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  • Strategy buys 34,164 bitcoin for $2.54 billion, third-largest purchase on record

    Strategy buys 34,164 bitcoin for $2.54 billion, third-largest purchase on record

    Michael Saylor’s Strategy (MSTR) added 34,164 bitcoin to its treasury over the past week at an average price of about $74,395 per coin, for a total cost of roughly $2.54 billion, according to a Monday filing.

    The purchase brings the company’s total holdings to 815,061 $BTC, acquired for approximately $61.56 billion at an average cost basis of $75,527. With $BTC currently trading at around $75,000, Strategy’s stash is currently break even. Strategy is the world’s largest publicly-listed bitcoin holder. It began acquiring $BTC as a balance sheet asset in 2020.

    Last week’s acquisitions were funded by $2.2 million raised through sales of the company’s preferred stock, Stretch (STRC), and $366 million from common stock offerings.

    MSTR shares are down more than 2.5% in pre-market trading.

  • Coinbase Announces New Regarding Bitcoin (BTC) and Ethereum (ETH)!

    Coinbase Announces New Regarding Bitcoin (BTC) and Ethereum (ETH)!

    Coinbase, the largest cryptocurrency exchange in the US, continues to expand its presence in the UK.

    At this point, Coinbase recently announced the launch of its cryptocurrency-backed lending service in the UK.

    Coinbase stated in a press release that users in the UK can borrow in $USDC using Bitcoin ($BTC), Ethereum ($ETH), and cbETH as collateral.

    Users can borrow $USDC by offering $BTC, $ETH, or cbETH as collateral. Accordingly, Coinbase allows users to borrow up to $5 million in $USDC in exchange for other crypto assets through Morpho on Base.

    The service is offered through Morpho, an open-source lending protocol built on the Base network.

    According to the announcement, users can access the borrowing feature in the Coinbase app’s “Borrow” section by selecting an asset as collateral and specifying the amount of $USDC they wish to borrow. Morpho then transfers the loan to the user’s Coinbase account within seconds, where it can be converted to British pounds or transferred.

    According to the statement, there is no fixed repayment schedule, and borrowers can repay their loans at any time.

    “…There is no fixed repayment schedule, and users will always have the flexibility to choose when they repay their loans.”

    Coinbase’s UK lending product service launched a year after it introduced crypto-backed loans in the US in January 2025. The initial US offering allowed customers to borrow up to $100,000 (currently $5 million) in $USDC using Bitcoin as collateral. This service is available across the US, excluding New York. Starting with Bitcoin, the lending service has now expanded to include Ethereum, XRP, Dogecoin (DOGE), Cardano (ADA), and Litecoin (LTC).

    Coinbase also added that it plans to expand access to cryptocurrency-backed loans to more countries in the near future.

    *This is not investment advice.

  • SiriusXM, ABC News Launch Two New Audio Channels

    SiriusXM, ABC News Launch Two New Audio Channels

    SiriusXM will launch two new channels in collaboration with Disney’s ABC News, expanding its news offering.

    “ABC News Live,” a simulcast of ABC News’ live-streaming service, debuted Monday on Channel 796 and on the SiriusXM app, while “20/20 True Crime” will launch launching coming weeks on Channel 794.

    In addition to the new channels, two ABC News programs will soon be available on SiriusXM’s P.O.T.U.S., found on Channel 124. Both “This Week with George Stephanopoulos” and the “Start Here Weekend” newscast will launch later in the spring.

    ABC News joins other mainstream news outlets, including NBC News, MS NOW, CNBC, Fox News, Bloomberg, BBC World Service and NPR that are already in the company’s content lineup.

    “ABC News Live” delivers breaking news from across the United States and around the world. Listeners can get new developments in politics, weather, health, business, and more. “20/20 True Crime” will serve as a destination for in-depth storytelling from “20/20” and ABC News. The channel will feature narrative podcasts, full episodes of “20/20,” installments of “20/20: The After Show,” and curated cases from the “20/20 True Crime Vault.”

    “This Week with George Stephanopoulos” is anchored by George Stephanopoulos, and co-anchored by Martha Raddatz and Jonathan Karl. The show features newsmaker interviews, in-the-field reporting, and panel discussions. “Start Here Weekend,” hosted by Brad Mielke, dives deeper into the stories driving headlines through in-depth conversations with ABC News correspondents, experts, and newsmakers.

    Starting this weekend, This Week can be heard on P.O.T.U.S. every Sunday at 2pm ET, with Start Here Weekend available on Saturdays at 9am and 6pm ET.

  • European Film Industry Up in Arms Over Planned Creative Europe MEDIA Program Overhaul

    European Film Industry Up in Arms Over Planned Creative Europe MEDIA Program Overhaul

    European trade organizations representing the full film industry sector spectrum are up in arms against the EU Commission’s plans to make major changes to its Creative Europe funding program by combining its culture and media strands under the so-called AgoraEU initiative.

    As the deadline looms for the new 2028-2034 financial framework to be implemented in Brussels, the orgs — which comprise the European Producers Club, Europa Distribution and arthouse cinemas org Cicae — issued a joint statement on Monday “urging the European Parliament” and member states “to preserve the identity and the core objectives of the Creative Europe — MEDIA program” and to reinforce its impact on the entire film value chain and ensure that the “intrinsic and artistic value of culture” remain “at the heart of the program.”

    One crucial bone of contention is that under the planned overhaul, the budget of the MEDIA program —  which supports EU film-TV-videogame development, distribution, training and promotion — would most likely shrink from its current €2.44 billion ($2.8 billion) for 2021-2027 to a total €3.2 billion ($3.7 billion) sum that in 2028-2034 would be allocated to the new MEDIA+ program covering film, TV and video games on the one hand, but also going to the news media sector. This blurs the boundaries and risks jeopardizing some of the film and audiovisual industry support.

    The EU funding overhaul proposal refers generically to “media” bunching together film, TV, video games and also the news, immersive reality and multimedia industries, the trade organizations complained.

    “The word ‘film’ should be reintroduced, to clearly distinguish the film and audiovisual sector from the broader media sector and avoid confusion that could undermine the specificities and independence of each sector,” they said.

    Creative Europe’s MEDIA Program has been a crucial EU film and TV industry driver for the past 35 years.

  • Critical Report for Bitcoin (BTC) and Altcoins! The Table is Good for Bitcoin and Ethereum (ETH), Bad for XRP and This Altcoin!

    Critical Report for Bitcoin (BTC) and Altcoins! The Table is Good for Bitcoin and Ethereum (ETH), Bad for XRP and This Altcoin!

    Bitcoin ($BTC), which surged on Friday following Iran’s reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, climbed above $78,000.

    However, this rise was short-lived. Bitcoin fell again as the US did not lift the blockade despite the opening of the Strait of Hormuz, and in response, Iran attacked a US merchant ship.

    Bitcoin, which had fallen as low as $73,000, rose again to over $75,000, while Coinshares released its cryptocurrency report stating that there was a $1.4 billion inflow last week.

    “Cryptocurrency investment products saw an inflow of $1.4 billion. This marks the third consecutive positive week and the strongest figure since January. With the improvement in risk appetite, Bitcoin surpassed $76,000.”

    Bitcoin ($BTC) Continues to Remain Strong!

    Looking at crypto funds individually, inflows are concentrated in Bitcoin. $BTC experienced inflows of $1.11 million, while the largest altcoin, Ethereum (ETH), saw inflows of $328 million.

    Looking at other altcoins, $XRP experienced an outflow of $56.2 million after strong weeks. Besides $XRP, Solana (SOL) also saw an outflow of $2.3 million, while Sui (SUI) experienced an inflow of $2.2 million and Chainlink (LINK) saw an inflow of $5.3 million.

    “Bitcoin saw $1.11 billion in inflows, bringing total inflows since the beginning of the year to $3.1 billion. Breaking above the $76,000 level represents a significant technical development after two months of sideways movement.”

    There was a modest inflow of $1.4 million into Bitcoin short positions. This indicates that demand for hedging, albeit limited, continues.

    Ethereum experienced its strongest week since January, seeing inflows of $328 million and bringing its total inflows since the beginning of the year to $197 million.

    On the other hand, $XRP Solana recorded outflows of $56 million and $2.3 million respectively.

    Looking at regional fund inflows and outflows, the US ranked first with an inflow of $1.49 billion.

    After the US, Germany ranked second with $28 million in inflows, while Canada came in third with $8.3 million.

    These inflows were followed by Switzerland being the only country to experience outflows, with $137.8 million.

    *This is not investment advice.

  • U.S.-Iran ceasefire ends, Tesla earnings: Crypto Week Ahead

    Crypto heads into the new week with its Friday rally on shakier ground.

    The announced reopening of the Strait of Hormuz sent oil lower and pushed risk assets higher, including bitcoin and the wider crypto market. The opening reversed on Saturday, with Iran firing at ships attempting to pass and the U.S. seizing an Iranian-flagged tanker on Sunday.

    With the ceasefire set to expire by mid-week, traders will be watching whether the risk-on rotation can survive a renewed energy shock.

    The technical level to watch is clear. Luke Nolan, senior ETH research associate at CoinShares, told CoinDesk the follow-through hinges on bitcoin holding its ETF cost basis near $74,000.

    “With Hormuz reopening, oil is off and equities have caught a bid back to ATHs, pulling crypto higher with it,” Nolan said. “Follow-through now hinges on BTC decisively holding above its ETF cost basis (~$74k), which would confirm the risk-on rotation already visible in flows. ETF flows have turned positive the last three sessions, and a pickup in that pace would be supportive of the move higher.”

    A decisive hold above $74,000 into the ceasefire deadline, paired with a fourth straight session of positive ETF inflows, would validate the rotation thesis. A break below would bring volatility back into the sector.

    What to Watch

    (All times ET)

    • Crypto

      • April 30: Comment period on the CFTC’s Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on prediction markets closes.
    • Macro

      • April 20, 7:30 a.m.: Canada Consumer Price Index YoY for March (Prev. 1.8%); Core Rate (Prev. 2.3%)
      • April 21, 1:30 p.m.: Fed Gov. Christopher J. Waller speech on”Modernizing Reserve Bank Operations” at Brookings Institution, Washington, D.C.
      • April 22, 1:00 a.m.: UK Consumer Price Inflation YoY for March (Prev. 3.0%); Core rate (Prev. 3.2%)
      • April 22, 7:30 p.m.: Japan S&P Global Services PMI Flash for April (Prev. 53); Manufacturing PMI (Prev. 51.6)
      • April 23, 7:30 a.m.: Canada Producer Price Index YoY for MArch (Prev. 5.4%); MoM (Prev. 0.4%)
      • April 23,7:30 a.m.: U.S. Initial Jobless Claims for week ending April 18 (Prev. 207K)
      • April 23, 8:45 a.m.: U.S. S&P Global Flash U.S. Manufacturing PMI for April (Prev. 52.3); Services PMI (Prev. 49.8)
      • April 23, 3:30 p.m.: U.S. Fed Balance Sheet for period ending April 22 (Prev. $6.71T)
      • April 23, 6:30 p.m.: Japan Consumer Price Index YoY for March (Prev. 1.3%); Core CPI (Prev. 1.6%)
      • April 24, 3:00 a.m.: Germany Ifo Business Climate for April (Prev. 86.4)
      • April 24, 9 a.m.: U.S. Michigan Consumer Sentiment Final for April est. 47.6 (Prev. 53.3)
    • Earnings (Estimates based on FactSet data where available)

      • April 22: Tesla (TSLA), pre-market, $0.3
      • April 22: CME Group (CME), pre-market, $3.29
      • April 23: Nasdaq (NDAQ), pre-market, $0.93

    Token Events

    • Governance Votes & Calls

      • SafeDAO is voting to allocate 5 million SAFE tokens to fund a six-month staking rewards program and interface development for Safenet Beta. Voting ends April 20.
      • Unlock DAO is voting on a payment plan to compensate members for their contributions to the collaboration platform throughout March and April. Voting ends April 20.
      • RootstockCollective DAO is voting on a 20,000 USDRIF grant to fund a security audit for TYKORA Prize Vaults, a no-loss savings protocol. Voting ends April 20.
      • ENS DAO is voting to update its DNSSEC implementation by repointing algorithm 7 to a previously patched contract, adding proper padding validation to correct an omission from a prior security update. Voting ends April 21.
      • Decentraland DAO is voting to overhaul its transparency infrastructure by establishing named ownership for all record-keeping systems, publishing strict maintenance standards, and creating a single accessible portal for the community to locate data. Voting ends April 22.
      • Telcoin Platform Council DAO is voting to allocate 50 million TEL to hire a strategic telecom advisor to drive GSMA adoption. Voting ends April 22.
      • Aavegotchi DAO is voting to appoint nine multi-sig signers for 2026-2027, maintain a 5-of-9 security threshold, set their quarterly compensation at $1,000 in GHST and establish a succession plan. Voting ends April 22.
      • Lightchain AI DAO is voting to explore adding an optional Moonpay fiat on-ramp to its AI chat, focusing on feasibility and risks without committing any funds or approving implementation yet. Voting ends April 23.
      • Gitcoin DAO is voting to claw back remaining unclaimed fees from the discontinued public goods network (PGN). Voting ends April 24.
      • Parallel DAO is voting to begin sunsetting its V2 EUR stablecoin by halting most new issuance and imposing a punitive 50% borrow rate to encourage users to repay their existing debt. Voting ends April 24.
    • Unlocks

      • April 20: LayerZero (ZRO) to unlock 5.35% of its circulating supply worth $48.33 million.
      • April 22: Undeads Games (UDS) to unlock 13.47% of its circulating supply worth $37.09 million.
      • April 23: Toncoin (TON) to unlock 1.47% of its circulating supply worth $49.75 million.
      • April 25: Humanity Protocol (H) to unlock 4.02% of its circulating supply worth around $11.88 million.
      • April 25: Avalanche (AVAX) to unlock 0.39% of its circulating supply worth $15.6 million.
      • April 26: Plasma (XPL) to unlock 3.73% of its circulating supply worth $10.10 million.
    • Token Launches

      • April 21: OpenGradient (OPG) token generation event occurs.
      • April 21: USDAI’s CHIP token to launch.
      • April 22: Wingbits (WINGS) token generation event occurs.

    Conferences

    • April 20–23: Hong Kong Web3 Festival 2026 (Hong Kong)
    • April 20–26: Solana Economic Zone Dubai 2026 (Dubai)
    • April 22-23: VanEck Southern California Blockchain Conference (California)
    • April 23-24: AI & Crypto Fraud and Asset Recovery (London)
  • ‘99% Invisible’ Host Roman Mars to Host New Podcast About American History (Exclusive)

    99% Invisible creator Roman Mars is hosting a new series about the objects that shaped the history of America. 

    The show, A History of the United States in 100 Objects, is produced by SiriusXM and BBC Studios, and will see Mars uncover the stories behind objects such as a gold coin from a shipwreck in 1857 that led to a financial panic, an antebellum schoolbook that became a tool for Black liberation and a small screw that shows how the U.S. created a hidden industrial empire.

    “The history of America can’t be captured in a single story,” Mars said. “So instead, we’re telling one hundred. By looking closely at the things we’ve made – and the things we’ve thrown away – we’re hoping to reveal a richer, more complicated picture of who we are.”

    In addition to the new show, Mars hosts 99% Invisible, a narrative podcast about unnoticed architecture and design, which has led to multiple spin-off series, including Articles of Interest and the 99% Invisible Breakdown of The Power Broker. SiriusXM acquired 99% Invisible in 2021..

    Throughout the new series, Mars will be joined by historians, journalists and podcasters, as well as individuals with personal connections to the stories being told. The lineup includes Radiolab founder Jad Abumrad; Dan Taberski, investigative journalist and host of Hysterical, Song Exploder creator Hrishikesh Hirway; former MythBuster Adam Savage; current Radiolab co-host Latif Nasser and more. 

    The first episode premieres May 19, with weekly episodes following in the “99% Invisible” feed on the SiriusXM app and wherever podcasts are available. 

  • Bitcoin Cracks 7-Month Ceiling. Can Bulls Push It Higher?

    Bitcoin Cracks 7-Month Ceiling. Can Bulls Push It Higher?

    In brief

    • Bitcoin jumped 2.7%, breaking the descending resistance line that had capped every rally since October.
    • Myriad traders have flipped bullish, giving BTC a 69% chance of hitting $84K next.
    • Traders, though, give a new Bitcoin all-time high only a 6.2% chance of happening before July.

    Bitcoin is surging today on a geopolitical trigger few predicted: Iran today announced the Strait of Hormuz (or Strait of Iran, as President Donald Trump now calls it) will remain fully open during the ongoing ceasefire. It sent oil prices tumbling and risk assets surging in tandem.

    Bitcoin climbed above $78,000 intraday on the news before pulling back slightly, while digital asset treasury stocks like Strategy surged more than 10% as BTC’s rise pushed its holdings back out of the red.

    The macro environment had been brutal for most of 2026 with Middle East tensions, inflation fears, a strong dollar, and tight liquidity keeping Bitcoin locked in a grinding descent from its October 2025 peak of $126,000.

    Bulls are praying that changes this week.

    Bitcoin: Breaking the pattern, but not out of danger

    Today’s candlestick on the Bitcoin charts is significant. Bitcoin opened at $75,172 and traders pushed the daily candle up to $77,205—a 2.7% gain on the session, with an intraday high of $78,384.

    That move, modest as it sounds, was key to solidifying the thesis that the descending resistance trendline that had been rejecting Bitcoin at every rally attempt since October 2025 has been, finally, invalidated. For seven months, that line was gravity. This has been the first week Bitcoin trades over that line since the bearish pattern began.

    Since the $126,000 all-time high, Bitcoin has traced a textbook descending channel—lower highs, lower lows, and a string of failed breakout attempts, each capped harder than the last. The yellow trendlines on the chart above show that, for months, Bitcoin registered a compression structure where each bounce got shallower, and each support got tested deeper.

    If the trend had continued uninterrupted, the math was pointing toward $50,000–$55,000 as the logical next support zone. That scenario is now delayed, if not cancelled.

    Indicators are also looking promising for bulls. The Exponential Moving Averages, which give traders a sense of the underlying trend based on smoothed price history, are still bearish with the 50-day EMA sitting below the 200-day EMA—a pattern that traders refer to as a death cross.

    This matters because traders read the death cross as a bearish structural signal: The short-term trend is still weaker than the long-term average, meaning the recovery hasn’t been deep or sustained enough to flip the larger trend. The death cross doesn’t mean Bitcoin falls from here. It means bulls still have a mountain to climb before this is officially a new uptrend.

    But it is the first time since January that the gap between both averages starts to compress.

    The Average Directional Index, or ADX, reads 18.1, which means the current bearish trend is weak. ADX measures trend strength, not direction. A reading below 25 typically tells traders that the market lacks conviction and prices can move, but there’s no real engine behind them yet. Considering the markets have been bearish for almost half the year, a weak ADX means this trend may either be fading away or traders are accumulating as much as possible in this zone.

    The Relative Strength Index, or RSI, is at 67.7, which means Bitcoin is overbought but still in a manageable zone. RSI measures the speed and magnitude of price changes on a scale of 0–100. Above 70 is traditionally considered overbought—territory where traders begin locking in profits. At 67.7, Bitcoin is close to that line but hasn’t crossed it yet, leaving some room for continuation before the technical pressure to sell intensifies.

    The vertical lines in the background in the Bitcoin chart above show the squeeze momentum indicator (which tells when prices compress before a major spike in either direction) has been released, with positive momentum.

    Predictions on Myriad

    On Myriad, a prediction market developed by Decrypt‘s parent company Dastan, traders are leaning bullish on Bitcoin’s next major move. Right now, Myriad traders are placing 69% odds on Bitcoin hitting $84K before dropping to $55K. The gap in favor of a Bitcoin pump is the widest it’s been since the market debuted back in early February.

    But the same crowd is sober about timelines. A separate Myriad market gives Bitcoin only a 6% chance of hitting a new all-time high before July.

    Overall, in an optimistic scenario, Bitcoin holds above the broken trendline (now acting as support around $74,000–$75,000), and the ADX begins climbing above 20–25. If bears take over again, a new rejection, combined with RSI rolling over from near-overbought levels, sends Bitcoin back to test the support area. A break below that turns the broken resistance back into resistance, invalidating the breakout.

    Disclaimer

    The views and opinions expressed by the author are for informational purposes only and do not constitute financial, investment, or other advice.

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  • Nearly $1 billion in bitcoin ETF inflows power bull case as Kelp hack fuels DeFi jitters

    Nearly $1 billion in bitcoin ETF inflows power bull case as Kelp hack fuels DeFi jitters

    Market dynamics continue to paint a bullish picture for bitcoin even as Iran-related developments and DeFi hacks dominate headlines.

    U.S.-listed spot ETFs pulled in $663 million on Friday, the most since Jan. 15. Total inflows reached $996 million last week, up from $786 million the week prior, according to data source SoSoValue. This points to strong institutional interest in the largest cryptocurrency.

    For a meaningful price rally to emerge, it’s a trend that needs to be sustained.

    “ETF flow regimes provide a secondary read: Sustained inflows signal structural demand, while intermittent flows indicate tactical positioning, with consistency mattering more than magnitude,” said Timothy Misir, head of research at BRN, in an email.

    Bitcoin is trading just above $75,000 after hitting highs above $78,000 on Friday, according to CoinDesk data. The prices has largely held steady over the past 24 hours. Similar patterns are evident in ether (ETH), $XRP ($XRP), Solana ($SOL) and other major tokens.

    DeFi platform Aave’s AAVE token has dropped 1% to $90 as the protocol faces collateral damage from the weekend hack of KelpDAO. The DeFi dominance rate, which measures the share of DeFi coins in the total crypto market value, has held flat at around 3%.

    “The pressure on the leading cryptocurrency is linked to negative reactions in stock markets to news about Iran, which has reduced risk appetite. BTC has lagged significantly behind equities in recent days, building potential but not yet moving to realize it,” Alex Kuptsikevich, the chief market analyst at FxPro, said in an email.

    According to the latest reports, the U.S. attacked and seized an Iranian cargo ship attempting to bypass restrictions on Iran’s ports.

    Meanwhile, traders are actively building short positions, betting against a breakout. This could fuel a “short squeeze” if prices hold steady, forcing traders to cover bearish bets and potentially pushing spot prices higher. Stay alert!

    Read more: For analysis of today’s activity in altcoins and derivatives, see Crypto Markets Today . For a comprehensive list of events this week, see CoinDesk’s “Crypto Week Ahead.”

    What’s trending

    • The $292 million Kelp exploit: how it happened, and what it means for DeFi (CoinDesk): Aave saw about a $6.6 billion drop in total value locked on the protocol as users yanked assets following the incident, raising “bank run” concerns. The token linked with the protocol fell about 15%.
    • Hack at Vercel sends crypto developers scrambling to lock down API keys (CoinDesk): The incident is drawing scrutiny because Vercel underpins front-end infrastructure for many crypto apps and is the primary steward of Next.js, one of the most widely used web development frameworks.
    • Hormuz traffic at standstill as U.S. vessel seizure widens risk (Bloomberg): Commercial traffic through the strait is at a virtual standstill after a brief reopening over the weekend ended with the first U.S. seizure of an Iranian vessel. A fragile truce is due to expire at the end of Tuesday.
    • Stocks are back at records, but bond investors haven’t joined the party (The Wall Street Journal): While the S&P 500 and Nasdaq composite indexes are at all-time highs, worries about lasting damage to Middle East energy infrastructure have kept longer-dated oil futures well above their prewar levels.

    Today’s signal

    The chart shows weekly price swings in solana ($SOL), with each candle showing a full week of trading activity, including the opening, closing, high and low prices.

    One level stands out: $95.16, the low registered in April.

    $SOL has remained below that level for 11 consecutive weeks after dropping below it in early February. In technical analysis, a level that previously acted as “support,” a price floor where buying interest tends to emerge, often becomes “resistance” once it is broken. That means traders who previously bought around that level may now look to sell if prices revisit it, limiting upside momentum.

    The fact that $SOL has not yet climbed back points to a sustained bearish sentiment and potential for deeper losses. The next major support is seen directly at $50.

    A strong move above that level, backed by a surge in trading volumes, is needed to invalidate the bearish outlook.