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Asset manager L&G brings its $68 billion money market funds onchain via Calastone

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Asset manager L&G brings its $68 billion money market funds onchain via Calastone

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.

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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.”

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Take It Down Act: First Deepfake Conviction

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Take It Down Act: First Deepfake Conviction

The Take It Down Act has secured its first federal conviction, with an Ohio man pleading guilty to using more than 100 AI models to create and distribute nonconsensual deepfakes of women and children, putting the first real enforcement stamp on a landmark AI-specific law.

Summary

  • James Strahler II, 37, of Columbus, Ohio, pleaded guilty on April 7 to cyberstalking, producing child sexual abuse material, and publishing digital forgeries under the Take It Down Act.
  • The law, signed by President Trump in May 2025, makes it a federal crime to publish nonconsensual AI-generated intimate imagery and requires platforms to remove it within 48 hours of a valid report.
  • Online platforms have until May 19, 2026 to establish formal takedown procedures or face Federal Trade Commission enforcement action.

The Take It Down Act has its first conviction. James Strahler II, a 37-year-old Columbus, Ohio man, pleaded guilty on April 7 to three federal counts: cyberstalking, producing obscene visual representations of child sexual abuse material, and publishing digital forgeries, the law’s term for nonconsensual deepfakes. The Department of Justice confirmed he is the first person convicted under the law.

Between December 2024 and June 2025, Strahler used over 100 AI models to create sexually explicit images and videos of six adult victims and distribute them to their coworkers and families. He also generated deepfake content involving children and uploaded hundreds of images to a child sexual abuse website before his arrest in June 2025.

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The Take It Down Act, introduced by Senators Ted Cruz and Amy Klobuchar and signed into law on May 19, 2025, criminalizes the knowing publication of nonconsensual intimate imagery, including AI-generated content depicting real people. It passed the Senate unanimously and the House by 409 to 2.

Penalties under the law include up to two years in prison per offense involving adult victims and up to three years when minors are involved. Strahler has not yet been sentenced.

U.S. Attorney Dominick Gerace said the prosecution sends a direct message: “We will not tolerate the abhorrent practice of posting and publicizing AI-generated intimate images of real individuals without consent.”

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What the Law Requires of Platforms

Beyond criminal prosecution, the Take It Down Act creates mandatory obligations for online platforms. Covered platforms, including public websites and mobile applications that host user-generated content, must remove reported nonconsensual imagery within 48 hours of a valid victim request and make reasonable efforts to find and delete identical copies.

The compliance deadline is May 19, 2026, just over a month away. Platforms that fail to establish a formal removal process face enforcement by the Federal Trade Commission. The law does not preempt state-level protections, and at least 45 states have their own AI deepfake laws in place.

Why It Matters for AI Regulation

The Take It Down Act is widely described as the first major federal law in the United States that directly restricts harmful uses of AI. Its passage reflects growing bipartisan urgency around AI-generated abuse at a moment when deepfake tools have become widely accessible. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children received more than 1.5 million AI-related exploitation tips in 2025 alone.

The same technology that enables nonconsensual intimate imagery is also fueling deepfake scams across the crypto sector, where AI-generated impersonations of prominent figures have been used to defraud investors. The deepfake crisis across financial platforms saw AI-powered vishing attacks surge 28% year over year in Q3 2025, underscoring why federal-level intervention carries broad implications beyond intimate imagery alone.

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First Lady Melania Trump, who championed the legislation as part of her Be Best initiative, said she was proud of the first conviction.

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DeXe Joins the Altcoin Rally, Price Hits Nearly 1-Year High

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DeXe Joins the Altcoin Rally, Price Hits Nearly 1-Year High

DeXe (DEXE) surged 22% on April 15, 2026, pushing to $12.19 and entering a resistance zone that capped the token’s October 2024 rally. Open interest across all exchanges has recovered to approximately $20 million, up from near-zero levels recorded in January 2026.

The move places DEXE directly at the 0.5 Fibonacci retracement level on the weekly chart. That threshold now determines whether the recovery from January lows continues toward $15 or stalls under concentrated selling pressure.

Open Interest Climbs Back Toward Pre-Correction Levels

DEXE open interest peaked at roughly $39 million in early October 2024 before collapsing alongside price. The liquidation wave erased most leveraged exposure. By late January 2026, open interest had fallen to approximately $5 million, per Coinglass data.

Since February 2026, open interest has rebuilt steadily alongside price, reaching approximately $20 million as of April 15. When OI and price rise together, it may signal fresh capital entering the market rather than a short squeeze closing out losing positions.

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DEXE Open Interest USD chart across all exchanges / Source: Coinglass

For this signal to remain constructive, OI would need to hold above $15 million on any near-term retracement. A drop back below that level would suggest today’s move attracted primarily spot buyers without durable derivatives-backed conviction.

Weekly Fibonacci and Bollinger Bands Create a Decisive Threshold

The weekly chart shows DEXE trading at $12.21, pinned to the 0.5 Fibonacci retracement at $12.17. This level marks the midpoint of the token’s full range between the $0.14 all-time low and the $24.20 all-time high.

A Bollinger Band expansion on the weekly timeframe suggests price is pushing toward the upper band after months of contraction inside a tightening range. However, a declining volume trendline drawn across the weekly chart from October 2024 remains intact.

Price has outpaced volume participation. It suggests the current move may require broader buying to confirm a genuine breakout rather than a temporary spike.

DEXE/USDT weekly chart / Source: Tradingview

The RSI panel, which had been flagged as oversold in early 2026, has recovered to a neutral-to-bullish position. A confirmed weekly close above $12.17 would set the 0.618 retracement at $15.01 as the next target, the level highlighted in yellow on the chart.

DEXE Price Prediction — $15 Target Hinges on Clearing $13.50

The daily chart shows DEXE entering a red resistance zone spanning approximately $12.50 to $13.50. This zone previously capped the October 2024 rally and is now being tested following a multi-month recovery from the January 2026 lows near $2.50.

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Today’s candle opened at $9.97 and reached an intraday high of $12.82. It marks one of the strongest single-session advances of the entire 2026 recovery. A daily close above $13.50 would flip this resistance into support and open the path toward $15.01, aligning with the weekly 0.618 Fibonacci target.

DEXE/USDT daily chart / Source: Tradingview

On the downside, a rejection from the red zone would likely send DEXE back toward the upper green support band between $7.00 and $7.80. That zone held price on multiple daily closes throughout the February and March 2026 consolidation.

A deeper pullback would find support in the lower green band between $4.80 and $5.30.

Given the pace of today’s advance, the RSI is likely extended on the daily timeframe. This raises the probability of short-term consolidation before any sustained move above $13.50.

Whether DEXE holds above the red zone or gets rejected will determine whether the recovery from January lows extends toward the mid-$15 range or resets for another base-building phase.

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The post DeXe Joins the Altcoin Rally, Price Hits Nearly 1-Year High appeared first on BeInCrypto.

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ETH Futures Open Interest Rises As Institutional Investors Return

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ETH Futures Open Interest Rises As Institutional Investors Return

Key takeaways:

  • Institutional ETH accumulation remains robust as Ether ETFs and Bitmine Immersion lead a healthy, spot-driven recovery.

  • Lackluster DApp revenue and negative ETH funding rates suggest that traders are skeptical of the rally.

Ether (ETH) price managed to sustain above $2,300 on Wednesday, distancing itself from the $1,940 lows seen on March 29. The recent rally has caused ETH futures open interest to reach $25.4 billion, indicating increased demand for leveraged positions. The movement suggests a potential turn in momentum for ETH bulls after 10 weeks of failed attempts to reclaim the $2,400 level.

ETH futures aggregate open interest, USD. Source: CoinGlass

To determine whether the shift in positioning is driven by bulls, one must assess the ETH futures funding rate. The ETH perpetual futures funding rate has failed to hold above 5% since Friday, indicating a lack of confidence among bulls. 

ETH perpetual futures annualized funding rate. Source: Laevitas

The metric has dipped below 0% multiple times, indicating excess demand for bearish leveraged positions. Under neutral conditions, the indicator should range between 5% and 10% to compensate for the cost of capital.

Still, one could argue that such data reinforces that Ether’s recent rally to $2,350 has been sustained by spot demand.

ETH spot ETF daily net flows, USD. Source: SoSoValue

US-listed Ether spot exchange-traded funds (ETFs) accumulated $248 million in net inflows over the past 10 days, validating the thesis of healthy spot-driven Ether bullish momentum. In parallel, the digital asset treasury company Bitmine Immersion (BMNR US) announced the acquisition of $312 million worth of ETH. Bitmine now holds 4.87 million ETH, equivalent to $11.46 billion.

While institutional accumulation is generally a positive sign, Bitmine’s ETH holdings are trading 13% below their acquisition cost, according to CoinGecko data. Similarly, US-listed Ether ETF assets under management stood at $13.7 billion on Wednesday, down from $20.5 billion three months prior. Ether’s failure to reclaim $2,400 also happened as the S&P 500 index jumped to a new all-time high on Wednesday.

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Weak Ethereum network activity, increased competition 

Part of investors’ reduced appetite for cryptocurrencies can be pinned to the declining activity in decentralized applications (DApps). Almost every corner of the cryptocurrency industry has been negatively impacted by the 2026 bear market, including memecoin token launch platforms, synthetic derivatives trading, collateralized lending, digital collectibles, decentralized exchanges and cross chain bridges.

The few positive highlights, including prediction markets and real-world assets, had no impact on Ethereum network activity. Investors are starting to question whether ETH is well-positioned to capture an eventual surge in demand for DApps, given the emergence of competing blockchains focused on solving specific issues, such as Hyperliquid and Plasma.

Ethereum weekly DApps revenue, USD. Source: DefiLlama

Related: ETH/BTC ratio hits 10-week high as Ether outpaces Bitcoin–Are new price highs next?

Ethereum’s weekly DApps revenue has plummeted to $11 million per week, down from $24 million in early February. The primary reason for investors to accumulate ETH is the expectation of higher onchain processing demand and the subsequent burn mechanism, which creates incentives for long-term holding. 

Despite the increased demand for ETH futures, derivatives metrics failed to flip bullish. Among the potential causes are the losses in Ethereum strategic reserve companies and increased competition in the DApps industry.

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