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According to CoinDesk, Ethereum processed 200.4 million base layer transactions in the first quarter of 2026, setting a new historical high and becoming the first quarter to surpass 200 million transactions.Data shows that this metric has continued to recover since its low of about 90 million transactions in 2023, with Q1 2026 growing 43% compared to 145 million transactions in Q4 2025. The report points out that this round of growth is mainly driven by Layer 2 network settlements and bridging activities, as well as an increase in stablecoin usage; currently, the supply of stablecoins on the Ethereum chain has reached $180 billion, accounting for about 60% of the global stablecoin market. However, the price of ETH has still fallen over 50% from its high of nearly $5,000 in August 2025.

According to CoinDesk, Bitcoin is currently priced at $74,700, down 0.4% in the last 24 hours. News of ceasefire negotiations between the U.S. and Iran has boosted risk sentiment, with the S&P 500 index reaching a record high on Thursday. Trump stated that the prospects for a permanent ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran "look very optimistic," claiming that Iran has agreed to abandon its nuclear ambitions, hand over nuclear materials, and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, although Iran has not yet confirmed these concessions.Meanwhile, the market is closely monitoring the structural signals behind Bitcoin's price movements. ZeroStack CEO Daniel Reis-Faria stated, "The funding rate is so negative that it indicates the market is heavily short. If Bitcoin continues to rise in this context, a large number of short positions may be forced to close, further accelerating the price upward." He predicts that if the short base is forced to cover, Bitcoin could reach $125,000 within the next 30 to 60 days.On-chain analyst CryptoVizArt provided another perspective: Bitcoin's "True Market Mean" (TMM) shows that the average cost basis of active holders is currently above the market price, indicating that holders are overall in a state of unrealized losses. Since 2016, consistently falling below this mean has often coincided with Bitcoin's most severe downturns, including the bear market from 2018 to 2019 (with a maximum drop of 57%, lasting 282 days) and the decline following the Luna and FTX collapses from 2022 to 2023 (with a maximum drop of 56%, lasting 339 days).Analysts point out that these two judgments are not mutually exclusive—the short squeeze triggered by the extremely negative funding rate and the structural pressure of overall unrealized losses among active holders can coexist. The former may trigger a significant rise, but ultimately could be absorbed by selling from the latter. The future market direction may depend on whether the U.S.-Iran ceasefire can be sustained after its expiration next week.

Web3 asset data platform RootData released the sixth issue of the "Cryptocurrency Exchange Transparency Ranking (Stock Category)," continuing to focus on the growth trend of stock assets in cryptocurrency exchanges. In this issue, Binance, OKX, Gate, Bitget, and Bybit ranked in the top five.According to the ranking, most cryptocurrency exchanges saw an increase of around 10% in trading volume over the past week, reversing a downward trend that had persisted for several weeks, but the traffic remained mostly flat compared to last week, with no significant signs of rebound.In terms of ranking changes, Gate and Bitget both moved up one position, while Bybit dropped two positions. Bitget launched the first Pre-IPO project SpaceX (SPCX) in this issue, connecting the Pre-IPO product framework with traditional capital markets, enhancing the richness and institutional attributes of its "tradable stock assets," which is an important reason for the score increase this time.It is reported that RootData adheres to the "transparency first" principle and has taken the lead in establishing a dual evaluation system of "transparency + liquidity" in the field of stock cryptocurrency exchanges, thereby providing investors with more effective data references. The ranking will continue to be improved and published in the future.

The Ethereum NFT marketplace Foundation has officially announced its permanent closure. Founder Kayvon Tehranian posted on X stating that the original plan was to sell the platform to a buyer interested in continuing operations, but the deal ultimately fell through, and the company deemed it not worth searching for other buyers. The platform's infrastructure has been shut down, with no plans for relaunch.In January of this year, Tehranian transferred ownership of Foundation to the digital art display company BlackDove, at the time calling this move a step for the platform's long-term development. However, BlackDove only conducted a full due diligence after completing the operational handover and ultimately determined that building a proprietary marketplace was more feasible, leading to the termination of the collaboration.Since its launch, Foundation has facilitated approximately $230 million in primary sales and has hosted iconic auctions featuring artists such as Jen Stark, James Jean, and Edward Snowden. This closure has once again raised questions about the permanence of NFTs hosted on centralized infrastructure.

According to SoSoValue data, the cryptocurrency market sector generally rose, with the AI sector performing outstandingly, increasing by 12.48% in 24 hours. Among them, Siren (SIREN) rose by 92.70%, and SkyAI (SKYAI) rose by 32.37%. In addition, Bitcoin (BTC) fell by 0.14%, maintaining around $74,000; Ethereum (ETH) fell by 1.12%, dropping to just above $2,300.In other sectors, the Meme sector rose by 12.03% in 24 hours, with ORDI (ORDI) rising by 153.69%; the Layer2 sector rose by 5.36%, with Celestia (TIA) rising by 22.55%; the Layer1 sector rose by 2.91%, with Polkadot (DOT) rising by 11.33%; the DeFi sector rose by 2.82%, with Ethena (ENA) rising by 11.36%; the PayFi sector rose by 2.80%, with Safe (SAFE) rising by 15.49%; the CeFi sector rose by 1.39%, with FTX (FTT) rising by 5.43%.The cryptocurrency sector indices reflecting historical market trends show that the ssiMeme, ssiLayer2, and ssiNFT indices rose by 7.74%, 4.91%, and 4.57%, respectively.

According to SoSoValue data, yesterday (Eastern Time April 16) the total net inflow of XRP spot ETF was $11.8656 million.The XRP spot ETF with the highest net inflow yesterday was Bitwise XRP ETF (XRP), with a net inflow of $7.1590 million, and the historical total net inflow has reached $406 million.Following that was Franklin XRP ETF (XRPZ), with a net inflow of $3.1603 million, and the historical total net inflow has reached $341 million.As of the time of writing, the total net asset value of XRP spot ETFs is $1.078 billion, with an XRP net asset ratio of 1.21%, and the historical cumulative net inflow has reached $1.261 billion.

According to data from TheMinerMag, in the first quarter of 2026, publicly listed Bitcoin mining companies including MARA, CleanSpark, Riot, Cango, Core Scientific, and Bitdeer collectively sold over 32,000 BTC, surpassing the total amount sold throughout last year and even exceeding the sell-off levels triggered by the Terra-Luna collapse in Q2 2022, setting a "new record for a single quarter."The backdrop of this sell-off is the key metric for measuring miner profitability, "hashprice," which has fallen to a historical low of below $35 per PH/s per day, with about 20% of miners already in the red. Asset management firm CoinShares stated in its report: "Unless the BTC price rebounds significantly, high-cost miners will further capitulate in the first half of 2026."

According to Gate market data, the Dow Jones Index closed up 115.13 points on April 16 (Thursday), an increase of 0.24%, at 48,578.85 points; the S&P 500 Index rose 18.32 points, an increase of 0.26%, at 7,041.27 points; the Nasdaq Composite Index increased by 86.69 points, an increase of 0.36%, at 24,102.7 points.

According to Gate market data, the dollar index, which measures the dollar against six major currencies, rose by 0.16% on April 16, closing at 98.212 in the foreign exchange market. 1 euro exchanged for 1.1774 dollars, down from 1.18 dollars the previous trading day; 1 pound exchanged for 1.3525 dollars, down from 1.3572 dollars the previous trading day; 1 dollar exchanged for 159.26 yen, up from 159.03 yen the previous trading day; 1 dollar exchanged for 0.7844 Swiss francs, up from 0.7819 Swiss francs the previous trading day; 1 dollar exchanged for 1.3706 Canadian dollars, down from 1.3729 Canadian dollars the previous trading day; 1 dollar exchanged for 9.2051 Swedish kronor, up from 9.158 Swedish kronor the previous trading day.

According to HTX data, ORDI has continuously surged, briefly breaking through $9.5, currently reported at $9.022, with a 24-hour increase of 212%.In the past 24 hours, the total liquidation of ORDI contracts across the network reached $22.75 million, with long positions liquidating $5.18 million and short positions liquidating $17.57 million.

According to Globenewswire, the American law firm Bernstein Liebhard has announced that it has filed a securities fraud class action lawsuit on behalf of investors against the Nasdaq-listed cryptocurrency exchange Gemini Space Station, alleging that Gemini made false statements regarding its business operations and prospects in its prospectus and related disclosures, particularly accused of exaggerating the viability of its core cryptocurrency platform business. Investors wishing to serve as lead plaintiffs must submit their applications by May 18, 2026.It is reported that Bernstein Liebhard is a well-known investor relations law firm that has previously filed class action lawsuits against companies such as Ruhnn, Apple, and AsiaInfo-Linkage.

Gate is hosting an F1 Red Bull Racing car display parade in Hong Kong, with the display cars appearing around Victoria Harbour and proceeding along a designated route, attracting market and public attention.This parade serves as an important offline action in the cross-industry collaboration between Gate and the F1 Red Bull Racing team, bringing top-tier racing culture into urban landmark scenes, enhancing brand exposure and discussion.From April 18 to 24, Gate will also launch the "Racing the Future" outdoor cross-industry exhibition at the K11 MUSEA waterfront promenade in Hong Kong, which will focus on showcasing Red Bull Racing cars and related equipment, as well as setting up interactive experience areas.As the official sponsor of the F1 Red Bull Racing team, this exhibition will be the first to showcase the brand new 2026 Red Bull Racing car and core equipment, introducing an immersive interactive experience area that recreates the fusion of top racing engineering and the aesthetics of speed.In addition, Gate will hold the "Gate 13 Blue Carpet Ceremony" on April 20, where the unveiling of the F1 Red Bull Racing display car and brand collaboration will take place. That evening, Gate will also host a high-end anniversary dinner event at the Rosewood Hong Kong, where platform founder and CEO Dr. Han will be present, and it is expected that over 300 representatives from top industry institutions and partners will be invited to participate in the exchange.

CoinDesk analyst James Van Straten stated that the Bitcoin funding rate has fallen to its lowest level since 2023, and historical patterns show that such signals often coincide with market bottoms. According to Glassnode data, the seven-day moving average of the funding rate has dropped to about -0.005%.The funding rate is the fee that long and short positions pay each other periodically in perpetual contracts to keep the contract price aligned with the spot market. When the rate is positive, longs pay shorts, reflecting bullish market sentiment; when the rate is negative, shorts pay longs, indicating a bearish market. Despite the funding rate being persistently negative from March to April this year, Bitcoin still oscillated upward from the $60,000 to $65,000 range to about $75,000. Historically, a deeply negative funding rate often coincides with Bitcoin's phase bottoms: during the market crash triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, Bitcoin fell to about $3,000; it dropped to $30,000 during China's mining ban announcement in 2021; it hit a low of about $15,000 during the FTX collapse in November 2022; and it briefly fell below $20,000 during the Silicon Valley Bank crisis in 2023. During the yen arbitrage trade closure in August 2024 and the "Liberation Day" sell-off in April 2025, negative funding rates also appeared alongside phase lows. The continued negative funding rate indicates that even if the price trend is positive, short positions remain at a high level. This divergence may suggest that the market is climbing within a "wall of worry," and a large number of short positions could become fuel for further price increases.

Cuy Sheffield, the head of Visa's crypto business, stated that two American banks, Lead Bank and Cross River, have settled transactions using USDC on Solana.

Bitfinex's official social media post stated that whales have accumulated over 270,000 bitcoins in 30 days, marking the largest buying frenzy since 2013. Additionally, the bitcoin balance on the trading platform is at its lowest point since December 2017.

Gate, as the first centralized exchange to connect to Polymarket, shows that the probability of a closing market value forecast of over $2 trillion for the SpaceX IPO is about 46%, making it the highest probability option currently.It is reported that Gate has launched the first phase of the Pre-IPOs project, SpaceX (SPCX). The subscription for this phase of SpaceX (SPCX) will be open from April 20, 2026, 18:00 to April 22, 18:00 (UTC+8), supporting participation in both USDT and GUSD. After the subscription is completed, the SPCX asset certificates are expected to be distributed before April 22, 22:00 (UTC+8) and will enter pre-market trading in a 100% unlocked form, with pre-market trading starting at April 24, 18:00 (UTC+8). The total subscription amount is 33,900 SPCX, with a total value of approximately $20.01 million, a unit price of $590, corresponding to an implied valuation of about $1.4 trillion.In terms of participation mechanism, Gate Pre-IPOs adopts "average locked amount per hour" for allocation, emphasizing early participation weight. The minimum participation threshold is 100 USDT, and no handling or custody fees are charged. Gate Pre-IPOs will continue to focus on early participation opportunities for high-quality projects before listing, providing users with a new entry point to access global quality assets.

Web3 asset data platform RootData issued a daily transparency alert on Twitter (X), noting that information such as teams, key calendar events, and token data for projects like LeverUp, Flash.Trade, PRDT, f(x) Protocol, and Tectonic is missing. It calls on project teams to submit/update their information on RootData to improve their transparency scores. Additionally, RootData stated that it will continue to monitor and expose "black box" projects that lack core information.It is reported that the RootData transparency score is used to measure the integrity and timeliness of projects, aiming to reflect the information disclosure status of projects and urging project teams to immediately claim their projects. The transparency score is divided into five levels from A to F, with lower scores indicating less complete information disclosure and higher risks of wrongdoing, requiring investors to exercise high caution.

Morgan Stanley's spot Bitcoin ETF (MSBT) has been listed for only 6 trading days, and its total net inflow has already surpassed the cumulative inflow of the WisdomTree Bitcoin Fund (WBTC) since its launch in January 2024.On Wednesday, MSBT saw an inflow of $19.3 million in a single day, bringing its total net inflow to $103 million, exceeding WBTC's $86 million. MSBT was listed on April 8 with a market minimum fee rate of 0.14%. If the momentum continues, it is expected to catch up with the Invesco Galaxy Bitcoin ETF ($245 million), Valkyrie Bitcoin ETF ($326 million), and Franklin Bitcoin ETF ($375 million).Currently, the spot Bitcoin ETF market is led by BlackRock IBIT with a net inflow of $64.3 billion, followed by Fidelity FBTC with $10.9 billion. Additionally, Goldman Sachs submitted an application to the SEC on Tuesday to launch its own Bitcoin-linked ETF, indicating that more asset management companies are accelerating their entry into the Bitcoin ETF market.