News linked to this event type.
Garrett Jin, agent of “1011 Insider Whale,” published an analysis stating that the U.S. government announced a full naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, effective 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time on April 13, prohibiting all vessels from entering or departing Iranian ports. This measure aims to cut off Iran’s oil revenue derived from this energy hub and reverse its current economic advantage in the ongoing conflict. Over the past six weeks, Iran has levied steep fees on vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz and restricted energy exports for certain countries, triggering significant volatility in both cryptocurrency markets and global oil prices. The U.S. action is expected to impact market risk pricing for major crypto assets, including Bitcoin and Ethereum. The analysis notes that although the U.S. holds the initiative, Iran may continue exporting oil by escalating the conflict, relying on Chinese support, and utilizing decentralized gray markets—meaning war risks and market volatility will persist.
The Kansas City Federal Reserve’s latest analysis indicates that stablecoins currently serve primarily as tools for cryptocurrency trading and liquidity provision within the financial ecosystem, rather than as mainstream payment instruments. According to the report, approximately 49% of stablecoin supply supports trading liquidity on centralized exchanges, decentralized finance (DeFi) protocols, and broader crypto infrastructure; 29% is used for wallet-to-wallet transfers or internal fund operations; and 21% remains idle—with less than 1% actually deployed for real-world payments. The report notes that, as natively crypto-designed instruments, stablecoins face constraints in cross-chain interoperability and integration with traditional financial systems, hindering their large-scale adoption for payments. Although payment processors such as Mastercard and Visa announced support for related technologies in 2026, stablecoin-based payment use cases remain in their infancy. Future development hinges on resolving critical challenges including interoperability, regulatory compliance, and identity verification.
According to official data, the AINFT platform has officially surpassed 700,000 users. The continuously growing user base—combined with the ongoing iteration and enhancement of its AI model capabilities—is accelerating AINFT’s emergence as one of the leading AI platforms in the Web3 space. Currently, AINFT has opened access to production-ready AI models for users and fully supports the execution of on-chain automated workflows, enabling an ultra-fast closed loop from creative conception to on-chain implementation. Leveraging its rapidly expanding community and open technical architecture, AINFT will continue lowering the barriers to Web3 AI adoption, empowering more innovative applications to deploy efficiently.
Shin Hyun Song, candidate for Governor of the Bank of Korea, stated on April 13 that central bank digital currency (CBDC) and deposit tokens—digital tokens issued by commercial banks based on CBDC—should serve as the core of the digital currency ecosystem. Shin Hyun Song noted that while he supports the introduction of won-denominated stablecoins, maintaining monetary trust remains the top priority. He believes stablecoins play a positive role in areas such as asset tokenization and programmability, and may complement or compete with deposit tokens in the future. Regarding the issuers of won stablecoins, he recommended initially permitting bank-led consortia, followed by gradual inclusion of non-bank institutions to ensure regulatory compliance. On the view that stablecoins could enhance foreign exchange transaction efficiency, he emphasized the need for careful assessment of whether blockchain technology can effectively meet relevant regulatory requirements.
According to the official announcement, Bitget’s preSPAX VIP-exclusive airdrop registration is now officially open. The first round of the airdrop is available to users who were already Bitget VIPs before April 13 at 10:00 (UTC+8). The total airdrop pool for this round is 760 preSPAX tokens. Eligible users must complete registration via the “VIP Center” on the homepage and maintain their VIP status before April 15 at 23:59 (UTC+8). Airdrop rewards will be distributed based on users’ VIP tiers and will be issued on April 16. The second round of the airdrop is open to users who newly upgrade to VIP status between April 13 at 10:00 and April 19 at 23:59 (UTC+8). The total airdrop pool for this round is 190 preSPAX tokens, with allocation determined by users’ VIP tier at the end of the campaign period. Rewards for this round will be distributed on April 20. For more details, please refer to the official Bitget platform.
According to Cointelegraph, researchers from the University of California recently revealed security risks in certain third-party AI large language model (LLM) routers that could lead to the theft of cryptocurrency assets. The study found that LLM routers—acting as API intermediaries—can read plaintext information; some routers were discovered injecting malicious code and stealing credentials. The research team tested 28 paid and 400 free routers, identifying nine routers that actively injected malicious code, two that deployed trigger-avoidance mechanisms, and 17 that accessed Amazon Web Services (AWS) credentials. One router even transferred ETH using the researchers’ Ethereum private key. The study notes that malicious behavior by routers is difficult to detect, and the “YOLO mode” present in some AI agent frameworks—which automatically executes commands—further increases security risks. Researchers recommend that developers avoid transmitting private keys or mnemonic phrases through AI agents and urge AI companies to implement cryptographic signing of responses to enhance security.
According to Cointelegraph, the European Central Bank (ECB) has endorsed the EU’s proposal to transfer financial market regulation—including oversight of crypto-asset service providers (CASPs)—from national regulatory authorities to a centralized EU-level regulator.
According to the official announcement, Binance will suspend GLMR token deposits and withdrawals on the Moonbeam network at 20:00 (UTC+8) on April 13, 2026, to support its network upgrade. The project team will carry out the network upgrade at block height 15,190,604 (expected at 21:00 UTC+8 on April 13, 2026).
At the current price, if this address did not sell upon transferring into Aster, the holding return is approximately 462%, with an unrealized profit of about $86,000.
Based on previous patterns, Strategy always discloses its Bitcoin purchases the day after related announcements are made.
According to CoinDesk, as North Korea’s infiltration methods targeting the cryptocurrency industry grow increasingly sophisticated, security experts point out that North Korea’s cryptocurrency theft activities differ fundamentally from those of other state-sponsored hacking groups—both in motive and methodology—making it one of the most dangerous threats facing the cryptocurrency ecosystem.
Eligible users can claim the airdrop using Binance Alpha Points on the Alpha campaign page after trading begins.
X Product Lead Nikita Bier announced that, during this creator revenue-sharing cycle, X is piloting new tools to identify the authors of original content and distribute a portion of the revenue accordingly. Nikita Bier emphasized that reposts and comments have always been core pillars of the X platform, but the revenue-sharing program aims to incentivize creators to produce high-quality original content that adds fresh value to the Timeline. X will continue refining the revenue-sharing program going forward and encourage creators to post their best content on the platform.
Under this proposal, supervisory authority over systemically important cross-border entities will be transferred from national competent authorities to ESMA, covering large CASPs, trading venues, central counterparties (CCPs), and central securities depositories (CSDs). This represents the most significant structural adjustment to the EU’s crypto regulatory architecture since the Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA) fully applied to CASPs at the end of 2024. Under the current MiCA framework, national competent authorities serve as first-line supervisors, while ESMA plays only a coordinating role.
According to Bloomberg, Gemini (GEMI), the cryptocurrency exchange founded by the Winklevoss twins, has seen its market value more than halved this year, with its stock price down over 50% year-to-date. The company has laid off approximately 30% of its workforce and exited major overseas markets including the UK, the EU, and Australia, significantly increasing its financial pressure. According to sources familiar with the matter, Gemini is internally discussing a proposal to request that its founder-twins waive—or convert into equity—the roughly $330 million in loans they extended to the company. These loans were primarily provided through Winklevoss Capital Fund LLC. As of December 31, 2025, Gemini still owed 4,619 bitcoins (valued at over $330 million at the time). As the company’s primary controlling shareholders, the twins’ approval of such a move would directly impact Gemini’s capital structure. Following the report’s publication, Gemini’s stock price surged nearly 9% temporarily, though it remains sharply down for the year. The company has previously weathered executive departures, a strategic pivot toward prediction markets, and shareholder lawsuits; this latest focus on loan restructuring further underscores the ongoing impact of the crypto winter on exchanges.
According to a post on Grayscale’s official website, the firm has updated its list of cryptocurrencies under consideration for future investment products. Per the latest list, the “Currencies” category includes Bitcoin and XRP; the “Smart Contract Platforms” category now adds Stacks, Sui, Toncoin, and Tron; the “Financials” category includes assets under consideration such as Ethena, Hyperliquid, and Jupiter; the “Consumer & Culture” category features Dogecoin and Decentraland; the “AI” category includes Worldcoin, Virtuals Protocol, Story, and Grass; and the “Utilities & Services” category comprises Chainlink, LayerZero, and Helium. Grayscale stated that this list is reviewed quarterly to provide investors with diversified digital asset investment options.
According to a report by the Hong Kong Wen Wei Po, Norman Chan, Deputy Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA), stated that stablecoin issuers’ choice of currency for issuance primarily depends on the applicants’ own preferences. While the first stablecoin to be launched will be pegged to the Hong Kong dollar, issuing stablecoins pegged to other currencies—including the renminbi—is permitted under Hong Kong’s regulatory framework. However, applicants must also obtain approval from mainland Chinese regulatory authorities. Regarding when the second batch of stablecoin issuer licenses will be issued, Chan said there is currently no official timeline, though the HKMA continues to engage in discussions with prospective applicants. It is reported that HSBC’s stablecoin will be integrated into both the PayMe and HSBC HK mobile apps, supporting real-time peer-to-peer (P2P) transfers as well as peer-to-merchant (P2M) services.
Bitdeer, a Nasdaq-listed Bitcoin mining company, announced its latest Bitcoin holdings data on X. For the week ending April 10, Bitdeer mined 165 BTC but sold all 165 BTC during the same period, resulting in a net addition of 0 BTC. It continues to hold zero Bitcoin.
OpenAI announced that during a recent industry-wide security incident, a potential security issue was identified in Axios, a third-party development library used by OpenAI. After investigation, there is no evidence that user data was accessed, systems were compromised, or software was tampered with. As a precautionary measure, OpenAI has initiated security hardening efforts, focusing on strengthening the authentication mechanism for its macOS application to prevent malicious actors from distributing counterfeit official applications. OpenAI also urges all macOS users to update to the latest version of the application as soon as possible—either via in-app updates or through official channels—to mitigate potential risks.
HashKey Group Chairman Xiao Feng stated in an exclusive interview with the Hong Kong Wen Wei Po that Hong Kong’s issuance of the first batch of stablecoin licenses represents a significant milestone for the local digital asset market. He noted that this move further accelerates Hong Kong’s tokenization of fiat currency and completes a critical piece of infrastructure—clearing and payment systems—for its digital financial ecosystem. Beyond facilitating cross-border payments and trade settlements, Hong Kong-issued stablecoins will also serve as core mediums of exchange for digital asset transactions. Xiao Feng added that, in the long term, their greater value lies in enabling micro, cross-border, and programmable payments among AI agents, while synergizing with real-world assets (RWA), on-chain clearing, and other use cases—thereby helping Hong Kong secure a more pivotal role in the global evolution of digital assets and digital finance. He also emphasized that HashKey’s trading platform will adhere to principles of openness and regulatory compliance, supporting stablecoin issuers and related products that meet supervisory requirements to jointly foster healthy ecosystem development. Currently, HashKey is actively engaging in substantive cooperation discussions with licensed stablecoin issuers and welcomes institutions planning to launch compliant stablecoins in Hong Kong to establish partnerships. As a core participant in Hong Kong’s digital asset market, HashKey will leverage its existing licensed and compliant framework, fiat on-ramps, and industry resources to support compliant stablecoins across listing, liquidity provision, payment scenario expansion, and the implementation and refinement of related applications—driving orderly industry ecosystem development.