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According to Decrypt, Republican fintech entrepreneur Michael Carbonara sold 10 Bitcoins for $800,000 to fund his congressional campaign and demonstrated his support for cryptocurrency in this critical battle as the election landscape changed. Besides the election, Carbonara believes that blockchain can also help the government improve the transparency of taxpayer fund usage.

According to Decrypt, a former Ukrainian police officer kidnapped a cryptocurrency entrepreneur and extorted approximately $2.2 million through violence, intimidation, and false debt claims. Prosecutors stated that the gang targeted at least four victims and committed crimes using law enforcement methods, official vehicles, and impersonating police officers. The Kyiv regional prosecutor's office announced that the pre-trial investigation has been completed, and the gang includes four former police officers and one previously convicted civilian, but none of them have been formally charged for these attacks yet. This case comes amid a global surge in "ransomware attacks" in the cryptocurrency space, where criminals use violent coercion to steal digital assets.

According to Decrypt, the Kyiv regional prosecutor's office in Ukraine has completed a pre-trial investigation into a gang that includes four former police officers and one civilian with a criminal record, suspected of kidnapping a cryptocurrency entrepreneur through violence, intimidation, and false debt claims, extorting over $2.2 million.The prosecution stated that the individuals involved targeted at least four victims, using law enforcement skills, official vehicles, and police identities to disguise their crimes, forcing victims to hand over funds and sign documents for non-existent debts. In one case, a victim from Kyiv was kidnapped at gunpoint and forced to sign a false debt document for $5 million.The prosecution accused the individuals of creating and participating in an armed gang, kidnapping, illegal detention, robbery, extortion, and illegal possession of drugs. The gang's activities were terminated in November 2025, and all individuals involved have been dismissed from police duties, with the case materials transferred to the court.

According to Cripto Noticias, a kidnapping incident aimed at stealing BTC and cryptocurrency private keys occurred recently in Madrid, Spain. A 33-year-old Canadian cryptocurrency entrepreneur was forcibly pushed into a rented van with altered license plates by several men. Witnesses immediately called the police, and the Spanish National Police intercepted the vehicle near Atocha Station, successfully rescuing the victim. Two Serbian suspects, aged 32 and 45, were arrested on the spot, while another suspect remains at large.According to police investigations, this kidnapping was a premeditated act. The victim had previously traveled from Barcelona to Madrid for financial business discussions and was suspected to have been tracked by the suspects beforehand. The suspects intended to use personal coercion to force the victim to hand over the mnemonic phrase and private keys of the cryptocurrency wallet, a method known in the security field as a "wrench attack." Police seized plastic zip ties and pills as tools used in the crime from the vehicle. Additionally, the suspects attempted to steal a luxury watch worth 100,000 euros from the victim. The victim was not seriously injured, and the case is still under investigation.This case is one of a series of personal attacks against cryptocurrency holders in Europe in 2026, with France recording 11 related cases this year.

Solana Superteam USASolana Superteam USA has officially been established, with the mission of accelerating entrepreneurs across the United States to join the Solana ecosystem. Nicky Scanz is the founder, who is also the founder of the decentralized verification project Layer33 and the host of the podcast The Index Show.Previously starting in the Solana community with NFT projects, he later shifted to ecosystem development and strategic consulting, and is currently focused on accelerating the growth of the Solana builders community in the United States.

Liquid Capital founder Yi Lihua stated: "The speed of AI development and the anxiety surrounding it are terrifying. We must not forget our original intention and return to the crypto industry. First, any ETH below $2000 is a buying opportunity, with a high win rate for both short-term and long-term. Secondly, according to cycle theory, this year is also a great bottom opportunity, suitable for us to prepare new funds and platforms.Finally, looking at the track opportunities, with the speed of AI evolution, we have entrepreneurial opportunities for AI to transform and reconstruct the crypto industry. I believe there will be waves of AI innovators disrupting the current dragons. The industry hasn't seen a change in pattern for a long time, and the AI payment value of stablecoins is beginning to show. The biggest risk in the primary market is the team, which cannot be addressed through data analysis and trend research."

Bybit announced that Co-CEO Helen Liu will officially step down on April 30, 2026, to pursue her personal entrepreneurial dreams.Helen Liu joined Bybit in 2020, serving as Vice President of Human Resources, Vice President of Marketing, Chief of Staff, and COO, before being promoted to Co-CEO in 2025. During her five years in office, she was deeply involved in the company's global expansion, helping Bybit grow into a top global digital asset platform covering 181 countries and regions, with over 82 million users.After her departure, Bybit will continue to be led by co-founder and CEO Ben Zhou. The company stated that it will maintain its focus on innovation and long-term value creation.

The Hurun Research Institute released the "2026 Hurun Global Rich List," with the wealth calculation cutoff date of January 15, 2026. Binance founder CZ has a wealth of 200 billion RMB, ranking 12th on the Chinese entrepreneurs list and 76th in the world. There are a total of 23 billionaires in the global cryptocurrency sector, among which CZ's wealth increased by over 30%, Ripple's Chris Larsen saw his wealth return to 110 billion RMB, and Revolut's Nikolay Storonsky experienced a 122% increase in wealth.Elon Musk, with a wealth of 5.5 trillion RMB, has become the world's richest person for the fifth time in six years, with an increase of 89%. Jeff Bezos ranks second with 2.1 trillion RMB, an increase of 13%. Alphabet's Larry Page saw his wealth grow by 65% to 1.9 trillion RMB, entering the top three for the first time.

ABCDE co-founder Du Jun stated on platform X that he is returning to entrepreneurship and plans to launch an institutional trading platform in the second quarter.

According to Fortune magazine, the well-known Silicon Valley startup incubator Y Combinator has announced that it will allow founders of its Spring 2026 batch of startups to choose to receive funding in the form of the stablecoin USDC, typically amounting to around $500,000.Y Combinator's crypto access partner Nemil Dalal stated that founders who choose stablecoins can receive tokens on multiple blockchains such as Ethereum and Solana, and may expand to other stablecoins in the future based on demand. He pointed out that stablecoins are one of the key areas where the organization hopes to see more entrepreneurial ideas, and thus also wants to practice this direction firsthand. Dalal expressed that Y Combinator looks forward to more and more startups beginning to raise funds on-chain in the future. He believes that despite the current bearish sentiment in the crypto market, enthusiasm for stablecoins continues to grow, which is unrelated to the price volatility of crypto assets.

According to a recent release by Entrepreneur Middle East, Gate founder and CEO Dr. Han has been selected for the media's special feature "The 100" annual list for 2025, recognized by authoritative business media for his ongoing influence in promoting regional business development and innovation in the digital asset industry. This selection further highlights the industry influence of Gate and its leadership team from a global mainstream business perspective.The "The 100" list has been curated and evaluated by Entrepreneur Middle East over the course of a year, focusing on individuals, pioneers, and industry leaders who have a long-term impact on industrial development in the fields of regional business, technology, and innovation. Dr. Han's inclusion not only reflects his forward-looking judgment and long-term practice in the digital asset and Web3 fields but also demonstrates Gate's comprehensive strength formed during its continuous promotion of professional development, product innovation, and international layout in the global crypto industry.As the founder of Gate, Dr. Han has long been committed to improving the infrastructure of crypto trading and the standardized development of the industry. To date, multiple entities of Gate Group have obtained or completed relevant regulatory registrations, license applications, authorizations, or approvals in jurisdictions such as Malta, the Bahamas, Japan, Australia, the United States, and Dubai, continuously building a compliant and robust global operational system.

ChainCatcher news, at the Silicon Valley 101 x RootData annual summit held in Silicon Valley, Orange DAO founding general partner Orion Parrott delivered a keynote speech titled "AI + Blockchain Entrepreneurship Guide," providing entrepreneurs with a clear action plan.Orion Parrott pointed out that we are at a historic turning point where blockchain and AI technologies intersect, offering unprecedented opportunities for entrepreneurs. Regarding how to choose a technology path, he proposed a three-dimensional evaluation framework: technical fit (blockchain capabilities, AI tools, and ecosystem composability), community culture (values and developer support), and governance and sustainability (upgrade paths and real user participation).In terms of building strategies, he emphasized three key infrastructure trends: stablecoins as programmable money connecting the traditional and crypto worlds, improvements in wallet user experience becoming crucial for mainstream adoption, and rapidly evolving foundational models empowering on-chain automation and intelligent decision-making. He specifically noted that tokenization is the core path for migrating traditional systems to distributed platforms.Finally, Parrott outlined a methodology for early-stage entrepreneurs: look for broken, inefficient systems in reality as entry points, and use "achieving more functionality with less code" as the golden standard for measuring platform fit.