Crypto World
Benjamin Cowen Reveals Why The Altcoin Season Never Came
For most of 2025, altcoin holders were waiting. Watching Bitcoin climb to a new all-time high near $126,000, they expected what had always followed — the familiar rotation, the altcoin surge, the season that rewards patience with explosive gains. It never came.
Benjamin Cowen, founder of IntoTheCryptoverse, wasn’t surprised. He had a name for what was happening, and it changed everything.
“This is a cycle where Bitcoin topped on apathy rather than euphoria.”
That single phrase explains more about the 2025 cycle than any price target or on-chain metric. And to understand why, you need to follow the data across four charts — from social sentiment, through market structure, all the way to the deepest layers of the global macro economy.
The Top That Looked Normal, But Wasn’t
Bitcoin did exactly what it always does. It peaked in Q4 of the post-halving year, right on schedule, consistent with every prior four-year cycle. On the surface, nothing was broken. Look closer, however, and something was fundamentally different.
Cowen’s Social Metrics Historical Risk chart tells the story visually. The chart color-codes Bitcoin’s price history by the level of social engagement at each point in time — warm colors (red, orange) for high engagement, cool colors (blue) for low.
In 2017 and 2021, Bitcoin topped in a blaze of red and orange. Social interest was at peak levels. Retail was flooding in. Everyone was talking about crypto.
In 2025, Bitcoin printed its all-time high in cold blue. Social engagement was near-historic lows at the exact moment the market reached its peak.
No retail frenzy or mainstream headlines are driving fresh money in. Just a quiet, almost invisible top — what Benjamin Cowen defines as apathy.
“In 2017 and 2021 we topped on euphoria and because we topped on euphoria there was a rotation into the higher risk assets — altcoins. But when you top on apathy you don’t get that same rotation.”
The only other time this happened was in 2019. That observation is where everything begins.
Benjamin Cowen: Why Apathy Kills the Altcoin Season
In a euphoric cycle, the sequence is predictable. Bitcoin tops, early investors take profits, and that capital rotates into higher-risk assets — altcoins. The crowd, still buzzing with excitement, chases the next opportunity. Alt season follows almost mechanically.
Apathy breaks that sequence entirely. When Bitcoin tops on indifference rather than excitement, there is no crowd waiting to rotate.
The retail wave that normally fuels altcoin rallies simply never arrived. And without new buyers entering the market, altcoins have nowhere to go but down.
Cowen puts it with characteristic bluntness:
“But when you top on apathy, like in 2019, you don’t get that rotation. And the reason you don’t get that rotation is that there’s just no one left to sell the altcoins to.”
The consequence is visible in the altcoin total market cap chart. Rather than the sharp post-Bitcoin rotation that altcoin holders were expecting, the chart shows something more painful — a slow, relentless bleed. Altcoins losing ground to Bitcoin not just in the bear market, but throughout the entire cycle, both during the bull run and after it ended.
This is not a coincidence or bad luck. It is a direct consequence of the macro environment in which this cycle occurred.
The Macro Context: 2019 and 2025 Show the Same Story
Most crypto analysts treat Bitcoin as its own ecosystem, governed purely by halving cycles and on-chain mechanics. Benjamin Cowen argues that it is only half the picture.
The global business cycle — the broader rhythm of economic expansion, late-cycle stress, and recession — shapes not when Bitcoin tops, but how investors behave when it does.
His Business Cycles chart, built by normalizing a composite of S&P 500 performance, unemployment, interest rates, inflation, and M2 money supply, makes the argument visually.
From Bitcoin’s earliest days through approximately 2019, the macro environment was in an early business cycle phase — the long recovery following the 2008 financial crisis. Risk appetite was structurally high. Investors were willing to climb the risk ladder, moving from equities to Bitcoin to altcoins.
In a late business cycle environment, that risk appetite reverses. Investors don’t reach for more risk — they pull back from it. They consolidate into quality. In crypto terms, that means Bitcoin, not altcoins. It explains why, in both 2019 and 2025, altcoins bled to Bitcoin even as Bitcoin itself was still rising. The macro environment was actively working against the rotation altcoin holders had been counting on.
“The reason why this cycle feels different is because this is a late business cycle environment. And the only other time we had a late business cycle environment where altcoins bled out to Bitcoin even after Bitcoin topped without a rotation was actually in that 2019 phase.”
The Liquidity Risk chart adds a second layer of confirmation. With liquidity risk currently sitting at 0.789 — firmly in the “Very Tight” zone — the conditions mirror those of the 2008 financial crisis and the 2018-2019 period almost precisely. Tight liquidity environments are not environments where investors chase speculative assets. They are environments where capital retreats to safety.
The symmetry between 2019 and 2025 goes deeper still. In 2019, Bitcoin topped in June — two months before quantitative tightening ended in August. In 2025, Bitcoin topped in October — two months before quantitative tightening ended in December. Same pattern, same spacing, larger scale.
“What’s happening now is just a larger version of what happened in 2019. It just happens to all line up.”
What Comes Next for Benjamin Cowen
The 2019 parallel is not a perfect map, but it is the most honest one available. The four-year cycle remains intact — Bitcoin tops when it always tops, and it will bottom when it historically bottoms, approximately one year after the peak. That places the base case for a cycle low in October 2026.
What this cycle has revealed, more clearly than any before it, is that the crypto market does not exist in isolation. The business cycle, liquidity conditions, and investor risk appetite are not background noise — they are the environment in which every crypto decision plays out. In an early cycle, rising risk appetite carries altcoins higher.
In a late cycle, retreating risk appetite leaves them behind.
Benjamin Cowen’s thesis is not a bearish call for its own sake. It is a framework for understanding why this cycle felt different — and why, for those who understood the macro context, it was never really a surprise.
The altcoin season didn’t fail. It was never going to arrive. Not in this environment. Not in this cycle.
The post Benjamin Cowen Reveals Why The Altcoin Season Never Came appeared first on BeInCrypto.
Key Highlights
- WLD declined 13.4% to reach $0.28 on Friday while the wider cryptocurrency market gained 2.2%
- World announced a comprehensive overhaul of its World ID platform, branding it as “full-stack proof of human” technology
- Platform partnerships expanded to include Zoom, Docusign, and Tinder with availability extending to American users
- The Orb technology captures iris biometrics to establish unique digital identities while avoiding personal data retention
- Strategic collaborators also encompass Amazon Web Services, Shopify, Coinbase, Razer, and Reddit
The Worldcoin (WLD) cryptocurrency experienced a 13.4% decline to $0.28 on Friday, April 17, coinciding with World’s announcement of a significant identity verification platform enhancement and numerous new strategic partnerships.
This downturn occurred against the backdrop of a 2.2% rally in the overall cryptocurrency sector, fueled by developments around US-Iran diplomatic progress and the resumption of Strait of Hormuz operations.
World, launched by OpenAI’s Sam Altman as co-founder, convened a presentation in San Francisco unveiling “World 4.0.” This advancement establishes World ID as comprehensive “full-stack proof of human” architecture designed for individual users, commercial entities, and artificial intelligence systems.
The technology relies on the Orb apparatus, which captures facial and iris biometric data in-person to create a distinctive cryptographic identifier. Captured imagery undergoes immediate deletion following processing, with exclusively anonymized information distributed through a decentralized infrastructure.
Daniel Shorr, a senior executive, stated during the presentation: “World 4.0 is powerful, scalable and open. In the age of AI, being human will be incredibly valuable and the internet will want to know you’re human.”
Sam Altman remarked: “World ID is on the way to being a real human network for the internet.”
The platform enhancement introduces account-based verification, multiple key functionality, and credential recovery mechanisms. World simultaneously released a standalone World ID application, presently in beta testing, enabling users to control and distribute their authentication credentials across various services.
Major Platform Collaborations
Zoom, the video conferencing service, is incorporating World’s “Deep Face” technology to authenticate that conference attendees are genuine individuals rather than AI-generated deepfakes. Docusign, the electronic signature provider, is implementing World ID authentication within its digital document execution process.
No more deepfakes on video calls. @worldnetwork identify verification on @Zoom. pic.twitter.com/0ap0IOKR6H
— World (@worldnetwork) April 17, 2026
The dating application Tinder is extending its World ID “verified human” certification to users throughout the United States. World additionally introduced a “Concert Kit” solution designed to assist musicians in allocating tickets to authentic individuals, eliminating automated scalping operations.
Gaming sector alliances with Razer and Mythical Games were revealed, while Reddit confirmed its evaluation of World’s capabilities for automated account detection.
Business Solutions and AI Integration
For enterprise applications, World is collaborating with Okta, Vercel, and Browserbase. These partnerships focus on establishing verification frameworks for automated business processes.
World unveiled “AgentKit,” a development platform connecting artificial intelligence agents to authenticated human credentials. Coinbase previously disclosed in March its intention to utilize AgentKit for its x402 AI micropayment infrastructure.
Additional established collaborators include Amazon Web Services, Shopify, Browserbase, Exa, and VanEck.
Certain observers have expressed apprehension regarding the mass collection of biometric information, especially when centralized under a single corporate entity.
WLD serves as the indigenous cryptocurrency of the World Network, distributed as compensation for identity authentication and utilized for transactional operations throughout its platform.
Key Takeaways
- Circle introduced USDC Bridge, a user-friendly interface powered by its Cross-Chain Transfer Protocol (CCTP) for seamless native USDC movement
- The platform employs a burn-and-mint system that avoids wrapped or bridged token variants
- Transaction costs are transparent upfront with automated gas handling; transferring $20 from Ethereum to Optimism runs approximately $0.20
- The bridge works with a minimum of 17 EVM-compatible networks from day one, featuring Ethereum, Base, Polygon, and Monad
- A class action lawsuit targeting Circle seeks damages for approximately $230 million in USDC transferred via CCTP after the Drift Protocol breach on April 1
On Friday, Circle rolled out USDC Bridge, a straightforward cross-chain transfer solution constructed on its established Cross-Chain Transfer Protocol (CCTP). The initiative aims to streamline and demystify the process of transferring USDC across different blockchain networks for regular users.
CCTP debuted in April 2023. The protocol currently processes more than $500 million in daily USDC transactions and received a comprehensive V2 upgrade in the previous year.
This new bridge provides users with an intuitive interface for direct CCTP engagement. Until now, CCTP was primarily utilized by developers and technically sophisticated users — the updated UI democratizes access to a much broader user base.
USDB Bridge operates through a 1:1 burn-and-mint mechanism. Tokens are destroyed on the originating blockchain and created natively on the receiving network, eliminating any wrapped token intermediaries.
Transaction costs are displayed upfront before users finalize their transfers. The protocol automatically manages destination chain gas requirements, eliminating a traditionally confusing element for less experienced users.
According to testing conducted by a The Block journalist, moving $20 in USDC from Ethereum’s mainnet to Optimism carried a fee of roughly $0.20. Cost structures fluctuate based on specific transaction parameters.
Circle doesn’t impose proprietary fees for CCTP usage. Users still encounter standard network gas charges on both source and destination blockchains, with expedited “fast” transactions potentially incurring premium costs.
Supported Blockchain Networks
At its initial deployment, USDC Bridge accommodates at least 17 EVM-compatible blockchain platforms. The roster includes Ethereum, Avalanche, Arbitrum, Base, Optimism, Polygon, Sonic, Monad, Sei, and World Network.
While CCTP itself maintains compatibility with an expanded network selection that encompasses Solana, Sui, and Aptos, USDC Bridge currently restricts functionality to EVM-compatible environments, temporarily excluding non-EVM alternatives.
Circle natively deploys USDC across numerous blockchain networks and on specific platforms like Polymarket. USDC maintains its position as the stablecoin sector’s second-largest asset by market capitalization.
Cross-chain bridging infrastructure has historically represented a significant pain point within cryptocurrency. Complex user interfaces, opaque fee structures, and cumbersome multi-step processes have hindered widespread adoption — especially among newcomers. Circle frames USDC Bridge as a refined alternative addressing these persistent challenges.
Legal Action Filed Following CCTP Security Incident
The bridge launch follows closely behind Circle being served with a class action lawsuit. The complaint, filed on Wednesday, concerns approximately $230 million in USDC that transacted through CCTP in the aftermath of the April 1 Drift Protocol security breach.
Over 100 plaintiffs have joined the legal action, with representation provided by law firm Mira Gibb. Circle faces allegations of aiding and abetting conversion alongside negligence charges for failing to freeze the compromised assets. Final damage amounts will be established during trial proceedings.
Circle has yet to issue a comprehensive public statement addressing the lawsuit’s specifics.
Key Takeaways
- BTC climbed above $78,000 for the first time in over two months following Iran’s announcement regarding the Strait of Hormuz
- Iran’s top diplomat announced that commercial shipping traffic can now pass freely during the ceasefire
- President Trump indicated that negotiations between the US and Iran are nearly finalized with core elements agreed upon
- Crude oil prices plummeted approximately 10% to roughly $85 per barrel following the announcement
- Bitcoin ETFs in the United States attracted $664 million in net capital on April 17, marking the fourth consecutive day of positive flows
Bitcoin exploded beyond the $78,000 threshold on Friday, April 17, marking its strongest price level since the beginning of February. The rally was triggered after Iran’s Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi announced via X that the strategic Strait of Hormuz remains “completely open” to commercial shipping traffic throughout the duration of the existing ceasefire agreement.
President Donald Trump validated the development through his Truth Social platform, stating that negotiations to resolve the US-Israel-Iran conflict are “mostly complete.” He indicated that fundamental components have been agreed upon, with the remaining issues anticipated to be settled within the weekend.
Bitcoin reached an intraday peak of $78,343, representing approximately 4.1% growth within the trading session. Throughout the week, BTC recovered around 5%, based on information from CoinMarketCap and TradingView.
Alternative digital assets experienced similar upward momentum. Ethereum appreciated 3.3% while XRP advanced 2.4%, contributing to a widespread risk-on sentiment throughout international markets.
Brent crude oil contracts declined roughly 10% to approximately $85 per barrel. The S&P 500 index also rallied, accumulating $7 trillion in market value during the previous three weeks, as noted by The Kobeissi Letter.
Bitcoin ETF Capital Flows and Corporate Accumulation
Wu Blockchain disclosed on X that US-based spot Bitcoin ETFs accumulated $664 million in net capital on April 17, representing the fourth consecutive session of positive inflows. Spot Ethereum ETFs attracted $127 million, continuing a seven-day streak of inflows.
Bitcoin Archive shared on X that BlackRock’s iShares Bitcoin Trust has continuously accumulated Bitcoin for eight consecutive trading sessions, acquiring $284 million worth on April 17 exclusively. BlackRock’s cumulative purchases have reached $1.34 billion across the eight-day period.
Strategy Inc. has additionally accumulated $2.6 billion in Bitcoin during the past two weeks. Strategy’s stock price surged as much as 16% on Friday, representing its largest single-session increase since February 6.
Coinbase Global shares climbed as much as 8% while Galaxy Digital appreciated over 10% during the same trading session.
Traditional Finance Enters Crypto
Goldman Sachs submitted documentation for a Bitcoin ETF this week, representing its initial direct entry into cryptocurrency investment products. Charles Schwab revealed intentions to introduce spot cryptocurrency trading capabilities in 2026 and indicated that clients might consider allocating up to 8.8% of investment portfolios to Bitcoin.
Morgan Stanley introduced its proprietary Bitcoin-tracking ETF last week, establishing itself as the first major banking institution to launch such a product.
Matt Mena, senior crypto research strategist at 21Shares, characterized the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz as “the risk-on signal the global markets have been waiting for.”
Bohan Jiang, senior derivatives trader at FalconX, noted that Strategy’s accumulation strategy has provided market support throughout recent trading periods.
Geopolitical Risks Persist
The current ceasefire agreement is scheduled to conclude on April 22. US authorities have indicated that the naval blockade will remain operational until a comprehensive agreement is finalized. Iran has issued warnings about potentially closing the Strait once more if the blockade persists.
Axios additionally reported that US officials are evaluating the release of up to $20 billion in frozen Iranian assets in return for Iran relinquishing its enriched uranium inventory.
Derivatives market indicators suggest traders maintain a cautious stance. Funding rates for perpetual futures contracts registered negative on Friday. Put options positioned at $60,000 and $50,000 strike prices are commanding substantial premiums, reflecting hedging behavior.
Polymarket participants assessed the probability of Bitcoin reaching $80,000 during this month at 65% as of Friday, April 17.
Stablecoin issuer Circle has launched USDC Bridge, a new user interface built on top of the Cross-Chain Transfer Protocol (CCTP) that seeks to simplify native cross-chain transfers of the USDC stablecoin.
On Friday, Circle’s USDC X account said the bridge allows users to move the USDC (USDC) stablecoin in a “predictable, transparent way,” citing a native burn-and-mint transfer mechanism and no bridge complexities.
Gas fees will be handled automatically, fees will be shown upfront, and live status updates will be provided throughout the transfer, Circle added.
The USDC Bridge builds on Circle’s CCTP, which was introduced in April 2023 and facilitates hundreds of millions of stablecoin transfers each day.
CCTP eliminated the need for wrapped and synthetic versions of USDC.
Cross-chain bridges seek to make the broader crypto ecosystem interoperable, functioning as a unified network rather than a collection of fragmented, isolated blockchains.
Making bridges as simple and easy to use as possible has been an area of focus for many crypto infrastructure firms.
In the past, bridges have confused users and arguably slowed crypto adoption, especially for beginners struggling to navigate bridge interfaces, trade routes and gas fees.
USDC Bridge supports over a dozen blockchains
Cointelegraph found that USDC Bridge supports USDC transfers between at least 17 Ethereum Virtual Machine-compatible blockchains, including Ethereum, Avalanche, Arbitrum, Base, Monad, Optimism, Polygon, Sonic and World Network.
Related: Ukraine arrests FBI-wanted cybercrime suspect, seizes $11M in assets
Circle’s CCTP supports a broader number of blockchains, including Solana, Sui and Aptos, which are not natively EVM compatible.
On Wednesday, Circle was hit with a class action for failing to freeze around $230 million worth of USDC that moved through its CCTP from the Drift Protocol exploit on April 1.
Circle is accused of aiding and abetting conversion and negligence.
More than 100 members are involved in the class action. The law firm representing them, Mira Gibb, is seeking damages, with the final amount to be determined at trial.
Magazine: Are DeFi devs liable for the illegal activity of others on their platforms?
Crypto World
Solana Price Prediction Targets $108 as Pepeto Eyes 100x and DoubleZero Edge Brings Wall Street Speed to SOL
The solana price prediction just picked up a fresh catalyst after DoubleZero rolled out its Edge data feed on April 16, giving traders real time raw data from the Solana blockchain through a dedicated high speed network that 22% of staked SOL already runs on, per CoinDesk. That single move hands crypto traders the same real time data advantage that Wall Street firms have used for years.
Every solana price prediction points to solid ground ahead, but Pepeto is the exchange layer that helps everyday traders spot what smart money finds before the crowd catches on. With $8,940,333 raised and analysts projecting 100x, this presale closes once the Binance listing drops.
Solana Price Prediction Picks Up Steam as DoubleZero Brings Institutional Grade Speed On Chain
DoubleZero Edge launched its real time data feed on April 16, delivering raw Solana blockchain information to traders through dedicated fiber routes that cut lag below anything the public internet can match, per CoinDesk. Jump Crypto, Galaxy, and Jito already contribute fiber links and engineering resources, and 22% of all staked SOL runs through the network today.
The Solana Foundation still holds a significant treasury outside its staked position. That capital sitting idle instead of hitting sell walls lifts the price floor for years.
Institutional grade speed flowing through Solana rails means new traffic is coming, and the exchange still priced below a fraction of a cent that catches volume when capital moves on chain is where the return math breaks away from anything SOL delivers alone.
Where Presale Returns Outpace the SOL Recovery Before the Final Stage Fills
When Wall Street level infrastructure starts landing on a blockchain, the flood of new tokens, scam contracts, and fast money plays grows quicker than any single trader can follow. Pepeto was designed to cut through that noise, and the full set of tools shipped before the rush even started.
At $8,940,333 raised and $0.0000001863 per token, the 100x projection that analysts keep repeating gets harder to dismiss with each filled stage. The Binance listing opens full access to a risk screener that catches problems before your wallet signs anything, PepetoSwap running at zero trading fees, and a cross chain bridge moving value across ETH, BNB, and SOL at zero cost.
As institutional infrastructure pulls deeper capital into Solana’s chain, Pepeto builds the filter that gives regular holders a read on where that money lands next. Early bags compound at 185% APY while each presale stage keeps filling. SolidProof audited the entire codebase before a single token went on sale, a senior Binance veteran built out the exchange framework, and the architect who turned the original Pepe into an $11 billion project on 420 trillion tokens engineered every piece of the platform from the ground up.
Every bull market starts with one bet placed while the crowd is looking somewhere else, and Pepeto at $0.0000001863 is that bet sitting right in front of you while the Binance listing window stays open. The second trading begins, this entry price vanishes for good and daily volume across five live products builds real value instead of a launch week pump that bleeds out fast.
Solana (SOL) Price at $89.15 as DoubleZero Edge Launches Institutional Data Feed
Solana (SOL) trades near $89.15 as of April 16 according to CoinMarketCap, sitting roughly 71% below its $294.85 all time high from January 2025 while DoubleZero’s Edge data feed adds institutional grade speed to the network.
The SOL forecast depends on reclaiming $90, which opens $108 and puts the year end recovery target within reach. Support holds at $78, with the setup cracking if that breaks. The solana price prediction looks strong for patient holders, but climbing from $89 to $108 is a 27% grind over months, not the 100x the presale packs into one listing event.
Conclusion
DoubleZero just turned Solana into the first chain where traders get Wall Street speed data through dedicated fiber routes with no public internet delay. Institutional grade infrastructure routing through the same network raises the ceiling for everything built on top of it.
But the gains that reshape entire portfolios come from being early in what moves after the listing, not from a slow recovery play. The Pepe founder paired with a full suite of working exchange products and a confirmed Binance listing is the rarest setup crypto produces in any cycle, and the same wallets that bought SOL under $10 back in 2020 are already loading Pepeto before the listing locks their edge in.
Click To Visit Pepeto Website To Enter The Presale
FAQs
What is the solana price prediction based on current technical levels for 2026?
Solana (SOL) faces resistance at $87 and $108 with support at $78, currently trading near $85 down 71% from its all time high. Changelly and Blockchain News project a recovery path toward $108 if the $87 level breaks cleanly.
How does Pepeto’s projected 100x compare to the solana price prediction timeline?
Pepeto compresses months of SOL price recovery into one listing event with analysts projecting 100x from presale levels. The project has raised $8,940,333 at $0.0000001863 per token with a confirmed Binance listing ahead.
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.
TLDR:
- Claude Design enables users to create prototypes, slides, and documents using simple text prompts, reducing manual design work
- Figma and Adobe shares declined following the launch, reflecting investor concern over AI replacing core SaaS features
- The tool supports exports to Canva, PDF, and PowerPoint, streamlining workflows across design and presentation platforms
- Multiple AI labs are now building competing tools, increasing pressure on subscription-based design software models
Anthropic’s latest product launch has stirred fresh debate across the design software market after reports linked its new Claude Design tool to sharp stock declines for Figma and Adobe. The release has raised new questions about how AI could reshape product design workflows.
Claude Design Expands AI Competition in Design Software
A post from Bull Theory on X stated that no SaaS company is safe from Claude after Anthropic launched Claude Design. The post claimed Figma shares fell 12%, while Adobe dropped 4% following the announcement.
According to the post, Claude Design allows users to build prototypes, presentations, slides, and one-page documents through simple text prompts.
Instead of using manual design tools, users can describe what they need, and the system creates the first version automatically.
The tool also supports direct exports to Canva, PDF, and PowerPoint. This removes several manual steps that many teams usually handle inside traditional design platforms.
Bull Theory noted that the product is powered by Claude Opus 4.7, which launched recently. The post also mentioned that users can pass completed designs to Claude Code when they are ready for development.
This setup creates a faster workflow between product design and engineering teams. Rather than switching between separate platforms, users can move from concept to development with fewer steps.
The same post also claimed Anthropic’s stronger internal model, called Mythos, remains unavailable to the public. While that statement has not been officially confirmed, it added more attention around the launch.
As AI tools continue to improve, investors are watching closely to see how software companies respond. Markets often react quickly when products threaten recurring subscription models.
Pressure Builds Around Figma’s Core Subscription Model
Figma has built its business around collaborative design software used by teams for prototypes, product layouts, landing pages, and presentations. Its monthly subscription model depends on users returning regularly for these tasks.
Bull Theory argued that Claude Design now performs many of those same functions from a single sentence. If users can generate prototypes faster through AI prompts, demand for traditional design subscriptions could face new pressure.
The post also stated that three separate AI labs have now launched tools that directly compete with Figma’s core services. This points to a broader shift rather than a single product release.
Adobe faces a similar challenge. While Adobe serves a wider creative market, many of its business tools also depend on design workflows that AI can now automate more quickly.
Faster design generation may appeal to startups, solo founders, and small teams looking to reduce software costs. These users often value speed and lower spending over deep customization.
However, larger companies may still rely on traditional platforms for collaboration, review systems, and team-wide design controls. Enterprise adoption often depends on security, version control, and approval workflows.
Even so, the market reaction shows that investors are paying close attention. AI-generated design is moving from early testing into direct competition with established software products.
The discussion around Claude Design reflects a wider trend across SaaS markets. As AI tools become easier to use, platforms built around repeat manual tasks may face stronger competition.
For now, the focus remains on adoption. Investors and product teams will be watching whether users treat Claude Design as a useful assistant or as a real replacement for existing design software.
Elon Musk’s X is quietly expanding its footprint in on-platform market data with Cashtags, a feature that has already generated roughly $1 billion in trading volume globally since its late-tuesday debut, according to aggregated data from X’s trading pilot. Cashtags let users attach a ticker to a post and immediately pull up live price charts and related posts, aiming to turn X into a more comprehensive hub for market information and discussion.
The rollout is currently limited to US and Canadian users on iPhones, and it sits within Musk’s broader ambition to transform X into an “everything app” that could someday include peer-to-peer payments and e-commerce. With more than 550 million users each month, X’s scale gives it potential to compete with established providers of financial data and market commentary by weaving trading insights directly into social feeds.
In a post to X, Nikita Bier, the platform’s head of product, said the $1 billion trading volume figure was drawn from aggregated data from the trading pilot and reflects activity since the feature launched on Tuesday night. The claim underscores how quickly a social app can become a gateway to market data for a broad user base.
Key takeaways
- The Cashtags feature has driven an estimated $1 billion in trading volume globally since launch, according to X’s product leadership and the platform’s trading pilot data.
- Availability is currently limited to US and Canadian iPhone users. Wealthsimple has partnered with X to route Canadian Cashtag activity to its trading platform, while a US brokerage integration has not yet been implemented.
- An X-branded payments vision, X Money, is in development. An external beta in March demonstrated payments activity between Elon Musk and actor William Shatner, signaling a broader push into payments and financial services.
- Regulatory groundwork remains in place: X holds money transmitter licenses in more than 40 states and has registered with FinCEN to enable peer-to-peer payments on the network.
Cashtags momentum and market data within a social app
Cashtags are designed to fuse social content with real-time market data. Users can select a specific asset or smart contract address when posting a ticker, and tapping the tag reveals live price charts alongside related posts and conversations. This integration points to a broader strategy of embedding financial information into social interactions, potentially lowering the friction for everyday users to engage with markets beyond dedicated trading apps or news sites. The feature’s early traction—measured in the billions of dollars in trading volume—offers a tangible signal that a large, active user base can generate meaningful on-platform market activity.
Canada, US prospects, and the broker link question
The Cashtags rollout is currently restricted to US and Canadian iPhone users, with a notable early collaboration in Canada. Wealthsimple has partnered with X to connect Canadian users to its trading platform when they click on crypto and stock tickers within X posts. This arrangement directs users to a trading experience outside X, leveraging the platform’s audience to funnel traffic to a partner broker. In contrast, a direct US brokerage integration has not yet been announced, leaving one of the largest potential user bases awaiting a similar bridge.
The absence of a US brokerage integration contrasts with the broader ambitions around X Money, the company’s forthcoming peer-to-peer payments initiative. While the Cashtags feature is showcasing market data in social feeds, the longer-term plan appears to blend payments, shopping, and financial services into a single app experience.
X Money: a payments thread in the fabric of the app
X Money has been framed as a flagship aspect of Musk’s “everything app” vision. The platform began an external beta of X Money in March, highlighting a use case that included payments between high-profile individuals, such as Musk and William Shatner, the actor who played Captain Kirk. Beyond simple transfers, X Money is anticipated to offer yield-bearing accounts, a cashback debit card, and other value-added features designed to keep users within the X ecosystem for broader financial activity. Details on how crypto payments would fit into X Money remain uncertain, but the project signals a pathway toward a more comprehensive in-app financial stack.
As part of laying the groundwork, X has pursued regulatory license development and compliance steps to support payments functionality. The company has secured money transmitter licenses in more than 40 states and registered with the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network to enable peer-to-peer payments, providing a regulatory runway for broader service offerings as adoption grows.
Strategic implications for users, traders, and builders
What makes this development noteworthy is not only the volume figure tied to Cashtags but the velocity at which market data and social interaction are converging on one platform. For traders and casual investors, the prospect of seeing price information, analysis, and discussion in a single feed could simplify the way market ideas propagate—a dynamic that could influence sentiment, engagement, and even decision-making. For builders and developers, X’s model raises questions about data access, API exposure, and potential partnerships that could extend market data or payment capabilities beyond traditional ecosystems.
However, several uncertainties remain. The US brokerage integration, a potential driver of deeper trading activity on X, has yet to materialize. The path for crypto payments within X Money is not clearly defined, and the regulatory landscape—while showing progress—will continue to evolve as the service expands. Investors and users should watch how quickly Cashtags expand beyond current jurisdictions and how X negotiates partnerships to bring more trading capabilities on-platform without compromising user experience or regulatory compliance.
With a social platform that already commands hundreds of millions of monthly users and a clear intent to broaden financial services, X’s next moves will be closely watched by market data providers, fintechs, and regulators alike. The coming quarters will reveal whether Cashtags become a persistent on-ramp for everyday market engagement and whether X Money can translate social trust into practical, widely adopted payments and financial services.
Readers should stay tuned for updated disclosures on Cashtag availability, new broker integrations, and the rollout timeline for X Money as X navigates user growth, partnerships, and the evolving regulatory framework that currently underpins its ambitious roadmap.
XRP is starting to outperform in a way that gets attention. The token is up about 8% on the week and around 3% on the day, pushing ahead of bitcoin and ether, but the move still looks controlled rather than explosive. That keeps the focus on whether this is early accumulation or just another range-bound push.
News Background
• Analysts are increasingly pointing to long-term breakout structures, with some framing the current setup as part of a multi-year pattern that could extend toward much higher levels, including speculative $10 targets.
• The rally comes as XRP retests a major structural zone tied to prior cycle expansions, drawing renewed attention from traders watching for early signs of a larger trend shift.
Price Action Summary
• XRP climbed toward $1.43, posting roughly 3% gains on the day and about 8% over the past week.
• The move developed through steady higher lows rather than sharp spikes, pointing to controlled buying.
• Price continues to stall below the $1.44 resistance area despite multiple attempts to break higher.
Technical Analysis
• The key signal is relative strength. XRP is outperforming majors, which often happens early in rotation phases.
• The move is supported by structure, with higher lows forming, but volume remains inconsistent.
• A breakout above the 200-day EMA adds a constructive signal, though follow-through is still limited.
• Without expansion in participation, the rally risks staying within a broader consolidation range.
What traders should watch
• $1.44 is the immediate ceiling. A clean break would strengthen the bullish case.
• $1.40 remains the near-term support that keeps momentum intact.
• Failure to build volume on further upside increases the risk of another rejection within the range.
A new class action lawsuit has put Circle under legal scrutiny over its response to the movement of stolen USDC following the Drift Protocol hack.
Summary
- Circle accused of failing to halt $230M in USDC transfers tied to the Drift exploit.
- Class action suit claims losses could have been reduced if Circle had intervened in time.
- Plaintiffs cite earlier wallet freezes to argue Circle had the ability to act.
According to a filing in a U.S. district court in Massachusetts, Drift investor Joshua McCollum has brought the case on behalf of more than 100 affected users, alleging that Circle failed to stop roughly $230 million in USDC transfers carried out after the April 1 exploit.
Court documents state that the funds were routed across chains using Circle’s Cross-Chain Transfer Protocol over several hours, giving attackers enough time to reposition assets without disruption. Attorneys representing McCollum argued that the outcome could have been different had action been taken sooner.
“Circle permitted this criminal use of its technology and services,” the legal team wrote, adding that the “losses would not have occurred, or would have been substantially reduced, had Circle taken timely action.”
Claims filed in the suit include negligence and aiding and abetting conversion, with damages to be decided at trial. Lawyers from Mira Gibb, acting for the claimants, pointed to a recent enforcement move to challenge any suggestion that intervention was not feasible.
Roughly a week before the Drift breach, Circle froze 16 USDC-linked wallets tied to a sealed civil case in the United States. Claimants argue that the earlier action demonstrates both the technical capability and operational precedent to step in when funds are at risk.
The dispute traces back to a large-scale exploit targeting Solana-based Drift Protocol, where attackers drained more than $285 million, accounting for over 50% of the platform’s total value locked at the time.
Data from DeFiLlama shows that total value locked has since dropped to around $251 million, a sharp fall from its $1.5 billion peak recorded in September 2025.
On-chain analysis showed the attacker rapidly converting assets into stablecoins, including USDC, before bridging a portion to Ethereum and swapping into Ether. Investigators later tracked parts of the proceeds through Tornado Cash, a privacy tool often used to obscure transaction trails.
Elliptic linked the activity to suspected North Korean state-backed actors, noting that more than 100 transactions passed through Circle’s infrastructure during U.S. working hours.
Drift Protocol confirmed the incident as it unfolded, halting deposits and withdrawals while working with security firms and exchanges.
“Drift Protocol is experiencing an active attack. Deposits and withdrawals have been suspended,” the team said at the time, adding, “This is not an April Fool’s joke.”
Security researchers urged users to revoke wallet approvals and avoid interacting with the platform until conditions stabilise.
Legal limits and judgment calls under scrutiny
Debate has since turned to how much responsibility stablecoin issuers carry when they retain control over token contracts.
Circle has the ability to freeze assets at the contract level, though acting without a legal order can expose firms to regulatory and reputational risks. Industry voices have framed the decision as a balance between immediate harm prevention and adherence to consistent legal standards.
Lorenzo Valente, director of digital asset research at ARK Invest, pointed to the difficulty of setting a clear rule.
“Every future freeze is now a judgment call. Every non-freeze is a political statement. Why freeze the Drift hacker but not that sketchy Nigerian fraud wallet? Why this protester but not that one?”
He added that opinions may differ depending on how those trade-offs are weighed.
“Whether Circle got it right comes down to how much you weigh rule-of-law principles vs concrete harm. Reasonable people disagree.”
Drift moves to rebuild with USDT backing
Steps taken after the exploit indicate a move away from reliance on Circle’s infrastructure.
Drift has secured nearly $150 million in fresh funding to support recovery efforts, including $127.5 million from Tether. The capital is set to be used for compensating affected users and preparing a relaunch centered on USDT as the primary settlement asset on Solana.
Plans include a credit line tied to future revenues, liquidity support for market makers, and ecosystem grants aimed at restoring activity. A recovery token is also in the works, allowing affected users to claim from a pool backed by trading fees and newly raised funds.
Paolo Ardoino, CEO of Tether, said the focus is on restoring stability while rebuilding trust.
“The focus is on restoring user confidence and supporting a strong relaunch, with a structure that aligns recovery with real activity and long-term growth.”
Market response has already begun to show, with DRIFT rising 20% to above $0.061, its highest level since the day of the exploit.
A six-month investigation backed by the Ethereum Foundation has uncovered how North Korean operatives quietly embedded themselves inside dozens of Web3 teams under false identities.
Summary
- Ethereum Foundation backed a six-month probe that identified 100 North Korean operatives inside Web3 firms.
- Ketman Project alerted 53 crypto teams after tracing fake developer identities and suspicious GitHub activity.
- Investigators linked the pattern to long-running DPRK infiltration tied to major exploits involving the Lazarus Group.
The Ethereum Foundation said Thursday that its ETH Rangers initiative funded a security-focused effort that identified 100 individuals linked to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea operating within crypto companies. The program, launched in late 2024, was designed to support public goods work through stipends for independent researchers.
One of those recipients used the funding to launch the Ketman Project, which focused on tracking “fake developers” working inside Web3 organizations. Over the six-month period, the project flagged 100 suspected DPRK IT workers and reached out to 53 crypto projects that may have unknowingly employed them.
“This work directly addresses one of the most pressing operational security threats facing the Ethereum ecosystem today,” the foundation said.
Findings add to a growing body of evidence showing that North Korean-linked developers have spent years embedding themselves across the crypto industry, often blending into teams through credible technical contributions and fabricated professional identities.
Security researcher and MetaMask developer Taylor Monahan has previously said such activity dates back to the early DeFi era, with DPRK-linked developers contributing to widely used protocols.
“Lots of DPRK IT workers built the protocols you know and love, all the way back to DeFi summer,” she said, noting that more than 40 platforms have relied on such contributors at different points. Claims of extensive experience are not always fabricated, she added, saying their “seven years of blockchain dev experience” is “not a lie.”
Investigators have consistently tied these operations to the Lazarus Group, a state-backed collective linked to some of the largest crypto thefts in recent years. Estimates from R3ACH analysts put total stolen funds at around $7 billion since 2017, including attacks such as the $625 million Ronin Bridge exploit, the $235 million WazirX breach, and the $1.4 billion Bybit incident.
Simple tactics, persistent execution
Despite the scale of damage, many infiltration attempts rely on relatively basic methods rather than advanced exploits. Analysts say persistence, social engineering, and identity layering often prove more effective than technical sophistication.
Independent blockchain investigator ZachXBT noted that many of these operations are “basic and in no way sophisticated,” adding that “the only thing about it is they’re relentless.” Outreach typically happens through job applications, LinkedIn profiles, email exchanges, and remote interviews, allowing operatives to gradually build trust within teams.
Recent incidents have shown how far such tactics can go. Drift Protocol’s $280 million exploit was linked to a North Korean-affiliated group, with attackers using intermediaries and fully constructed professional identities to establish credibility before executing the breach.
Red flags and detection efforts expand
Details from the Ketman Project shed light on how these operatives maintain cover inside development teams. Common indicators include reusing avatars or profile metadata across multiple GitHub accounts, unintentionally exposing unrelated email addresses during screen sharing, and using system language settings that contradict claimed nationalities.
Alongside its investigative work, the project developed an open-source tool designed to flag suspicious GitHub activity. It also co-authored an industry framework for identifying DPRK-linked IT workers in collaboration with the Security Alliance.
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