Scammers have started demanding bitcoin for passage through the Strait of Hormuz
⚡️ Against the backdrop of tensions around the Strait of Hormuz, a new scam scheme has emerged. According to Reuters, criminals are posing as Iranian authorities and demanding payment in bitcoin or USDT for supposedly safe passage of vessels.
❓ The scheme is based on sending messages to shipping companies: first, they request documents for "security verification," after which a cryptocurrency fee for transit is imposed. In return, they promise unhindered passage at the agreed time.
💱 According to Marksis, at least one vessel may have already fallen victim to the scheme.
📊 The situation is exacerbated by the uncertainty surrounding the Strait of Hormuz itself. Despite statements about opening the route, escalation risks remain, and negotiations between the US and Iran are still in question. It is against this backdrop that scammers are trying to exploit the chaos and fear of market participants.
🔔 It is noteworthy that the topic of cryptocurrency payments for passage through Hormuz has been discussed before, although experts called such a mechanism practically unfeasible. Now this story has continued in the form of fraudulent schemes.
🟢 The situation shows that geopolitical instability is increasingly becoming a breeding ground not only for market volatility but also for new forms of crypto fraud.
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The analyst allowed for the growth of Bitcoin to $100,000 in 2026
🥇 Bitcoin may update its historical maximum within the next 12 months. This scenario was suggested by analyst Michaël van de Poppe, who noted that after deep corrections, the market historically often shows growth of 30–60% within six months.
🔼 If this trend continues, BTC could reach $100,000 as early as the third quarter of 2026.
⚡️ Additional interest is generated by on-chain metrics. According to Alphractal, in each new cycle, the volume of supply that is profitable is increasing, while the share of coins at a loss is gradually decreasing. This indicates a strengthening of long-term demand structure.
📊 However, not everything looks straightforward. The head of research at CryptoQuant pointed out a sharp influx of BTC onto exchanges, primarily on Coinbase. Such movements are often seen by the market as potential preparation for profit-taking.
💬 On one hand, signals for continued growth are strengthening, while on the other hand, the risk of pressure from sellers remains.
🕯 The market remains at a point where further movement may depend on which factor proves stronger.
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💱 The market provided excellent movements — and this immediately reflected on the results.
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🔵 AXL — fixation of more than +110% 🔵 BLUR — fixation of more than +150%
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Polymarket can attract $400 million at a valuation of $15 billion
💸 The prediction markets platform Polymarket is negotiating a new funding round of $400 million, and its valuation could reach $15 billion.
↗️ According to media reports, the total amount raised could even grow to $1 billion if additional strategic investors join the deal.
🐂 This is yet another signal that the prediction markets sector continues to gain momentum rapidly.
What's important:
🔵 investor interest in this segment is growing 🔵 Polymarket could be valued at the level of major crypto unicorns 🔵 the event trading market is increasingly moving from a niche story to a separate direction
✍️ Against this backdrop, capital continues to flow into infrastructure related not only to the classic crypto market but also to new trading models around events and probabilities.
🚀 If the round takes place on these terms, it could become one of the largest deals of the year in this segment.
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$8.6 billion was withdrawn from Aave after the Kelp hack
📥 A major incident in DeFi triggered a sharp market reaction: in two days, Aave's TVL fell from $26.3 billion to $17.7 billion, and investors began to withdraw liquidity en masse.
🔽 Amid the panic, the AAVE token dropped by more than 15%, and liquidity in the USDT and USDC pools was nearly exhausted.
✍️ The reason was the hack of Kelp DAO, after which the stolen assets were used as collateral for loans in DeFi protocols, including Aave. This created a risk of non-repayable debts and problematic collateral worth hundreds of millions of dollars.
What intensified the pressure:
🔵 rsETH markets frozen 🔵 part of the wETH reserves blocked 🔵 a number of protocols stopped working with Kelp and LayerZero 🔵 the total DeFi sector's TVL fell from $99.4 billion to $85.8 billion
🔜 Additional negativity was added by preliminary conclusions from LayerZero, which linked the attack to the North Korean group TraderTraitor.
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The market is overloaded with shorts: a sharp upward move is possible
🪙 Bitcoin has returned above $75,000, but most traders still do not believe in growth. In the derivatives market, negative funding rates have persisted for 46 consecutive days — one of the longest bear periods since the FTX collapse.
📊 An interesting situation has formed: spot is rising, while futures are short. Such an imbalance often ends with severe liquidations.
📉 If the price continues to move upward, short sellers will start to close their positions en masse — this is known as a short squeeze, which can sharply accelerate growth.
At the same time, the fundamentals remain strong: 🔵 inflows into BTC-ETF are occurring 🔵 institutions continue to buy 🔵 large players are strengthening positions
Against this backdrop, the market becomes vulnerable to a sharp impulse.
✍️ But there is also a downside: options show protection against declines (strikes $60k–$50k), and around $80k strong resistance may appear due to the actions of market makers.
💠 The market is currently at a point where any movement could be sharp. But if upward — then very quickly and aggressively.
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⛏ In the first quarter of 2026, public miners sharply increased sales — over 32,000 BTC were sold, which already exceeds the total sales volume for 2025.
💰 The main reason is the pressure on profitability. The hash price remains around $33–35 per PH/s, which for many is at the brink of breakeven. As a result, some companies are operating at a loss.
💎 Against this background, miners began to sell not only mined coins but also reserves from stockpiles.
🔵 about 20% of the industry is unprofitable 🔵 rising costs of electricity and equipment 🔵 hash rate remains near highs
📉 Meanwhile, miners' reserves have been gradually decreasing since 2023 — now about 1.8 million BTC compared to 1.86 million earlier.
🪙 If the situation with profitability does not improve, the market may face a new wave of sales from miners.
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🔜 Analysts from CryptoQuant warn: the rise of Bitcoin to $75,000 is accompanied by increasing pressure from sellers.
💵 The price has approached an important zone of ~$76,800 — this is the breakeven level for many participants. It's here that the market often 'stalls' because mass profit-taking begins.
What is concerning
🟢 Inflows to exchanges have risen to 11 000 BTC/hour 🟢 The average deposit is 2.25 BTC (a maximum since 2024) 🟢 The share of large transfers has increased from 10% to 40%
🪙 Such dynamics usually means one thing — large players are preparing to sell.
Profits are not at their peak yet: daily profit-taking is ~ $500 million (against critical $1 billion)
📊 The final picture: the market is balancing between profit-taking and supply shortages
If sellers push through the level — we will see a pullback. If demand holds the price above the zone — the movement may continue with acceleration.
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