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$30M Stolen as Step Finance Treasury Wallets Compromised

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Step Finance Treasury Wallets Compromised - STEP Price Chart

Step Finance, a major Solana DeFi platform, confirmed multiple treasury and fee wallets were compromised by a sophisticated attacker during Asian Pacific trading hours, resulting in the theft of approximately 261,854 SOL tokens worth roughly $30 million.

The breach sent shockwaves through the Solana ecosystem as blockchain security firm CertiK flagged that the stolen SOL “has been withdrawn after stake authorization had been transferred” to an unknown wallet address.

The incident triggered immediate market panic, with the platform’s native STEP token plummeting over 90% within 24 hours.

Step Finance Treasury Wallets Compromised - STEP Price Chart
Source: CoinGecko

While the team insists user funds remained unaffected, questions swirl over whether the breach represents a genuine security failure or a disguised exit scam, particularly given that the attacker appeared to have direct wallet access rather than exploiting smart contract vulnerabilities.

Emergency Response and Damage Control

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Step Finance disclosed the security breach through a series of urgent social media posts, stating “several of our treasury and fee wallets were compromised by a sophisticated actor” and confirming the attack leveraged “a well known attack vector.

The platform immediately activated emergency protocols and reached out to cybersecurity firms for assistance.

Solana media firm Solana Floor reported that on-chain data showed the stolen 261,854 SOL was “unstaked and moved during the incident,” suggesting the attacker had obtained authorization to control staking operations.

The team emphasized it had “notified the relevant authorities” and implemented immediate remediation steps while working with top security professionals around the clock.

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Ripple Effects Across Linked Protocols

The breach extended beyond Step Finance’s own operations, impacting connected platforms including Remora Markets.

The protocol disclosed that as “majority LP, Step Finance experienced a hack of treasury wallets earlier today” with some affected assets including Remora rStocks.

Remora assured users that despite the incident, “Remora assets remain held 1:1 in our brokerage account” while constructing a process for handling redemptions.

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The market’s swift verdict on Step Finance came through brutal price action, with the STEP token losing most of its value as traders fled amid uncertainty about the platform’s future viability and the legitimacy of the breach.

January’s Relentless Wave of DeFi Exploits

The Step Finance hack marks the latest in what security firms describe as a devastating month for cryptocurrency security.

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According to CertiK’s comprehensive January 2026 security report, “combining all the incidents in January, we’ve confirmed ~$370.3M lost to exploits” across multiple attack vectors.

Major January incidents included Truebit’s $26.6 million smart contract exploit, SwapNet’s $13.3 million breach affecting Matcha Meta users, Saga’s $6.2 million exploit that forced the Layer-1 protocol to pause its SagaEVM chain, and Makina Finance’s $4.2 million loss through flash loan manipulation.

CertiK’s analysis revealed that phishing incidents accounted for $311.3 million of January’s losses, while code vulnerability attacks totaled $51.5 million.

Notably, the Step Finance breach continues a troubling pattern affecting Solana-based protocols.

Swiss crypto platform SwissBorg lost $41.5 million worth of SOL tokens in September 2025 after hackers compromised partner API provider Kiln, while South Korea’s Upbit exchange suffered a $36 million Solana exploit in November 2025, exactly six years after its 2019 hack attributed to North Korean actors.

Beyond individual protocol failures, January also witnessed the largest single crypto theft of 2026, when a victim lost over $282 million in Bitcoin and Litecoin through a hardware wallet social engineering scam, as blockchain investigator ZachXBT described it, surpassing the previous record of $243 million set in August 2024.

The attacker “immediately began converting the stolen assets into Monero through multiple instant exchanges,” obscuring the trail across multiple blockchain networks.

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CertiK’s data shows that despite these massive losses, less than 2-5% has been recovered so far, as investigations into many cases have only recently begun.

Even government-held crypto assets came under scrutiny, as the US Marshals Service confirmed it is investigating a possible hack of federal digital-asset accounts.

Patrick Witt, executive director of the President’s Council of Advisors for Digital Assets, acknowledged that the government seizure addresses were among the wallets from which hackers stole more than $60 million in late 2025.

The post $30M Stolen as Step Finance Treasury Wallets Compromised appeared first on Cryptonews.

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Best Crypto Portfolio for April 2026 Misses One Presale That ETH and BNB Alone Cannot Replace

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Best Crypto Portfolio for April 2026 Misses One Presale That ETH and BNB Alone Cannot Replace

Stablecoin inflows to exchanges just hit $778 million in a single week, confirming capital is pouring back into crypto at a pace not seen since the last bull run started. But the best crypto portfolio for April 2026 is not built from large caps alone.

The wallets that caught the biggest returns every cycle held one presale entry alongside their blue chips.

Pepeto crossed $8.87 million raised during extreme fear with the cofounder who built the original Pepe coin, a SolidProof audit, and a Binance listing that turns the presale floor into history.

Stablecoin Inflows Hit $778 Million as Recovery Capital Floods Back Into Crypto

Stablecoin inflows to exchanges reached $778 million this week per CoinGecko. The spike follows the Iran ceasefire that sent BTC above $72,000 and wiped $600 million in shorts.

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Morgan Stanley’s spot Bitcoin ETF pulled $34 million on day one per CoinDesk, and the best crypto portfolio for this recovery phase needs presale exposure where the gap between entry and listing carries the highest return.

How ETH, BNB, and Pepeto Fit Into the Best Crypto Portfolio This Cycle

Pepeto: The Presale Piece That Turns a Good Portfolio Into a Great One

ETH and BNB give a portfolio its foundation, but every cycle the portfolios that actually changed lives had one presale entry that outweighed everything else combined. That is the role Pepeto fills right now, and no large cap at current prices can replace what a presale to listing gap delivers.

The exchange is already live. Zero fee swaps, a cross chain bridge at zero cost, and a contract scanner that flags scams before money moves are all running and handling real activity. That separates Pepeto from every presale still stuck at the whitepaper stage.

The presale reached $8.87 million while fear gripped the market and most tokens were bleeding, proving the capital flowing in is smart money, not hype chasers. The builder behind the first Pepe token who took 420 trillion coins to $11 billion with zero products is now doing it with a full exchange behind it, a SolidProof audit covers every contract, and 186% APY staking quietly builds positions while the listing gets closer.

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At $0.0000001863, analysts model 100x to 300x, and the pace keeps picking up because the wallets inside know the listing wipes this entry off the table permanently. The best crypto portfolio in 2026 is the one that added Pepeto before that moment, and waiting means watching the return from the outside.

Ethereum: ETH Anchors Portfolios but Growth Stays Limited

ETH holds near $2,206 with institutional buying continuing after the ceasefire bounce per CoinMarketCap.

Trend Research now holds over 580,000 ETH, the MVRV ratio signals a historic buying zone, and the Ethereum Foundation staked 70,000 ETH worth $143 million this month to reduce sell pressure.

ETH belongs in every best crypto portfolio as the base layer, but from $2,206 the percentage gains that reshape a position need years while presale entries hold the presale to listing spread where the biggest returns live.

BNB: Stable Foundation but the Ceiling Is Clear

BNB trades near $604 supported by quarterly burns and exchange volume per CoinMarketCap. New listings on Binance historically lift BNB demand as traders move capital onto the platform, and the upcoming Pepeto listing adds another event to the calendar.

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BNB adds stability to any best crypto portfolio, but from $604 the path to $900 delivers roughly 50%, far below what a presale entry at floor price produces when the listing opens the full gap between entry and market price.

Conclusion

$778 million in stablecoin inflows proves the recovery is building, and the wallets putting together the best crypto portfolio are looking past large caps toward the presale entry that carries the widest return. Pepeto has the live exchange, the audit, the Pepe cofounder, and $8.87 million in capital to back it.

The presale floor gets replaced permanently on listing day, and the portfolios that added Pepeto before that moment are the ones that outperform everything else this cycle. The entry exists right now, and every hour closer to the listing is one hour less before it disappears.

Click To Visit Pepeto Website To Enter The Presale

FAQs

What belongs in the best crypto portfolio for 2026?

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ETH and BNB form the foundation, but Pepeto at $0.0000001863 with a confirmed Binance listing adds the presale to listing gap where the largest returns every cycle get built. The project raised $8.87 million with a live exchange.

How do stablecoin inflows affect the best crypto portfolio?

$778 million flowing into exchanges confirms recovery capital is arriving at scale. Presale entries like Pepeto capture more of that wave than large caps already priced near their recovery targets.


Disclaimer: This is a Press Release provided by a third party who is responsible for the content. Please conduct your own research before taking any action based on the content.

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BTC Rises After Soft March Data

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Bitcoin’s Lightning Network clears record $1M transfer to Kraken

Bitcoin moved from $72,000 to $72,400 on April 10 after March core CPI printed below expectations, giving crypto bulls a short-lived reprieve from months of sustained macro pressure.

Summary

  • March core CPI rose just 0.2%, below the 0.3% consensus forecast, while headline CPI climbed 0.9% on war-driven oil prices.
  • Bitcoin ticked up to $72,400 within minutes of the 8:30 AM ET release before pulling back near $72,000.
  • The soft core print eased immediate rate hike fears but did not shift the broader Federal Reserve policy outlook.

Bitcoin (BTC) price update: BTC climbed from roughly $72,000 to $72,400 on April 10 after the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that March core CPI rose just 0.2%, coming in below the 0.3% consensus forecast, according to CoinDesk. Headline CPI rose 0.9% on the month, driven by a roughly 10.9% surge in energy costs tied to the ongoing Middle East conflict, keeping annual inflation at 3.3%. Core CPI came in at 2.6% year-on-year, slightly below the 2.7% economists had forecast.

The below-forecast reading gave crypto traders a short-lived reason to add exposure. Bitcoin rose in the minutes following the release, with FXLeaders noting that BTC “reclaimed $72,000 as macro fears fuel appetite for digital scarcity.” The move was measured rather than explosive, reflecting a market still navigating sticky headline inflation against a softer underlying trend. As crypto.news noted, the inflation print “came in line with expectations” at the headline level, easing fears of an even hotter surprise while confirming that price pressures remain elevated but stable.

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The distinction matters for traders. A softer core number reduces the probability of an aggressive Fed pivot toward tightening. But with annual headline CPI running at 3.3%, the highest reading since May 2025, the Fed has little political or economic space to move toward cuts.

Fed Stays Cautious as Oil Keeps Headline Inflation Elevated

The soft core figure did not meaningfully shift Federal Reserve rate expectations. With the Strait of Hormuz still constrained by the ongoing conflict, energy prices remain a structural upward force on monthly CPI readings, complicating the Fed’s near-term calculus. Markets currently price near-zero odds of a rate reduction in the coming months.

As crypto.news tracked ahead of the release, analysts had outlined a directional framework: a cooler core print could open a path toward $74,000 to $76,000, while a hotter reading risked a retest of the $68,000 support zone. The actual print landed in the middle, producing a modest rally that stalled short of $73,000.

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What Traders Are Watching Next

Bitcoin remains range-bound near $72,000, with $73,000 acting as the immediate ceiling. The level has capped every rally since the ceasefire was announced six weeks ago. Analysts broadly agree that a sustained break above $75,000 is needed before the market can enter a genuine new leg higher. Attention now shifts to weekend US-Iran negotiations in Islamabad and whether progress toward a durable peace deal could remove the geopolitical overhang that has weighed on prices across all risk assets.

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Bitcoin Institutions Hedge Both Ways at $72K

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Bitcoin Institutions Hedge Both Ways at $72K

Bitcoin institutions are betting on both sides of the market at $72,000, buying $80,000 call options while simultaneously purchasing downside protection, as Friday’s CPI data and US-Iran peace talks in Islamabad leave direction entirely unclear.

Summary

  • Institutional traders are buying $80,000 call options while also loading downside protection.
  • Bitcoin has stalled at $72,000 as investors await clarity from the CPI print and Iran ceasefire talks.
  • US-Iran peace negotiations in Islamabad this weekend could provide the next decisive directional catalyst.

Bitcoin has been range-bound near $72,000 on April 10, with institutional positioning reflecting deep uncertainty about the next major move. Investors are not choosing a direction; they are hedging both sides simultaneously.

According to CoinDesk, institutions are buying call options targeting $80,000 while simultaneously purchasing puts for downside protection. That dual positioning reflects hesitation rather than conviction, with neither bulls nor bears willing to fully commit ahead of this weekend’s geopolitical and economic catalysts.

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Trump said he was “in deep negotiations” with Tehran heading into the Islamabad talks, and the gap between a deal and a breakdown has left institutional traders unwilling to pick a side. Bitcoin has traded in a range of roughly $65,000 to $73,000 since the Iran war began.

CPI and Iran Talks Are the Two Key Catalysts

Friday’s US inflation report came in softer than expected on core measures, with core CPI rising just 0.2% against a 0.3% forecast. The print eased some short-term rate fears but did not provide enough clarity to break Bitcoin out of its established range.

The more consequential event may be the Islamabad talks. As crypto.news reported, a fragile two-week ceasefire was agreed last Wednesday, but investor caution has persisted as the Strait of Hormuz remains only partially reopened and Iran has proposed a $1 per barrel crypto toll on tanker passage.

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What a Resolution Could Mean for Price

As crypto.news noted, a confirmed agreement could open the door for a move toward the $75,000 region, as easing tensions would support risk appetite across financial markets. Failure to reach a deal could shift sentiment in the opposite direction, with Bitcoin retesting lower support levels and altcoins bearing the heavier losses.

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Iran Peace Talks Begin in Islamabad Today

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Iran Peace Talks Begin in Islamabad Today

The Iran peace talks that energy and financial markets have been tracking for weeks are underway today in Islamabad, with Vice President JD Vance joining envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner for the first face-to-face meeting since the fragile two-week ceasefire was brokered by Pakistan.

Summary

  • JD Vance is heading to Islamabad today to join Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner in direct negotiations with Iran.
  • This is the first face-to-face meeting since Pakistan brokered the fragile two-week ceasefire last week.
  • The outcome could directly move oil, crypto, and global financial markets depending on whether a durable agreement is reached.

The highest-stakes diplomatic event since the six-week US-Iran war began is now underway in Pakistan’s capital. Vice President JD Vance arrived in Islamabad on April 10 to join the American negotiating team for direct talks with Iranian officials, a meeting that markets have been pricing for days.

Vice President Vance is joining US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, who led earlier negotiating rounds that were derailed twice when US and Israeli air strikes resumed. According to Democracy Now!, Vance’s presence signals Washington is treating this as the final opportunity to secure a durable agreement before military options are reconsidered.

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Pakistan brokered what sources describe as the “Islamabad Accord” framework, a two-phase plan beginning with an immediate ceasefire and leading into negotiations for a permanent end to the conflict and the full reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. As crypto.news reported, last week’s ceasefire triggered a sharp drop in oil prices and a Bitcoin rally above $72,000.

What Iran Wants and Where the Gaps Remain

Trump said the two sides were “in deep negotiations” heading into Islamabad and that the US had received a 10-point proposal from Iran that served as a workable starting framework. Iranian officials, however, have insisted any final deal must include guarantees against future US and Israeli attacks, sanctions relief, and compensation for wartime infrastructure damage.

Iran has also proposed a $1 per barrel toll on tankers crossing the Strait of Hormuz, paid in cryptocurrency, a demand Washington has not formally accepted. As crypto.news noted, even after the ceasefire, Iran’s continued restriction of Hormuz traffic drew criticism from the European Union and global partners who called for full and free passage of the waterway.

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Market Implications

Oil prices fell below $100 per barrel after the ceasefire was announced last week, but they have remained volatile as traders wait to see whether a permanent agreement emerges from Islamabad. A full diplomatic resolution would remove the war premium from energy markets and ease the inflation pressure that has kept the Federal Reserve cautious on rate cuts.

For crypto markets, a successful outcome in Islamabad is the clearest near-term upside catalyst, with analysts projecting a Bitcoin move toward $75,000 if geopolitical risk is sustainably removed from the equation.

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Iran War Powers Vote Blocked by House GOP

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Iran strikes Gulf energy network as oil surges past $110

House Republicans shut down an Iran war powers resolution on April 10, with Speaker Pro Tempore Chris Smith gaveling the pro forma session to a close before Maryland Democrat Glenn Ivey could propose limiting President Trump’s authority to continue the war with Iran.

Summary

  • Republican Speaker Pro Tempore Chris Smith gaveled the session closed before Rep. Glenn Ivey could introduce the Iran war powers resolution.
  • Congress is now adjourned until 2:30 PM on Monday, April 13, 2026.
  • The blocked resolution would have forced a vote to limit President Trump’s ability to continue the Iran conflict.

In a move that lasted seconds, House Republicans prevented Democrats from forcing a war powers vote on April 10. The brief pro forma session ended before Representative Glenn Ivey of Maryland could formally request unanimous consent to advance a resolution limiting Trump’s Iran war authority.

Rep. Glenn Ivey rose during the pro forma session and asked colleagues to “pass an Iran war powers resolution by unanimous consent.” Before he could finish, Republican Speaker Pro Tempore Chris Smith gaveled the session closed. According to Democracy Now!, Congress then adjourned until 2:30 PM on Monday, April 13, 2026.

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The war powers resolution would have invoked the War Powers Resolution Act of 1973, which requires congressional authorization for sustained military engagements. The US-Iran conflict has exceeded the law’s 60-day threshold.

Why Democrats Are Pushing and Republicans Are Blocking

Democrats have argued the Iran conflict requires formal congressional authorization to continue, particularly as the six-week war has disrupted global energy markets and kept Bitcoin locked in a $65,000 to $73,000 range. As crypto.news reported, Bitcoin’s every move higher during the conflict has been directly tied to ceasefire chatter, and every breakdown has triggered rapid selloffs.

Republicans have declined to limit presidential war powers during active negotiations, arguing that constraining Trump’s authority while diplomats are at the table in Islamabad would weaken Washington’s negotiating position with Tehran.

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What Happens Next

Congress returns on April 13, the same day the Senate resumes from Easter recess and the same week the CLARITY Act Banking Committee markup is targeted. Democrats are expected to renew their push on the war powers resolution, though their path remains blocked without a Republican willing to break ranks.

As crypto.news noted, markets are watching whether the Islamabad talks produce a durable agreement before Congress reconvenes. Any breakdown in the ceasefire negotiations could immediately reignite volatility across oil and crypto markets, making April 13 a convergence point for regulatory, geopolitical, and market risk simultaneously.

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US Police Expand AI Tools

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Claude Managed launches in public beta

AI crime solving tools are being adopted at an accelerating pace by police agencies across the United States, with results that can be dramatic but that experts and civil liberties advocates say come with serious risks of false leads, wrongful investigations, and violations of due process.

Summary

  • US police departments are increasingly using AI to accelerate criminal investigations and pattern recognition.
  • Experts warn of risks including AI-generated false leads that could harm innocent people.
  • The Washington Post reported April 10 on the growing adoption of AI crime tools across American law enforcement.

The use of artificial intelligence by American law enforcement is no longer experimental. According to The Washington Post, police agencies across the country are deploying AI tools to help investigators analyze evidence, flag patterns, and generate leads faster than traditional methods allow. The results have drawn attention. So have the concerns.

AI tools are being used across US law enforcement for functions including facial recognition, predictive policing, evidence analysis, and cross-database pattern matching. The technology allows investigators to process information at a scale and speed that would not be possible manually, and law enforcement officials say it has helped close cases that might otherwise have gone cold.

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The CIA has signaled a parallel move in the intelligence community. As crypto.news reported today, CIA Deputy Director Michael Ellis confirmed the agency plans to integrate AI co-workers across all analytic platforms within two years to help officers identify foreign intelligence trends and draft reports, with Ellis stating the CIA “cannot allow the whims of a single company to constrain our capabilities.”

What Experts Are Warning About

The concerns raised by researchers and civil liberties advocates center on three main areas: the accuracy of AI-generated leads, the lack of transparency in how AI systems reach their conclusions, and the potential for errors to harm innocent people before they can be identified and corrected.

AI systems trained on biased data can generate biased outputs, and in a law enforcement context, a false lead from an AI tool can trigger surveillance, questioning, or arrest before the error is caught. As crypto.news noted, AI has already demonstrated its ability to scale deceptive operations in financial and digital contexts, with blockchain intelligence firm Elliptic warning that “the vast majority of AI-related threats in crypto are in their infancy” while urging vigilance.

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The Accountability Question

The deepest concern is structural: when an AI tool generates a lead that leads to a wrongful investigation, who is accountable? Law enforcement agencies have not yet produced clear answers on oversight, audit mechanisms, or remediation. The Washington Post’s April 10 reporting suggests the adoption of these tools has accelerated faster than the accountability frameworks meant to govern them.

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Crypto prediction markets price Artemis II splashdown odds

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Crypto Breaking News

Prediction markets around NASA’s Artemis II mission have drawn traders to stake on outcomes and post-flight statements. The ten-day crewed lunar flyby, featuring four astronauts aboard the Orion spacecraft, has become a focal point for market-based event contracts hosted on platforms like Kalshi and Polymarket. The mission, launched from Florida on April 1, is expected to return to Earth with a splashdown around 12:07 am UTC on Saturday, capping a voyage that aims to be the first crewed lunar encounter since the Apollo era.

As of Friday, the volume on Artemis-related event contracts hovered at just over $4,000, illustrating a nascent but real appetite for space events among prediction-market participants. A number of contracts revolved around whether Artemis II would achieve a lunar milestone and what NASA officials would say during the post-splashdown news conference. Kalshi’s market book also included a Moon-landing contract with probabilities pegged at 63% for a manned lunar landing by 2030 and 41% for 2029, underscoring a mixed sentiment on timing.

Key takeaways

  • Prediction markets show early-stage liquidity around Artemis II, with around $4k in volume recorded to date.
  • Traders are wagering on post-landing remarks, with bets focusing on NASA’s press conference content and potential references to radiation, damage, or political terms.
  • Artemis II marks NASA’s first crewed lunar flyby in more than five decades, setting the stage for future lunar milestones and a planned 2028 lunar landing target.
  • Separately, Nvidia-backed Starcloud unveiled plans to mine Bitcoin from space, signaling broader ambitions for space-based infrastructure in crypto operations.

Artemis II and the evolving role of prediction markets

Kalshi and Polymarket have offered event contracts tied to Artemis II, including a direct Moon-landing bet and ancillary outcomes tied to mission communications. Market participants have shown particular interest in what NASA will say during the splashdown news conference, with several contracts centered on language and topics that could emerge in that briefing. The modest liquidity — just over $4,000 in trading volume as of Friday — suggests a cautious audience: investors are testing the waters on high-profile space events without yet embracing large-scale risk.

NASA’s Orion spacecraft completed the Moon flyby with a four-person crew after liftoff from Florida on April 1. Artemis I — NASA’s 2022 precursor mission that orbited the Moon without a crew — paved the way for Artemis II, which aims to validate life-support, navigation, and other deep-space systems ahead of planned crewed landings by 2028. If the timelines hold, Artemis II’s success would lend credibility to future spaceflight milestones and could influence how markets price similar event risk in the future.

Space mining and the broader narrative

Beyond the Moon mission, the crypto space is intersecting with space infrastructure in other ways. In March, Starcloud, an Nvidia-backed orbital data center company, announced plans to mine Bitcoin from space. The plan envisions deploying solar-powered orbital data centers with ASIC miners to operate in Earth orbit, a concept that would blend aerospace and crypto hardware in a way few projects have attempted. CEO Philip Johnston described the approach as a long-range endeavor that leverages the inexhaustible energy of space to power mining operations.

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While space mining remains speculative, the news highlights a broader appetite among crypto and tech firms to explore cross-domain applications of blockchain technology and computational power. In the near term, Artemis II market activity demonstrates how prediction markets continue to adapt to high-profile events outside traditional finance, even as questions about liquidity, market integrity, and regulatory oversight linger — particularly for bets tied to geopolitical developments.

Looking ahead, Artemis II’s splashdown and NASA briefings will shape how these markets price space event risk, while regulators’ responses to geopolitics bets may influence the future of prediction-market platforms.

Risk & affiliate notice: Crypto assets are volatile and capital is at risk. This article may contain affiliate links. Read full disclosure

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AI Cybersecurity: OpenAI and Anthropic Race

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US lawyers are adopting AI faster than ever despite sanction

AI cybersecurity is now a formal competitive front between OpenAI and Anthropic, with OpenAI finalizing an advanced security product for a limited partner release and Anthropic running a tightly controlled effort called Project Glasswing aimed at finding critical software vulnerabilities before attackers do.

Summary

  • OpenAI is finalizing an AI cybersecurity product for release first to a limited set of partners.
  • Anthropic’s Project Glasswing is a controlled initiative focused on hunting critical software vulnerabilities proactively.
  • Both efforts raise fundamental questions about who controls AI offense and defense tools and who is responsible when things go wrong.

Artificial intelligence has moved from a tool that helps defenders understand threats to one that can independently find and exploit vulnerabilities. OpenAI and Anthropic are now building directly into that space, with implications for governments, enterprises, and the millions of software systems that underpin global financial infrastructure.

OpenAI is finalizing an AI cybersecurity product with advanced capabilities and plans to release it initially to a limited partner group, according to Tech Startups. Anthropic is running a parallel effort internally called Project Glasswing, a tightly controlled initiative designed to hunt down critical software vulnerabilities before malicious actors find them first.

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The dual announcements mark a shift in how the two leading AI labs are positioning themselves. Both are moving from general-purpose AI into security-specific products with direct offensive and defensive capability. The question is no longer what AI can do in cybersecurity. It is who controls it and who is accountable when it goes wrong.

What Anthropic’s Track Record Shows

Anthropic has already demonstrated the scale of what AI security tools can achieve. As crypto.news reported, the company limited access to its Claude Mythos Preview model after early testing found it could uncover thousands of critical vulnerabilities across widely used software environments, including a 27-year-old bug in OpenBSD and a 16-year-old remote execution flaw in FreeBSD. Anthropic said: “Given the rate of AI progress, it will not be long before such capabilities proliferate, potentially beyond actors who are committed to deploying them safely.”

Industry data cited by Anthropic shows a 72% year-on-year increase in AI-powered cyberattacks, with 87% of global organizations reporting exposure to AI-enabled incidents in 2025. Project Glasswing is being positioned as Anthropic’s controlled effort to stay ahead of that curve.

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The Risk of Dual-Use AI Security Tools

The deeper issue for regulators and the industry is that the same AI tool that finds a vulnerability defensively can find it offensively. As crypto.news noted, a joint study by Anthropic and MATS Fellows found that Claude Sonnet and GPT-5 could produce simulated exploits against Ethereum smart contracts worth $4.6 million in testing, and uncovered two novel zero-day vulnerabilities in nearly 3,000 recently deployed contracts.

That dual-use reality makes the controlled rollout strategies both companies are pursuing essential. But the question of whether limited access is enough to prevent proliferation is one neither lab has fully answered.

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BlackRock’s IBIT Clocks Biggest BTC ETF Inflow in a Month

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BlackRock’s IBIT Clocks Biggest BTC ETF Inflow in a Month

Investors piled $269.3 million into BlackRock’s iShares Bitcoin Trust on Thursday, in its best-performing day since early March, around the time the US-Iran war started to kick into high gear. 

The inflows helped to end two days of net outflows among the 12 US spot Bitcoin ETFs, which recorded a net inflow of $358.1 million.

Bitcoin ETF inflows are just one way to gauge retail and institutional demand for Bitcoin.

The Fidelity Wise Origin Bitcoin Fund (FBTC) brought in the second most inflows at $53.3 million, while the new Morgan Stanley Bitcoin Trust (MSBT) was the next biggest contributor, recording $14.9 million on its second day of trading, according to data from Farside Investors.

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The Bitcoin ETFs issued by Bitwise and ARK 21Shares saw $11.7 million and $4.8 million worth of inflows, while Franklin Templeton and VanEck’s Bitcoin products tallied around $2 million.

Flow data for the US spot Bitcoin ETFs since March 23. Source: Farside Investors

BlackRock’s IBIT has now seen $1.5 billion worth of net inflows this year, withstanding a broader crypto market pullback, which has seen Bitcoin’s price fall from a 2026 high of $97,000 to $72,100 at the time of writing.

BlackRock’s digital assets head, Robert Mitchnick, said in March that investors of BlackRock’s IBIT have shown to be “disproportionately long-term buy and hold” investors — even when there’s been strong selling pressure elsewhere in the Bitcoin ecosystem.

Related: Bitcoin may hit $110K as Strategy absorbs nearly 3x new BTC supply 

Meanwhile, Morgan Stanley’s digital asset head, Amy Oldenburg, noted in an interview with Bloomberg on Thursday that MSBT was the institutional bank’s best-performing ETF launch ever.

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“This is just the first of a long roadmap of new products on the asset management side,” Oldenburg said. 

Morgan Stanley has also filed to list a staked Ether (ETH) ETF and Solana (SOL) ETF.

With the latest day of inflows, US spot Bitcoin ETFs are now close to tipping back to a year-to-date net inflow. 

The Bitcoin ETFs finished 2025 at $56.59 billion in net inflows and are currently at $56.51 billion, meaning that they’re just $80 million away from clawing back to their inflow figures at the start of the year. 

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Magazine: Bitcoin may face hard fork over any attempt to freeze Satoshi’s coins