Bitwise CIO Matt Hougan cast doubt on whether current prices truly capture the potential impact of increased demand following Bitcoin’s upcoming halving based on the Efficient Markets Hypothesis (EMH). Hougan raised critical questions about the limitations of EMH in anticipating what the market will be like post-halving. He pointed out that while EMH suggests that Bitcoin’s current price reflects all available information, including the anticipated supply cut from the halving — it does not account for unexpected shifts in market demand. Hougan said: “The halving is well known, so today’s ..read more

With less than 12 hours remaining until the next Bitcoin halving, online interest in the event has hit its highest rate, according to detailed tracking information provided by blockchain analytics platform Santiment. Santiment is tracking social volume and dominance around the event, with volume spiking to its second-highest level ever and dominance reaching a new all-time high at 3.87% of crypto social activity. Bitcoin halving social interest (Santiment) Throughout this year, interest in the halving has seen peaks and troughs, with notable spikes in volume in February and March, followed by ..read more

Bitcoin’s price momentarily exceeded $65,000 as the market reacted to seemingly reducing geopolitical tensions between Israel and Iran. During the past week, the crypto industry slumped amid escalating tensions in the Middle East and plunged again in the early hours as news broke of Israel’s retaliation on Iran. However, following the muted response from Iran and tempered action from Israel, this morning saw a turnaround as the broader crypto market rose by more than 4%. ‘Safe haven’ During early Asian trading hours, Bitcoin briefly dipped below $60,000 but swiftly rebounded as Iranian authori ..read more

Bitcoin (BTC) is increasingly serving as a critical channel for cross-border financial flows amid global financial instability, according to a new report by the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The report, released this April, sheds light on how the decentralized nature of Bitcoin is being leveraged to bypass traditional banking systems, especially in regions experiencing economic distress or strict capital controls. Necessary financial tool According to the IMF, residents of countries with restrictive financial regulations are turning to Bitcoin to move capital across borders more freely. T ..read more

SkyBridge Capital founder Anthony Scaramucci said that Bitcoin is “still very young” in terms of adoption and predicted significant long-term growth despite its current volatility and recent price fluctuations influenced by global events. In an interview focused on the flagship crypto’s trajectory, Scaramucci highlighted that Bitcoin is still early in its adoption curve, likening its current stage to the early days of the internet around 1999. Scaramucci also predicted that Bitcoin will surpass the market capitalization of gold in the coming years as it matures as an asset class and the regula ..read more

JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon reiterated his strong skepticism toward Bitcoin on April 18, calling it a “fraud” and a “Ponzi scheme” despite the lender’s involvement in BlackRock’s spot BTC exchange-traded fund (ETF). Dimon, who has a history of critiquing the digital currency, made the latest comments during an interview on Bloomberg TV, where he expressed doubts about Bitcoin’s utility and legitimacy as a form of money. He said: “Bitcoin and similar cryptocurrencies are simply not functional as currencies. If they think they’re a currency, there’s no hope for it. It’s essentially a Ponzi s ..read more

US Senator Elizabeth Warren said any new crypto regulation, including the newly proposed regulatory framework for the stablecoin market, must include the full suite of anti-money laundering authorities that the Treasury Department requested in November 2023. In an April 16 letter addressed to US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, Senator Warren articulated her stance and advocated for the extension of Anti-Money Laundering/Combating the Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT) obligations to cover miners, validators, and DeFi intermediaries alongside stablecoin issuers. Warren’s argument According to he ..read more

Bitcoin Ordinals explorer Ord.io has raised $2 million in a pre-seed funding round co-led by Bitcoin Frontier Fund and Sora Ventures to prepare for the highly anticipated launch of the Runes Protocol. Other investors in the round included Longhash Ventures, Daxos Capital, Portal Ventures, UTXO Management, Rubik Ventures, VitalTao Capital, Antalpha Ventures, Kommune Fund, Edessa Capital, PetRock Capital, PG Capital, Shake and Bake Productions, Re7 Capital, Balaji Fund, and several angel investors. Impending Runes Protocol launch According to an April 17 statement shared with CryptoSlate, the ca ..read more

Bitcoin (BTC) took a downturn below $60,000 on April 17 as US markets began trading, marking a return to prices last seen in early March before the digital currency rallied to new heights. The flagship crypto touched a low of $59,658 before modestly recovering to around $60,800 as of press time, based on CryptoSlate data. Bitcoin was clinging to the $60,500 support level after a slowdown in sell pressure, with bulls attempting a potential recovery above $61,000. Market turbulence The drop comes at a time of general market turbulence, with both Bitcoin and traditional equity markets showing sig ..read more

Bloomberg analysts have revised previous inflow predictions for Hong Kong’s newly approved Bitcoin and Ethereum exchange-traded funds (ETFs) to $1 billion within the first two years. Bloomberg senior ETF analyst Eric Balchunas had previously estimated the funds to garner roughly $500 million in inflows over a similar period due to doubts over Chinese investor eligibility and a lack of maturity in the Hong Kong ETF market. Chinese investors exposure Eric Balchunas, Bloomberg’s senior ETF analyst, highlighted the challenge faced by Chinese investors seeking exposure to newly approved ETFs in Hon ..read more