Markets are navigating ongoing geopolitical uncertainty with volatility persisting, yet signals of cautious resilience are emerging. The release describes a blended picture where crypto momentum interacts with traditional markets amid potential diplomatic progress and ongoing supply considerations. Bitcoin has risen about 5% over the past week and trades near $75,000, on track for a third consecutive weekly gain. Oil has moved back below $100 as expectations for diplomatic developments support risk assets. The report also notes Iran’s exploration of Bitcoin for payments tied to maritime transit through the Strait of Hormuz and a possible second round of US-Iran talks ahead of a ceasefire deadline. Near-term volatility may persist.

Key points

• Bitcoin up about 5% over the past week, trading near $75,000 and on track for a third straight weekly gain.
• Oil prices retreat below $100 as diplomatic expectations influence risk assets and supply concerns persist in the Persian Gulf.
• Iran is exploring Bitcoin for payments related to maritime transit through the Strait of Hormuz.
• A potential second round of US-Iran peace talks could occur within days ahead of the ceasefire deadline, suggesting near-term volatility.

Why it matters

This combination matters because crypto momentum, energy markets, and geopolitical dynamics intersect in a volatile environment. A sustained Bitcoin rally can influence risk sentiment for digital assets, while oil movements interact with inflation and rate expectations. Iran’s reported use of Bitcoin for a real-world payment flow hints at broader crypto infrastructure uptake. The prospect of renewed talks adds a political factor that could ease or renew volatility, making near-term developments important for traders and investors.

What to watch

• Possible second round of US-Iran talks within days and any ceasefire timeline updates.
• Updates on Iran’s Bitcoin payments plans for Strait of Hormuz transit.
• Bitcoin price behavior around the $75,000 level and any breaks above or below key levels.

Disclosure: The content below is a press release provided by the company or its PR representative. It is published for informational purposes.

Bitcoin Rallies and Oil Pulls Back as Markets Show Signs of Stability

Abu Dhabi, UAE -15 April 2026: Global markets continue to navigate a period of heightened volatility, but recent trends suggest investors are becoming more resilient and adaptive in the face of ongoing geopolitical uncertainty.

Investor sentiment appears to be stabilising, with markets increasingly absorbing negative headlines more efficiently than in previous weeks. Developments that once triggered sharp selloffs are now being digested with greater composure, indicating a shift from reactive behaviour to more measured decision-making.

Cautious optimism is emerging as reports suggest a second round of US-Iran peace talks could take place within days, ahead of the upcoming ceasefire deadline. This prospect is supporting risk assets, as investors rotate away from defensive positioning and cautiously re-enter the market. However, uncertainty remains elevated, and in the absence of a concrete resolution, two-way volatility is expected to persist.

Bitcoin has continued to demonstrate resilience during the current conflict, rising approximately 5% over the past week and trading near $75,000. The asset is on track for its third consecutive week of gains and is up around 9% month-to-date, positioning it for its strongest monthly performance since May 2025. Despite this momentum, Bitcoin remains roughly 40% below its all-time high.

Adding to the constructive narrative around digital assets are reports that Iran is exploring the use of Bitcoin for payments related to maritime transit through the Strait of Hormuz. This development reinforces the growing perception that cryptocurrencies could become increasingly embedded in real-world economic infrastructure.

Meanwhile, oil prices have retreated below the $100 mark, reflecting easing tensions and expectations of diplomatic progress. However, a meaningful portion of supply from the Persian Gulf remains offline, which could place upward pressure on prices in the near term. Persistent supply constraints would have broader implications for inflation, interest rate expectations, and overall market stability.

Commenting on the current market environment, Josh Gilbert, Market Analyst at eToro, said:
“Investors are showing a notable shift in behaviour. Rather than reacting impulsively to geopolitical headlines, we’re seeing a more resilient approach to navigating uncertainty. While there are tentative signs of improvement, markets remain highly sensitive to developments, and volatility is likely to remain a defining feature in the near term.”

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eToro believes in the power of shared knowledge and that investors can become more successful by investing together. The platform has built a collaborative investment community designed to provide users with the tools they need to grow their knowledge and wealth. On eToro, users can hold a range of traditional and innovative assets and choose how they invest: trade directly, invest in a portfolio, or copy other investors.

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Goldman Sachs has filed to launch a Bitcoin-linked ETF focused on income generation. The proposed fund uses options strategies instead of holding Bitcoin directly. Bitcoin currently trades near $74,591 after a recent market pullback. The firm aims to offer indirect exposure through existing Bitcoin exchange-traded products. It plans to allocate at least 80% of assets to Bitcoin-linked instruments. This structure separates the fund from traditional spot Bitcoin ETFs.

The move comes as institutions expand crypto offerings despite volatile conditions. Goldman manages over $3.65 trillion in assets globally. The filing signals continued institutional interest in structured crypto products.

Bitcoin Exposure Built Through Layered ETF Holdings

Goldman’s ETF will invest in spot Bitcoin ETFs and related derivatives. This approach allows exposure without directly holding the cryptocurrency. The structure also reflects regulatory considerations tied to commodity ownership.

Unlike direct Bitcoin ETFs, the fund sits one layer above underlying assets. Its returns will mirror gains and losses from those holdings. However, the additional layer may create slight tracking differences.

The firm also uses a Cayman Islands subsidiary to support the structure. This setup helps address regulatory limits in U.S. markets. As a result, the product may reach approval ahead of similar filings.

Options Strategy Targets Income but Caps Upside

The ETF will generate income by selling call options on Bitcoin-linked products. This method allows the fund to collect premiums from option buyers. The strategy converts volatility into a steady income stream.

Goldman expects the overwrite level to range between 40% and 100%. This means a large portion of exposure could be covered by options. However, this coverage limits gains during strong Bitcoin rallies.

If prices exceed option strike levels, the fund faces capped returns. Losses on short positions may offset gains from underlying holdings. Therefore, performance may lag during sharp upward movements.

Competitive Landscape Expands with New ETF Models

The filing adds competition to an evolving Bitcoin ETF market. Firms like BlackRock and Morgan Stanley continue to expand offerings. Their products often focus on direct exposure rather than income strategies.

BlackRock’s spot Bitcoin ETF has attracted significant inflows since launch. Meanwhile, Morgan Stanley recently introduced its own spot-based product. These developments show growing diversification in crypto investment vehicles.

Goldman’s approach differs by prioritizing income over pure price tracking. The strategy may appeal to those seeking yield from volatile assets. However, it also introduces trade-offs between stability and growth.

Mythos Causes Security Concerns

The debate comes after growing interest in the latest AI model Mythos, developed by Anthropic, which has raised alarms in the financial and regulatory sectors. The possibility of the model taking advantage of system vulnerabilities has been noted by government agencies and other large institutions. Regulators have compelled banks to be ready to face more sophisticated cyber threats associated with advanced AI features. Anthropic executives have been talking to policymakers about the risks associated with Mythos. At a recent economic gathering, the company affirmed that it has briefed the Trump administration on the model’s capabilities. The firm also conducted studies indicating that the system could identify and exploit zero-day vulnerabilities in key software platforms when instructed by users.

In the meantime, major crypto exchanges have begun seeking access to the Mythos model to build their defenses. Reports indicate that companies like Coinbase and Binance are already working with Anthropic. Coinbase’s security team noted that discussions continue, and that advanced AI will impact cyber threats and security mechanisms. Megabanks on Wall Street have already taken the lead in accessing the AI model through Anthropic’s limited rollout program. Companies such as JPMorgan, Goldman Sachs, and Morgan Stanley have started internal tests. As a result, these entities seek to evaluate how AI can transform offensive and defensive cybersecurity approaches using the model.

Anthropic launched Project Glasswing to regulate access to Mythos and increase testing in a number of organizations. This program enables institutions to test risk in a controlled setting. Additionally, the program can be seen as an extension of an increased push to create balance between innovation and security controls as AI systems expand their potential.

DAO token RAVE rallied to an all-time high of $19.85 this month before dumping down to $11.80 and allowing a patient trader to short a large amount at $19.

Incredibly, however, after the token declined 23% in his favor below $15, his profit and loss figure still read -3,963%.

The trader, who goes by the name “Meekdonald” on X, shared the screenshot of his leveraged ByBit trade on April 15. It showed a 12x leveraged short on RAVE/USDT with an entry price of $19 and a then-current price of $14.70.

Commentators described the token’s rally, which Meekdonald timed to nearly the “pico top,” as a coordinated scheme to lure and liquidate short sellers.

Three wallets held roughly 90% of the token’s total supply.

Nevertheless, shorting it proved incredibly difficult and expensive.

A winning crypto short became a 3,900% loss

The culprit was the astronomical funding rate on ByBit’s perpetual futures contracts.

In perpetual futures, funding rates are periodic payments between longs and shorts and keep the contract price anchored to spot.

When short interest dominates, the rate turns negative, meaning shorts pay longs. The more crowded the short side becomes, the higher the cost.

During RAVE’s squeeze above $19, funding rates on major exchanges reached annualized levels as high as 4,800%. On Binance, the hourly rate hit -2%.

A short seller owed 2% of notional position value every hour, or 48% per day.

Amplify those 48% daily payments by the leverage ratio, and the losses start to make more sense.

At a 12x leverage on a cross-margin position, a -2% hourly funding rate on that notional value could drain roughly 24% of his collateral per hour.

The spot price fell from $19 to $14.70, rewarding his prediction that RAVE would decline in value. However, the cumulative funding payments overwhelmed the unrealized profit anyway, pushing ROI to nearly -4,000%.

The price moved in his direction but short funding rates moved even faster.

Social media platform X on Tuesday launched Cashtags, a feature that surfaces live price charts and related posts for stocks and crypto tokens directly in users’ timelines.

The feature, currently available only on iPhone in the U.S. and Canada, was announced by Head of Product Nikita Bier, who said the platform influences billions of dollars in investment decisions daily based on what users read in their feeds.

Cashtags work by letting users type a dollar-sign ticker or paste a contract address into a post or search bar. X then suggests matching assets so users can select the right one. Tapping a cashtag opens a dedicated view that shows the asset’s price chart alongside posts that mention it, all without leaving the app. Supported assets include major equities, cryptocurrencies, and memecoins using contract addresses on networks such as Solana and Base.

X has actually offered expanded cash tag functionality before, through partnerships with eToro in 2023 and TradingView in 2022, but this version goes further by adding on-chain asset support and, for the first time, a direct brokerage integration.

That integration comes via a pilot with Wealthsimple, Canada’s largest online brokerage. Canadian users who tap a cashtag will see a button that routes them to a pre-filled trading screen on Wealthsimple, creating what the company describes as a one-tap path from conversation to order entry.

The move fits squarely into a broader race among fintech and crypto platforms to build so-called super apps. As The Defiant has reported, U.S. crypto and fintech firms, including Coinbase and Robinhood, are chasing Asia’s super app model, bundling trading, payments, and social features into single platforms.

Rather than building a brokerage from scratch, X is layering financial infrastructure onto what is already one of the world’s most active venues for real-time market commentary. The company holds money transmitter licenses in more than 40 U.S. states, and its separate X Money payments product has completed internal testing.

Bier added that web and Android versions of Cashtags are coming soon, along with a global rollout of the feature.

This article was written with the assistance of AI workflows. All our stories are curated, edited and fact-checked by a human.

Legal & General Asset Management announced Wednesday that it placed the more than 50 billion pounds (roughly $68 million) in liquidity funds that it manages onchain through a new distribution channel built by Calastone.

“We are thrilled to make our liquidity funds available on the Calastone Tokenized Distribution Network,” said Ross McDonald, liquidity investment specialist at L&G. “Tokenized distribution provides meaningful enhancements in efficiency and reach.”

The U.K.-based firm said it now offers its money-market style funds as tokenized shares on the Calastone Tokenized Distribution Network, which uses blockchain infrastructure to handle issuance, trading and settlement.

The funds operate in U.S. dollars, euros and pound sterling and aim to provide capital preservation, same-day settlement and yield, the firm’s statement adds.

Calastone’s system manages token creation, order routing, trade aggregation and reconciliation while linking to existing fund administration systems. L&G said its investors are now allowed to buy, hold and transfer tokenized units within a permissioned network designed for regulated access.

L&G also explained that their tokenization of liquidity assets expands how investors can access short-term funds, especially through digital platforms that require faster settlement and continuous availability.

Tokenized versions of the funds will launch on Ethereum and compatible blockchains, with more networks planned, the firm said.

Simon Keefe, head of digital solutions at Calastone, said the launch shows how tokenization can apply to established fund structures “to enhance distribution, improve efficiency and broaden access within a controlled, regulated framework.”

Iran nuclear deal bitcoin implications are coming into focus as the US has proposed a 20-year pause on Iran’s nuclear program as part of ongoing peace negotiations, a concession that, if accepted, could bring oil below $80 a barrel and trigger the largest crypto rally since October 2025.

Iran nuclear deal bitcoin markets are now pricing a specific proposal for the first time. The US tabled a 20-year freeze on Iran’s nuclear activities as the core term in ongoing peace negotiations, while Iran countered with a five-year suspension. The gap is wide, but the fact that both sides are now negotiating specific timelines marks the most substantive progress since the conflict began on February 28.

WTI crude sits at $92 a barrel. Before the war, it traded near $65 to $70. The difference between those two levels is the entire macro burden currently suppressing Bitcoin, equities, and risk appetite globally.

The 20-year versus 5-year gap is not just a policy detail. It is the central variable that will determine whether this conflict ends in months or years, and whether oil returns to pre-war levels or stays structurally elevated. Iran’s nuclear program is the core US demand in these talks, as Vance stated clearly after the Islamabad session collapsed on April 13: “the nuclear issue was the only point that really mattered.”

If Iran accepts even a modified version of the 20-year proposal, the Strait of Hormuz blockade ends, shipping resumes, and the energy inflation narrative that has kept the Federal Reserve from cutting rates dissolves rapidly. The IMF has already cut its 2026 global growth forecast to 3.1% from 3.3% directly because of energy costs. That revision reverses with oil at $70.

What the Ceasefire Template Tells Us

When Trump agreed to the two-week ceasefire on April 7, oil surged lower by 13% to $94.76 a barrel on Brent and BTC rose 6.7% to $72,379 within hours. That was a temporary pause, not a deal. A genuine nuclear agreement would be categorically larger in market terms.

The pre-war BTC price was in the $97,000 range in mid-January before the conflict began. The path from $74,000 back toward that level runs directly through the oil market. Analysts at 24/7 Wall St. have outlined $100,000 by year-end as achievable under a full peace deal scenario with oil returning to the $65 to $70 range.

Why the Gap May Narrow

Iran’s counter of five years versus the US’s 20 suggests both sides are negotiating from fixed positions rather than walking away. The original Islamabad talks lasted 20 hours before breaking down specifically on this question. The fact that both sides put specific numbers on the table means a compromise figure, 10 to 15 years, is mathematically available even if politically difficult.

Bitcoin was at $126,000 in October 2025. It is at $74,000 today. The 20-year nuclear question may be the single variable standing between those two price levels.

World Liberty Financial’s freshly posted governance proposal to unlock 62.3 billion WLFI tokens drew an immediate broadside from TRON founder Justin Sun, who published a lengthy rebuttal onX, calling the plan “World Tyranny, Not World Liberty Financial.”

Sun, who invested $75 million in the Trump family-backed DeFi venture, accused the team of engineering the vote so that dissenters are punished, as holders who vote against the proposal see their tokens locked indefinitely with no unlock path, while large holders like himself have been frozen out of the process entirely.

“I personally hold approximately 4% of the voting power, yet my tokens have been frozen and I am forced out of this voting process,” Sun wrote. “The outcome was determined before the vote even began.”

The proposal, announced by WLFI on Tuesday, would place early supporter tokens on a two-year cliff followed by a two-year linear vest. Founders, team members, and advisors would face a longer five-year schedule, with 10% of their allocation permanently burned on passage. Holders who do not opt in remain locked indefinitely. WLFI called the plan “one of the strongest long-term governance alignment signals in DeFi.”

Sun sees it differently. He called the vote “a performance where the police have already barricaded the doors of parliament” and pointed to what he described as a deeper structural problem: the WLFI smart contracts are ultimately controlled by a 3-of-5 anonymous multisig and a single anonymous guardian address that can blacklist any wallet. Voters, meanwhile, must complete identity verification to participate.

“Your voters must register, submit to scrutiny, and be vetted — while your dictators won’t even show their faces,” Sun wrote.

Feud Erupts Into Open War

The response caps a week of escalation between the two sides. Tensions boiled over on Sunday after Sun accused WLFI of embedding a hidden blacklisting function in the token contract and called the team’s actions illegitimate. WLFI fired back, threatening legal action. “See you in court pal,” the project’s official X account posted.

Sun demanded that whoever was operating the account identify themselves. “As the largest investor in this project, I demand that those responsible come forward by name, instead of hiding in the shadows.”

The clash followed days of scrutiny over WLFI’s treasury operations. The Defiant previously reported that WLFI deposited 5 billion of its own governance tokens into Dolomite, a lending protocol co-founded by WLFI’s chief technology officer, and borrowed roughly $75 million in stablecoins, some of which were routed to Coinbase Prime.

Sun’s wallet containing more than 500 million WLFI tokens has been frozen since September 2025, when the project blacklisted his address after on-chain analysts flagged transfers routed through HTX, his crypto exchange. WLFI alleged Sun breached his investor agreement. Sun has maintained that the freeze was unjustified.

Token in Freefall

WLFI was trading around $0.08 on Tuesday, down roughly 75% from its all-time high and near its all-time low of $0.077 hit last week. The token’s market cap has fallen to approximately $2.5 billion.

Sun closed his statement by calling on all WLFI holders to “see this proposal for what it truly is” and to “reserve all legal rights of recourse.”

This article was written with the assistance of AI workflows. All our stories are curated, edited and fact-checked by a human.

Another political action committee (PAC) aligned with the cryptocurrency industry announced its endorsement for a candidate in Ohio’s Senate race, signaling a move that could mirror the 2024 US election.

In a Wednesday notice, Sentinel Action Fund, a group that claims to be the “only conservative Super PAC advancing pro-crypto candidates and supporting pro-crypto innovation,” said it would be supporting Republican Jon Husted in this year’s race to represent Ohio in the US Senate. 

Husted was appointed by Ohio Governor Mike DeWine in January 2025 to replace JD Vance, who was elected vice president alongside US President Donald Trump in his 2024 election win. He still faces a field of Republican candidates ahead of a May 5 primary in Ohio, where former Senator Sherrod Brown will also face off in the Democratic primary against Ron Kincaid.  

Sentinel Action Fund President Jessica Anderson specifically cited Brown as having “stood in the way of pro-innovation policies when it comes to digital assets” in the PAC’s endorsement of Husted. 

Although filings with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) as of Tuesday showed no disbursements supporting Husted in 2026, the PAC and its sister organization, Right Vote, pledged to spend more than $8 million in the Buckeye state. The Sentinel Action Fund reported about $9 million raised from January 2025 through March 2026, including $750,000 in contributions from the digital asset advocacy organization Solana Policy Institute and $250,000 from crypto investment company Multicoin Capital.

The PAC’s move into the Ohio race could serve as a bellwether for how money from crypto-aligned interest groups will respond to the upcoming US elections. In 2024, crypto-backed PACs spent more than $40 million in the US State to support Republican Bernie Moreno’s run to unseat Brown, who had made many public statements criticizing crypto.

Related: Coinbase-backed crypto advocacy group unveils 2026 election plan

Despite having lost his seat, Brown announced in August that he would run again for Senate. Moreno’s seat won’t be up for grabs until 2030.

Ohio Senate race isn’t the only one in the state focused on crypto

Vivek Ramaswamy, a former Republican candidate for US President and one of the backers for Bitcoin (BTC) treasury company Strive, has also thrown his hat into Ohio’s gubernatorial race.

Launching his campaign in February 2025 following his departure from Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), Ramaswamy supported efforts to create a strategic BTC reserve in Ohio.

However, many critics have pointed to the Republican candidate’s financial disclosures filed on April 6 as examples of conflicts of interest. 

Ramaswamy reported a 10% stake in Strive and could benefit from the value of the company’s Bitcoin holdings increasing in response to Ohio’s treasury investing in the cryptocurrency, which he would have significant influence over as governor. Strive reported holding about 13,768 Bitcoin as of Wednesday, worth more than $1 billion.

Disclosure: A member of the immediate family of Staff Editor Robert Lakin has contributed to the campaigns of Ohio Democratic gubernatorial candidate Amy Acton and Ohio Democratic Senate candidate Sherrod Brown in amounts less than $200.

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