Background
The Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) of Hong Kong has officially announced that the first batch of spot Bitcoin and Ethereum exchange-traded funds (ETFs) will be launched in Hong Kong at the end of this month, on April 30. This initiative not only represents an important progress in the digital currency market in Hong Kong, but also provides a new asset allocation channel for global investors. By combining digital currency with traditional financial products, this move in Hong Kong is expected to enhance market liquidity, lower investment barriers, and pave the way for the mainstreaming of digital currency.

background
Binance, one of the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchanges, faces serious charges from the U.S. Department of Justice for violating anti-money laundering laws and sanctions, with former CEO Changpeng Zhao (CZ) facing charges from the U.S. Department of Justice for violating anti-money laundering laws and sanctions. The incident has drawn widespread attention to cryptocurrency compliance and regulation around the world, especially in the United States, where laws are strictly enforced.

As the trial approaches, global eyes are on it, and its outcome may prompt industry players to strengthen internal compliance measures to adapt to the increasingly stringent global regulatory environment.
In addition, the tough stance of the U.S. Department of Justice may push the international community to take more active cooperation in cryptocurrency regulation and jointly address the challenges of cross-border financial crimes, thereby affecting the future development of the cryptocurrency industry.

This huge investment in digital assets accounts for approximately 30% of the company’s current market value.
Metaplanet, a Japanese company involved in Web3 consulting, real estate development, and other services, recently announced that it had purchased 1 billion yen (about $6.25 million) worth of Bitcoin.
Earlier this month, Metaplanet published an article on its X-page announcing that they are preparing to make Bitcoin (BTC) as the company's core treasury asset, marking a shift in their business strategy. They further revealed that the Web3 consulting firm will deposit an initial 1 billion yen into the digital asset. According to the company, this decision is part of their goal to lead a future where finance and innovation merge.

As the world's leading custodial bank and a long-established financial institution in the United States, Bank of New York Mellon recently disclosed its investment in a Bitcoin ETF.
According to SEC filings, the bank has participated in Bitcoin ETF products offered by well-known asset management company BlackRock and Grayscale, which focuses on cryptocurrency investments. This action reflects the growing interest of institutional investors in the cryptocurrency asset class.
At the beginning of 2023, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) approved multiple spot Bitcoin ETFs, which was seen as a major benefit to U.S. cryptocurrency investors. The SEC’s decision was made against the backdrop of continued and strong market demand for such financial products. With the approval of ETFs, the cryptocurrency market has experienced significant growth, with Bitcoin prices hitting an all-time high of $73,737 in March, demonstrating strong interest from institutional investors in the emerging asset class.

It’s hard to imagine that a long string of characters plus a special dot symbol constitutes the hottest narrative in the crypto world today.
Runestone, the name of Runestone, is attracting the attention of crypto enthusiasts and investors around the world.
How popular is it?
If the total transaction fee of 37.626 BTC in the Runes protocol launch block (halving block) is not intuitive enough, then take a look at the following sets of data.

• Ordinals NFT with the fastest trading volume: less than 3 days after its launch, the trading volume exceeded 500 BTC.
• Peak share of Bitcoin network transactions: On April 23, Runes accounted for 81% of Bitcoin network transactions.

Brief Overview:
• More than 85% of altcoins are in the “historic opportunity zone”.
• Altcoins that are significantly undervalued include DEGO, BEL, and ZRX.
• Investors must conduct thorough research before buying.

In the cryptocurrency market, a recent analysis shows that the vast majority of altcoins are in a buy range.
This could represent a potential opportunity for investors looking for a favorable entry point.
Most altcoins are in historical buy ranges
The market value to realized value (MVRV) ratio is a metric that compares a cryptocurrency’s market capitalization to its realized capitalization value.

MetaMask developer Consensys has asked a Texas federal court to declare that Ethereum is not a security, in an effort to fight back against a nationwide enforcement action by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).
Consensys has filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) against the agency’s alleged unlawful attempt to redefine its constitutional powers to include regulation of Ethereum (ETH), which it claims is the second-largest decentralized network in the cryptocurrency space.
According to the blockchain developer, the SEC has wrongly labeled ETH a security and taken a “reckless approach” that will stifle innovation if left unchecked.

A decade after its early attempts to support bitcoin payments, the company is looking ahead to a future powered by stablecoins.
Payments processor Stripe has re-entered the cryptocurrency space after announcing today that it will soon allow merchants to receive funds in the USD Coin (USDC) stablecoin.
Starting this summer, the San Francisco-based company will allow companies using its technology to accept USD Coin (USDC), the second-largest stablecoin in the cryptocurrency space and the sixth-largest cryptocurrency by market cap, for online payments.
“We’re excited to empower Stripe users to accept stablecoin payments, helping them expand their global reach and enabling our customers to make simple, fast, and trusted transactions even if they don’t have a bank account or credit card,” John Egan, head of crypto at Stripe, said in a press release.

Blania said Worldcoin will upgrade its verification system. The upgrade includes plans to introduce various types of Orb models and expand its availability to more regions around the world.
Worldcoin is actively seeking collaborations to expand its footprint in the tech industry, especially in artificial intelligence (AI) and finance. According to a report by Bloomberg on Thursday, the iris scanning project co-founded by Sam Altman is in discussions with OpenAI, a leading US research organization specializing in the development of responsible AI.
Explore partnerships beyond AI

Binance founder and former CEO Changpeng Zhao (CZ) has publicly apologized for what he called a “poor decision” and took “full responsibility” for his actions.
Meanwhile, Binance co-founder He Yi said that while she acknowledged that CZ may have made mistakes, his biggest mistake was “ignorance.”
CZ issues apology and asks for a second chance
Changpeng Zhao is scheduled to be sentenced on April 30, following a settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) in November 2023. Although CZ previously waived his right to appeal any sentence of no more than 18 months, the DOJ is now seeking a 36-month prison sentence for him.

On April 24, the DeFi market suffered a major blow when the decoupling of the Liquidity Recollateralization Token (LRT) ezETH shocked the entire industry. It is estimated that the loss caused by this incident exceeded 65 million US dollars, which triggered a wide discussion on the risk management capabilities of DeFi platforms.
ezETH is part of Renzo Protocol, which aims to attract DeFi users to get early access to its native token REZ. However, Renzo Protocol's changes to token economics have sparked dissatisfaction in the community, especially the decision on the distribution of REZ token airdrops. Users expressed dissatisfaction with the share allocated to small holders and criticized the distribution structure for being biased towards specific platform users.

Recently, the news that the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) ordered the freezing of all bank accounts related to cryptocurrency transactions has been widely circulated on social media, attracting widespread attention in the market. The rumor claimed that the CBN issued a directive requiring banks to implement a six-month "no debit (PND)" measure for all accounts involved in cryptocurrency transactions, and specifically mentioned trading platforms such as Bybit, KuCoin, OKX and Binance, pointing out that these platforms are not allowed to operate in Nigeria.

In response, the CBN quickly responded through its official channels, denying the reports. In a statement, the CBN stressed that no official order to freeze accounts related to cryptocurrency transactions has ever been issued on its official website, and urged the public to rely only on official channels for information.

Although Strike has expanded its services to 100 countries around the world, the company is still committed to exploring new markets and plans to support more currencies in the future.
Strike, a well-known US-based crypto payments company, has finally launched its much-anticipated service in Europe.
According to Wednesday’s announcement, these services are currently restricted in certain countries across Europe. However, users in eligible countries can now buy, sell, deposit and withdraw funds through the platform.
Strike enters some European countries
The company has made it simple for customers to check the availability of its apps in their region by simply visiting the iOS and Android app stores.

Samourai Wallet founders Keonne Rodriguez and William Lonergan Hill have been arrested by US authorities for laundering over $100 million.
According to a press statement from the U.S. Department of Justice on April 24, federal prosecutors have indicted Rodriguez and Hill on charges of conspiracy to launder money and operating an unlicensed money exchange business through the crypto mixing platform Samourai.
The notice states that Rodriguez was arrested in the United States, while Hill was arrested in Portugal and will be extradited to face trial. If convicted, Rodriguez faces up to 20 years in prison and Hill faces up to five years in prison.

Brief Overview:
•Binance co-founder and former CEO Changpeng Zhao could face up to three years in prison.
•The relevant departments recommended that Zhao Changpeng’s sentencing date be set as April 30, and proposed a fine of US$50 million.
• Zhao’s actions were characterized as a threat to the serious financial system.

Changpeng Zhao (CZ), the founder and former CEO of Binance, the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange, could face a three-year prison sentence.
The development comes after Zhao Changpeng pleaded guilty to charges of assisting the company in violating anti-money laundering laws and sanctions.

Binance said it now allows users to play dual roles on the platform. Users can register as both lead and follower traders.
Binance, the world’s leading cryptocurrency exchange, has launched its much-anticipated copy trading tool for spot clients.
According to an official announcement on April 23, the new tool is available to select users who meet the exchange’s minimum portfolio asset size requirements.
The feature also allows eligible customers to register as lead traders. These registered traders can choose to monetize their expertise for users who leverage their experience and skills to execute the same trades.

The agency also seeks conduct-based and “compliance with the law” injunctions.
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) wants to fine Terraform Labs and its former CEO Do Kwon nearly $5.3 billion for violating U.S. securities laws and fraud charges.
The agency detailed its requested penalty in a legal filing on April 19. The SEC is primarily seeking $4.2 billion in ill-gotten gains plus $545.7 million in prejudgment interest.
The purpose of the ill-gotten gains claim is to force Terraform Labs and Kwon to return the unjust benefits they received from the following channels between June 2021 and May 2022: first, sales of tokens to institutional investors; second, sales through the Luna Foundation Guard contract signed with Genesis Asia Pacific; and third, sales on cryptocurrency exchanges.

The rise in the market value of stablecoins indicates that capital is flowing into the crypto market.
Since October 2023, the stablecoin market has recovered significantly from the bear market collapse of the past two years, recording considerable trading volume and activity.
According to a tweet from crypto market intelligence platform IntoTheBlock, the stablecoin market is currently valued at $160 billion and is steadily eyeing its all-time high of $188 billion set during the peak of the last bull cycle.
Stablecoin market capitalization recovery
IntoTheBlock believes that the growth in the market capitalization of stablecoins is a bullish event, and therefore, it supports the sustainability of the decentralized finance ecosystem. Stablecoins play an important role in decentralized finance as they are the backbone of many blockchains and protocols.