CoinDesk

Aptos (APT) continues to demonstrate steady performance in early 2025: - **April 21**: APT gained 8.7%, performing alongside NEAR Protocol - **April 8**: 5.6% increase, matching Hedera's performance - **February 10**: 9% weekend growth, parallel with Litecoin The Layer 1 blockchain has maintained consistent upward momentum, showing particular strength when paired with other established protocols. This pattern suggests growing market confidence in APT's ecosystem. *Key observation*: APT's gains have remained stable in the 5-9% range across multiple trading periods.

Metaplanets has solidified its position as the largest corporate Bitcoin holder, with total investments reaching $36.47 billion. Recent acquisitions include: - Latest purchase brings holdings to 4,855 BTC - Previous addition of 319 BTC expanded treasury to 4,525 BTC - Major purchase of $285 million increased total to 531,644 BTC The company's aggressive treasury expansion strategy, backed by capital market activity, demonstrates continued confidence in Bitcoin as a corporate reserve asset. Their holdings have grown significantly since July 2024, when their treasury contained $13 billion worth of BTC.

Circle, the company behind USDC stablecoin, is set to announce a new payments and cross-border remittance product. The launch event will take place at their One World Trade Center headquarters on Tuesday. This announcement follows Circle's recent expansion in Africa through their Alliance Program partner Link_IO, which has been facilitating fiat-to-USDC transactions in Nigeria and Kenya. - Launch event scheduled for Tuesday - Product focuses on payments and remittances - Builds on recent African market expansion - Part of Circle's growing cross-border strategy *For more information about joining Circle's ecosystem, visit the [Circle Alliance Program](https://www.circle.com/alliance-program)*

The narrative around Bitcoin's role as a safe-haven asset is evolving amid ongoing economic turbulence. - Recent market data shows mixed signals about BTC's correlation with traditional risk assets - Traders are reassessing Bitcoin's potential as a hedge against economic uncertainty - Historical performance indicates inconsistent behavior as a safe haven - FX market participants continue using BTC as a speculative sentiment indicator The cryptocurrency's relationship with market risk remains complex, with some analysts suggesting its role may be situational rather than fixed. Long-term holders maintain conviction despite short-term volatility.

Analysis reveals the path of untraceable cryptocurrency funds through multiple layers of obfuscation: - Funds initially entered crypto mixers to obscure their origin - Proceeds then moved through blockchain bridges - Final destinations included P2P markets and OTC trading platforms This pattern matches previous incidents from April 2024, where hackers employed similar techniques combining mixers with P2P marketplaces for fund laundering. *Expert Zhou confirms this methodology represents a growing trend in cryptocurrency-based financial crimes.*

Market participants responded to potential threats to Federal Reserve autonomy by moving away from the US dollar, benefiting alternative stores of value. - Bitcoin and gold prices surged as traders sought refuge from dollar uncertainty - The move continues a trend seen since late 2024 when geopolitical tensions began driving the 'debasement trade' - Middle East conflicts and US election uncertainty have reinforced investor preference for non-fiat assets *Key factors driving the shift:* - Questions about Fed independence - Ongoing geopolitical instability - US political uncertainty - Historical correlation between BTC and gold during dollar weakness

Bitcoin miners face declining revenues despite BTC trading at $84,000, primarily due to: - Recent halving event cutting block rewards - Rising operational costs impacting profitability - Daily revenue drop from $79M to $29M - Transaction fees at 3.2%, lowest since April - Network hashrate decreased 7.7% post-halving This marks the largest hashrate decline since December 2022's FTX collapse. Miners have begun shutting down inefficient equipment and selling reserves, indicating potential capitulation according to CryptoQuant analysis. *Monitor mining metrics at [CryptoQuant](https://cryptoquant.com)*

Technical analysis using standard deviation metrics suggests **significant price movements** ahead for XRP and Bitcoin. The volatility indicator, which measures price deviations from moving averages, shows patterns similar to those preceding previous major market moves. - Historical data shows this indicator has accurately predicted several major crypto market shifts - Current readings align with patterns seen before substantial price action - Both XRP and BTC showing similar volatility compression patterns This follows months of range-bound trading, particularly for Bitcoin, indicating a potential end to the consolidation phase. *Traders should note that while indicators suggest increased volatility, they don't predict direction.*

A notable price surge has emerged in an otherwise stable market, with the token's value doubling on several exchanges over the past week. However, this increase offers little consolation to long-term holders: - Token remains 88% below its all-time high - Cumulative investor losses stand at $2 billion - Recent gains occurred in an otherwise stagnant market The dramatic price movement highlights the volatile nature of digital assets and the significant risks involved in token investments. While short-term traders may benefit from such swings, the broader picture demonstrates the importance of careful risk management.

A new cryptocurrency tax framework is taking shape with key distinctions in how different transactions will be treated: - **Taxable Events**: - Converting crypto to fiat currency - Using crypto to purchase goods/services - **Non-Taxable Events**: - Cryptocurrency-to-cryptocurrency exchanges - Token swaps within the crypto ecosystem The law also includes a $10,000 reporting threshold for business transactions, similar to existing cash requirements. *Implementation timeline remains pending as regulators finalize technical details.*