Gate Cryptocurrency News and Market Analysis

Polymarket has initiated an audit of its Builders Program after finding third-party tools that may facilitate insider trading by mimicking successful trades. The review follows scrutiny over potential market abuse linked to these apps.

CoW Swap suspended its protocol on April 14, 2026, after a DNS hijacking redirected users to a phishing site. The platform's security firm alerted users to revoke wallet approvals. The underlying smart contracts were safe, but backend and APIs were paused as a precaution.

The MACD indicator is replicating the 2020 pre-altseason breakout structure. ETF developments are increasing institutional interest in crypto markets. Ethereum-led capital rotation remains critical for altcoin expansion. The wider altcoin market is experiencing a structural change,

Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse has maintained a positive outlook on XRP and regulatory developments throughout 2026, emphasizing institutional interest and the anticipated passage of the CLARITY Act despite XRP's price decline. His public statements highlight momentum in Ripple's business and project confidence in the crypto market's future.

Ethereum Foundation core researcher and project manager Josh Stark (Josh Stark) announced on the X platform on April 17, 2026 (Thursday) that he will leave the Ethereum Foundation after five years in the role. According to Cointelegraph, Stark did not disclose the specific reasons for his departure. In his X post, he said that there are currently “no plans for the future,” and that he intends to temporarily spend time with his family and friends.

On April 17, an on-chain analyst, Ai Auntie, disclosed on the X platform that a long-term whale who has held a large amount of tokens since the Ethereum ICO period transferred 2,000 ETH (about $4.63 million) to a multi-signature address. The receiving address has been identified as a “designated sell” address in its history—funds are typically deposited to an exchange shortly after the transfer.

A 2026 digital asset institutional investor survey by Nomura Securities (Nomura) and its crypto subsidiary, Laser Digital, shows that nearly four-fifths of surveyed institutional investors plan to allocate 2% to 5% of their total assets under management (AUM) to the crypto market. Most institutions say they plan to do so within the next year rather than investing immediately.

Prediction market platform Kalshi has appealed a ruling by the state of Nevada banning its event contracts, and the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals held oral arguments on April 17, but did not issue an immediate decision after the hearing. The core dispute in the case is whether Kalshi’s event contracts are “swap agreements” that fall under the jurisdiction of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), or whether they must be regulated by state-level activity under gambling licensing regimes. Multiple legal experts predict that the case may ultimately be appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court.

HIVE Digital Technologies released an announcement on Thursday, saying it plans to issue 0% exchangeable senior notes due in 2031 to qualified institutional investors through a private placement, targeting to raise $75 million, with an additional $15 million option; the funds raised will be used for GPU procurement, data center construction, and other capital expenditures.

Representing more than 100 members, Joshua McCollum, a Drift Protocol investor, filed a lawsuit against Circle on Wednesday in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts. The lawsuit alleges that in the April 1 theft incident involving approximately $280 million worth of Drift Protocol, Circle allowed the attacker to transfer roughly $230 million USDC to Ethereum via a cross-chain transfer protocol.

Crypto ETP issuer 21Shares AG, headquartered in Zurich, has launched its Strategy Yield ETP (ticker: 21ST), which has been listed on Xetra and four other European exchanges. According to a 21Shares announcement, this is the company’s first ETP providing exposure to equity-related instrument structures, with the underlying asset being priority securities issued by MicroStrategy (Strategy).

Candescent, a US fintech firm, has expanded its India workforce to 1,000, making India central to its product development. The company uses AI for 80% of its coding, plans further headcount growth, and serves over 30 million users, highlighting India's importance in its operations.

Anthropic has implemented mandatory KYC identity verification across its Claude platform to prevent misuse and ensure compliance, with third-party Persona Identities carrying out the process. This measure takes effect in April 2026 and particularly affects users in restricted regions such as mainland China. If users fail the verification, the official recommends seeking resolution through the appeals or refund application channels. As global regulatory pressure increases, identity verification mechanisms on AI platforms will gradually tighten, and users can look for lawful alternative solutions.

Charles Schwab announced recently that it will launch spot Bitcoin and Ethereum trading services for qualified U.S. retail customers, with a trading fee of 0.75%. The service will be maintained by a bank subsidiary of Charles Schwab. It will initially not support residents of New York State and Louisiana; in the future, it plans to add more cryptocurrencies and deposit and withdrawal features.

A DeFi protocol, Rhea Finance, suffered a major security vulnerability on April 16, resulting in losses of approximately $7.6 million. The attacker manipulated the oracle by creating a fraudulent token contract, causing the protocol to incorrectly assess the value of assets. This loss represents about 6% of Rhea Finance’s total value locked, demonstrating the risk of oracle manipulation attacks in the DeFi space. Users should carefully evaluate the risk of their assets.

Bitcoin (BTC) is flat at $74,920. A ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon has taken effect, and Trump says Iran agreed not to develop nuclear weapons. Mizuho Bank warns that Musk’s X Money could be affected by New York’s crypto regulation. Yuga Labs replaces its CEO: Greg Solano becomes Chairman of the Board, and Michael Figge takes over. The market is broadly optimistic. A record-high Bitcoin buying wave in the past decade has emerged, suggesting the price may be moving toward $90,000.

Russian company LaserBirds has enhanced its laser-based drone interception system's range to 1.5 kilometers, using ytterbium laser technology to effectively damage drones. Recent advancements include radar integration and ongoing development of an acoustic sensor subsystem, although challenges in tracking and detecting drones remain.

Market behavior suggests a shift from panic selling to strategic accumulation. Large-cap and utility-driven altcoins are leading early positioning trends. Macro conditions and technical signals point to a possible altseason setup. The crypto market is showing signs of emotional selling,