The crypto market fell 2% to $2.42 trillion after U.S. President Donald Trump said Iran’s proposal to end the war was not enough and warned that Tehran must reopen the Strait of Hormuz by the deadline or face strikes on key infrastructure.

In a sternly worded statement, Trump warned that an Iranian proposal to end the ongoing war in the Middle East is “not enough” to call off his strikes against Iranian infrastructure unless Tehran commits to settling its disputes by reopening the Strait of Hormuz.

“It’s a significant proposal. It’s a significant step. It’s not good enough, but it’s a very significant step,” Trump told reporters. He added that intermediaries “are negotiating now”.

The Strait of Hormuz, which is a strategic gateway for global energy supplies, was effectively blocked as a result of Iran’s attacks in the Gulf region after U.S. and Iranian forces clashed. This has led oil prices to skyrocket and has sparked widespread fears of runaway inflation hurting both crypto and traditional markets.

Trump said the Tuesday deadline for U.S. attacks on Iranian infrastructures would continue to be set in motion unless Iran accepts a deal to reopen the strait, allowing free trade in the region.

Earlier on Monday, Pakistan had put forward a 45-day ceasefire proposal after weeks of trying to broker a diplomatic solution to the war between Iran and the U.S. and Israel.

Iran had reportedly rejected the proposal while pushing for a permanent end to the war. Other demands made by the Iranian government include the removal of sanctions from the central bank and compensation for wartime damages incurred.

While the U.S. government has reviewed the proposal, Trump has so far refused to blink, with war continuing as of press time. Trump has reportedly reiterated that the deadline for compliance still stands at 8 pm Washington time on Tuesday. If Iran fails to agree to a deal, the U.S. could bomb Iran ‘back to the stone ages’.

The crypto market rose to a peak of $2.47 trillion on Monday as reports of Iran considering a proposal to bring a permanent end to the war first surfaced. Investors took this as a sign of de-escalation of the war situation.

However, after Trump confirmed that the U.S. would go forward with its strikes, the market tanked back to $2.43 trillion, erasing some of the gains from the previous day as investors booked profits.

Bitcoin (BTC), the world’s largest crypto asset that is currently strongly influencing other crypto assets due to the war situation, rallied past the $70,000 psychological resistance on Tuesday. However, the asset has fallen back sharply, trading at $68,546 at press time.

Ethereum (ETH), BNB (BNB), XRP (XRP), and Solana (SOL) were down 1-2%, showing traders remain hesitant as they await more clarity about how the standoff ends today.

On one hand, a potential confirmation of peace or de-escalation of the current Middle East conflict could result in a jump in investor appetite for risk assets, thus benefiting cryptocurrencies.

On the other hand, if the U.S. carries forward with the strikes on Iran, it can result in a massive flight to safety and a deeper correction across the entire crypto market.

Fresh capital flowed back into U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs at the start of the week, with Monday delivering the strongest single-day inflow in over a month and a half.

Data from SoSoValue showed that the group of funds pulled in $471.3 million in net inflows, spread across six issuers. 

BlackRock’s IBIT led the day with $181.9 million, followed by Fidelity’s FBTC, which brought in $147.3 million. Meanwhile, ARK Invest and 21Shares’ ARKB added another $118.7 million. Additional inflows were also recorded across products tied to Grayscale, Bitwise, and VanEck.

Monday’s figure stands as the highest daily intake since Feb. 25, when net inflows reached $506 million. The rebound effectively erased the $173.7 million in net outflows recorded on April 1, signaling a quick turnaround in investor positioning.

Beyond Bitcoin, spot Ethereum products also recorded $120.2 million in net inflows, which marked the highest daily total since the middle of March.

According to market pundits, these inflows could continue to offer structural support for Bitcoin and help it move beyond its current range. However, the ongoing macro uncertainty could pressure price action and limit any sustained upside.

Tensions between the United States and Iran have stretched into a second month, with no clear path toward de-escalation. Donald Trump has set an April 7 deadline for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a critical route that has remained shut for weeks and contributed to rising global oil prices.

Trump warned of a “complete demolition” of Iran’s power plants and bridges if the demand is not met, a statement that has added to concerns around further escalation.

For now, Bitcoin is expected to remain sensitive to macro conditions. If tensions in the Middle East cool, it could help spur a return of risk-on sentiment.

Artificial intelligence is set to reshape banking, according to Jamie Dimon, who used his latest shareholder letter to outline how deeply the technology is expected to embed itself across JPMorgan Chase.

“The importance of AI is real, and while I hesitate to use the word transformational—it is,” Dimon wrote, adding that adoption could move far faster than past innovations such as electricity or the internet. 

Unlike those technologies, which took decades to scale, AI deployment “looks likely to accelerate over the next few years.”

Across JPMorgan, the integration effort is already underway, supported by rising technology investment. The bank expects to spend roughly $19.8 billion on technology in 2026, including artificial intelligence, data systems, and cloud infrastructure, according to a report by Business Insider. This figure builds on earlier commitments, with Dimon noting the firm had been allocating about $2 billion annually to AI initiatives as of late 2025.

“AI will affect virtually every function, application, and process in the company,” Dimon said, pointing to long-term gains in productivity. 

He also tied the technology’s reach to broader economic and scientific progress, writing that it could help “cure some cancers, create new composites, and reduce accidental deaths,” alongside other improvements in quality of life.

“We will not put our heads in the sand,” Dimon wrote. “We will deploy AI, as we deploy all technology, to do a better job for our customers (and employees).”

Dimon also flagged threats tied to deepfakes, misinformation, and cybersecurity vulnerabilities, warning that missteps in handling the technology could carry lasting consequences. 

“These risks are real, but they are manageable if companies, regulators, and governments prepare,” he wrote, cautioning against both overregulation after early failures and complacency in the face of emerging threats.

“The worst mistakes we can make are predictable: overreact at the first serious incident and regulate out important innovation, or underreact and fail to learn from what went wrong.” 

He added that effective oversight would require preparation ahead of time and “discipline to fix what’s broken without destroying what works.”

AI could take away jobs

Besides the operational gains, AI’s effect on employment remains a central concern.

“AI will definitely eliminate some jobs, while it enhances others,” he wrote, adding that JPMorgan plans to redeploy affected workers where possible. 

Demand for skilled labor, particularly in areas such as cybersecurity and AI development, remains strong, even as routine tasks become more automated.

Concerns about job displacement have grown across the industry. Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei warned earlier this year that advances in AI could remove up to half of entry-level professional roles within five years. 

“I have engineers within Anthropic who say, ‘I don’t write any code anymore. I just let the model write the code, I edit it,’” he said at the time. “We might be six to 12 months away from when the model is doing most, maybe all, of what [software engineers] do end-to-end.”

Meanwhile, OpenAI recently called on governments to prepare for economic disruption tied to automation, urging new approaches to taxation, worker protections, and social support systems as AI adoption expands.

There was a time when blockchains acted like isolated kingdoms—each with its own rules, fees, and limitations. If you wanted to build or transact, you had to pick a side.

That era is quietly ending.

We’re entering a new phase where blockchains are no longer monolithic systems, but modular, interchangeable components—and AI is the operator pulling the strings.

From Monoliths to Modular Systems

Traditional chains like Ethereum historically tried to do everything:

• Execute transactions
• Store data
• Reach consensus
• Settle finality

All in one place.

That’s like asking one machine to be a factory, warehouse, and logistics network at the same time. It works… until it doesn’t scale.

Modular blockchain design flips this model:

• Execution layers handle smart contracts (e.g., rollups)
• Data availability layers store and verify data (e.g., Celestia)
• Settlement layers finalize transactions (often still Ethereum)

Each layer specializes. Each layer competes.

And most importantly, they can be swapped.

Enter AI: The Ultimate Chain Router

Now plug AI into this modular stack—and things get interesting.

Instead of you deciding which chain to use, AI agents will:

• Scan multiple chains in real time
• Compare gas fees, latency, and liquidity
• Route transactions to the most efficient path

Think of it like Google Maps—but for value transfer.

You don’t ask:

“Should I use Arbitrum or Optimism?”

Your AI agent already decided—based on cost, speed, and success probability.

Gas Fees Become a Solved Problem

For years, gas fees have been one of crypto’s biggest friction points.

But in a modular + AI world:

• Fees are no longer static
• Networks become interchangeable
• Optimization becomes automatic

Gas stops being a user problem
…and becomes an AI optimization problem

Bots will:

• Batch transactions
• Time execution windows
• Arbitrage fee differences across chains

The cheapest route wins—every time.

Blockchains Won’t Compete—They’ll Be Selected

Here’s the uncomfortable truth for chain maximalists:

Users won’t be loyal. AI won’t be emotional.

In a plug-and-play economy:

• Blockchains are just infrastructure
• Liquidity flows where conditions are best
• AI chooses the “best chain” per transaction

This flips the competitive landscape:

From:

• Ecosystems fighting for users

To:

• Protocols competing for AI preference

If your chain is slower or more expensive, AI simply routes around you.

The Plug-and-Play Economy

This is where everything converges.

We’re moving toward a world where:

• Developers assemble blockchain stacks like APIs
• AI agents orchestrate execution behind the scenes
• Users interact with simple interfaces, unaware of the complexity underneath

It’s not “multi-chain.”

It’s a chain-abstracted reality.

What This Means Going Forward

1. User experience becomes invisible
   You won’t think about chains—just outcomes
2. AI agents become economic actors
   They don’t just assist—they decide
3. Efficiency becomes the ultimate moat
   Chains win by being optimal, not popular
4. Liquidity becomes fluid and dynamic
   Capital moves at machine speed

Final Opinion

“Blockchains won’t compete. AI will choose between them.”

And when that happens, the winners won’t be the loudest ecosystems—

They’ll be the ones that machines quietly prefer.

Welcome to the plug-and-play economy.

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Key Highlights

• Bitcoin retreated to $68,589 following a brief rally that evaporated after diplomatic setback, remaining confined within its established $65K–$73K trading corridor spanning six weeks
• A fleeting Monday surge resulted in $196.7 million worth of forced short position closures before Iran’s rejection of the ceasefire terms
• President Trump issued a Tuesday midnight ultimatum to Iran, warning of infrastructure destruction should negotiations collapse
• Crude oil prices jumped beyond $112 per barrel amid heightening geopolitical tensions, while Brent approached $115.66
• Equity index futures declined Tuesday morning despite Monday’s modest gains across the S&P 500, Nasdaq, and Dow Jones Industrial Average

The leading cryptocurrency fell back to $68,589 during Tuesday’s Asian session after optimism surrounding a potential diplomatic breakthrough quickly dissipated. The reversal coincided with President Trump’s establishment of a Tuesday evening cutoff time for Iran to agree to peace terms or confront military action.

A wave of optimism swept through markets Monday following an Axios report detailing a prospective 45-day ceasefire arrangement. The news momentarily propelled Bitcoin beyond the $69,000 threshold and forced the closure of $196.7 million in bearish positions. However, the positive momentum evaporated within approximately half a day.

Tehran subsequently declined the ceasefire framework communicated through Pakistani intermediaries. Iran’s counteroffer included demands for a complete cessation of hostilities, sanctions relief, financial assistance for rebuilding efforts, and guaranteed maritime security through the Strait of Hormuz.

Ether experienced a 1% decline to $2,104. Solana registered a 2.7% decrease to $79.75. XRP fell 1.6% to $1.32. Dogecoin declined 2.2% to $0.09. BNB remained relatively stable at $598.

“This move looks less like a shift in fundamentals and more like positioning getting caught offsides,” said Diana Pires, chief business officer at sFOX. Bearish sentiment had been building before the ceasefire headlines forced traders to unwind short positions quickly.

Energy Markets Spike Following Presidential Warning

The President issued stark warnings to Tehran, threatening to eliminate “every bridge in Iran” and render each power facility inoperable should negotiations fail by the Tuesday midnight threshold. Paradoxically, he simultaneously characterized discussions as progressing favorably.

🚨 President Trump: “Tuesday will be power plant day”

US futures -0.54%$SPY $QQQ #Iran pic.twitter.com/ylWFfvAp6c

— Crypto Seth (@seth_fin) April 5, 2026

US crude prices escalated above $112 per barrel. Brent futures traded approaching $115.66, representing a 2.9% session increase. Accelerating energy costs compound existing macroeconomic uncertainties.

Equity futures contracts weakened Tuesday morning in anticipation of the diplomatic deadline. S&P 500-linked contracts and Nasdaq 100 futures retreated 0.4% and 0.5% respectively. Dow futures registered approximately a 0.2% pullback.

Equity Markets and Economic Indicators Under Scrutiny

Notwithstanding Tuesday’s futures weakness, the previous session concluded on a positive trajectory. The S&P 500 climbed nearly 0.5%. The Nasdaq delivered comparable performance. The Dow Jones added over 160 points.

Maritime traffic through the strategic Strait of Hormuz demonstrated improvement this week, offering marginal relief. Chinese and Japanese ports welcomed the highest concentration of tanker arrivals, alleviating some supply chain concerns.

March services sector data for the United States revealed decelerating economic growth. Labor market indicators contracted at the most severe pace observed since 2023. Cost pressures intensified. The mixed signals provide limited guidance for Federal Reserve monetary policy deliberations.

Critical inflation metrics are scheduled for Friday release. Market participants are simultaneously monitoring preliminary February durable goods figures, expected Tuesday morning. Delta’s quarterly earnings announcement is anticipated Wednesday.

Trump posted on Truth Social urging Iran to reopen the Strait, and separately stated that “the American people would like to see us come home,” signaling possible pressure to wind down the conflict.

The flagship cryptocurrency has maintained its position within the $65,000 to $73,000 corridor throughout the duration of geopolitical tensions. Trump’s Tuesday midnight ultimatum will likely prove decisive in determining whether the upper or lower boundary faces near-term pressure.

Recently uncovered phone records point to multiple calls between Argentine President Javier Milei and a Libra-associated entrepreneur.

Phone logs reviewed by prosecutors, and reported by The New York Times, indicate that Milei exchanged seven calls with an entrepreneur linked to the Libra token on the same night he posted about the cryptocurrency on X. 

The calls reportedly took place both before and after the post went live, though investigators have not disclosed what was discussed.

Those findings appear to challenge Milei’s earlier insistence that he had no ties to the initiative. 

At the time, he framed his involvement as limited to amplifying what he described as a private venture that would support Argentina’s economy.

“A few hours ago, I posted a tweet, like so many infinite other times, supporting an alleged private venture with which I obviously have no connection whatsoever,” Milei said in a statement on X following the fallout. 

“I wasn’t aware of the details of the project, and after becoming aware of them, I decided not to keep promoting it,” he said at the time.

The Libra token briefly surged after Milei’s endorsement in February 2025, as he presented it as a tool to fund small businesses and startups. Momentum quickly reversed, with the token losing more than 96% of its value from peak levels. 

However, as it fell, it wiped out roughly $251 million in investor funds and triggered accusations that the episode resembled a rug pull.

After the fallout Argentine lawyers filed fraud complaints against Milei, while some political figures called for impeachment proceedings. Under Argentine law, fraud convictions can carry prison terms ranging from one month to six years.

Federal prosecutors opened a formal investigation into the matter, naming Milei as a person of interest. The probe remains active, with authorities continuing to examine financial links, communications, and the role of individuals connected to the token’s launch.

Argentina’s Anti-Corruption Office concluded in June that Milei had not breached public ethics rules, determining that his post was made in a personal capacity rather than as head of state.

New details put Milei under scrutiny

More recent findings, however, have added another layer to the case. 

A judicial update in March revealed that investigators had uncovered a draft document on the phone of crypto lobbyist Mauricio Novelli. 

The note referenced a potential $5 million arrangement tied to the Libra promotion, drafted just three days before Milei’s post. The document did not specify who would receive the funds, leaving its purpose and beneficiaries unclear.

A new security framework has been unveiled by the Solana Foundation to audit Solana-based protocols and strengthen risk monitoring.

According to the official announcement, the initiative was developed with Asymmetric Research and is called STRIDE. It is designed to assess and track the security of projects on Solana. The program sets a standard process to identify risks, monitor vulnerabilities, and escalate threats across the ecosystem.

Under STRIDE, protocols are evaluated across eight areas, including program integrity, governance controls, oracle dependencies, infrastructure setup, and operational practices. It also covers supply chain exposure, incident response readiness, and forensic capabilities tied to log management. Each participating protocol undergoes an independent review, with results disclosed publicly.

“This gives users, investors, and the broader ecosystem real transparency into the security posture of the protocols they interact with,” Asymmetric Research said.

Alongside STRIDE, the foundation unveiled the Solana Incident Response Network (SIRN), a coalition of security firms designed to coordinate real-time responses to active threats.

“Members will share threat intelligence, coordinate responses to active incidents, and contribute to the ongoing evolution of the STRIDE framework,” the foundation said in its statement.

Just days earlier, Drift Protocol suffered a $280 million exploit, which investigators linked to social engineering tactics tied to North Korean-affiliated actors.

Data from DefiLlama shows that over $168 million was stolen from 34 DeFi protocols in Q1 2026. While that figure is sharply lower than the $1.58 billion recorded during the same period in 2025, the persistence of attacks continues to highlight structural risks in decentralized finance.

While not explicitly referenced in the announcement, recent cases point to the increasingly complex tactics and the use of AI-driven tools to execute exploits. In January, Step Finance lost roughly $40 million after attackers leveraged automated agents to execute rapid transfers, amplifying the scale of the breach, according to reporting from KuCoin.