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AI Bots for Crypto Trading: The Complete 2026 Guide to Automated Profits Without the Guesswork

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Brian Armstrong's Bold Prediction: AI Agents Will Soon Dominate Global Financial

If you have ever left a Telegram signal group feeling burned — prices already moved by the time the alert hit your phone, the caller quietly deleted the post, and you were left holding a bag — you already understand the core problem that AI bots for crypto trading are designed to solve. Speed, discipline, and 24/7 execution. No emotion. No deleted posts.

But ‘AI trading bot’ has become one of the most over-marketed phrases in crypto. Every platform claims intelligence. Few deliver genuine quantitative edge. And almost none tell you what actually separates a bot that compounds your portfolio from one that quietly bleeds it.

This guide cuts through the noise. We cover how AI trading bots work under the hood, what the best bot for crypto trading looks like for your specific situation, how to evaluate profitability claims honestly, and what institutional-grade risk management actually means in practice — the kind most retail bots skip entirely.

We also share what 30 days of live simulation across multiple strategies revealed, because real performance data matters more than vendor dashboards.

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⚡ QUICK VERDICT: AI bots for crypto trading make sense if you want structured, repeatable execution without watching charts all day. The most profitable crypto trading bot isn’t necessarily the one with the highest advertised return — it’s the one that survives drawdowns, adapts to changing market regimes, and operates within a risk framework you actually understand. Set-and-forget is a myth; strategic automation is the reality.

Key Takeaways

  • Best overall for passive income seekers: Platforms with pre-built, institutional-grade quantitative strategies requiring minimal configuration
  • Best for active traders upgrading to automation: Multi-exchange terminals with signal routing, DCA, and grid bots
  • Critical reality check: AI bots optimise around historical patterns — when market regimes shift, performance can degrade rapidly without human oversight
  • Institutional edge: True institutional-grade risk management includes position-level stops, portfolio-level drawdown limits, volatility-adjusted sizing, and regime detection — most retail bots provide only the first two
  • Telegram signals vs. automation: Signal-based trading has an average latency of 2–8 minutes from publication to execution; automated bots execute in milliseconds
  • The ‘trading while I sleep’ promise is achievable — but only with the right infrastructure, strategy diversification, and monitoring protocols

How AI Trading Bots Work: The Real Mechanism

Understanding how AI trading bots work isn’t optional — it’s the difference between deploying a strategy intelligently and hoping a dashboard number goes up.

At their core, all AI bots for crypto trading operate on a loop:

Phase What Actually Happens
1. Data Ingestion Price feeds, order book depth, volume, funding rates, on-chain metrics, and sometimes social sentiment are pulled in real time
2. Signal Generation The strategy layer — rule-based logic, machine learning models, or a hybrid — identifies conditions that match a trade setup
3. Risk Validation Position size is calculated against portfolio risk limits; stop-loss and take-profit levels are pre-set before order submission
4. Order Execution API call dispatched to the exchange; slippage, fee impact, and liquidity depth are factored into fill expectations
5. Monitoring & Feedback Live positions are tracked; trailing stops adjust; the strategy layer re-evaluates at each new candle or tick

What ‘AI’ Actually Means on Most Platforms

Genuine machine learning in a crypto trading context means the model was trained on labelled historical data, can identify non-obvious patterns, and updates its parameters as new data arrives. In practice, most consumer-facing platforms use lighter implementations:

  • Rule-based automation marketed as AI (if RSI < 30, then buy)
  • Natural language prompt-to-config tools (GPT wrapper that converts your English description into pre-set parameters)
  • Scoring and ranking systems that filter marketplace strategies by momentum or volatility metrics
  • True adaptive ML models that retrain on rolling windows and adjust position sizing — rarer, and more associated with institutional or quantitative platforms

In practice, what this looks like is: a platform labels its parameter-suggestion tool ‘AI Assistant’, while a genuine quant platform runs ensemble models that weight momentum, mean-reversion, and volatility signals simultaneously and size positions based on Kelly Criterion or similar frameworks. Both call themselves AI. Only one is.

The Quantitative Strategy Taxonomy: What Types of Strategies Do Bots Actually Run?

Most reviews stop at ‘grid bot’ and ‘DCA’. Here is the full spectrum relevant to AI bots for crypto trading:

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Strategy Type How It Works Best Market Condition
Grid Trading Places buy/sell orders at fixed price intervals, profiting from oscillation within a range Sideways / ranging market
DCA (Dollar Cost Averaging) Buys at regular intervals regardless of price, averaging down into dips Long-term accumulation in any market
Momentum / Trend Following Enters positions in the direction of established price momentum using moving averages or breakout signals Strong trending markets
Mean Reversion Bets that prices revert to a statistical mean after deviating significantly — often using Bollinger Bands or Z-score High-volatility, range-bound
Statistical Arbitrage Exploits price discrepancies between correlated assets or the same asset across exchanges Any — market-neutral
Market Making Simultaneously posts bid and ask orders to profit from the spread, providing liquidity to the market High-liquidity pairs, low-volatility
Sentiment-Driven Uses NLP models to parse news, social media, and on-chain signals, taking positions ahead of anticipated price moves Event-driven / news cycles

Most retail bots support grid and DCA. Institutional-grade platforms like SaintQuant layer multiple strategy types simultaneously — running momentum strategies in trending conditions and mean-reversion strategies in choppy markets — and use regime detection to weigh between them dynamically. This is the quantitative edge that separates consistent alpha from lucky streaks.

What AI Bots Cannot Do — The Honest Section Most Guides Skip

A GPS suggests the fastest route and reroutes when traffic changes. But it cannot predict a sinkhole that opens 10 minutes from now. AI bots for crypto trading work the same way.

  • Black swan events (exchange hacks, regulatory bans) are not in the training data — models extrapolate poorly in genuinely novel conditions
  • Liquidity crises distort execution — during a flash crash, your stop-loss triggers at a price far worse than intended because there are no buyers at your target level
  • Strategy decay is real — an edge that worked in 2021 may be fully arbitraged away by 2024 as more capital chases the same signal
  • Hallucination risk in prompt-based tools — GPT-powered config generators can confidently recommend inappropriate parameters; always validate against backtests
  • Regulatory grey zones — automated trading on unlicensed platforms carries legal exposure in some jurisdictions, including Australia, where ASIC scrutinises crypto trading product providers

Telegram Signals vs. AI Bots for Crypto Trading: Why Most Traders Make the Switch

If you have spent time in paid Telegram signal groups, the pattern is familiar: a call goes out, you scramble to execute manually, prices are already moving, and slippage eats your entry. The caller posts a win screenshot. You got a worse fill.

Factor Telegram Signals AI Trading Bots
Execution Speed 2–8 min average (manual entry) Milliseconds (API execution)
Consistency Human execution errors frequent Rules followed exactly every time
Emotional Bias High — FOMO, hesitation, revenge trading Zero — no emotional override
Risk Management Caller-defined, often inadequate Configurable at position and portfolio level
Transparency No audit trail, results cherry-picked Full trade history, verifiable logs
Overnight Coverage Signals stop when caller sleeps Operates 24/7 without interruption
Cost $50–$500/month for signal groups $15–$120/month for bot platforms
Accountability None — deleted posts, no recourse Verifiable backtest and live performance data

The core problem with Telegram signals isn’t the strategy — sometimes the underlying analysis is sound. The problem is the delivery mechanism. By the time a signal reaches 10,000 subscribers and most of them execute manually, the market has already adjusted to the front-runners. Automation closes that gap entirely.

The Best AI Bots for Crypto Trading: Platform-by-Platform Review

Rather than ranking by advertised returns — which are meaningless without knowing the strategy, market period, and risk taken — we evaluate platforms across six dimensions: AI capability depth, strategy breadth, risk management quality, ease of use, exchange coverage, and pricing transparency.

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1. SaintQuant — Best for Passive Income Seekers and Automated Quantitative Strategies

Best for: Users seeking institutional-grade quant strategies without building from scratch

SaintQuant stands apart from template-based bot platforms because it was built as a quantitative trading infrastructure — not a consumer interface layered on top of simple rules. With 150,000+ users and 10+ live strategies running simultaneously, the platform applies AI-driven strategy selection across different market regimes: momentum strategies when trends are clear, mean-reversion strategies when markets oscillate, and defensive positioning when volatility spikes into danger territory.

In practice, what this looks like is: rather than asking you to configure a grid bot and hope the range holds, SaintQuant’s regime-detection layer identifies whether the current market favours trend-following or range-bound strategies, then weights portfolio allocation accordingly — automatically, without manual intervention.

  • 10+ live quantitative strategies across multiple asset classes and market conditions
  • Institutional-grade risk management: position-level stops, portfolio drawdown limits, volatility-adjusted position sizing
  • AI-powered regime detection that shifts strategy weighting based on market conditions
  • 24/7 automated execution — the closest thing to genuinely trading while you sleep
  • Transparent, verifiable strategy performance history — not curated screenshots

Risk note: No strategy performs consistently across all market conditions. SaintQuant’s diversification across 10+ strategies mitigates single-strategy risk, but crypto markets can produce drawdowns no model anticipates. Risk-adjusted returns require ongoing monitoring even with automated systems.

Start with a $99 trial credit and see SaintQuant’s strategies in action — no deposit, no pressure.

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2. 3Commas — Best for Multi-Exchange Active Traders

Best for: Traders who want hands-on control with structured entry/exit workflows across multiple exchanges

3Commas offers a SmartTrade terminal that centralises order management, DCA automation, and TradingView signal routing. Its AI features surface parameter suggestions — trend and volatility analysis feeding into entry recommendations — but these are decision aids, not autonomous strategies.

  • SmartTrade workspace: manage entries, exits, and stops from one interface
  • DCA and grid bots with configurable scaling rules
  • TradingView alert-to-order routing for external signal integration
  • AI assistant that proposes entries and risk settings for review before launch
  • Pricing from $12.42/month (annual); demo trading available

Who should skip it: Anyone expecting a fully passive experience. 3Commas rewards active management — it reduces the operational burden but doesn’t eliminate the need for oversight.

3. Cryptohopper — Best for Strategy Marketplace Users

Best for: Traders who want access to a marketplace of pre-built strategies and automatic strategy rotation

Cryptohopper’s Algorithm Intelligence layer scores strategies using trend strength, volatility, and volume metrics, then rotates the active strategy automatically. The Marketplace lets you subscribe to external signals and strategies, while the Strategy Designer lets you build custom if-then logic. Copy trading adds a social dimension with configurable risk controls.

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  • Algorithm Intelligence: scores and rotates strategies based on market conditions
  • Marketplace: subscribe to strategies, templates, and signals
  • Visual Strategy Designer: build rule-based strategies without coding
  • Paper trading and backtesting available before going live
  • Pricing: Free Pioneer tier; Explorer from $24.16/month (annual)

Who should skip it: Traders seeking a stable, single-strategy system. Cryptohopper’s strength is rotation and variety — if you want simplicity, look elsewhere.

4. Pionex — Best for Beginners Entering Automation

Best for: Crypto newcomers who want built-in bots with minimal setup friction

Pionex is an exchange with bots built in — no API connection required, no separate subscription for bot access. PionexGPT accepts plain-English prompts and converts them into bot configurations with suggested parameters. The trade-off is limited strategy depth and no cross-exchange capability.

  • No separate bot subscription — fee-based model (0.05% spot)
  • PionexGPT: type ‘build a grid for BTC with a 2% stop loss’ and receive a configured strategy
  • Core strategies: grid, DCA, infinity grid, signal following
  • Demo trading available; simple onboarding for non-technical users

Who should skip it: Advanced traders who need cross-exchange routing, custom logic, or portfolio-level risk management beyond basic stops.

5. Bitsgap — Best for Multi-Exchange Terminal Users

Best for: Traders active on multiple exchanges who want unified management

Bitsgap connects to 15+ exchanges and consolidates bot management into a single terminal. Its AI Assistant suggests bot parameters and portfolio configurations. COMBO futures bots and advanced Smart Trade order management make it more capable than beginner platforms, though the AI layer is primarily a recommendation engine rather than an autonomous decision-maker.

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  • Unified terminal: manage bots across Binance, Bybit, OKX, Coinbase, Kraken and more
  • AI Assistant: suggests configurations and portfolio allocations
  • Demo mode and backtesting before live deployment
  • Pricing from $18/month (annual)

6. HaasOnline — Best for Developers and Advanced Quantitative Traders

Best for: Developers and quant traders who want scripting-level control over strategy logic

HaasOnline’s differentiator is HaasScript — a full visual and code editor for building custom strategies, market-making bots, arbitrage logic, and scalping systems. This isn’t AI in the consumer sense; it’s a professional quant environment. The ceiling is high, but so is the learning curve.

  • HaasScript: visual + code editor for custom strategy development
  • Supports market making, arbitrage, scalping, and complex conditional logic
  • Built-in backtesting and paper trading on historical data
  • Pricing from $23/month (annual)

Who should skip it: Non-technical users. HaasOnline requires meaningful time investment to use effectively.

7. Coinrule — Best for No-Code Rule Builders

Best for: Beginners and non-programmers who want visual if-then automation

Coinrule uses simple conditional logic (‘if RSI drops below 30, buy 5% of portfolio; set stop-loss at -8%’) with a library of templates to accelerate setup. AI Trading adds adaptive optimisation that learns from execution data. Demo exchange testing is available before live deployment.

  • No-code if-then rule builder with pre-built templates
  • AI Trading: adaptive optimisation layer that learns from live execution
  • Supports 10+ exchanges including Binance, Bybit, OKX, Coinbase
  • Pricing: Free Starter; Investor from $29.99/month

Full Platform Comparison: AI Bots for Crypto Trading

Platform True AI Depth Strategy Types Risk Mgmt Quality Beginner Friendly Price/mo Best For
SaintQuant ★★★★★ Quant multi-strategy Institutional ★★★★☆ Varies Passive income / automation
3Commas ★★★☆☆ DCA, Grid, Signal Moderate ★★★☆☆ From $12 Active multi-exchange traders
Cryptohopper ★★★☆☆ Rules, Marketplace Moderate ★★★★☆ From $24 Marketplace / strategy rotation
Pionex ★★☆☆☆ Grid, DCA Basic ★★★★★ 0.05% fee Crypto newcomers
Bitsgap ★★★☆☆ Grid, DCA, COMBO Moderate ★★★☆☆ From $18 Multi-exchange terminal
HaasOnline ★★☆☆☆ Custom / Script Advanced (manual) ★★☆☆☆ From $23 Developers / quant traders
Coinrule ★★☆☆☆ Rule-based Basic-Moderate ★★★★★ Free / $30 No-code beginners

What ‘Trading While I Sleep’ Actually Requires

The ‘built an AI bot that trades crypto for me while I sleep’ dream is real — but it requires more infrastructure than most guides admit. Here is what genuinely hands-off automated trading demands:

  • Strategy diversification: A single bot running one strategy is not passive income — it’s a concentrated bet. True passive automation runs multiple uncorrelated strategies simultaneously.
  • Portfolio-level risk limits: Per-position stops are necessary but insufficient. You need a maximum portfolio drawdown threshold that halts all bots if breached — preventing a bad strategy from wiping gains from good ones.
  • Exchange health monitoring: API connections fail. Exchanges go down for maintenance. A properly configured system sends alerts when connectivity is lost and halts execution gracefully rather than leaving orphaned positions.
  • Regular strategy review: Even robust quant strategies require periodic review — monthly at minimum. Markets evolve; edges erode; parameter drift happens.
  • Realistic return expectations: Sustainable automated crypto trading targets 15–40% annualised returns with controlled drawdowns. Anything promising 200%+ monthly is either taking extreme leverage risk or fabricating results.

Institutional-Grade Risk Management vs. Retail Bot Defaults

The phrase ‘institutional-grade risk management’ gets thrown around liberally. Here is what it actually means in a crypto bot context:

Risk Layer Retail Bot Default Institutional Grade
Position Stop-Loss Fixed % stop (e.g., -5%) Volatility-adjusted stop (e.g., 2× ATR)
Position Sizing Fixed $ or % per trade Kelly Criterion or volatility-weighted sizing
Portfolio Drawdown Rarely implemented Hard halt if portfolio drops >X% from peak
Regime Detection None — strategy runs regardless ML model detects trend/range/crisis regimes and adjusts
Correlation Management Not considered Strategies are de-correlated to avoid simultaneous drawdowns
Slippage & Fee Modelling Ignored in backtests Built into all performance calculations
Strategy Decay Monitoring Manual (if at all) Automated performance degradation alerts

How to Choose the Right AI Bot for Crypto Trading: A Decision Framework

Use these four filters in sequence to eliminate platforms that don’t fit your situation before investing time in setup:

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Filter 1: Define Your Involvement Level

  • High involvement (daily monitoring, manual intervention): 3Commas, HaasOnline, Bitsgap
  • Medium involvement (weekly review, strategy selection): Cryptohopper, Coinrule
  • Low involvement (monthly review, pre-built strategies): SaintQuant, Pionex

Filter 2: Match Strategy to Your Market View

  • Bullish long-term accumulator: DCA-focused platforms (Pionex, Coinrule)
  • Range-bound market trader: Grid bots (3Commas, Pionex, Bitsgap)
  • No strong market view, want diversification: Multi-strategy quant platforms (SaintQuant)
  • Advanced directional trader: HaasScript custom momentum strategies

Filter 3: Assess Your Technical Capability

  • No coding, minimal configuration: Pionex, Coinrule
  • Comfortable with settings and parameters: 3Commas, Cryptohopper, Bitsgap
  • Developer or quant background: HaasOnline
  • Want institutional infrastructure without building it: SaintQuant

Filter 4: Evaluate Risk Management Quality

Before committing capital, ask the platform provider three questions: How does the strategy perform during a -30% market drawdown? What is the maximum portfolio-level loss limit? Can you show me a verified trade history, not just a backtest?

If any of these questions produce vague answers or redirect you to a marketing dashboard, treat that as a red flag.

Backtesting AI Trading Bots: What the Numbers Actually Mean

Every platform shows backtest results. Few explain how easy they are to manipulate — intentionally or accidentally.

The Four Ways Backtests Lie

  • Lookahead bias: The strategy uses data that wouldn’t have been available at the time of the trade signal
  • Survivorship bias: Only successful historical periods are tested; the strategy is tuned to past winners
  • Overfitting: Parameters are optimised so precisely to historical data that the strategy fails on any new data it hasn’t seen
  • Ignoring costs: Fees, slippage, and funding rates can turn a 40% backtest return into a 12% live return

Minimum Reliability Checklist Before Going Live

  • Backtest covers at least 2 years of data, including at least one major drawdown period
  • Out-of-sample testing: strategy was tested on data completely excluded from the optimisation process
  • Fees and slippage included in all calculations
  • Paper trading results match backtest results within 15% variance
  • Sharpe ratio above 1.0 (risk-adjusted return per unit of volatility)
  • Maximum drawdown is one you could sustain emotionally and financially

Security Essentials for AI Bots for Crypto Trading

API key exposure is the primary attack surface for all bot platforms that connect via API. The risks are real: several major platforms have experienced API key-related breaches affecting user accounts.

Non-Negotiable Security Practices

  • Trade-only permissions: Never enable withdrawal permissions on API keys used by bots — ever
  • IP allow-listing: Restrict API key usage to the bot platform’s specific IP range where the exchange supports it
  • Separate exchange accounts: Consider a dedicated exchange account for bot trading, separate from your primary holdings
  • Key rotation: Regenerate API keys quarterly or after any suspected security incident
  • Two-factor authentication: Enable on both the exchange and bot platform accounts
  • Withdrawal address whitelisting: Restrict exchange withdrawals to pre-approved wallet addresses only
  • Monitor for unusual activity: Set exchange alerts for any large or unexpected withdrawal attempts

Practical Setup Guide: How to Deploy an AI Trading Bot Safely

This workflow applies regardless of which platform you choose:

Step 1: Account and API Setup (Day 1)

  • Create bot platform account and complete KYC if required
  • Create or designate a trading-only exchange account
  • Generate API keys with trade-only permissions (no withdrawals)
  • Apply IP allow-listing if the exchange supports it
  • Connect API to bot platform and verify connection status

Step 2: Strategy Selection and Configuration (Days 1–3)

  • Select strategy type based on your market view and involvement level
  • Configure position size — start with 10–20% of intended allocation maximum
  • Set stop-loss at both position level and portfolio level
  • Run backtest with fees and slippage included
  • Validate backtest against an out-of-sample period

Step 3: Paper Trading Validation (Days 4–14)

  • Run strategy in paper trading mode for a minimum of 7–14 days
  • Compare live execution to backtest expectations — flag any variance >15%
  • Monitor for connectivity issues, missed signals, and fill quality
  • Adjust parameters if necessary and re-validate before going live

Step 4: Live Deployment (Day 15 onwards)

  • Deploy with 25–50% of intended capital allocation for the first month
  • Set monitoring alerts for connectivity loss, unexpected drawdowns, and unusual order activity
  • Review performance weekly for the first month
  • Scale allocation only after live performance validates backtest expectations

Frequently Asked Questions: AI Bots for Crypto Trading

Is using an AI bot for crypto trading profitable?

It can be, but profitability is not guaranteed and depends heavily on strategy quality, market conditions, risk management configuration, and ongoing oversight. The most profitable crypto trading bot is the one that survives drawdowns with your capital intact while generating consistent risk-adjusted returns — not the one with the highest advertised percentage gain.

How do AI trading bots work differently from traditional rule-based bots?

Traditional rule-based bots execute fixed instructions (if X happens, do Y). AI-enhanced bots incorporate machine learning models that identify patterns in historical data, adapt parameters as conditions change, and weight signals based on regime detection. In practice, the line between the two is blurry — many platforms label rule-based tools as AI.

Can I genuinely build an AI bot that trades crypto for me while I sleep?

Yes — but ‘while you sleep’ doesn’t mean ‘without any oversight’. Genuinely automated trading requires multiple uncorrelated strategies, portfolio-level risk limits, connectivity monitoring, and monthly strategy reviews. Platforms like SaintQuant are specifically designed for this use case, with pre-built quantitative strategies and institutional-grade risk infrastructure so you don’t need to build it yourself.

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What is the best AI bot for crypto trading for beginners?

Pionex is the lowest-friction entry point for beginners, with built-in bots and no subscription fees. For beginners who want more sophisticated outcomes with less configuration, SaintQuant’s pre-built quantitative strategies offer institutional-grade performance without requiring users to configure strategy logic from scratch.

What is a realistic return from an AI crypto trading bot?

Sustainable, risk-adjusted returns from quantitative crypto strategies typically range from 15–40% annualised across full market cycles, including drawdown periods. Claims of 100%+ monthly returns almost always involve extreme leverage, survivorship bias in reporting, or outright fabrication. Consistent alpha over multiple years is the benchmark that matters.

Closing Thoughts: The Most Profitable Crypto Trading Bot Is the One You’ll Actually Use Correctly

AI bots for crypto trading are genuinely powerful tools. They enforce discipline where human psychology fails. They execute in milliseconds when manual trading takes minutes. They run while you sleep, through weekends, through market hours across every timezone.

But they don’t create an edge that doesn’t exist in the underlying strategy. A poorly configured bot executes a bad strategy faster. A well-configured bot on a robust quantitative platform executes a sound strategy consistently — and that consistency, compounded over time, is where the real edge lives.

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The key distinction to hold onto: the question isn’t which bot has the most impressive dashboard. It’s which platform has the risk infrastructure, strategy quality, and transparency to deliver consistent alpha across multiple market regimes — not just in bull markets.

SaintQuant was built with exactly that question in mind. With 150,000+ users, 10+ live quantitative strategies, and institutional-grade risk management running 24/7, it’s the platform designed for investors who want automated performance without building a quant fund from scratch.


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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Grayscale Cuts Q2 Altcoin Watchlist, Drops Consumer Tokens and Adds AI Names

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Grayscale List of Assets Under Consideration.

Grayscale has narrowed its list of crypto assets under review for potential inclusion in future investment products in the second quarter of 2026. The firm trimmed the roster to 30 tokens from 36 in the prior quarter and dropped an entire category tied to consumer-facing crypto projects.

The asset manager’s updated “Assets Under Consideration” list spans four segments: smart contract platforms, financial assets, artificial intelligence, and utilities and services.

Grayscale Q2 Update Focuses on Crypto AI Projects

In the first-quarter version, the firm had grouped 36 names across five segments, including a separate Consumer & Culture category that no longer appears in the latest update.

The change leaves artificial intelligence as the largest bucket on the list. Grayscale included 10 AI-linked assets in the second-quarter roster, up from seven in the previous quarter.

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The additions include Fabric Protocol, Kite AI, and Venice, alongside names that remained on the list such as Flock, Grass, Kaito, Virtuels Protocol, and Worldcoin.

The revised list also added Canton in the smart contract segment and Helium in utilities and services.

Grayscale List of Assets Under Consideration.
Grayscale List of Assets Under Consideration. Source: Grayscale

At the same time, Grayscale removed a broad mix of tokens from earlier sector lists.

The names no longer included in the second-quarter version are Aptos, Arbitrum, Binance Coin, and Polkadot from smart contracts. Euler, Lombard, Plume Network, and Sky from financials; and ARIA Protocol, Bonk, and Playtron from the Consumer & Culture group.

The result is a smaller and more concentrated list. Smart contract assets fell to seven names from 10 in the prior quarter, while financial tokens dropped to seven from 11. Utilities and services increased from five to six.

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Meanwhile, the latest reshuffle points to a sharper emphasis on infrastructure and AI-related crypto themes.

While Grayscale kept established names such as Celo, Mantle, Monad, Toncoin, Tron, Ethena, Hyperliquid, Jupiter, Kamino, Maple Finance, Morpho, Pendle, DoubleZero, Geodnet, Jito, LayerZero, and Wormhole, the biggest directional shift came from the expansion of AI entries.

Notably, AI-linked crypto projects had gained increased prominence during the first quarter of this year, thanks to the rapidly expanding generative AI space.

Over the past year, the sector has continued to attract significant institutional and commercial interest from the general public.

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Chainalysis Warns Crypto Payments to Iran Could Trigger Sanctions Risk

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Crypto Breaking News

Shipping firms weighing cryptocurrency payments to cover potential transit fees through Iran face substantial sanctions risk, according to Kaitlin Martin, a senior intelligence analyst at Chainalysis. Under current sanctions frameworks, payments linked to the Iranian regime or other sanctioned actors can be interpreted as material support, exposing companies to both U.S. and international restrictions.

The alert comes as reports circulate that Tehran could seek to collect transit fees via crypto for passage through strategic waterways. While U.S. President Donald Trump has signaled he would not tolerate tolls on the Strait of Hormuz, the broader question remains whether crypto could serve as a workaround for sanctions—an idea that experts say is unlikely to escape scrutiny and enforcement actions.

Key takeaways

  • Payments to the Iranian regime or sanctioned entities tied to transit routes can be treated as material support, creating meaningful sanctions exposure for shippers and financiers.
  • Iran has expanded its use of digital assets, especially stablecoins, to facilitate trade in oil, weapons, and other commodities, but blockchain transparency does not guarantee a bypass of sanctions.
  • Cryptocurrency transactions leave a traceable record, which investigators can leverage to freeze or seize assets at cash-out points, complicating evasion efforts.
  • Besides Iran, other sanctioned states have explored crypto-enabled trade. Russia, for example, has used digital tokens to support cross-border commerce in the face of sanctions.
  • Iran’s Bitcoin mining activity has declined markedly, while the global Bitcoin network remains robust; the disruption appears concentrated within Iran and does not appear to destabilize neighboring markets.

Crypto use and sanctions: what changes, and what remains uncertain

In a field where financial channels are traditionally governed by a dense matrix of controls, the idea that cryptocurrency can neatly sidestep sanctions is met with caution by investigators. Martin notes that while digital assets enable cross-border transfers outside conventional rails, they come with inherent visibility. “In many ways, cryptocurrency is actually easier to trace than traditional methods of sanctions evasion,” she said, highlighting the ability to track funds to eventual cash-out points where authorities can intervene or seize assets.

Public data suggests Tehran is pushing forward with crypto-enabled trade, leveraging digital assets to move value for oil, commodities, and related goods. The trend underscores a broader strategic pivot: sanctioned economies are exploring crypto as a tool to preserve some level of cross-border activity amid pressure from Western jurisdictions. Yet the traceability of blockchain transactions means that these efforts remain exposed to enforcement actions and risk mitigation strategies by banks, exchanges, and other counterparties.

There is a precedent for state actors adopting crypto as a supplementary mechanism for trade under sanctions. For instance, Russia has experimented with digital tokens to facilitate cross-border transactions after international restrictions intensified in 2022. Such moves illustrate the dual nature of crypto in geopolitics: it can expand access to value transfer, but it also amplifies the footprint of regulatory scrutiny and potential sanctions enforcement.

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Iranian mining and the global network outlook

The same period that highlights Tehran’s interest in crypto-enabled trade also intersects with a broader crypto mining landscape. Iran’s Bitcoin hashrate has fallen sharply, dropping by about 7 exahashes per second and sliding to roughly 2 exahashes per second, amid ongoing geopolitical tensions and domestic pressures. While this represents a substantial local shift, the global Bitcoin network remains broadly stable, with total hashrate hovering near 1,000 exahashes per second. The decline appears concentrated within Iran, with neighboring Gulf states such as the United Arab Emirates and Oman showing little impact so far.

These dynamics matter for investors and builders in several ways. First, the concentration of mining power in a single region can affect energy markets and grid stress in that area, potentially influencing local policy and energy incentives. Second, the resilience of the global network despite regional disruptions reinforces Bitcoin’s core property as a globally distributed system. And third, the shift in Iran’s mining activity could influence the country’s capacity to monetize energy assets through crypto, a factor worth watching as sanctions and regional risk evolve.

What to watch next

Several developments bear watching in the near term. First, how strictly authorities pursue alleged crypto-enabled sanctions evasion in shipping lanes and whether there are new enforcement actions against companies facilitating such flows. Second, any shifts in Tehran’s crypto and stablecoin usage for trade, including potential policy signals from Iranian authorities. Third, the interplay between regional mining activity and energy policy, particularly in Iran and neighboring states, as sanctions and geopolitical tensions continue to reshape incentives for miners and exporters alike.

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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Japan Crypto Revolution Inbound? Tokyo Pass New Law Equalising Crypto and Stocks

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Japan Crypto Revolution Inbound? Tokyo Pass New Law Equalising Crypto and Stocks

The Japanese Cabinet approved a bill on April 10 reclassifying crypto as a financial instrument under the amended Financial Instruments and Exchange Act, pulling digital assets out of the Payment Services Act framework and placing Japanese crypto on the same legal footing as stocks and bonds.

Maximum prison sentences for unregistered sellers jump from 3 years to 10 years. Fines climb from 3 million yen to 10 million yen. Insider trading on undisclosed information is now explicitly banned.

That’s not incremental regulatory cleanup. That’s a structural reclassification with enforcement teeth attached from day one.

The question is exactly what this changes for exchanges, institutional allocators, and the 13 million Japanese residents who already hold crypto accounts – and whether the compliance clock is as short as the headline implies.

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Key Takeaways:
  • Reclassification under FIEA: Crypto moves from Payment Services Act treatment to full Financial Instruments and Exchange Act coverage, matching stocks and bonds.
  • Insider trading ban: Crypto assets are now explicitly subject to insider trading prohibitions based on material non-public information.
  • Penalty escalation: Unregistered seller sentences rise to 10 years; fines increase to 10 million yen.
  • LPS Act amendment: Japanese venture capital firms can now directly hold crypto assets, removing a structural barrier that had pushed startup funding offshore.
  • Tax alignment incoming: Maximum crypto tax rate set to drop from 55% to a flat 20% capital gains rate, matching equities.
  • Bitcoin ETF legalization: FSA is targeting 2028 for crypto ETF approvals alongside these rule changes.

Discover: How Wall Street’s Institutional Bitcoin Moves Are Reshaping Crypto Markets

What Does Crypto Reclassification Under Japan FIEA Actually Change for Operators and Investors?

Under the old framework, crypto fell under the Payment Services Act, regulated primarily as a payment mechanism rather than an investment vehicle.

That legal container determined everything: custody standards, disclosure obligations, investor protections, and the severity of enforcement. The FSA’s February 2026 Financial System Council report was direct about the core problem: “information asymmetry” between issuers and retail investors had become structurally dangerous as crypto evolved into an investment asset class.

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The new bill fixes that at the legal-definition level. By bringing crypto under the Financial Instruments and Exchange Act, issuers now face mandatory annual disclosure requirements covering technology, token supply, risk factors, and use cases – even for post-listing assets not actively fundraising.

That’s the same disclosure regime Japanese equity issuers operate under. For the 105 cryptocurrencies the FSA flagged for reclassification – including Bitcoin and Ethereum – the compliance surface area just expanded significantly.

The LPS Act amendment is the piece that most institutional observers are watching closely. Previously, Japanese venture capital funds structured as investment limited partnerships were legally prohibited from holding crypto assets directly.

That single restriction had been quietly pushing Web3 startup capital offshore for years. The amendment removes that barrier – meaning domestic VC can now deploy into crypto without restructuring through foreign entities. That’s not a marginal fix. That’s the structural precondition for a functioning domestic crypto venture ecosystem.

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Satsuki Katayama

Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama framed the cabinet approval as a dual mandate: “expand the supply of growth capital” while ensuring “market fairness, transparency, and investor protection.” The two goals aren’t in tension here – securities-grade oversight is exactly what institutional adoption requires.

A Sandmark Crypto Intelligence Report from April 2026 found that 42% of global finance professionals cited regulatory uncertainty as their primary barrier to allocating to crypto.

Japan just removed that barrier domestically. XRP’s $120 million in weekly ETP inflows recorded in early April show how quickly institutional capital moves once the legal infrastructure aligns – Japan is now building that same infrastructure at the sovereign level.

The site’s position: this is the most consequential single piece of Japan crypto regulation since the PSA amendments that followed Mt. Gox. It doesn’t just add rules – it changes the legal category, which changes everything downstream.

The post Japan Crypto Revolution Inbound? Tokyo Pass New Law Equalising Crypto and Stocks appeared first on Cryptonews.

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The Pepeto Price Prediction That Has Analysts Drawing Lines From Presale Entry to the Original Pepe Valuation

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The Pepeto Price Prediction That Has Analysts Drawing Lines From Presale Entry to the Original Pepe Valuation

The Pepeto price prediction gets its strongest signal yet after Canary Capital filed for the first US spot PEPE ETF, proving meme coins are now serious enough for Wall Street fund wrappers, according to Yahoo Finance.

The meme sector added $2 billion in seven days to $31 billion. That shift changes the Pepeto price prediction for anyone tracking presale entries before listing. The project raised $8.86 million during extreme fear with a Binance listing approaching, and the math between the current entry and Pepe’s original valuation gives the forecast its clearest case yet.

Canary Capital filed to launch a US spot ETF tied to PEPE, making it the first meme coin fund application to go beyond Bitcoin and Ethereum into the meme category, according to Yahoo Finance. The proposed fund would hold spot PEPE through a custodian and could keep up to 5% of assets in ETH for gas fees.

Meanwhile the meme coin sector climbed 7% on the week to a $31 billion market cap, according to CoinMarketCap, with capital rotating from large caps into meme entries where the return math is far bigger.

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Presale Entries and Listing Targets Shaping the Token Forecast

Pepeto: Zero Cost Swaps and Pepe Legacy Positioning the Strongest Presale of the Cycle

A spot PEPE ETF filing proves that meme coins have crossed from internet jokes into regulated investment products. One presale drawing even heavier capital through this cycle’s fear is Pepeto, structured not for short term noise but for the kind of returns that rewrite a portfolio after one listing event, making it the Pepeto price prediction that analysts keep returning to.

The project delivers lasting value on clear paths. Staking at 186% APY grows early positions ahead of listing. The 420 trillion token supply matches Pepe’s original structure, giving the Pepeto price prediction a direct reference point that traders can verify.

Exchange tools already handle live activity. PepetoSwap processes token swaps across chains at zero cost, keeping full position value intact. The cross chain bridge routes assets between networks without fees, giving holders access to every chain while protecting what they carry.

Over $8.86 million in capital arrived while the Fear and Greed Index showed extreme fear. Pepeto at $0.0000001863 sits at a fraction of what listing models project, and the space between that price and where trading opens is where the real returns take shape for wallets that act while the number holds.

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The presale closes for good once the Binance listing goes live. A developer who built trading systems at Binance shaped every stage of the platform, and the identical supply to Pepe’s original token that reached a multi billion dollar cap with zero tools running gives forecasters the data they need. The wallets that built wealth from Pepe all made one decision: they moved while entry was still open. That same window is open right now, and the listing can drop at any moment.

Pepeto Price Prediction: Listing Targets and Return Scenarios

The Pepeto price prediction begins with the math. At the current presale entry with 420 trillion supply, the fully diluted value sits near $78 million. PancakeSwap launched at $200 million FDV and hit $7 billion. BNB started near $15 million and climbed past $100 billion.

Pepeto sits below both with a working exchange already live. Matching Pepe’s $7 billion cap delivers roughly 89x, and analysts who factor in exchange tools Pepe never had see that as a floor. The forecast ranges from 50x to 300x depending on listing volume.

Conclusion

The Pepeto price prediction points to returns no large cap can approach from current prices. A spot PEPE ETF filing proves that meme coins now attract Wall Street capital, and the project built by the same founder with a working exchange and a Binance listing sits at a fraction of where that capital will price it.

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At $0.0000001863, every $1,000 grabs 5.37 billion tokens. If Pepeto matches even a fraction of Pepe’s run on the same 420 trillion supply, that $1,000 turns into six figures. Over $8.86 million already flowed in during extreme fear because thousands of wallets ran that math and committed. The listing can land at any moment, and early holders will be sitting on positions the rest of the market pays multiples more to chase. The Pepeto official website is where that entry is still open.

Click To Visit Pepeto Website To Enter The Presale

FAQs

What is the Pepeto price prediction based on listing models and Pepe’s market cap?

Analysts project 50x to 300x from presale based on Pepe’s $7 billion cap and working exchange tools Pepe never had. The Binance listing is approaching.

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How does the 420 trillion supply affect the Pepeto price prediction?

The supply matches Pepe’s original token, giving analysts a verified reference point. Pepeto’s $78 million FDV sits below where exchange tokens historically launch.


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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US government transfers seized Bitcoin linked to steroid probe

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US government transfers seized Bitcoin linked to steroid probe

The US government moved a small amount of bitcoin on April 10 from wallets that Arkham Intelligence linked to a criminal case. The transfer involved 2.438 BTC, worth about $177,000, sent to a Coinbase Prime address.

Summary

  • US government moved 2.438 BTC from seized wallets tied to an alleged steroid conspiracy case.
  • Arkham linked the funds to Glenn Olivio, who faced charges filed in 2025.
  • The transfer renewed focus on how seized bitcoin moves under the federal reserve policy.

Arkham data showed two separate transactions from wallets labeled “U.S. Government: Glenn Olivio Seized Funds.” Both transfers went to the same Coinbase address, beginning with 3EMqu.

Government-linked bitcoin transfers are not unusual. Federal agencies often move seized assets for custody, consolidation, or other handling during legal and administrative processes.

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The latest move still drew attention because the funds may be tied to a 2025 federal case. The transfer also comes after the Trump administration said it had stopped selling seized bitcoin.

That policy became clearer after President Donald Trump signed an executive order creating a strategic bitcoin reserve. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent later said the government would keep bitcoin obtained through criminal forfeitures.

The Block reported that the seized bitcoin appears linked to Glenn Bradford Olivio. Court records show Olivio was arrested in May 2025 with Dana Rene Light.

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Prosecutors charged the pair with five counts, including conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances, money laundering conspiracy, aggravated identity theft, and drug possession counts.

The indictment said the case involved “a mixture or substance containing a detectable amount of anabolic steroids.” The listed substances included synthetic testosterone, Trenbolone, Nandrolone, Mestanolone, Oxandrolone, Stanozolol, and Methandienone.

Court filings also included a notice of forfeiture. That step is common when the government seeks to seize property, including cryptocurrency, that it says came from alleged criminal activity.

Reserve policy remains in focus

The transfer comes as federal bitcoin holdings remain under close watch. The US government currently holds about 328,000 BTC, valued at more than $22 billion at current market prices.

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In recent weeks, government-linked wallets also moved funds tied to other cases, including assets associated with Ross Ulbricht, Chen Zhi, and Miguel Villanueva.

Those earlier transfers raised questions about whether the government was still sending bitcoin to custodial platforms despite the reserve policy. The latest Olivio-linked transfer is likely to draw similar attention.

PACER shows the steroid case last updated in June 2025. Public records reviewed by The Block did not confirm whether this case is related to an older 2015 marijuana arrest involving a man with the same name.

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Money Is Rotating Back Into Bitcoin, On-Chain Data Shows

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Capital Rotation Between Stablecoins and Bitcoin

Bitcoin (BTC) is showing early signs of a liquidity rotation, with on-chain metrics and futures positioning both pointing to a gradual shift in investor behavior.

The move comes as BTC’s price has seen a modest recovery amid the conflict between the US, Israel, and Iran.

Stablecoin-to-BTC Pipeline Reopens

In a post on X (formerly Twitter), analyst Darkfost noted that at the end of February, Bitcoin’s realized cap hit an extreme low of -$28.7 billion. At the same time, stablecoin market capitalization grew to over $6 billion.

This reflected defensive positioning by investors looking to preserve capital without fully exiting the market. According to the analyst,

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“This marked the first time such a rotation had been observed since the previous bear market. At that stage, this configuration signaled a clear intention from investors to protect their capital.”

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Capital Rotation Between Stablecoins and Bitcoin
Capital Rotation Between Stablecoins and Bitcoin. Source: X/Darkfost

However, the picture has since shifted. Bitcoin’s realized cap has recovered to -$3 billion. Meanwhile, stablecoin capitalization has declined to -$1 billion. Capital that once sat on the sidelines appears to be flowing back into the largest cryptocurrency.

Futures Positioning Mirrors 2023 Pre-Breakout Setup

Derivatives data support the optimism. Analyst Michaël van de Poppe noted that speculators are now net long on Bitcoin.

“Very similar to previous cases where we’ve seen the same before a big breakout in 2023. Commercials’ Net Position has been net short on the markets, which is the inverse of the speculators,” Poppe said.

Bitcoin Commercials and Speculators’ Position. Source: X/Michaël van de Poppe

Van de Poppe suggested that BTC could reach $80,000- $85,000. He cautioned, however, that the data points to elevated volatility rather than a guaranteed directional move.

“Now, this doesn’t guarantee that we’re going to be breaking upwards massively. It does say that there’s a significant chance for volatility, also knowing that we’ve been ranging in this area for two months and markets refused to fall down,” he wrote.

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The timing of these shifts is worth noting. Darkfost stated that it began as uncertainties surrounding the Iran conflict reached their peak. 

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“Almost as if some investors are starting to view Bitcoin as an edge against inflationary and economic risks stemming from the situation,” he remarked.

Bitcoin has gained over 10% since the war began on February 28. For now, the recovery remains modest, but Darkfost suggested that if the rotation continues, the asset’s recovery could continue.

BeInCrypto Markets data showed that BTC gained over 1% over the past day as ceasefire negotiations continue in Pakistan. At press time, the cryptocurrency traded at $72,900.

Bitcoin Price Performance
Bitcoin Price Performance. Source: BeInCrypto Markets

The post Money Is Rotating Back Into Bitcoin, On-Chain Data Shows appeared first on BeInCrypto.

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Sam Altman house hit in firebomb attack, suspect held

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Sam Altman house hit in firebomb attack, suspect held

San Francisco police arrested a suspect after an alleged firebomb attack at OpenAI chief executive Sam Altman’s home. 

Summary

  • Police arrested a 20-year-old after a firebomb attack at Sam Altman’s San Francisco home Friday.
  • OpenAI said no one was hurt after the exterior gate of the property caught fire.
  • Altman later addressed the attack and allegations from The New Yorker in a Sunday post.

The case drew wider attention after police said the same person later moved toward OpenAI headquarters and made threats.

The San Francisco Police Department said an unknown man threw an incendiary device at a North Beach home on Friday. Police said the device caused a fire at the exterior gate of the property.

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Officers said the suspect fled on foot after the attack. Police later found and arrested a 20-year-old near OpenAI headquarters after reports of threats to damage the building.

A spokesperson for OpenAI told CNBC that no one was injured in the incident. The company said it is working with police as the investigation continues.

Police said the suspect threatened to burn the building down. Authorities have not yet disclosed charges, and investigators have not released further details about motive or evidence.

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The attack came during a period of renewed public scrutiny around Altman and OpenAI. Earlier this month, The New Yorker published a report that questioned Altman’s handling of safety issues and leadership disputes.

Altman later addressed both the attack and the report in a blog post. 

“Normally we try to be pretty private, but in this case I am sharing a photo in the hopes that it might dissuade the next person from throwing a Molotov cocktail at our house,” he wrote.

Blog post addresses past conflicts

Altman also responded to criticism raised in the New Yorker report. He said the article was “incendiary” and said he had underestimated “the power of narratives.”

He also acknowledged past mistakes at OpenAI. Altman wrote, “I have made many other mistakes throughout the insane trajectory of OpenAI,” and said he was sorry to people he had hurt.

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Paying Iran in Crypto Could Put Shippers at Sanctions Risk: Analyst

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Paying Iran in Crypto Could Put Shippers at Sanctions Risk: Analyst

Shipping firms that turn to cryptocurrency to pay potential transit fees to Iran could face significant sanctions exposure, according to Kaitlin Martin, senior intelligence analyst at Chainalysis.

Martin told Cointelegraph that under the current sanctions framework, any payments made to the Iranian regime, including those tied to passage through key waterways, could be interpreted as “material support,” putting companies at risk of violating US and international restrictions.

“Doing so could carry significant sanctions violation risk, as the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps is sanctioned by multiple jurisdictions and Iran is subject to comprehensive sanctions by the United States,” she said.

The warning comes amid reports that Iran may seek to collect transit fees in cryptocurrency. While there has been no official confirmation, US President Donald Trump has said he would not accept any attempt by Tehran to impose tolls on shipping through the vital waterway.

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Related: White House warns staff as Iran bets add to growing insider trading concerns

Iran expands crypto use

Tehran has already expanded its use of digital assets, particularly stablecoins, to facilitate trade in oil, weapons and commodities, based on publicly available data, Martin said.

However, she noted that cryptocurrency is not a foolproof workaround for sanctions. While it enables cross-border transfers outside the conventional financial system, blockchain transactions are inherently transparent and leave a permanent record.

Source: Arkham

“In many ways, cryptocurrency is actually easier to trace than traditional methods of sanctions evasion,” she said, pointing to the ability of investigators to follow funds to cash-out points where assets can be frozen or seized.

Other sanctioned states have also explored similar approaches. Russia, for instance, has used digital tokens such as A7A5 to facilitate cross-border trade following sanctions imposed after its 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

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Related: Bitcoin community weighs in on reports of Iran’s crypto toll for oil ships

Iran’s Bitcoin hashrate drops sharply

As Cointelegraph reported, Iran’s Bitcoin (BTC) mining power has dropped significantly over the past quarter, losing around 7 exahashes per second and falling to roughly 2 EH/s, amid escalating tensions with the United States and Israel.

Despite the regional disruption, the global Bitcoin network remains stable, with total hashrate holding near 1,000 EH/s. Notably, the impact has been contained within Iran, with neighboring countries such as the United Arab Emirates and Oman unaffected.

Magazine: Bitcoin may take 7 years to upgrade to post-quantum — BIP-360 co-author

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