The Bank for International Payments (BIS), which is skeptical of Bitcoin (BTC) and cryptocurrencies, shares no different view regarding stablecoins.
According to Reuters, BIS Managing Director Pablo Hernandez de Cos expressed his concerns about stablecoins while speaking at a Bank of Japan (BOJ) seminar in Japan.
BIS Director General Cos stated that dollar-denominated stablecoins like Tether ($USDT) and $USDC are by nature more similar to exchange-traded funds (ETFs) than to cash. Cos warned that stablecoins are closer to investment products than cash and could pose a significant threat to financial stability if they continue to grow.
Cos specifically stated that the current structure of dollar-indexed stablecoins, such as $USDT and $USDC, is not suitable for use as a payment method and does not meet the necessary requirements.
The BIS director general also added that because stablecoin issuers’ reserves consist of short-term government bonds and bank deposits, market instability could lead to large capital outflows and subsequent chain reactions.
“Because the reserve assets held by stablecoin issuers consist of short-term government bonds or bank deposits, in stressful situations, if large-scale repayment demands arise, they may be forced to urgently sell these assets or put pressure on banks’ financing conditions.”
Finally, Cos emphasized the need for global cooperation on regulation, adding that if dollar-indexed stablecoins grow large enough to compete with fiat currencies, it could have a negative impact on both financial stability and global economic policy.
Ethereum is showing two signs of strength at the same time. One chart shows the first bullish SuperTrend flip in more than a year, while another shows $ETH still holding a long term support curve that keeps the $8,000 cycle target in play.
Ethereum SuperTrend Turns Bullish After More Than a Year
Ali Charts says Ethereum’s SuperTrend indicator has flipped bullish for the first time in over a year. The chart shows that shift clearly. $ETH is trading near $2,312, while the new buy signal appears around the $1,675 area after a long period of bearish trevnd signals.
Ethereum Daily Chart. Source: TradingView / Ali Charts on X
This matters because the SuperTrend indicator is designed to track broader trend direction, not small short term moves. On this chart, the last bullish phase led into Ethereum’s rise toward the $4,000 to $5,000 range. Then the indicator turned bearish near the top and stayed negative through the long decline and choppy recovery.
Now the signal has changed again. That does not guarantee a major breakout, but it does show that Ethereum has moved back above a level that had capped the trend for months. As long as $ETH holds above the flipped support zone, the chart supports a stronger medium term recovery case rather than another brief relief rally.
Ethereum Long Term Trendline Keeps $8,000 Target in View
James argues that Ethereum can still reach $8,000, and the chart shows why that view remains active. On the weekly chart, $ETH is sitting near a rising long term trendline that has supported the market through several major cycles since 2016.
Ethereum / U.S. Dollar Weekly Chart. Source: TradingView / James on X
That trendline is the key feature here. Ethereum has returned to it after failing to hold the higher range above $3,000. Even so, the chart does not show a full structural breakdown yet. Instead, it shows price testing a support curve that has remained intact across multiple years.
The $8,000 level on the chart is a long term upside marker, not a near term target. For that scenario to stay credible, Ethereum needs to keep defending the current trend support and then rebuild momentum from this area. If that happens, the broader cycle structure would still allow another leg higher. If support breaks decisively, the long term bullish case would weaken.
Bang Si-hyuk, the founder and chairman of K-pop powerhouse Hybe — the agency home of supergroup BTS — is facing possible arrest after South Korean police moved Tuesday to secure a warrant for his detention in connection with an ongoing investigation into the company’s 2020 initial public offering.
According to reports across the Korean media, the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency’s financial crimes investigation unit said it has booked Bang on charges of fraudulent and unfair trading and is moving to take him into custody. The agency alleges that he violated South Korea’s Capital Markets Act and secured roughly 190 billion won ($129 million) in illicit gains during Hybe’s IPO process.
At the heart of the case is a private equity arrangement that police allege was structured to mislead early Hybe investors. Seoul authorities have said Bang deceived early shareholders ahead of the agency’s listing by steering them to sell their stakes to a private equity fund linked to his associates — then received about 30 percent of the fund’s profits under a prior agreement after Hybe went public. Bang has previously denied any wrongdoing.
The move comes just a day after Seoul police commissioner Park Jung-bo said during a press briefing that the investigation into Bang was “essentially complete” and would be wrapped up soon. Bang has been barred from leaving South Korea since August of last year as the probe has progressed.
Hybe has not yet released a public response to Tuesday’s developments. The company’s shares fell as much as 2.9 percent in trading following news of the warrant request.
The probe dates to December 2024, when South Korea’s financial authorities began examining whether Bang had entered into undisclosed profit-sharing agreements ahead of Hybe’s IPO. Police raided Hybe’s Seoul headquarters in July 2025, and Bang voluntarily returned to South Korea the following month to cooperate. In December, the Seoul Southern District Court approved a provisional seizure of his Hybe shares worth 156.8 billion won (approximately $118 million).
The potential arrest represents an extraordinary moment for one of the most influential figures in the global music industry. Bang, 53, founded Big Hit Entertainment — Hybe’s predecessor — in 2005 after splitting from JYP Entertainment, where he had worked alongside founder Park Jin-young as one of the company’s first employees, earning the nickname “Hitman Bang” for his chart-topping prowess as a composer and producer. Big Hit had its ups and downs and even came close to bankruptcy in 2007 —before Bang reoriented the company around a promising new boy band he signed the following decade: BTS.
Following its debut in 2013, BTS went on to become the biggest pop act in the world, smashing barriers for East Asian entertainers and becoming the first Korean group to hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. The band is now in the early stages of a sold-out global comeback tour in support of Arirang, its first album in nearly four years.
BTS’s commercial success has transformed Big Hit into a global pop empire. The company went public on the Korea Exchange in October 2020 in what was then South Korea’s largest IPO in three years, and rebranded as Hybe in 2021. Under Bang, the company has acquired a sprawling roster of local labels. In 2021, it paid $1.05 billion to acquire Scooter Braun’s Ithaca Holdings, picking up Justin Bieber and Ariana Grande’s management rights. It has since added Atlanta hip-hop label Quality Control and moved into Latin music.
Today, Hybe is easily the most dominant force in K-pop. According to some local estimates, Bang’s Hybe stake alone is worth as much as 4.8 trillion won ($3.6 billion), making him the only self-made billionaire in the Korean entertainment industry.
The King of Pop is back! Well, kinda. The first reactions to the much-anticipated Michael Jackson biopic Michael have hit social media after the film’s U.S. premiere in Los Angeles on Monday night.
The Antoine Fuqua-directed feature actually had its world premiere in Berlin on April 10, but social media reaction from American press has been limited. Full critics reviews for Michael drop on April 22, with the film released in theaters worldwide on April 24.
The first official biopic of the late Michael Jackson, Michael tells the story of the music phenomenon from his early Motown days performing with his brothers in the Jackson 5 to his breakout as a solo artist. There has been much speculation about whether the film will include the more controversial aspects of Jackson’s singular life.
The long-gestating Lionsgate film notably has the rights to use Jackson’s music, and is produced by Graham King, the man behind the four-time Oscar-winning Freddie Mercury/Queen biopic Bohemian Rhapsody which made a massive $911 million at the global box office.
Michael is led by Jaafar Jackson (Jackson’s nephew and son of Jermaine Jackson) who plays the singer during his transition from a member of an immensely popular boy band to becoming the era-defining solo artist the world fell in love with. The young Michael is played Juliano Krue Valdi. The cast also includes Colman Domingo as Michael’s father Joe Jackson, Nia Long as Michael’s mother Katherine Jackson and Miles Teller as John Branca, an entertainment lawyer and manager.
Lauren Farrier plays the music exec Suzanne de Passe, Kendrick Sampson plays legendary producer Quincy Jones, Larenz Tate plays the all-powerful Motown chief Berry Gordy, Liv Symone plays singer Gladys Knight and Kevin Shinick plays TV legend Dick Clark.
Michael’s brothers, both older and younger versions are played by: Jamal R. Henderson (Jermaine) and Jayden Harville (young Jermaine); Tre Horton (Marlon) and Jaylen Lyndon Hunter (young Marlon); Rhyan Hill (Tito) and Judah Edwards (young Tito); Joseph David-Jones (Jackie) and Nathaniel Logan McIntyre (young Jackie); with Jessica Sula playing Michael’s older sister La Toya Jackson. Janet Jackson does not feature in the film.
See the early social media reaction to Michael below.
MICHAEL is an extraordinarily sanitized, overly audience-friendly music biopic that makes Bohemian Rhapsody look like a complex, nuanced character study. With the dramatic depth of a Wikipedia article, the film introduces but fails to even remotely explore fascinating aspects of… pic.twitter.com/eCPTUTmVeX
— The HoloFiles – Movie/TV News & Reviews (@theholofiles) April 21, 2026
#MichaelMovie is the best musical biopic I’ve ever seen, and it’s fitting for arguably the greatest performer of all time. What separates this film is the fact that Jaafar is LITERALLY MICHAEL. It’s insane. Gorgeously shot, beautifully performed, but the music is the legacy.… pic.twitter.com/xARVCiUAAD
— Jonathan Sim @ CinemaCon! (@TheJonathanSim) April 21, 2026
Jaafar Jackson embodies MJ to perfection. The performances feel so real, you forget you’re watching a movie, it feels like you’re at a Michael Jackson concert.Musical nostalgia at its best. See it in IMAX for the full experience! #michaelmoviepic.twitter.com/jVwrVjvhNz
Not only is #MichaelMovie the best musicial biopic of all time. It’s a reminder that Michael Jackson brings everyone together. Jaafar Jackson is Michael Jackson and Coleman Domingo is terrific. Cried Multiple times this an experience not just a movie. pic.twitter.com/hG6PdQDWmO
#MichaelMovie brought me back to the awe & wow I felt when first discovering Michael’s music as a kid. Jaafar Jackson nails the role. Colman Domingo is a chilling presence. Fan bias aside it can feel safe/surface level while just playing the greatest hits. Still really enjoyed it pic.twitter.com/22r1vaucl4
#michaelmovie is easily one of the most entertaining biopics in recent memory. Jaafar Jackson is an unreal revelation, embodying this music icon in every way imaginable. The music sequences vibrate, Domingo is an unbridled force of nature, and to say it will please fans of the… pic.twitter.com/L33hju7Oyl
Jaafar Jackson is a star to watch, but for a biopic about MJ breaking free from his father and trying to express himself creatively, #MichaelMovie feels controlled to the point that we can practically see the heads of his estate pulling the strings. pic.twitter.com/MI6v05oJhd
— Nick Spake (Cartoon Contender) (@NSpake) April 21, 2026
I’m still gathering my thoughts, but the #michaelmovie was incredible. Jaafar, Colman, Nia… Academy Award worthy. If you go in looking for a caricature of Michael Jackson, you will be “disappointed” because that’s not who he was. If you go in with an open mind, you’ll walk away…
MICHAEL presents an overly audience-friendly take on Michael Jackson’s life story (only up until the release of “Bad”) that will work for the masses and devoted fans eager to watch one of the world’s largest entertainers at the peak of his popularity “play the hits” and find the… pic.twitter.com/CS2Q1HpbGP
You won’t stop until you get enough of #MichaelMovie, an absolute thriller of a movie that speaks to the human nature of Michael Jackson.
It’ll have you smiling throughout and tearing up when you need to and is arguably one of the best musical biopics. It doesn’t do anything… pic.twitter.com/FhZ5hz262d
— Christopher Rates It 🦦 (@LuminousDagger) April 20, 2026
Jaafar Jackson delivers a truly remarkable performance in #Michael, embodying the spirit, the ambition and the physicality of Michael Jackson in a way that’s dazzling to watch. The kid is so good, and longtime fans will adore this film.
#Michael features two absolutely smashing performances, Jaafar Jackson is ELECTRIC in his role, while Colman Domingo is monstrous as Joe Jackson. The ending leaves a bit to be desired, but the journey there is fascinating and fitting of the greatest entertainer of our time. pic.twitter.com/SlZITFVrn6
Led by veteran guard McCollum, the Atlanta Hawks staged a late comeback to upset New York Knicks to tie their playoff series 1-1.
Published On 21 Apr 202621 Apr 2026
CJ McCollum scored six of his game-high 32 points in the final two-plus minutes on Monday night for the visiting Atlanta Hawks, who stormed back from an eight-point deficit in the last five minutes to stun the New York Knicks 107-106 in Game 2 of their Eastern Conference first-round series.
The Hawks ended on a 15-6 run to even the best-of-seven series at a game apiece. Game 3 is scheduled for Thursday night in Atlanta.
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The Hawks, whose only lead before their concluding surge was at 36-35, trailed by as many as 14 points in the third quarter. Atlanta fell behind 100-92 when Jalen Brunson hit a floater with 5:26 left.
The teams traded empty possessions before Atlanta scored on its next three possessions to pull within 100-99 on Jalen Johnson’s layup with 3:25 remaining. McCollum drove past Brunson for the go-ahead layup with 2:08 left.
New York’s OG Anunoby missed two free throws, and McCollum hit a short jumper, after which Brunson sank a 3-pointer to tie the score at 103-103. McCollum committed a turnover, and Brunson missed a mid-range jumper before McCollum put the Hawks ahead for good with a fadeaway jumper from the left baseline with 33.5 seconds left.
Nickeil Alexander-Walker blocked Brunson’s shot and fed Johnson for a dunk to put the Hawks up 107-103 with 10.2 seconds left. Following a timeout, Brunson hit a 3-pointer that circled around the rim and went in, after which McCollum was fouled by Hart but missed both free throws.
The Knicks had a timeout left, but they pushed the ball up the court, and Hart dished to Mikal Bridges, who missed a 12-foot attempt for the win from the left wing as time expired.
The Hawks shot 72.2 percent (13-for-18) in the fourth, while the Knicks shot just 22.7 percent (5-for-22).
Jonathan Kuminga had 19 points off the bench for the Hawks, while Johnson (17 points) and Onyeka Okongwu (15 points) also got into double figures.
Brunson scored 29 points for the Knicks. Hart recorded 15 points and 13 rebounds, while Karl-Anthony Towns had 18 points. Anunoby finished with 14 points, and Mitchell Robinson scored 13 points off the bench. Bridges added 10 points.
CJ McCollum #3 finished with a game-high 32 points in Game 2 [Nathaniel S Butler/Getty Images via AFP]
On Monday night’s episode of “The Daily Show,” Jon Stewart poked fun at President Donald Trump for some unusual behavior during a bill signing.
Stewart opened the show by explaining that Trump “did a solid” by signing a bill that fast-tracks the “FDA process for novel psychedelic drug treatments for veterans suffering from all forms of PTSD and other psychiatric conditions, including addiction.”
The show then cut to Trump in the Oval Office talking about a study on the psychoactive drug ibogaine, which showed that, in the president’s words, users “experienced an 80% to 90% reduction in symptoms of depression and anxiety within one month.” Trump then joked, “Can I have some, please? I’ll take it. I’ll take it, whatever it takes.”
“Oh wow. He’s depressed, too,” Stewart quipped. “Hey, don’t be depressed, sir. Trump won’t be president forever. But I have to say, there are little moments in these Oval Office gatherings that are somewhat revelatory of the president’s psyche, and really a good starting place for any accredited mental health professional.”
Back at the Oval Office, Trump said to a room full of aides, “I don’t have time to be depressed. If you stay busy enough, maybe that works too. That’s what I do.”
“I don’t think Donald Trump should treat that with hallucinogens, but if he did, would we even notice?” Stewart said. “If he took them, he’d be like, ‘They’re eating the cats and dogs! Right near my beautiful ballroom. By the way, did you know I’m Jesus?’”
He added, “You know what, though? Maybe he’s already taken them, given how intensely he focused on the signing of this bill. I mean, he signed the shit out of this bill.”
Stewart then cut back to Trump, who took his time signing the psychedelics bill before saying, “That’s a good one. See that, Joe? You think Biden can do that?”
“’Have you ever really looked at your signature, on weed?’” Stewart joked. “And look, I think this is a good thing that he did, and this is not political, but that was weird as shit the way he signed that.”
A new integration between LI.FI and Soneium have been announced to streamline access to decentralized finance (DeFi) yield opportunities for developers and teams. The partnership brings in LI.FI Earn as an infrastructure layer in the Soneium ecosystem, which provides a single platform to internally integrate yield onchain across many protocols and blockchains.
Something Soneium builders may find useful 👇@lifiprotocol Earn is a new infrastructure layer aimed at teams looking to integrate onchain yield capabilities. Rather than managing multiple vault integrations independently, teams may find value in a unified approach spanning 20+… pic.twitter.com/AAlnVIj4x7
— Soneium 💿 (@soneium) April 20, 2026
The shift is part of a wider trend in the industry to become more abstract with complex operations behind the scenes being simplified into single entry points to developers. Unlike having teams combine many extent vault protocols separately, LI.FI Earn provides access through a single interface and has minimal technical overhead.
Unified Access Across Chains and Protocols
LI.FI Earn is created to handle an assortment of 20 or more vault protocols and 60 or more blockchain networks, as well as one of the broader ecosystems of yield aggregation solutions available today. With the Soneium adoption, developers now have access to a plethora of yield opportunities without having to construct dedicated integrations per protocol.
Such a single-market strategy is especially timely in a disaggregated DeFi, where liquidity and yield platforms are fragmented across a wide variety of ecosystems. With LI.FI Earn, teams based on Soneium can provide users with a convenient entry point to these opportunities via a single entry point, enhancing their efficiency and experience.
Meanwhile, flexibility is also one of the basic elements of the system. Selection of protocol and user eligibility have full configuration, so that integrating teams can customize yield offerings to their application needs or compliance requirements.
Built-In Optimization Features for Developers
Beyond aggregation, LI.FI Earn also provides a variety of in-built capabilities which are designed to enhance the efficiency of transactions and minimize risk. These are gas estimation systems, slip protection systems, and automated structuring of transactions.
These attributes are essential in DeFi experience, where changing costs and asset prices can have important consequences on users. The implementation of these safeguards at the infrastructure layer, LI.FI Earn reduces the end user development work and increases end-user reliability.
This strategy is in line with the overall objective of Soneium to make blockchain development more approachable. Supported by Sony via Sony Block Solutions Labs Soneium is dedicated to empowering creators and developers to develop scalable, user friendly decentralized applications.
Seamless Cross-Chain Deposit Flows
A notable feature of the integration is how it can manage cross-chain deposit flows. Conventionally, users have to do several operations manually: swapping tokens, transferring assets between chains, and ultimately depositing the assets in yield protocols. The steps add friction and risk.
LI.FI Earn is an attempt to summarize all this in one flow that is handled at the infrastructure level. The system has automated the chain swap → bridge → deposit sequencing so that users are able to transfer the assets across chains and into yielding strategies with little effort.
This will not only increase user experience but also minimize chances of mistakes when making multi-step transactions. To developers, it does not require them to create intricate workflows but lets them concentrate on the essential features of the product instead.
Implications for the Soneium Ecosystem
The integration of LI.FI Earn makes Soneium a more developer-friendly blockchain solution. It reduces the cost of integrating DeFi, allowing more applications to gain access to yield generating features, including wallets, financial services providers and more.
With the increasing rivalry of blockchain ecosystems, improvements of this kind at the infrastructure level may be decisive in enticing developers. Easier access to cross-chain liquidity and yield strategies are also a major distinction that is becoming more prominent.
$ASTEROID’s extraordinary run changed the conversation. A token that sat at a $50,000 market cap before Elon Musk replied to a girl’s SpaceX mascot request briefly touched a $20 million market cap within hours and posted a 68,428% weekly gain according to CoinGecko data before pulling back roughly 40%.
The question traders are now asking is if $ASTEROID can do that, what moves next? Two tokens are being mentioned with increasing frequency in memecoin communities: Amaterasu Omikami (OMIKAMI) and RyuJin (RYU).
The Case for OMIKAMI and RyuJin
One expert who has covered OMIKAMI over three years pointed to the $ASTEROID move as evidence that the memecoin supercycle has further to run. His conviction is rooted in the longevity of both projects rather than short-term momentum.
Both tokens have been active for nearly two years with what the analyst describes as organic community growth rather than manufactured hype. The ecosystem is allegedly connected to Ryoshi, the pseudonymous figure behind Shiba Inu, though that attribution remains unverified and disputed within parts of the community.
OMIKAMI currently trades at approximately $0.007112 with a market cap of $6.73 million. RyuJin sits at $0.000000002961 with a $2.85 million market cap. Both the tokens are up by more than 13%.
The $ASTEROID Parallel
The analyst drew a direct comparison between OMIKAMI’s current position and where $ASTEROID sat before its viral moment. Both had a story. Both had a community. $ASTEROID had a single external catalyst that lit the fuse.
The structural difference is the nature of that catalyst. $ASTEROID moved because of a verifiable two-word reply from one of the world’s most followed public figures. OMIKAMI’s anticipated catalyst is expected to come from within the ecosystem itself, potentially a new communication from Ryoshi or a product announcement tied to a planned blockchain and debit card infrastructure the project has been developing.
The Broader Macro Setup
The analyst also said that the broader market context is constructive for memecoin activity. Bitcoin is retesting a breakout level on the four-hour chart and Ethereum is approaching key resistance. Both are approaching moves that have historically preceded altcoin and memecoin cycles.
The CLARITY Act, a potential new Fed chair and stablecoin yield legislation are all cited as macro catalysts that could inject significant fresh liquidity into crypto broadly.
During a recent interview with Entertainment Tonight, the actress said she had gotten herself into a situation when she accidentally parked at an upscale hotel in New York City for the table read of the 2001 rom-com, starring McConaughey and Jennifer Lopez. Greer played Penny, the latter’s best friend in the film.
“I valeted my car; I didn’t know any better,” Greer said of when she arrived at the Roosevelt Hotel. “I didn’t have enough money to get my car out of the valet because I was so broke.”
She continued, “I was on the pay phone in the lobby, calling my friend Sean Gunn [Gilmore Girls and Guardians of the Galaxy actor], and Matthew McConaughey overheard me and gave me $20. I was so mortified, but also: my hero.”
The film, directed by Adam Shankman, follows Mary Fiore (Lopez), San Francisco’s most successful wedding planner, who books the biggest wedding of her career. But when she realizes she’s unknowingly fallen in love with the groom, Steve Edison (McConaughey), she has to decide if she’s going to help get him down the aisle to his fiancée or if she’ll finally get to be the bride.
When reflecting on her time filming The Wedding Planner, Greer said she remembers “how lovely Matthew McConaughey was. I loved seeing him in hair and makeup every morning, because he had pajamas on and a Yerba mate [tea]. I haven’t worked with him since, but I have a feeling not much has changed.”
After the film was a box office success, Greer went on to book roles in other rom-coms, including 13 Going on 30 and 27 Dresses.
