050 sats) and 200-day MA (~2,150 sats) well above and still declining. The RSI has bounced from the deeply oversold readings seen in early April back toward the 40s, which offers a slim technical case for a short-term bounce on this pair. But the context matters: XRP is failing to outperform Bitcoin even as BTC breaks out and markets are broadly recovering. This is a signal of genuine fundamental weakness rather than simply macro correlation. Until this pair reclaims the 2,000 sats level and begins building above it, XRP remains one of the weakest major assets in the market, regardless of what the price does in dollar terms. Source: TradingView The post Ripple Price Prediction: XRP Stuck in a Range, $1.20 or $2 Next? appeared first on CryptoPotato .

2026-04-22 07:23

The Philippine Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has issued a public advisory warning against engaging with several crypto trading platforms that are not authorized to operate in the country. Among the flagged entities was the widely used decentralized trading platform dYdX. The SEC said it received reports indicating that these platforms have been offering investment opportunities and collecting funds from users in exchange for promises of returns, profits, or interest, activities that fall under regulatory oversight. Without proper registration, investors who use these platforms may face increased risks, including exposure to fraud and a lack of legal recourse in case of disputes. Crypto Crackdown In its notice, the regulator stated that dYdX is not registered with the commission and does not hold the required license to solicit or accept investments from the public. “Records of the Commission show that DYDX IS NOT REGISTERED as a corporation, partnership, or one-person corporation in the Philippines and DOES NOT HAVE THE NECESSARY LICENSE AND/OR AUTHORITY to offer, sell, or distribute securities to the public, or to act as a broker or dealer in securities under Section 28 of the SRC.” The SEC reiterated that under its Crypto-Asset Service Provider (CASP) Rules, all entities offering crypto-related services to investors in the country must first register with the Commission and secure the appropriate licenses. Anyone acting as a salesman, broker, dealer, agent, promoter, recruiter, influencer, endorser, or enabler of dYdX in the Philippines, online or otherwise, may face criminal liability under Section 28 of the Securities Regulation Code (SRC). Violators may be penalized under Section 73 of the SRC with a fine of up to ₱5,000,000, imprisonment of up to 21 years, or both, depending on the court’s ruling. Other Unlicensed Firms Flagged Besides dYdX, the regulators also named Aevo, GTrade (also known as Gains Trade), Pacifica, Orderly, Deriv, and Ostium as unregistered platforms that are not authorized to offer or solicit crypto-asset services or investment opportunities to Filipinos. The SEC urged the public to verify a company’s registration status and to report any suspicious investment activities to its Enforcement and Investor Protection Department. The post dYdX and Crypto Platforms in Hot Water as Philippine SEC Issues Major Investor Alert appeared first on CryptoPotato .

2026-04-22 02:45

Michael Egorov, founder of Curve Finance, has called for the development of industry-wide security standards in decentralized finance, amid a surge in recent hacks originating largely from centralized single points of failure. The KelpDAO exploit is one of the latest examples and ranks among the largest DeFi breaches in recent months, shaking the confidence of market participants. DeFi Security Overhaul In his latest tweet, Egorov went on to explain that many of these incidents are “absolutely preventable” and are increasingly damaging trust in the sector. He pointed to the recent scenario involving Aave, where users were unable to withdraw funds following the exploitation of rsETH, despite multiple entities in the stack, including the protocol itself and infrastructure providers, stating that their systems were functioning as intended. Egorov argued that such blame-shifting highlights a deeper structural issue in DeFi, where reliance on interconnected systems can leave users exposed when any single component fails. He said that risks tied to centralized dependencies should be minimized wherever possible, and when unavoidable, trust should be distributed rather than concentrated. “We should probably come together and develop safety standards for DeFi. How to build safely, and how to verify safety. Probably everyone should bring their best practices, and the projects, auditors, and risk assessment groups should know them.” He proposed that leading ecosystem organizations such as the Ethereum Foundation and the Solana Foundation could play a role in bringing together developers, auditors, and risk experts to establish common safety principles. The Curve founder also suggested that the sector could draw lessons from traditional finance in managing unavoidable centralized risks, even as it continues working toward a more decentralized architecture. DeFi Under Pressure The KelpDAO exploit triggered a significant DeFi downturn, as CryptoPotato previously reported that total value locked plunged across multiple networks within a day, including steep drops on Cosmos Hub. The stolen funds are now being moved, based on findings from ZachXBT and Arkham Intelligence. Data revealed that two major Ethereum transactions were carried out during European trading hours on Tuesday. Part of the stolen crypto is already being transferred between blockchains. A portion was bridged to Bitcoin using Thorchain, while another small share was sent through Umbra, a privacy-focused protocol. The laundering methods resemble past activity linked to the Lazarus Group, which has used similar routes before. The post “Are We an Industry of Clowns?” Curve Founder Blasts DeFi Security Failures appeared first on CryptoPotato .

2026-04-21 23:35

More than 106,000 BTC flowed into Binance deposit addresses on April 21, with another roughly 130,000 BTC hitting OKX, volumes not seen since the tail end of the last bear market, according to on-chain analyst Darkfost. The timing is worth paying attention to, as Bitcoin has been grinding sideways for nearly three months now, and the data suggests the market may be running out of patience before it runs out of sellers. What the Exchange Inflows Signal For context on the numbers, Binance averages around 44,000 BTC in daily deposit-address inflows across the year, and OKX averages around 74,000, meaning Tuesday’s readings were more than double those baselines on both exchanges. Darkfost was clear about what these flows actually represent. When someone decides to sell on an exchange, their Bitcoin typically travels first to a deposit address before the platform sweeps it into its operational wallet. So the spike is not noise; it is a trail left by holders getting ready to sell. He also said that it shows that traders can’t decide whether to be hopeful about a new uptrend or scared of losing more money. But what makes this reading harder to interpret as simply bearish is what Darkfost said alongside it: “In this environment, even minor price fluctuations are enough to rapidly shift market sentiment from extreme fear to strong optimism, while the broader short-term trend remains unchanged.” He closed with the line that probably stuck with most people who read it: “Markets are not always broken by volatility. Sometimes they are exhausted by consolidation.” Looking at derivatives data from that same 24-hour period, it shows that more than 112,000 traders lost money, totaling about $277 million. The biggest loss was a $6.43 million Bitcoin position on Hyperliquid. Macro Pressure Affecting BTC The three-month range did not happen in a vacuum, with BTC essentially tracking geopolitical headlines for weeks. It ran from below $70,500 to $75,000 as ceasefire talks got going the week of April 14, pushed briefly to $76,000, then spent days bouncing between $73,500 and $75,600 before the Strait of Hormuz reopening gave it one last push higher. However, as CryptoPotato reported, the US and Iran resumed strikes against each other over the weekend after Iran once again closed the Strait of Hormuz. Bitcoin had briefly touched $78,400, its highest in ten weeks, after Trump made positive statements about peace talks, then gave most of it back after Iran denied those claims and the military exchanges picked back up. Right now, the asset is trading above $76,000, up more than 2% in the last seven days, per data from CoinGecko. The upticks are more pronounced across longer timeframes, with BTC gaining more than 11% over two weeks and 10% in the last 30 days. But it is still nearly 13% below its level from one year ago and sits close to 40% below its all-time high of over $126,000 achieved in October 2025. The post Bitcoin Inflows to Deposit Wallets Spike to Bear Market Levels, Raising Exhaustion Fears appeared first on CryptoPotato .

2026-04-21 20:37

XRP noted a mild rebound over the past week, as bulls stepped in with steady buying pressure. A strong push lifted the crypto asset towards the $1.50 zone around mid-week before momentum cooled. Sellers attempted to cap gains. After the pullback, it stabilized around $1.43. New on-chain data now paints a strengthening bullish reversal narrative. Breakout Setup Forms XRP appears to be undergoing a structural shift from a bearish to a bullish trend, according to the latest findings by crypto analyst Ali Martinez. On the daily chart, Martinez found that the SuperTrend indicator has flashed a buy signal for the first time since January. This flip points to easing selling pressure and a potential broader trend reversal after months of sustained sell signals. XRP is now facing a major resistance at $1.55, where the crypto asset has repeatedly struggled to break higher. A clean daily close above this level could trigger a relief rally, following which it would target another key resistance of $1.90. Meanwhile, on lower time frames, a symmetrical triangle has formed, which is compressing price into a tight range. This essentially indicates a potential 35% move, as per the analyst’s estimates. Additionally, large holders are also active, as Santiment data shows whales accumulated about 360 million XRP over the past week. Martinez added that supply is being pulled off exchanges, which further validates the bullish setup. It is important to note that the structure remains valid as long as XRP holds support at $1.30, since a failure to hold the level would weaken the bullish outlook and keep XRP trapped in consolidation. Steady Institutional Inflow On the institutional side of things, spot XRP ETF flows tracked by SoSoValue showed seven consecutive days of net inflows. This is the longest straight inflow streak since late February, when similar buying activity was last seen. The data shows that on April 20 alone, spot US XRP ETFs recorded a daily net inflow of $3 million. Total net assets tied to these XRP ETFs now stand at about $1.08 billion. The post This Ripple (XRP) Indicator Turns Bullish After Months: Is a Massive Breakout Coming? appeared first on CryptoPotato .

2026-04-21 18:15