Coin360 Weekly Dispatch | Crypto Market Updates & Highlights | April 20 - April 26, 2024

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Crypto Weekly Market Update

Table of Contents

Market and Regulatory Updates

• Crypto Weekly Recap
• ConsenSys Sues SEC Over Ethereum's Security Status
• Bitcoin Mixer Founders Arrested Amid Privacy Debate
• Blockchain Advocates Challenge SEC's Dealer Rule
• Stablecoin Market Shows Remarkable Growth

Scandals and Controversies

• ZKasino Scandal: Accusations of Exit Scam Emerge
• ezETH Crisis Sparks DeFi Liquidation and Controversy
• DeGods Considers Returning to Solana Amid Controversy
• Yuga Labs Criticized for WEF Partnership

Crypto Exchanges and Platforms

• Changpeng Zhao Faces Possible 3-Year Sentence
• Shiba Inu Launches Privacy-Focused Blockchain Upgrade
• OpenSea Sees Significant Drop in Monthly NFT Sales
• Alien Punk CryptoPunk #635 Fetches $12.38 Million
• "Buy Bitcoin" Notepad Sells for Over $1 Million

Crypto Weekly Recap

Bitcoin

• Weekly change: -0.81%
• BTC passed its 4th halving calmly, reaching $65,500 over the weekend. The aftermath suggested a 2-3 month delay before significant market impacts.
• Bitcoin's halving craze drove transaction fees to a new all-time high of $128, totaling $80M, mainly from the Runes fever pre-halving. During the week, fees began to decrease.
• Bitcoin surged to a weekly high of nearly $67,200 on Monday but stabilized between $66,000 and $67,000 through Wednesday afternoon (UTC).
• Mt. Gox updated its Bitcoin and fiat repayment timetable, and Fidelity shifted its Bitcoin outlook to neutral due to high prices in Q1 2024, which barely affected the market.
• Bitcoin's rally hopes were dashed by a strengthening U.S. dollar, with the DXY hitting nearly 106 on Wednesday. The U.S. GDP growth of 1.6% in Q1 2024 fell short of the 2.2% expectation, raising concerns about economic sustainability amid high interest rates and global uncertainties. 
• On Thursday, Bitcoin faced selling pressure, dropping to as low as $63,000 due to geopolitical concerns, a further rise in the DXY, Bitcoin ETF outflows, and continued SEC actions against crypto firms like Samourai Wallet and MetaMask.
• The price briefly recovered to $65,000 on Thursday night but settled at $63,600 amid a DXY level of 106.
• Silver linings included Bitcoin's issuance rate falling below gold's post-halving (Glassnode), Morgan Stanley's potential move to allow brokers to pitch Bitcoin ETFs, strengthening liquidity supporting sustained price increase (Kaiko), and IntoTheBlock's data showing a bullish pattern among long-term Bitcoin holders.

Ethereum

• Weekly change: +1.66%
• This was not a bullish week for Ethereum, as analysts and insider information cast doubt on the likelihood of its spot ETF approval.
• From the weekend to Monday, Bitcoin's price rose 6%, peaking at $3,228 due to the halving effect.
• It climbed to a weekly high of $3,283 before correcting to $3,090, and closed at $3,148.
• Skepticism surrounded Ethereum Spot ETF approval earlier, with Polymarket odds at 11%. Reuters reported insider claims that the SEC might reject spot Ethereum ETFs in May.
• Ethereum's circulating supply increased by 15,230 Ether, reaching a total of 12,078,565.7 ETH, fueled by low gas fees.
• Consensys Software Inc. initiated legal action against the SEC, disputing Ether's classification as a security. This action sparked speculation on X that the SEC might have previously regarded ETH as a security at some point.
• On a positive note, BlackRock and Grayscale revised their spot Ethereum ETF applications after the SEC delayed decisions on Ethereum ETF proposals, alongside notable whale accumulation and the popularity of liquid restaking platforms launching tokens.
• Amid uncertainty, investors shifted their interest to memecoins, with notable memecoins on both Ethereum and Solana recording impressive gains, despite being criticized by an Andreessen Horowitz executive for “causing damage to the crypto sector.”

Altcoins

• Twelve Solana presale memecoins were abandoned after a month.
• Thailand blocked access to unauthorized crypto platforms.
• Finnish authorities discovered €30 million in unreported crypto gains in 2023.
• Woo X exchange launched the world's first tokenized T-bills for retail.
• Ontology announced a $10 million community investment.
• Celo selected Optimism after a layer 2 comparison contest.
• Midas planned a crypto trading product after raising $45 million.
• The NYSE considered 24/7 trading to match crypto markets.
• Europe's largest banks moved into crypto, encouraged by regulations.
• Akash Network's token surged 50% on Upbit listing.
• Millions of dollars in crypto assets remained unclaimed in DeFi bridge contracts.
• A patched Cosmos bug could have put $150M at risk.
• GuildFi rebranded to Zentry with a 1-for-10 token split.
• Crypto.com postponed its South Korea launch after money laundering probe reports.
• Tether vowed to freeze assets after Venezuela sought to bypass oil sanctions using crypto.
• Injective's INJ 3.0 upgrade went live after community approval.
• Safe token traded at a $2.8 billion FDV after becoming transferable.
• Hedera's value jumped amid BlackRock confusion.
• FLOKI and BONK were listed on Revolut.
• Indonesia and Australia inked a crypto taxation deal.
• Ripple shifted to USDT for U.S. operations amid regulatory pressure.
• Nigeria's central bank denied claims of crypto account freezes.
• Worldcoin planned to boost WLD supply by 19% in the next six months.
• Hedge funds embraced memecoins, aiming for high returns.
• Starknet reopened STRK airdrop claims to three user groups.
• Chainlink introduced a new protocol to enhance cross-chain interoperability.
• Robinhood listed SHIB, AVAX, COMP for trading in New York.
• BNB Chain enabled native liquid staking on BSC.
• Avail's Data Availability was integrated by multiple blockchain platforms.
• Stripe planned to reintroduce crypto payments in the coming months.
• Immutable launched a $50 million crypto gaming rewards program.
• Forbes labeled XRP and Cardano as crypto zombies, sparking community disagreement.
• Over 30 people were charged in a $24M crypto fraud linked to Taiwan's ACE Exchange.
• Wormhole's W token went live on EVM chains.
• Algorand courted Python developers to drive significant changes.
• Franklin Templeton tokenized a $380 million U.S. government money fund on Polygon and Stellar.
• Terraform Labs restricted U.S. access and withdrew $23 million of liquidity following an SEC ruling.
• Solana Mobile's 'Chapter 2' airdrops briefly exceeded the cost of pre-orders.
• More of FTX's Solana assets were sold to Pantera Capital.
• Aligned Layer raised $20M to accelerate ZK proofs on Ethereum, powered by EigenLayer.
• Pantera Capital aimed to raise $1 billion for a new blockchain fund set for a 2025 launch.
• A rare Bitcoin unit sold for $2.1 million during a Bitcoin halving event.
• Heroes of Mavia delayed Ethereum token unlocks.

ConsenSys Sues SEC Over Ethereum's Security Status

ConsenSys, an Ethereum software company, challenges the SEC's authority by suing the regulator over its classification of Ethereum as a security. The lawsuit argues that Ethereum is not a security, MetaMask is not a securities broker, and the SEC's oversight exceeds its jurisdiction. The legal battle emphasizes the non-financial utility of Ethereum and the necessity to safeguard access to ether and decentralized technologies. 

Additionally, the SEC's recent meetings with ETF applicants, like VanEck and ARK Investment Management, could result in the rejection of proposed Ethereum-based ETFs, impacting the cryptocurrency market's stability and growth.  

Bitcoin Mixer Founders Arrested Amid Privacy Debate

The founders of the Bitcoin mixer Samourai Wallet, Keonne Rodriguez and William Lonergan Hill, were arrested by U.S. authorities for alleged money laundering and operating without a money transmitting license. The wallet reportedly facilitated over $2 billion in unlawful financial activities, with $100 million linked to money laundering from dark web markets. Additionally, Samourai Wallet's privacy features, such as Whirlpool and Ricochet, came under scrutiny for shielding illicit funds. 

This crackdown has sparked controversy, with privacy advocates like Edward Snowden condemning the move as an attack on financial privacy. The crypto community is divided on the implications of the arrests, reflecting a broader conflict between regulatory actions and digital privacy rights within the cryptocurrency space.  

Blockchain Advocates Challenge SEC's Dealer Rule

The Blockchain Association and a Texas-based crypto activist group are suing the SEC over its "Dealer Rule" expansion, which they argue stifles innovation in the U.S. digital asset market. They claim the SEC overstepped its authority by broadly redefining "dealer" within the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, requiring more crypto participants to comply with federal securities laws, thus creating a vague regulatory environment. 

Meanwhile, the SEC has sued Geosyn Mining and its co-founders for allegedly defrauding investors out of $5.6 million. The co-founders are accused of misrepresenting the number of mining rigs and misappropriating funds for personal use, including lavish expenses. The SEC alleges that Geosyn failed to operate most of the mining rigs it claimed to have purchased and provided falsified documents to make investors believe their operations were profitable.

Stablecoin Market Shows Remarkable Growth

The stablecoin market is witnessing significant recovery and growth, with a current capitalization of $160 billion, aiming for a peak of $188 billion. Concurrently, the number of stablecoin holders has surged by 15% this year, totaling over 93.6 million, primarily driven by regulatory movements that might increase stablecoin adoption among banks. U.S. legislation on stablecoins is advancing, with bipartisan efforts nearing a consensus that could standardize and stabilize the regulatory framework for stablecoins. 

In Turkey, stablecoin transactions relative to GDP have reached 4.3%, indicating significant economic impact and adoption amid local currency volatility. Additionally, Visa has introduced a stablecoin analytics dashboard to provide refined and accessible data on stablecoin transactions across different blockchains, aiming to clarify the actual economic activity by filtering out bot-generated data. 

ZKasino Scandal: Accusations of Exit Scam Emerge

The ZKasino scandal revolves around a controversial pivot, moving away from refunding user funds to converting a substantial sum into its native ZKAS token. The shift led to widespread accusations of an "exit scam" and suspicion of fraudulent activities, including the transfer of funds to a staking protocol. Red flags raised by crypto security enthusiasts and distancing by early backers and partners further fueled allegations. 

Amidst increasing dissatisfaction, legal battles loomed, and a Telegram group emerged for potential legal action against the co-founders. Vitalik Buterin also condemned the project for misleading investors regarding its association with Zero-Knowledge (ZK) technology, intensifying the brewing storm.  

ezETH Crisis Sparks DeFi Liquidation and Controversy

Renzo's ezETH faced a crisis, dropping to $688 from its $1 peg, triggering $60 million in DeFi liquidations notably on Gearbox and Morpho. Controversy arose over REZ tokenomics and governance transparency, fueling a rebound to $3,172. Governance criticisms, fears of unfair distribution, and liquidity issues loomed large, with Aave delegate Marc Zeller critiquing governance failures by platforms like Morpho. 

The market's volatility allowed some to profit significantly, while others lost substantially to phishing attacks and leveraged positions. The chaos underscored the risks of thin liquidity and high leverage in DeFi, urging a reevaluation of risk management structures.  

Changpeng Zhao Faces Possible 3-Year Sentence

Binance founder Changpeng Zhao, facing a 3-year sentence for violating U.S. anti-money laundering laws, has apologized and accepted full responsibility for his actions, while the Department of Justice pushes for a 36-month imprisonment, citing his willful law violations. Over 161 letters from family, friends, and colleagues have been submitted to the court seeking leniency, highlighting Zhao's integrity and philanthropic efforts, including significant donations to disaster areas and support for biotech startups. 

Notable figures and academics, including a former U.S. ambassador and university professors, have also vouched for his character and contributions to the cryptocurrency industry.

Shiba Inu Launches Privacy-Focused Blockchain Upgrade

Shiba Inu (SHIB) raised $12 million in a token sale to fund a new privacy-focused blockchain, attracting investors like Animoca Brands, Polygon Ventures, and others. The network will incorporate Fully Homomorphic Encryption to enhance privacy on its Ethereum-based layer-2 blockchain, Shibarium.

Meanwhile, Shibarium is preparing for a significant hard fork on May 2, aimed at improving scalability, reducing transaction costs, and setting the stage for future functionalities. This upgrade is expected to enhance the network's ability to handle increased demand and lower gas fees, thus improving overall user experience and network growth potential.