Cambodia has moved closer to tougher action against scam centers linked to crypto fraud and other online crimes. 

The country’s Senate approved a draft law that would impose prison terms and fines on people involved, marking a new step in its response to scam compounds.

Cambodia’s Senate said it unanimously approved the draft law on Friday, with all 58 senators voting in favor. The bill now awaits the king’s approval before it can take effect.

Reports said the proposed law would impose prison terms of two to five years and fines of up to $125,000 for certain offenses. Those penalties could double if the crimes involve a gang or affect several victims.

The Senate said the draft law would create criminal rules to address gaps in current legislation. It described the measure as part of a wider effort to respond to fraud carried out through technology systems.

In its notice, the Senate said the law would help tackle risks to social security, the economy, and public order. The notice added that the measure aimed to improve cooperation in the fight against fraud and protect Cambodia’s reputation. It said the draft law would help “fill the gaps and deficiencies in the current law” and improve efforts against fraud.

In addition, the bill moved forward after criticism from foreign governments and international bodies over scam activity in Southeast Asia. A 2025 report from the US State Department said Cambodia’s government had often treated scam cases as labor disputes and had not prosecuted owners or operators of suspected scam compounds.

The timing also followed action from the United Kingdom, which sanctioned operators of a Cambodia-based scam center. Cambodia also extradited to China the leader of a criminal syndicate with reported links to scam compounds. Before the Senate vote, the National Assembly approved the bill on March 30 with all 112 members voting in support.

Scam centers remain under scrutiny

Reports from the region have described scam compounds as closed sites where workers may face control, threats, and abuse. A 2024 UN report on a compound in the Philippines said some workers were trafficked, held against their will, and exposed to violence.

The report said many of these sites operate like self-contained facilities. It stated that the people inside are “basically fenced off from the outside world,” with access to restaurants, dormitories, and other services that reduce the need to leave. Cambodia’s proposed law now places fresh attention on how the country plans to address such operations.

Bitcoin (BTC) traded near $67,000 over the weekend after a week of sharp swings. The broader crypto market also stayed steady, while Pi Network’s PI token held above $0.17 after days of losses.

Bitcoin showed limited movement over the past 24 hours and remained close to the $67,000 level. Its price action followed a volatile week in which the asset moved between $66,000 and $68,000 before rising to $69,200 on Wednesday.

That move reversed after fresh market pressure, sending Bitcoin down to $65,700 later the same day. Since then, the asset has traded in a narrow range. At press time, Bitcoin’s market capitalization stood at about $1.34 trillion, while its market dominance remained near 56.2%.

Most large-cap altcoins posted small changes during the same period. Ethereum held near $2,050 after a slight daily loss, while XRP remained above $1.30. BNB, Solana, TRX, and Cardano all recorded gains of less than 1%.

The biggest moves among larger altcoins came from a smaller group of assets. RAIN fell more than 6% and dropped below $0.0075. HBAR, PEPE, UNI, and SHIB also traded lower. In contrast, Ethereum Classic rose 3.5% to $8.30 and stood out from the broader market.

PI token steadies after recent drop

Pi Network’s PI token showed signs of stability after a recent downward move. The token traded above $0.17, marking a pause in the decline that had drawn attention across the altcoin market.

Elsewhere, HASH posted the sharpest daily loss among the mentioned tokens, falling 10% over the past 24 hours. VeChain moved in the opposite direction and gained 9% on the day, helping it return to the top 100 altcoins by market value.

Meanwhile, the total crypto market value changed little over the day and remained just below $2.4 trillion. That flat reading matched the quiet performance seen across Bitcoin and most major altcoins during the weekend session.

Market activity also stayed muted despite recent macro and geopolitical headlines that had raised expectations of stronger price swings earlier in the week.

HypurrFi has warned users not to interact with its website or lending app after reporting a possible domain hijacking. 

The incident has raised fresh concern over frontend attacks in decentralized finance, even when onchain systems remain intact.

HypurrFi said it is investigating a possible compromise involving its domain. The team asked users to avoid the website and the lending protocol until it shares a new update.

Founder androolloyd posted on X, “Do NOT USE THE HYPURR .FI domain, it is compromised.” The team later repeated that warning and told users not to interact with the app until further notice.

HypurrFi also said there is no current sign of risk to user funds. It added that its social media accounts remain under team control during the investigation.

The warning focused on the website and user access point rather than the protocol’s core contracts. That distinction is common in cases where attackers target frontend systems instead of onchain code.

HypurrFi operates as a DeFi lending and borrowing protocol on HyperEVM. HyperEVM is the EVM-compatible network linked to Hyperliquid’s trading ecosystem.

The protocol has about $30 million in total value locked, based on DefiLlama data. That made the warning more urgent for users who may still try to access the platform through the compromised domain.

The team did not provide details on how the hijacking may have happened. It also did not say when the site would return to normal use.

For now, the main message from the project remains clear. Users should avoid the domain and wait for an official notice before reconnecting wallets or signing any transaction requests.

Domain hijacking remains a known crypto risk

Domain hijacking has become a recurring issue across the crypto sector. These attacks often target a project’s website and user interface instead of its smart contracts.

Once attackers control a domain, they can place wallet drainers or other malicious prompts on the site. This method can affect users even when the underlying protocol has passed security reviews.

A similar case affected the BONKfun domain last month. That incident added to a growing list of attacks that use fake or compromised frontends to reach users.

Bitcoin (BTC) stayed near $67,000 on April 4 as two CryptoQuant analysts pointed to a split market structure. 

CryptoQuant analyst Carmelo_Alemán said Bitcoin daily spot volume fell from 42,026 BTC on March 17 to 35,590 BTC on April 2. That marked a 15.31% drop in spot activity over the period. At the same time, open interest fell from $23.33 billion to $21.26 billion, a smaller 8.87% decline.

He also said the estimated leverage ratio rose from 0.2207 to about 0.225. In his view, Bitcoin is becoming “less dependent on real buying and selling” and more tied to leveraged positions. The same note said funding rates stayed mostly negative, showing stronger short positioning in perpetual futures.

Carmelo_Alemán said liquidity below the market sits closer than the larger liquidity zones above. That setup, according to his note, leaves Bitcoin open to a short-term move driven by long liquidations before any stronger recovery attempt.

CryptoQuant research published this week also said Bitcoin spot demand remains in deep contraction even as institutional buying continues through ETFs and Strategy purchases. That supports the view that price action has relied more on derivatives and large buyers than on broad spot demand.

Exchange reserves fall as institutions absorb supply

In a separate note, CryptoQuant analyst GugaOnChain said Bitcoin exchange reserves dropped by 66.3K BTC over the past 30 days. The post added that OTC absorption made up 92.1% of recent flow, compared with 7.9% on regular 24-hour market volume.

GugaOnChain said that pattern points to ongoing institutional accumulation. However, the analyst also warned that on-chain scarcity is facing a “cloudy macroeconomic scenario,” with geopolitical shocks still able to force fast moves back to exchange liquidity.

According to crypto.news data, Bitcoin traded around $67,150 at press time, with a market cap near $1.34 trillion. 

The Digital Asset Market Clarity Act’s compromise language on stablecoin yield has circulated among crypto and banking industry stakeholders in closed-door Capitol Hill sessions, with a Senate Banking Committee markup now targeted for the second half of April — though the text has drawn a mixed, and in some corners hostile, reception.

The Tillis-Alsobrooks deal draws a firm line: platforms cannot offer yield — directly or indirectly — for simply holding a stablecoin. Rewards remain permissible only when tied to user activity, not passive balances. The framework gives the SEC, CFTC, and Treasury twelve months to define what specific rewards programs are permissible.

“The compromise that myself and Senator Tillis have been working on is one that we believe will allow us to have the guardrails in place that will help us prevent deposit flight,” Senator Alsobrooks told an American Bankers Association summit.

The banking industry’s position reflects existential concern. Standard Chartered analysts estimated that an open-ended yield provision could redirect up to $500 billion in deposits from traditional banks into stablecoin products by 2028. Banks won the core argument they sought: passive yield is off the table.

Industry Reaction

The industry reception has been far from unified. As the deal first emerged, the market structure bill was framed as potentially unblocking one of the most consequential crypto legislative events of the cycle. But the actual text has landed closer to the bank position than the White House’s earlier compromise framing. Coinbase privately told Senate staff it could not accept the March 23 draft. Stripe has also objected. Broader institutional appetite for regulated crypto products — from ETFs to structured tokens — makes the CLARITY Act’s outcome a critical variable for the entire institutional crypto pipeline in 2026.

The stablecoin yield text is not the only outstanding issue. Senate Democrats are focused on ethics language barring government officials and their families from personally benefiting from crypto holdings. DeFi provisions and the potential attachment of community bank deregulation to the bill also remain unresolved.

The Calendar

The Senate was in pro forma session only through April 9 and returns to full session April 13. Senator Bernie Moreno has stated explicitly that if the bill does not reach the full Senate floor by May, digital asset legislation may not advance before the midterm election cycle. The CLARITY Act passed the House 294–134 in July 2025 and cleared the Senate Agriculture Committee in January 2026. It enters the banking panel with broad support — but a narrowing clock that leaves almost no room for further substantive revision.

Chainlink (LINK) moved back into focus after a large amount of LINK reached Binance during weekend trading. 

CryptoQuant analyst Darkfost pointed to a large LINK transfer during what he described as a “low-liquidity weekend.” Separate onchain reports later said Chainlink completed its regular quarterly unlock, moving 19 million LINK worth about $165 million from three non-circulating supply addresses.

Of that total, about 14.375 million LINK, valued near $125 million, went to Binance. Another 4.625 million LINK, worth about $40.1 million, moved to multisig address 0xD50…8Af. Reports said Chainlink has followed a similar pattern about every three months, with most tokens going to exchanges and a smaller share set aside for staking rewards.

Large exchange inflows often draw attention because they can increase tradable supply. In this case, the Binance transfer arrived during a period when weekend liquidity was thinner than usual, which can make large token movements stand out more in market activity.

Even so, the purpose of the transfer remains unclear. Market observers said the movement could reflect routine treasury management, custody changes, or preparation for distribution, but none of those explanations had been confirmed at the time of reporting.

LINK price and chart stay cautious

According to Crypto.News data, LINK traded at about $8.63 on April 4, with a market cap near $6.28 billion and 24-hour volume around $145.1 million, according to market data. That left the token little changed on the day and only modestly higher over the past week.

On the daily chart shared by the user, Bollinger Bands showed an upper band at 9.757, a middle band at 8.948, and a lower band at 8.138. 

LINK traded below the 20-day average but above lower support, while the RSI sat near 45.48. That setup pointed to weak but stable momentum, with resistance near 8.95 and support around 8.14.

President Donald Trump submitted a $1.5 trillion defense spending request for fiscal year 2027 on Friday — the largest military budget proposal in U.S. history, a roughly 40% increase over current funding levels, arriving in the fifth week of the U.S.-led war against Iran.

According to Breaking Defense, the $1.5 trillion total is structured in two parts: a $1.15 trillion base budget — the first time the base Pentagon budget has crossed $1 trillion — and $350 billion to be passed through budget reconciliation.

The base budget requests approximately $260 billion for procurement and $220 billion for research, development, testing, and evaluation. The Golden Dome missile defense shield would receive $17.5 billion through reconciliation. The Air Force’s R&D account is slated to rise from $57 billion to $74.2 billion, funding programs including the F-47 stealth fighter scheduled for first flight in 2028. Shipbuilding capital reaches $65.8 billion for 34 vessels.

Budget Director Russell Vought said the plan “builds on the president’s vision by continuing to constrain non-defense spending and reform the federal government.”

Political Backdrop

NPR reports the request arrives as U.S. forces remain engaged in active combat with Iran, burning through Pentagon reserves at an estimated $1.2 billion per week. A separate emergency war supplemental is expected before Congress in late April or May. The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget estimated the proposal would add $6.9 trillion to the national debt over 10 years, once interest costs are included. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell warned separately that the debt trajectory “will not end well if we don’t do something fairly soon.”

Democratic Senator Patty Murray said she refuses “to provide a blank check to the Pentagon,” adding the department’s challenge is efficient spending, not funding volume. Republicans control both chambers but need to pass the reconciliation vehicle this year — with midterm elections approaching in November.

Market Implications

A budget of this scale, built on deficit spending during active military engagement, adds materially to inflation risk across global markets. As escalating military costs and oil supply disruption from the Iran conflict compress monetary policy options, investors in all asset classes — including digital assets — are recalibrating. The DeFiance CEO warned months ago that Middle East escalation would hit supply chains and financial markets in ways that would ripple broadly. Meanwhile, surveys show that 72% of financial institutions now classify digital assets as essential — a baseline that makes crypto markets increasingly sensitive to the macro signals this budget transmits.