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The South African National Treasury and the South African Reserve Bank (SARB) stated that they are shifting the focus of cryptocurrency asset regulation to rules governing cross-border digital asset activities, rather than restricting the holding itself, and have extended the public comment deadline for the draft Capital Flow Management Regulations to June 30, 2026. Both parties clarified that the proposed rules are not intended to criminalize the holding of cryptocurrency assets and will not be applied retroactively. A draft manual for the cross-border cryptocurrency asset framework will be released later, clarifying the definition of cross-border cryptocurrency transactions and the obligations of authorized cryptocurrency service providers.

U.S. Senator Cynthia Lummis from Wyoming stated, "No rules do not mean no harm, but rather mean no recourse," and reiterated her push for the Clarity Act legislation over the years, emphasizing that the bill aims to provide a clear regulatory framework for the development of digital assets within the United States.

According to Zhejiang Daily, recently, the Ningbo Customs Anti-Smuggling Bureau successfully dismantled multiple criminal gangs smuggling virtual currency "mining machines" through in-depth operations and meticulous investigations, effectively cutting off an illegal industrial chain.Previously, during a routine inspection of a batch of imported express shipments declared as "industrial blockers," Ningbo Customs discovered that the actual goods did not match the declaration and were, in fact, virtual currency "mining machines." Customs officers quickly transferred this lead to the anti-smuggling department. After receiving the report, the Ningbo Customs Anti-Smuggling Bureau immediately assembled a task force by drawing on elite personnel, and through data analysis and clue investigation, gradually clarified the organizational structure and operational model of the criminal network. When the timing was right, they decisively struck, simultaneously conducting net-seizing operations in Dongguan, Shenzhen, and other locations, successfully dismantling multiple smuggling gangs of mining machines.Upon investigation, it was confirmed that this series of cases seized over 400 illegal entry mining machines of brands such as Ant L9 and Ice River KS3. The investigation revealed that the smuggling gang led by Liao, in order to make illegal profits, procured "mining machines" from overseas suppliers, disassembled the whole machines, and misreported the product names to smuggle them into the country through international express channels from ports in Ningbo, Guangzhou, and other places. After the goods entered the country, the gang reassembled them, either selling them directly domestically or transporting them to hidden "mining sites" in Xinjiang, Hunan, and other places to engage in illegal virtual currency "mining" activities. At the same time, they utilized virtual currencies like USDT for cross-border payment settlements to evade financial supervision.

According to the Zhejiang Daily, the Ningbo Customs Anti-Smuggling Bureau in Zhejiang, China, recently cracked multiple cases of smuggling virtual currency mining machines, dismantling several criminal gangs and seizing over 400 mining machines of models such as Ant L9 and Ice River KS3.The report states that the involved gangs misrepresented the mining machines as "industrial block devices" and smuggled them into the country through international express channels from ports in Ningbo, Guangzhou, and other locations. They then reassembled the machines and sold them domestically or transported them to mining sites in Xinjiang, Hunan, and other areas for hosting and mining.Investigators stated that the relevant gangs also used USDT for cross-border payment settlements to evade financial regulation.

Aave announced that its bug bounty program has been updated to better align rewards with the risk status of each part of the ecosystem and to simplify the review process. The maximum reward for critical vulnerability fixes for Aave V4 and Core Aave V3 has now been increased fivefold.

According to monitoring by Hyperinsight, in the past half hour, three major long BTC addresses on Hyperliquid simultaneously executed liquidations, creating a total of 776 BTC sell orders, worth approximately 62 million USD, with an average liquidation price around 79,880 USD, indicating that the positions were close to breakeven.It is reported that the funding sources of the three addresses can all be traced back to on-chain transfers from the HitBTC trading platform, and the on-chain transfer records are highly synchronized with trading activities, suspected to belong to the same whale.

According to The Block, Bitcoin maintained a volatile consolidation above $77,000 on Wednesday, with the market adopting a cautious stance ahead of the Federal Reserve's interest rate decision. This FOMC meeting is seen as a critical juncture, with the market generally expecting interest rates to remain unchanged, but the real focus is whether Federal Reserve Chairman Powell will signal a "higher-for-longer" hawkish stance. Additionally, this meeting may also be his last as Chairman of the Federal Reserve, with the market pricing in uncertainties regarding policy and potential power transition.Overall, Bitcoin remains in a "low liquidity + high event risk" structure, and is likely to oscillate within the $72,000 to $80,000 range in the short term, awaiting further clarity on the Federal Reserve's policy path.

According to Bitcoin Magazine, SEC Chairman Paul Atkins and CFTC Chairman Mike Selig stated at the Bitcoin 2026 Conference that U.S. digital asset regulation is entering a "new phase," with both agencies working together to advance a regulatory framework for crypto assets, encouraging related businesses to develop domestically in the U.S.Both parties mentioned that the jointly released token classification guidelines have differentiated between digital commodities, collectibles, and tokenized securities, emphasizing the push for clearer, future-oriented legislative rules. Paul Atkins also stated that the SEC is preparing to launch an "innovation exemption" and plans to allow companies to test on-chain tokenization and securitization tools in a regulated environment in the coming weeks.

Recently, Gate predicts that the market expectations for Ethereum's price performance on April 27 are highly consistent. Data shows that the current probability of "ETH being above $1800" and various ranges such as "$1900/$2000/$2100" all reach 100%, while the probability of being above $2200 also reaches 99%, indicating a significantly bullish market sentiment. In contrast, the probability for $2300 is about 72%, while the probability for above $2400 drops sharply to 7%, reflecting a divergence in short-term upward expectations.Users can directly access the prediction market through the Gate App, entering the Polymarket page from the platform's homepage Alpha, and participate in event predictions using USDT in their exchange accounts. This integration marks a key step for Gate in merging the crypto trading ecosystem with prediction markets, providing users with a diversified market experience from expectation judgment to trading participation.It is worth noting that Gate's performance in the Polymarket partnership channel continues to improve, currently ranking in the top two, with a significant expansion in user participation scale. The cumulative trading volume has reached $24.87 million, with a total of 206,055 transactions, reflecting the increasing activity and depth of participation of platform users in the prediction market.

According to Jinshi reports, U.S. President Trump spoke on the phone with British Prime Minister Starmer to discuss the current situation in the Middle East and emphasized the "urgent need to restore shipping in the Strait of Hormuz."The British side stated that the ongoing blockade for several weeks has left many crew members stranded in the Gulf region. Starmer warned that this would have "serious consequences" for the global economy and the cost of living for the British people. On the same day, Iran warned that the waterway "will not return to its previous state under any circumstances."

CryptoQuant analyst Axel Adler stated that after the release of market pressure in the spring, the selling pressure from short-term holders (STH) has significantly eased. The Bitcoin market repair is still ongoing, and the current price is close to the cost line of short-term holders. The key trigger for the subsequent trend lies in whether it can effectively stabilize above the short-term holder cost basis of about $83,000. Only by breaking through and stabilizing above this level can the market further validate the actual selling pressure strength of short-term holders and whether it will suppress the price drop again.

According to Cointelegraph, local police in Spain seized two cryptocurrency cold wallets containing approximately 400,000 euros (about 467,000 dollars) in assets during an operation against illegal comic distribution platforms.The operation was carried out by the Almería police in Spain, who have arrested three suspects and dismantled what is known as the country's largest Spanish-language piracy comic website. It is reported that the platform has been providing free pirated content since 2014, primarily profiting through advertisements, with total revenue exceeding 4 million euros over the past decade. Notably, the cold wallets involved were hidden inside a thermometer in the wall. The police have not yet disclosed whether they have obtained the relevant private keys or access to the funds.

The local police in Spain seized two cryptocurrency cold wallets containing approximately 400,000 euros (about 467,000 dollars) in assets during an operation against illegal comic distribution platforms.The operation was carried out by the Almería police in Spain, who have arrested three suspects and dismantled what is known as the country's largest Spanish-language piracy comic website. It is reported that this platform has been providing free pirated content since 2014, primarily profiting through advertisements, with total revenue exceeding 4 million euros over the past decade. Notably, the cold wallets involved were hidden inside a thermometer in the wall. The police have not yet disclosed whether they have obtained the relevant private keys or access to the funds.

According to official news, KelpDAO stated that over the past few days, the team has been continuously advancing the handling of related events with the support of partners, allies, and the community. Discussions are progressing in a positive direction, and efforts are being accelerated to reach a suitable solution. The project party emphasized that it always adheres to the core principle of "user first," and subsequent measures will be gradually implemented with the aim of safeguarding the overall interests of users.In the past four days, the Kelp team has been working around the clock in collaboration with multiple parties, maintaining close communication with all relevant parties, and making substantial progress on several potential solutions. This includes measures taken by the Arbitrum Security Council to freeze the stolen funds, as well as SEAL 911 participating in the preliminary investigation to provide objective and clear analytical support for the incident.Kelp stated that the current focus of work remains on protecting user asset security and strengthening the protocol itself. This incident is not only of critical significance to the project but also has enlightening value for the entire industry. The team will continue to disclose subsequent progress through official channels and thanks the ecological partners and community for their ongoing support.Previous reports indicated that the KelpDAO hacker has essentially laundered $175 million in ETH into BTC.

According to on-chain analyst Specter (@SpecterAnalyst), the North Korean hacker group TraderTraitor began laundering stolen funds from KelpDAO early this morning Beijing time, just three hours after the Arbitrum Council froze 30.7 ETH (approximately $71 million).The attackers split the remaining funds into three wallets, holding approximately 25,000 ETH (about $57.6 million), 25,700 ETH (about $59.2 million), and 25,000 ETH (about $57.9 million), with the third wallet immediately starting the laundering process, currently holding about 3,800 ETH (approximately $8 million). The funds are primarily being bridged to the Bitcoin network via THORChain, with about 99% of the funds flowing through this protocol, causing THORChain's trading volume to surge to $211 million that day, more than ten times its 30-day average, generating approximately $189,000 in fees.During this laundering process, the funds were also mixed with illicit proceeds from the BTC Turk (2025) and Bybit (2025) hacking incidents, with related funds currently tracked on the Bitcoin network totaling approximately 442 BTC (about $33 million), and the entire laundering process has utilized over 400 addresses.

According to CoinDesk, Liz Truss, the former Prime Minister of the UK with the shortest term, stated in an interview that the UK economy is on a "very negative trajectory," with high taxes, excessive regulation, and energy costs making it so that the risks for entrepreneurs "often do not justify the returns." She attributed inflation and wealth inequality to "currency devaluation" and pointed out that discussions about monetary policy within the government have become "taboo," a phenomenon that is "quite disturbing."Truss expressed that she is "very interested" in Bitcoin, believing it to be an important tool against currency devaluation and to resist centralized financial control, and revealed that she had come into contact with Bitcoin as early as during her time as Chief Secretary to the Treasury.She is currently actively preparing for CPAC UK, planning to hold a three-day conference to unite entrepreneurs and activists to promote the "sovereignty and freedom" movement, stating bluntly: "There are only two choices, either sink or change completely."

According to Edaily, Kim Sang-hoon, the chairman of the Digital Assets Special Committee of the People Power Party of Korea, expressed concerns about the restrictions on equity in cryptocurrency exchanges at an academic conference. He called for the prioritization of advancing the basic law on digital assets related to stablecoins (Phase Two legislation) to avoid getting caught in equity regulatory disputes and missing the golden legislative opportunity.He pointed out that the reality of the issuance and circulation of the Korean won stablecoin KRWQ has emerged overseas, posing a severe challenge to monetary sovereignty. Kim Sang-hoon emphasized that the law should provide market predictability, offer clear guidance for operators, and establish effective safety mechanisms for users.

The National Police of Ukraine and the Internal Security Department conducted a joint operation, arresting a suspect in the Transcarpathian region who is alleged to be involved in an international cybercrime gang. This gang is implicated in fraud and money laundering cases exceeding $100 million targeting the United States and Europe, and had previously been listed as an international wanted person by the FBI.The suspect was found in possession of forged identity documents and had even fabricated a death certificate to conceal their whereabouts. The gang deployed malware to steal personal and corporate data, subsequently extorting victims for ransom. Money laundering methods included purchasing real estate and using relatives' names to obscure the flow of funds. Authorities seized approximately $11 million in assets, including cash, real estate, vehicles, and about $3 million worth of cryptocurrency, and also apprehended two co-defendants. The suspect faces charges of document forgery and money laundering.