Hey folks! Hope you had an eventful week. The cryptocurrency exchange space saw some major developments recently—here are the standout moments that grabbed headlines! The cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase got a legal breakthrough after Kentucky, Vermont, and South Carolina dropped their lawsuits, easing regulations. On the other hand, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and Gemini requested a 60-day pause in their lawsuit.
Meanwhile, the US lawmakers passed the anti-CBDC Bill with a 27-22 vote. The bill will protect their financial privacy, enabling direct or indirect CBDC issuance by the Fed. Further, David Sacks revealed that the SEC had determined that fully-reserved stablecoins with liquid dollar backing would be ‘non-securities’. On the other hand, President Donald Trump launched a new gold card worth $5M, offering residency benefits for wealthy investors. The card, which is an upgrade to the EB-5 visa, will also grant tax exemptions on overseas income.
However, Trump’s latest tariff plan has pushed the crypto market into turmoil. While some were imposed with 10%, other countries faced even higher rates. Notably, China was imposed with 34% while the EU and Japan were slammed with 20% and 24% respectively. On the other hand, Thailand has proposed to hold talks with Trump after being imposed with a $36 tax, impacting a $45B trade surplus and GDP growth. On the market front, whale transfers of XRP have raised speculation while DeFi TVL drops 27% in Q1 2025 due to hacks and instability. After facing severe backlash, Pump.fun has reinstated livestreaming with new content moderation, ensuring a safer platform, and only 5% of users were allowed to live stream as part of their test phase.
Related: Coinbase CEO Urges U.S. to Allow Interest on Stablecoins
On the institutional front, Strategy and Metaplanet boost their Bitcoin holdings while GameStop raises $1.2B to add Bitcoin to Treasury Strategy. Integrating with Crypto.com, Sony Singapore now accepts USDC payments while Circle moves to IPO after failed SPAC and delays. Taking a bold initiative, Jetking raised ₹6.6 Cr to enter the Bitcoin and blockchain space. The now-defunct exchange, FTX, has proposed paying $11.4B in creditor payouts with 2022 valuations, raising concern among creditors. On the other hand, a hacker who stole funds from zkLend fell victim to a phishing scam while laundering the funds via TornadoCash.
Meanwhile, the North Korea-linked Lazarus Group made a $2.51M profit by selling 40.78 tokens, reportedly bought two years ago. Taking the next step, Cardano launched Veridian for secure digital identity management, while Pi Network now allows Pi Token purchases through the Banxa wallet. Further, PayPal has integrated Solana and Chainlink into its platform to boost its digital currency services, Also, this integration will extend to its subsidiary Venmo. Coinbase Derivatives has proposed to launch XRP Futures on April 21, while SMBG plans to launch a fiat-backed stablecoin on the Avalanche network to improve payment.
Related: HBAR Foundation Joins OnlyFans Founder to Bid for TikTok
Trading on Binance raised concern for many as users allege that the exchange has manipulated altcoin prices via futures. Further, the backlash has fueled concerns over market fairness and the role of centralized exchanges in the crypto space. On the other hand, VanEck has filed an ETF for Binance Coin in Delaware, and with this latest filing, BNB joins Ether, Solana, Bitcoin, and Avalanche as cryptocurrencies with standalone ETF registration. Further, in a bid to support the earthquake victims, Changpeng Zhao has pledged to donate 500 BNB, while Binance plans to airdrop $1.5M in BNB for victims in Myanmar and Thailand.
This week highlighted crypto’s rapid evolution—regulatory wins, institutional adoption, and global policy shifts took center stage. From legal to tech innovation, the industry is gaining momentum despite challenges. As crypto weaves deeper into mainstream finance, the coming weeks promise more disruption, opportunity, and transformation across the digital asset space.
