Bitcoin Mining Difficulty Drop with AI Competition Bitcoin’s mining difficulty recently dropped sharply due to miners pivoting resources to AI infrastructure amid profitability pressures.[1][5] This shift marks the first Q1 hashrate decline in six years, with current difficulty at 135.59 T following a…
Wrapped XRP Launches on Solana, Boosting DeFi Access Wrapped XRP (wXRP) launched on Solana on Friday, April 17, 2026, enabling XRP holders to access Solana’s DeFi ecosystem without selling their native tokens.[1][2] This move, handled by Hex Trust with LayerZero tech, brings 1:1…
Strategy Proposes STRC Dividend Switch to Bi-Monthly Strategy, the Bitcoin treasury company formerly known as MicroStrategy, has proposed shifting its STRC perpetual preferred stock dividends from monthly to bi-monthly payments, pending shareholder approval by June 8, 2026.[1][4] This move keeps the 11.5% annualized…
Kelp DAO $293M Drain Strands rsETH Across Chains An attacker drained approximately $293 million in rsETH from Kelp DAO’s LayerZero-powered cross-chain bridge on April 18, 2026, impacting 18% of the token’s total supply and leaving wrapped rsETH stranded on multiple chains.[1][2][3] Kelp DAO…
Caitlyn Jenner Memecoin Lawsuit Dismissed on Security Ruling A federal judge in California dismissed a class-action lawsuit against Caitlyn Jenner over her JENNER memecoin, ruling the token does not qualify as a security under U.S. law.[1][2][4] This decision, issued April 16, 2026, by…
Charles Schwab and Citadel Securities Weigh Prediction Markets Charles Schwab and Citadel Securities are evaluating entry into prediction markets, focusing on financial event contracts rather than sports or pop culture bets. CEO Rick Wurster confirmed Schwab’s interest during the Q1 earnings call, while…
RaveDAO Denies Manipulation as Binance, Bitget Probe RAVE RaveDAO issued a public denial of involvement in recent RAVE token price swings on April 18, 2026, while Binance and Bitget confirmed ongoing probes into trading activity.[1][3] The statement followed a surge from $0.25 to…
Alcoa Smelter Sale to NYDIG Signals Industrial Repurposing Shift Alcoa Corporation is in advanced negotiations to sell its dormant Massena East smelter in upstate New York to NYDIG, a Bitcoin and digital asset financial services firm, with the transaction expected to close by…
Bitcoin Hits 10-Week High Near $88K Amid Ceasefire Hopes and ETF Flows Bitcoin surged to a 10-week high around $88,000, driven by U.S.-Iran ceasefire optimism and returning spot ETF inflows, marking its strongest rebound in recent weeks.[2][6] The rally reflects easing Middle East…
