Fintech and stablecoin firms should consider looking outside of the US-to-Mexico corridor to win the $174 billion Latin America remittance market, according to a Bybit executive.

Most firms have focused too narrowly on the $61.8 billion US-Mexico remittance market and are missing faster-growing corridors between the US and Central America, as well as remittances within Latin America, Bybit Chief Marketing Officer Claudia Wang said in a post on X on Sunday. 

“The corridors that look ‘hot’ right now are not the corridors most fintechs are optimized for,” she said, citing Venezuela-to-Colombia, Argentina-to-Bolivia and Spain-to-Ecuador as examples. The non-US-to-Mexico remittance market stands at about $112 billion. 

“Stop treating LATAM as one market,” Wang said, adding that she spent six months studying the region:

“Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, Colombia — each needs different licenses, different rails, different stablecoins, different marketing. The companies winning here run country-specific stacks, not regional ones.” 

Remittances throughout the Americas have largely been facilitated through banking rails by firms such as Western Union and MoneyGram. However, both unveiled plans to roll out stablecoin infrastructure following the passage of the GENIUS Act in July.

Western Union is building its own US dollar-backed stablecoin, USDPT, which is in the final stages of readiness and expected to launch this month.

Crypto-native companies such as Binance, Bitso, Strike and Felix Pago are also competing in the LATAM remittance market, as are banks and retail and telecommunications companies such as Walmart and Tigo, Wang noted.

US immigration policy is influencing LATAM remittance market

Wang noted that the US-to-Central America corridor “is exploding,” with remittances in Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala rising 19%, 18% and 15%, respectively, in 2025.

By contrast, remittances in the oversaturated US-Mexico corridor fell 4.5% to $61.8 billion.

Wang said the divergence between rising Central American flows and Mexico’s decline is the result of US immigration policy: “Migrants from Central America are sending more home — faster, larger amounts — to hedge against deportation risk.”

By contrast, Mexico has a “more established and documented diaspora” and thus “doesn’t show the same panic-send behavior,” Wang said.

Top remittance corridors in 2025. Source: Claudia Wang

As for the non-US corridors, Wang noted that while some of these remittance markets are small in absolute terms, they are “barely served” by US money transmitter operators and “almost untouched by crypto rails.”

Latin Americans want to hold stablecoins, not just move them

Wang also said many Western fintechs haven’t realized that in LATAM, the “killer app” is holding stablecoins, not moving them.

“Users don’t want to ‘use’ stablecoins for a transaction and convert back to local currency. They want to hold dollars. The transaction is the side effect.”

Wang said there is no clear winner in the LATAM remittance market, adding that “the fintechs that win the next decade in this region will combine local rails, stablecoin liquidity, trust and closed-loop economics — remit → hold → spend → earn.”

Related: Australia draft payments vision eyes stablecoin interoperability 

She added that many fintech companies in the space have built their products for the typical 25-year-old crypto trader, not the average remittance sender, who is 40 to 60 years old and presumably is not tech-savvy.

Profile of the imagined LATAM remittance user (left) vs actual user (right). Source: Claudia Wang

“If your product makes a 50-year-old factory worker in New Jersey think for more than 30 seconds before sending $300 to his mom in Honduras, you’ve already lost,” Wang said:

“The crypto industry has spent five years optimizing for the wrong user. The retail remittance customer in LATAM doesn’t want to ‘self-custody.’ They want to know the money landed.”

Magazine: Singapore isn’t a ‘crypto hub’ — it’s something better: StraitsX CEO

Cointelegraph is committed to independent, transparent journalism. This news article is produced in accordance with Cointelegraph’s Editorial Policy and aims to provide accurate and timely information. Readers are encouraged to verify information independently.

XRP moved back above $1.40 in early Asia hours on broader move in crypto markets, with the push through resistance coming on a sharp pickup in volume that tends to signal real positioning and shifts the focus to whether that level now holds on any pullback.

News Background

• Bitcoin pushed higher during the same window, helping lift broader risk sentiment across crypto markets.

• XRP has been trading in a tight $1.35–$1.45 range, with the latest move marking another attempt to break out of that compression.

Price Action Summary

• XRP climbed from $1.3840 to $1.4065, breaking above resistance near $1.3990.
• The move accelerated during the final hour, with price pushing cleanly through $1.40.
• Price is now holding just above the breakout zone, consolidating near $1.4040–$1.4060.

Technical Analysis

• The key shift is the reclaim of $1.40, which had capped recent upside attempts.
• Volume expanding into the move confirms participation rather than a low-liquidity push.
• Structure shows higher lows into the breakout, suggesting underlying bid strength.
• The broader range remains intact, but pressure is building toward a directional move.

What traders should watch

• $1.40 is now the pivot. Holding above it keeps the breakout intact.
• $1.41–$1.42 is the next resistance zone that needs to clear for continuation.
• A move back below $1.40 would signal the breakout failed and return price to the range.

Veteran trader Peter Brandt sees bitcoin BTC$80,281.18 rallying to $250,000 in 2029, but only after the market finishes a long drawn-out bottoming process that could last into September 2026.

That forecast makes sense in the context of bitcoin’s four-year mining reward halving cycle, which has been consistent enough to shape traders’ projections.

Historically, bitcoin bull runs have peaked roughly 16 to 18 months after the quadrennial mining reward halving, before sliding into year-long bear markets. New uptrends then tend to begin 12 to 18 months ahead of the next halving.

That pattern held in the most recent cycle, with bitcoin peaking in October 2025, roughly 18 months after the April 2024 halving, which cut the per-block BTC issued as reward to miners to 3.125 from 6.25.

If the cycle holds, the bear market that began then should bottom about a year later, around October 2026 and then a new uptrend should begin that could take top out at $250,000 in late 2029, again roughly 18 months after the April 2028 halving.

“I am not calling for a low until Sep/Oct 2026. It is not necessary for the recent low to be penetrated. We could get a rally and then chop sideways to down. Worst case would be a move back into the lower green banana peel which would be into the 50s, maybe high 40s. Then blast off for $250k and a high in late 2029,” Brandt told CoinDesk in an email.

Peter Brandt is a veteran commodities trader whose career spans nearly five decades, beginning in the 1970s in the futures markets. He started out trading traditional assets such as agricultural commodities, metals, and currencies, long before the rise of modern electronic trading or digital assets.

Brandt’s view contrasts with the consensus among crypto analysts, who argue that the downtrend that began with the October peak near $126,000 ended in early February around $60,000, and that the rally since then marks the start of a new uptrend.

Bitcoin has rallied over 25% to $80,300 since early February, CoinDesk data show.

Note that Brandt’s forecast of no bottom until later this year does not necessarily imply a deeper downtrend that pushes prices below the February low. As he has noted, prices could instead move in a choppy pattern of rallies and pullbacks before eventually forming a bottom.

Brandt, however, stressed that his projection depends entirely on the market continuing to follow its historical rhythm. If price action deviates, he’s prepared to reassess rather than defend a broken thesis.

“As long as the market follows the script I will stay with my projections. If at some point the price discovery moves off script I will be forced to revise all my thinking. I will NOT be dogmatic about it as some are,” he said.

Dogecoin cleared $0.109 in early Asia hours as bitcoin pushed through $80,000, with the break coming on a sharp volume surge that tends to signal real positioning rather than drift, leaving the level likely to act as near-term support if momentum holds.

News Background

• Bitcoin crossed $80,000 during early Asia trading, lifting broader risk appetite and pulling altcoins higher alongside the move.

• DOGE followed the broader market bid, with momentum returning after a quiet stretch of sideways trading.

Price Action Summary

• DOGE climbed from $0.1075 to $0.1119, building higher lows before breaking resistance at $0.109.
• The breakout came in a single high-volume burst rather than a gradual grind higher.
• Price is now holding near $0.111, consolidating just above the breakout zone.

Technical Analysis

• The key shift is the break above $0.109, which had capped price during recent sessions.
• Volume spiking into the move suggests concentrated buying rather than retail drift.
• The structure now depends on whether $0.109 holds as support after the breakout.
• Momentum is strong, but the move is getting stretched with RSI pushing higher and positioning building.

What traders should watch

• $0.109 is the pivot. Holding above it keeps the breakout intact.
• $0.114 is the next resistance level if momentum continues.
• A move back below $0.109 would signal a failed breakout and return to the prior range.

Bitcoin is trading above $80,000 as Asia begins its trading week, a level not seen since the end of January.

Analysts at CryptoQuant say that BTC’s return to $80,000 is being powered by buyers who don’t fully trust it, a dynamic reflected in both positioning data and on-chain signals.

ETF inflows and leveraged longs have driven a steady climb in recent weeks, but the underlying demand picture remains uneven. U.S. spot bitcoin ETFs have pulled in roughly $2.7 billion over the past three weeks, helping lift total net assets above $100 billion and providing a clear source of real-money support.

Elsewhere, market maker FlowDesk reported last week in a Telegram note growing appetite to scale into levered long positions, particularly in majors like ether (ETH) and Near Protocol’s NEAR, reinforcing the idea that fast money is playing a central role in pushing prices higher.

Yet on-chain data suggests the rally is not being broadly confirmed. A CryptoQuant report published April 30 found that bitcoin’s April move was driven “entirely by growth in perpetual futures demand,” while spot demand remained in contraction throughout the rally.

That kind of divergence, where leverage expands but underlying buying does not, has historically been associated with fragile price gains that tend to reverse once positioning unwinds.

Prediction markets tell a similar story. On Polymarket, traders are pricing a 56% chance that bitcoin reaches $85,000 this month, but only a 23% probability of $90,000, suggesting expectations are skewed toward a gradual grind higher rather than a breakout.

Taken together, the signals point to a rally that is extending on flows and leverage, but lacks broad conviction. That does not preclude further upside, but it does mean the move remains sensitive to any slowdown in inflows or shift in positioning, conditions that have historically led to sharp reversals rather than sustained advances.

Hardware wallets are back in focus as self-custody gains momentum

In today’s crypto market, one trend is quietly returning to the spotlight: self-custody.

After years dominated by centralized exchanges and DeFi platforms, more users are rethinking how they store their assets. Events over the past cycles have reinforced a simple idea: controlling your private keys matters.

Bitcoin and Ethereum continue to lead the market, but at the same time, awareness is growing. The phrase “Not your keys, not your coins” is becoming less of a slogan and more of a practical rule.

As a result, hardware wallets are seeing renewed interest.

Tangem’s approach: simplicity over complexity

Among the newer solutions in this space, Tangem has been gaining attention for taking a different approach.

Instead of relying on traditional seed phrases and complex setups, Tangem uses NFC-based cards that allow users to manage their crypto in a much simpler way.

This design removes a major barrier for many users, especially those who want security without dealing with technical friction.

It also reflects a broader shift in the industry, where usability is becoming just as important as security.

A new campaign introduces BTC rewards and over 100 prizes

To support adoption, Tangem has launched a new promotional campaign running from May 5 to June 5, 2026

During this period, users who purchase a wallet through an affiliate link are automatically entered into a prize draw.

The mechanism is straightforward:

• Each wallet purchased equals one entry
• Multiple wallets increase the number of entries
• No additional sign-up is required

The prize pool includes:

• $5,000 in Bitcoin (1 winner)
• 3 iPhone 17 devices
• Tangem Pro Kits and Tangem Rings
• Multiple BTC rewards ranging from $10 to $50

Winners will be announced on July 5, 2026, following a validation period to ensure only completed, non-refunded purchases are included.

Discount stacking adds another incentive

Alongside the prize draw, the campaign also introduces additional purchase incentives.

Users can combine:

• A 10% discount using a promo code
• A 50% discount on the second wallet when purchasing selected bundles

This creates a “stacking” effect:

• Lower overall cost per device
• Higher number of entries in the draw
• Increased value for users planning multiple wallets

It’s a structure designed to boost both engagement and average order size.

A more competitive hardware wallet landscape

The timing of this campaign reflects a broader shift in the hardware wallet sector.

Competition is no longer just about security. Today, it also includes:

• Ease of use
• Setup experience
• Accessibility for non-technical users
• Integration with mobile-first ecosystems

Tangem’s positioning leans heavily into simplicity, which could appeal to a wider audience beyond early adopters.

Affiliate incentives signal a push for growth

At the same time, Tangem has introduced a loyalty-based incentive model for partners and affiliates.

The program rewards cumulative sales with tiered bonuses, encouraging consistent performance over time

Milestones range from smaller entry levels to high-volume tiers, with total potential bonuses exceeding $6,000, paid in USDT

This type of structure suggests a strong focus on scaling distribution through long-term partnerships rather than one-off campaigns.

Why it matters

In a market where trust and security remain critical, campaigns like this combine several key drivers:

• Direct financial incentives
• Gamification through prize draws
• Discounted entry points for new users

For those already considering a hardware wallet, this period may offer additional upside.

How to participate

Users can access the campaign here:
https://www.cryptobreaking.com/go/tangem/

By using the promo code:

CRYPTO

they can unlock a 10% discount, which can be combined with other active offers during the campaign period.

Strategy, the world’s biggest publicly traded holder of Bitcoin, is pausing new crypto purchases ahead of its first-quarter earnings release, set for Tuesday. Executive Chairman Michael Saylor signaled the pause in a post on X, saying “No buys this week.” The move comes as the company prepares to lay out its financials and context for investors who have watched its Bitcoin hoard grow into a central pillar of Strategy’s equity narrative.

The latest disclosed purchase shows Strategy added 3,273 BTC for about $255 million between April 20 and 26, according to an 8-K filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on April 27. With these additions, Strategy’s total BTC holdings reach 818,334 coins. The company has reported an average acquisition price of $77,906 per BTC, lifting its cost basis per coin to about $75,537. Bitcoin itself traded around the high $70,000s on the date in question, according to CoinGecko.

Strategy’s buying activity in April, alongside inflows into U.S. spot-price Bitcoin investment products, has been cited by observers as a factor in supporting a roughly 12% rally in Bitcoin during the month. The broader context for investors remains the balance between Strategy’s aggressive accumulation and the market’s sensitivity to macro conditions and regulatory signals.

Key takeaways

• Strategy has paused new Bitcoin purchases ahead of its Q1 earnings release scheduled for Tuesday, signaling a temporary strategic pause.
• As of the latest filing, Strategy holds 818,334 BTC, with 3,273 BTC added in April for about $255 million, pushing total purchases to a substantial base.
• Analysts expect the company to report a per-share loss of about $18.98 for the quarter, largely reflecting mark-to-market Bitcoin accounting on its books.
• The company’s dependence on STRC, its perpetual preferred security yielding about 11.5%, has drawn scrutiny from investors and critics who question dividend sustainability given Bitcoin price volatility.
• Executive Chairman Michael Saylor is due to speak at the Consensus industry conference in Miami Beach on Wednesday, providing a potential market read on Strategy’s strategic outlook.

Q1 earnings preview and STRC dividend scrutiny

Wall Street analysts are banking on a loss for Strategy in the forthcoming quarterly report, with Yahoo Finance data showing an expected loss of $18.98 per share. The figure marks an increase from the year-ago period’s loss of $16.49 per share, underscoring how Strategy’s accounting for Bitcoin can magnify reported results even when cash flows may be more nuanced. The upcoming release will also be watched for commentary on liquidity and the role of Strategy’s Bitcoin reserve in funding corporate obligations.

Beyond the headline numbers, investors have been assessing the risk profile created by STRC, Strategy’s perpetual preferred security. The 11.5% dividend yield on STRC has become a focal point for critics who worry about the long-term ability to sustain the payout, especially if Bitcoin underperforms or if market conditions tighten financing options for the company’s leverage-heavy balance sheet.

On the regulatory and governance front, questions about dividend coverage have surfaced from independent analysts and market commentators. A Seeking Alpha post argued that cash reserves may be insufficient to cover two years’ worth of STRC dividends, implying a potential need to tap Strategy’s common stock or to sell BTC holdings at less favorable prices if Bitcoin strengthens or weakens unpredictably. These concerns contrast with more bullish analyst sentiment observed on some platforms, highlighting divergent views on Strategy’s capital structure and risk management.

In the broader analytics landscape, market observers have noted mixed sentiment. Some analysts maintain a constructive view on Strategy’s asset base and potential for continued Bitcoin appreciation to support earnings, while others caution that leverage and dividend spillovers could complicate the equity story if crypto performance deteriorates. The balance of risks around STRC and BTC price remains a key focal point as investors parse Tuesday’s earnings print and forward guidance.

April purchases and market backdrop

The company’s April activity—most notably the purchase of 3,273 BTC for $255 million—helped lift Strategy’s total Bitcoin reserve to 818,334 coins. The reported average acquisition cost of $77,906 per BTC underscores the scale of Strategy’s commitment to holding a long-term BTC reserve as part of its strategic narrative. The market backdrop during April included notable inflows into U.S. spot BTC products, which collectively contributed to a material month-on-month price uplift for Bitcoin, described by market observers as roughly 12% for the period.

Bitcoin’s price context around the time of Strategy’s April moves placed BTC in the high $70,000s, a level that aligns with continued market interest in institutional exposure to cryptocurrency assets. The price dynamic matters because Strategy’s approach intertwines with investor views on whether Bitcoin can sustain higher price levels, potentially supporting a more favorable long-term value trajectory for the company’s BTC holdings and related performance metrics.

Market watchers also noted the tension between Strategy’s growth strategy and the dividend-oriented appeal of STRC. The dividend yield attracts income-focused investors, but commentary from industry figures has emphasized the need for ongoing coverage and sustainable capital management if Bitcoin liquidity or price action turns adverse. The earnings call and subsequent investor day will be closely watched for any clarifications on capital allocation priorities, debt levels, and plans to manage STRC’s dividend on a go-forward basis.

Investor sentiment and upcoming catalysts

The STRC dividend has become a point of divergence among analysts. While some investors appreciate the income stream and the potential for BTC price appreciation to bolster equity value, others warn that the perpetual preferred structure could constrain Strategy’s flexibility in difficult market environments. Peter Schiff, chief economist at Euro Pacific Asset Management, reiterated criticisms that Strategy’s structure resembles a Ponzi-like model for dividend sustainability, arguing that the Bitcoin upside alone may not resolve structural concerns. Schiff’s comments appeared in a post on X, highlighting ongoing debate about the balance between growth, risk, and income in Strategy’s model.

Meanwhile, Seeking Alpha contributor Joseph Parrish warned that current cash reserves may be insufficient to cover two years of STRC dividends, implying that continued issuance of new equity and potential BTC sales could be necessary under certain scenarios. Parrish’s perspective contrasts with other voices that remain more optimistic about Strategy’s leverage and long-term Bitcoin strategy. Market data platform TipRanks shows a mixed view, with a segment of analysts rating Strategy as a strong buy, underscoring how opinion is split on the stock’s risk-reward profile given BTC exposure and dividend dynamics.

As Strategy gears up for its earnings release, the focus will turn to how the company balances BTC exposure with earnings quality, liquidity, and the ability to sustain STRC payouts in a range of Bitcoin price environments. On Wednesday, Saylor is slated to speak at the Consensus industry conference in Miami Beach, a venue where executives often lay out strategic priorities and commentary that can influence investor sentiment in the near term.

In sum, the April accumulation, the looming Q1 print, and the ongoing STRC dividend debate collectively frame a nuanced outlook for Strategy. The questions at hand center on how much longer the company will accelerate Bitcoin accumulation, how it plans to manage capital structure amid price volatility, and what signals come from leadership on the sustainability of its high-yield dividend in a shifting crypto and macro regime.

Readers should watch Tuesday’s earnings release for direct color on profitability under mark-to-market accounting, guidance on BTC exposure, and any updates on STRC dividend coverage. The market will also be listening for any clarification on debt levels and capital allocation plans that could shape Strategy’s risk profile in the months ahead.

What remains uncertain is how Strategy will navigate the balance between its aggressive Bitcoin stance and the need to deliver a stable, income-bearing equity story for shareholders, especially if Bitcoin’s price action proves to be more volatile than anticipated in the near term. The next few quarters should reveal whether the current strategy can translate into durable value for investors or if the market will demand a recalibration of risk and payout expectations.

Introduction

Modern Web3 security has a blind spot that most users still underestimate: transaction approval does not end risk—it begins it.

Every day, wallets authorize smart contracts with persistent permissions. Yet once those approvals are granted, there is often no active system monitoring what those contracts do afterward. This gap has contributed to some of the largest losses in the history of decentralized finance.

In April 2026 alone, over $600M was stolen across more than 12 protocols, including major incidents such as Drift (~$285M), Kelp DAO (~$292M), and Rhea Finance (~$18.4M). In each case, the common failure pattern was not initial access, but unmonitored approvals exploited after the fact.

Cerberus is designed to address this structural weakness with a three-layer autonomous defense system that protects wallets before, during, and after transactions.

The Core Problem: Approvals Are Permanent, But Threats Are Dynamic

When users approve a smart contract, they often assume the risk is tied to that single interaction. In reality, approvals can remain active indefinitely, allowing contracts to execute future actions without additional user consent.

The issue is compounded by:

• Exploits triggered long after initial approval
• Malicious contract upgrades after deployment
• Hidden permission abuse in otherwise “normal” swaps
• Delayed detection of protocol compromises

Most security tools only respond after funds are already gone. Cerberus takes a different approach: continuous, autonomous intervention.

Introducing Cerberus

Cerberus is an AI-driven wallet protection network composed of three autonomous agents:

• Shield Agent (real-time defense layer)
• Sentinel Agent (pre-execution simulation layer)
• Recovery Agent (active breach interception layer)

Together, they form a lifecycle-based security system that reacts across the entire transaction timeline instead of only at signature time.

Shield Agent: Real-Time Approval Monitoring

The Shield Agent operates as the continuous monitoring layer of Cerberus.

Key Functions:

• Tracks every active wallet approval in real time
• Detects when a protocol becomes compromised or exploited
• Automatically revokes risky approvals within the same block
• Neutralizes exposure before attackers can scale extraction

Unlike traditional wallet security tools that notify users after an exploit is discovered, Shield acts within the transaction environment itself, minimizing reaction delay to near-zero.

Its core advantage is speed: when protocols break, users are no longer waiting for alerts—they are already protected.

Sentinel Agent: Pre-Execution Simulation Layer

The Sentinel Agent focuses on preventing malicious transactions before they are signed.

Key Functions:

• Simulates transactions before execution
• Detects phishing contracts, rug pulls, and honeypot structures
• Identifies hidden malicious approvals embedded in normal-looking swaps
• Provides risk classification before user confirmation

This layer functions as Cerberus’ predictive intelligence system. Instead of analyzing outcomes after execution, it reconstructs intent and behavior in advance.

It is particularly effective against:

• Deceptive DeFi interfaces
• Obfuscated contract logic
• Social engineering-based token traps

In short, Sentinel does not trust transactions—it interrogates them.

Recovery Agent: Active Threat Interception

The Recovery Agent is the final defense layer, designed for worst-case scenarios where exploitation is already in progress.

Key Functions:

• Detects live wallet draining activity
• Competes with attackers using MEV infrastructure (e.g., Flashbots-style execution paths)
• Attempts rapid asset relocation before drain completion
• Acts as a last-resort mitigation system

This layer acknowledges a harsh reality of Web3 security: prevention is not always enough. When breaches occur, timing becomes everything.

Recovery Agent is designed to operate in that narrow window where funds are still movable but under active attack.

Multi-Chain Coverage

Cerberus is built for cross-ecosystem deployment across major blockchain environments, including:

• Ethereum
• Base
• Arbitrum
• Polygon
• Solana
• BNB Smart Chain

This multi-chain design ensures protection is not isolated to a single ecosystem, reflecting the reality of modern wallet usage across fragmented networks.

$CERB Token Utility

The upcoming $CERB token is intended to power the Cerberus security network.

While full token mechanics are not yet finalized, its role is expected to align with:

• Network security incentives
• Agent coordination and execution fees
• Governance over risk models and detection parameters
• Potential staking-based access or prioritization mechanisms

In practice, $CERB functions as the coordination layer for a distributed security intelligence system.

Conclusion

Cerberus is not positioned as another notification-based wallet tool. It is designed as an autonomous, multi-layer defense architecture that assumes one critical truth:

In Web3, waiting for alerts is already too late.

By combining real-time monitoring, pre-execution simulation, and active recovery interception, Cerberus aims to shift wallet security from reactive awareness to continuous autonomous protection.

If successful, it represents a broader evolution in crypto security: from static safeguards to self-defending financial agents operating at transaction speed.

Cerberus Socials:

Website | X(Twitter)

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