| | Hello and welcome to Crypto Intel, the twice-weekly newsletter covering the latest updates, breaking news, and exciting opportunities in the crypto world.
If you're not looking for more emails from us, just click here to unsubscribe! | Big moves are brewing beneath the surface—some measured, some massive, and others hiding in plain sight. From markets quietly shifting their weight to governments drawing harder lines in the sand, this week's headlines reveal a crypto landscape in flux. Fewer coins are moving, more regulations are locking in, and a new kind of pressure is building—one that may reshape both risk and reward. | While some players are taking a step back, others are tightening their grip. Hackers are still circling, but regulators are circling back harder. And as inflows slow and wallets get quieter, the question isn't just what comes next—but who's preparing for it. |
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| | | | 📈 Market-Moving News | | From invisible sell walls to billion-dollar breaches and tropical islands drawing red lines, this week's developments tell a bigger story. It's not just about price action or platform upgrades—it's about the subtle shifts that ripple across trust, timing, and technology. Something's stirring—and it's not just the charts. |
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| | Market Trends | 📉 Bitcoin Sellers Dry Up as Exchange Inflows Hit 23-Month Low | | Bitcoin exchange inflows are nearing a two-year low, and that could be good news for bulls. According to Axel Adler Jr. from CryptoQuant, the average seven-day BTC inflow to top exchanges has dropped a staggering 64% since November—from 81,000 BTC to just 29,000 BTC per day. This shift signals a significant reduction in sell-side pressure, suggesting sellers are either tapped out or simply holding strong at current price levels. | The steep drop in inflows marks the lowest average since May 2023, back when BTC traded below $30,000. But despite BTC now hovering at nearly triple that valuation, investors don't seem eager to cash out. Adler says the market has already weathered major profit-taking after Bitcoin's breakout past the $100K mark in late 2024. That correction appears to be behind us, with current conditions hinting at a calm consolidation period ahead of the next major impulse. | Binance data adds another layer to the story. Short-term holders are sending significantly fewer BTC to Binance—just 6,300 BTC recently, versus the 24,700 BTC average on other platforms. This divergence points to a more neutral stance among Binance traders, which could soften near-term volatility. Meanwhile, the Coinbase Premium is slowly rising back to neutral, suggesting US-based demand may be stabilizing too. | Taken together, these signals reflect a maturing market where both institutional and retail players are comfortable holding at higher levels. As Adler puts it, we've entered a "zone of asymmetric demand," where supply is thinning just as sentiment begins to stabilize. April and May may not deliver fireworks, but they could lay the groundwork for Bitcoin's next big move. |
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| | Security & Risk | 🛡️ Q1 Crypto Hacks Top $1.6B—Bybit Breach Dominates the Damage | | Q1 2025 was one of the costliest quarters for crypto security in recent memory, with hackers stealing over $1.63 billion—an eye-popping 131% increase year-over-year. According to blockchain security firm PeckShield, the Bybit breach alone accounted for a massive $1.53 billion of that sum, making it one of the largest single incidents in crypto history. That exploit sent shockwaves through the market and drove February's monthly total to new extremes. | January was comparatively quiet, with just $87 million lost to hacks, but February's spike changed the picture dramatically. Alongside the Bybit hit, there were several other major breaches—$50 million stolen from Infini, $9.5 million drained from zkLend, and another $8.5 million taken from Ionic. In total, February was responsible for over 94% of Q1's crypto theft volume. | March brought some relief. Losses fell to $33 million, down 97% from February, and some stolen funds were even returned. The largest March exploit involved Abracadabra.Money, which saw $13 million in ETH drained. Zoth, a real-world asset restaking protocol, was also hit for $8.4 million, though quick action from security firm Cyvers helped identify the exploit. In a rare twist, one 1inch hacker returned 90% of their $5 million haul after being offered a bounty. | PeckShield tracked over 60 individual hacks during Q1, showing just how pervasive the problem has become. While some progress is being made in recovery and defense, the sheer scale of losses underscores how much work still lies ahead. As cross-chain protocols and restaking services expand, so too does the attack surface—making smart contract audits and real-time monitoring more critical than ever. |
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| | Regulation | 🌴 Vanuatu Passes Strict Crypto Laws to Fend Off Scammers | | Vanuatu has officially joined the ranks of crypto-regulated nations—but it's not playing around. On March 26, the Pacific island nation passed the Virtual Asset Service Providers Act, putting crypto licensing and oversight under the Vanuatu Financial Services Commission (VFSC). Regulatory adviser Loretta Joseph called the framework "very stringent," warning bad actors that the days of exploiting small jurisdictions are over. | The legislation gives the VFSC sweeping enforcement powers, including the ability to impose fines of up to 250 million vatu ($2 million) and prison sentences as long as 30 years. It also aligns with international standards like the Financial Action Task Force's AML/CFT and Travel Rule requirements. The message is clear: Vanuatu doesn't want to be the next Bahamas-style regulatory black hole post-FTX. | Covered entities include crypto exchanges, NFT marketplaces, custodians, and initial coin offerings. Interestingly, banks can also be licensed to offer exchange and custody services. The law stops short of regulating stablecoins and CBDCs directly but offers flexibility via a regulatory sandbox for pilot projects. That sandbox can authorize new services for a year, with the option to renew if benchmarks are met. | Joseph says the legislation has been in the works since 2020 but faced delays due to government changes, natural disasters, and the COVID-19 pandemic. Now passed, the law positions Vanuatu as the first Pacific nation to fully commit to a comprehensive crypto regulatory framework. Beyond compliance, the VFSC sees the move as a way to boost financial inclusion, especially for cross-border crypto payments and remittances—a big deal for island nations navigating a digital financial future. |
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| | 🪙 Coin Leaderboard | | | ⚡ Crypto Pulse | The broader market may be treading water, but a few under-the-radar tokens are breaking through the noise. Surprise listings, momentum carryovers, and breakout rallies are pushing DOGINME, AKI, and 0x0 to the top of the charts. With gains ranging from 30% to over 60%, these movers are grabbing attention across the crypto market. Let's take a closer look. 📈 | doginme (DOGINME) $0.001310 (+63.08%) | DOGINME soared 63% in the past 24 hours after news broke of its upcoming Coinbase listing, sending traders into a frenzy. | Aki Network (AKI) $0.01847 (+41.09%) | AKI has continued its bullish streak since March 27, climbing another 41% today to secure the second spot on the Crypto Pulse leaderboard. | 0x0.ai (0x0) $0.1148 (+32.17%) | 0x0 rallied 32% after a stretch of choppy trading, hitting its highest price in the past 30 days and signaling renewed momentum. | | | | ⏩ Future Forward | Momentum is building—new token launches, upcoming airdrops, and shifting market tides could shape what's next. There's more bubbling beneath the surface than meets the eye. 📅 | Crypto Conferences: | 💎 InCyber Forum Web3 Security Summit 2025 (Apr 2, 2025) | 💎 2025 Decentralized Tech Summit (Apr 2, 2025) | 💎 FINANZ 25 (Apr 2, 2025 - Apr 3, 2025) | Upcoming Airdrops: | 🎁 COCO COIN (COCO) Airdrop (Apr 3, 2025) | 🎁 IOST (IOST) Airdrop (Apr 9, 2025) | 🎁 UXLINK (UXLINK) Airdrop (Apr 10, 2025) | Upcoming Token Launches: | 🚀 Domin Network (DOMIN) TGE and Distribution (Apr 2, 2025) | 🚀 HashBurn (HBURN) IDO on Huostarter (Apr 2, 2025) | 🚀 Genezys (GNZ) TGE and Distribution (Apr 4, 2025) | Which event are you most excited for? Let us know! |
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| | 🧠 Crypto Know-How: What Are Bitcoin Exchange-Traded Funds (ETFs)? | A Bitcoin ETF is a traditional investment product that lets people invest in Bitcoin without actually buying or storing it themselves. Instead, the ETF tracks the price of Bitcoin and trades on regular stock exchanges, just like shares of Apple or Google. | This makes Bitcoin more accessible to everyday investors and institutions who may not want to deal with crypto wallets, private keys, or security risks. You can buy or sell a Bitcoin ETF through your brokerage account—no crypto knowledge required. | There are two types of Bitcoin ETFs: spot ETFs, which hold real Bitcoin, and futures ETFs, which track Bitcoin futures contracts. Spot ETFs are seen as more direct and reliable—and in 2024, they were finally approved in the US, bringing major attention (and capital) to the market. |
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| | Everything Else | Japanese firm Metaplanet has boosted its Bitcoin holdings to over 4,000 BTC after buying an additional 696 BTC using a strategic options-based approach during Q1. Kentucky has become the third state in recent weeks to drop its staking lawsuit against Coinbase, signaling growing momentum behind state-level crypto reform. Binance has delisted USDT spot trading pairs in the EU to comply with MiCA rules, though users can still hold and trade the stablecoin via derivatives. California lawmakers have introduced amendments to protect crypto payments and self-custody rights, framing digital assets as legitimate tools for commerce and governance. Ethereum has reclaimed the top spot in DEX trading volume, overtaking Solana for the first time in six months amid waning memecoin activity and broader market pullbacks.
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| | That's it for now—what stood out to you? We're always curious to hear what's got your attention. | Thanks for reading, and see you next time! | Best Regards, | — Adam Garcia | Crypto Intel | |
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