A New York district court signed a restraining notice and three writs of execution to prevent the Arbitrum DAO from moving Ether believed to be tied to the Kelp exploit, according to a Friday post on the Arbitrum DAO forum by US law firm Gerstein Harrow LLP. The firm says its clients—unaffected by the Kelp exploit—won default judgments against North Korea in 2010, 2015 and 2016 and are owed about $877 million in compensatory and punitive damages, plus interest. It argues the stolen Ether is “property” in which the DPRK has a stake because the hacker group behind the attack is tied to the country.

The freeze comes as the Kelp DAO breach, which is believed to have been carried out by TraderTraitor, a North Korea–linked subgroup of Lazarus, sent shockwaves through the DeFi ecosystem. In the days that followed, Arbitrum’s Security Council moved to halt activity on a substantial amount of Ether tied to the incident—30,766 ETH, valued at over $73 million at the time—stewing in a wallet connected to the exploit.

The legal maneuver raises questions about who ultimately bears responsibility for losses tied to state-backed cyber operations and how recovered assets should be allocated when multiple parties claim stakes in stolen funds. Gerstein Harrow’s filing contends that the DPRK’s debt should be addressed without diverting funds away from the victims of the hack, a point raised by others in the community who warned that blocking the return of stolen funds to their rightful owners could shift the burden onto different victims who were themselves robbed.

Key takeaways

• A New York court has issued a restraining notice and three writs of execution to block the Arbitrum DAO from transferring frozen Ether linked to the Kelp exploit, according to Gerstein Harrow LLP.
• The law firm argues its clients hold approximately $877 million in a combination of compensatory and punitive damages against North Korea, plus interest, stemming from judgments in 2010, 2015 and 2016.
• Arbitrum’s emergency action previously froze 30,766 ETH (roughly $73 million at the time) held in a wallet associated with the Kelp attack, illustrating the ongoing friction between recovery efforts and legal claims.
• The Kelp hack, which occurred on April 18, is attributed to TraderTraitor, a Lazarus Group–linked actor, highlighting the intersection of cybercrime, sanctions enforcement, and crypto asset recovery.
• Gerstein Harrow has pursued similar efforts before, including cases involving funds frozen by Tether after the 2023 Heco Bridge hack and other DAO-related actions, underscoring a pattern of aggressive asset-claim strategies in crypto disputes.

Legal maneuvering around stolen assets and DAO freezes

According to the filing and public forum posts, the restraining notice seeks to prevent the release or movement of Ether seized in relation to the Kelp DAO breach. Gerstein Harrow frames its claim around three prior U.S. district court judgments against the DPRK, asserting that the government bears responsibility for the actions of the actor behind the attack. The firm contends the stolen Ether qualifies as property over which the DPRK maintains an interest because the hacker group is affiliated with the state. If the restraining order stands, victims of the Kelp exploit could face longer delays before recovering funds they believe belong to them or to sanctioned entities that claim an ownership stake.

In a related development, Arbitrum’s governance forum and community discussions have highlighted a potential path for victims. On April 25, Aave Labs proposed unfreezing the $73 million in Ether tied to the Kelp breach and redirecting those assets to DeFi United, a fund aimed at restoring rsETH and compensating holders. The proposal underscored a broader debate about how to reconcile restitution for criminal activity with the interests of legitimate token holders and DeFi participants.

One Arbitrum DAO member, posting under the handle Zeptimus, noted that if Gerstein Harrow’s action succeeds, the DPRK debt could theoretically be transferred to the Kelp DAO victims. The commentary captured the tension between pursuing accountability for state-backed cyber actors and ensuring that the victims of theft do not bear the burden of a geopolitical debt, a point echoed by other community voices who emphasize the need for a principled approach to asset recovery.

Gerstein Harrow’s ongoing litigation strategy

Gerstein Harrow has a history of pursuing claims on behalf of clients seeking a share of funds frozen or stolen in crypto incidents tied to sanctioned actors. In February, the firm filed a claim related to funds frozen by Tether after the 2023 Heco Bridge hack. The practice has also involved class actions against various DAOs and, in public commentary, has faced scrutiny from on-chain investigators who have questioned the firm’s use of research in court documents to support asset claims. For example, ZachXBT publicly accused the firm of leveraging his research to stake claims stemming from another major incident, illustrating the contentious nature of legal action in the crypto space.

Overall, the episode sits at the crossroads of sanctions enforcement, cybercrime attribution, and the evolving governance of frozen crypto assets. It also highlights the persistent question of how to allocate recovered funds when multiple plaintiffs and jurisdictions claim an interest, especially when a state actor is implicated in the underlying theft. The Kelp incident has sharpened debates about how to balance punitive measures against sanctioned states with practical restitution for individual victims and DeFi participants alike.

North Korea–affiliated actors have faced accusations of stealing at least $578 million across major incidents in April alone, reinforcing the perception of a coordinated, high-volume campaign against crypto networks. The Bybit hack and other exposures have further linked Lazarus Group operations to several high-profile breaches, prompting ongoing scrutiny from investigators and policymakers alike. In the wake of these actions, the crypto community is watching how courts will adjudicate claims to seized or frozen assets and whether recovery will advance or stall as legal strategies unfold.

As the dispute evolves, readers should monitor upcoming court filings and governance council decisions in Arbitrum as well as any further moves by Gerstein Harrow to recover or allocate seized assets. The balance between accountability for state-linked hacking and equitable restitution for victims remains unsettled, with the next steps likely to influence how similar cases are approached in the rapidly evolving landscape of crypto asset recovery and DAO governance.

Key Takeaways

• Institutional investors reduced technology holdings at the most aggressive pace witnessed in a decade, Goldman Sachs data shows
• The Magnificent Seven experienced net selling pressure during four out of the past five market sessions
• Figma shares have plummeted 49% in 2026, partially attributed to competitive pressure from Anthropic’s Claude Design platform
• ServiceNow stock has declined more than 40% year-to-date as broader SaaS sector concerns intensify
• MongoDB experienced a 37% decline over four months following disappointing revenue projections, though Wall Street maintains optimistic outlook

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Institutional investors have executed their most substantial retreat from technology equities in ten years, based on information compiled through Goldman Sachs’ Prime Book. This widespread liquidation unfolded across a two-week period, characterized by both long position exits and short position closures.

Vincent Lin, an analyst at Goldman Sachs, noted that the magnitude of this risk reduction hasn’t been observed over the previous decade, with the exception of the meme stock phenomenon that occurred in early 2021.

The most severe selling pressure concentrated in semiconductor companies, technology hardware manufacturers, storage providers, and software developers. The Magnificent Seven collection of stocks — featuring major players such as Apple, Nvidia, and Microsoft — faced net selling activity in four of the most recent five trading days.

Three Technology Equities Facing Substantial Pressure

Even as institutional money managers retreated, certain Wall Street analysts are highlighting severely discounted technology stocks as attractive entry points. Figma, ServiceNow, and MongoDB represent three companies where analysts project potential gains of 33% or greater.

Figma completed its initial public offering in July 2025 with elevated market expectations but has faced challenges maintaining momentum. The stock experienced a 68% decline throughout 2025 and has suffered an additional 49% drop during the current year. Competition intensified when Anthropic introduced Claude Design, a solution that directly challenges Figma’s primary product offerings.

Nevertheless, Figma reported 40% year-over-year revenue expansion during the fourth quarter of 2025. The company maintains a net dollar retention rate of 136%. Wall Street’s consensus price target suggests approximately 114% appreciation from present trading levels.

ServiceNow delivers cloud-based workflow automation solutions to more than 8,800 enterprise clients, serving over 85% of Fortune 100 companies. The stock has experienced a decline exceeding 40% since the beginning of the year.

This depreciation occurred alongside a widespread software-as-a-service sector downturn that market participants have labeled the “SaaSpocalypse.” Investor anxiety regarding artificial intelligence’s potential negative impact on traditional software providers fueled the selloff.

Wall Street’s Perspective

Among 48 analysts polled by S&P Global, 43 assigned ServiceNow either a “buy” or “strong buy” recommendation. The average analyst price objective indicates potential upside exceeding 60% from current valuations.

ServiceNow’s CEO Bill McDermott has rejected the notion that artificial intelligence poses an existential threat to the business. During the company’s Q1 earnings conference, he stated, “There has never been a tailwind for ServiceNow like AI.”

MongoDB develops database technology utilized by over 60,000 clients, including approximately three-quarters of Fortune 100 enterprises. While shares rallied 80% throughout 2025, they’ve retreated roughly 37% during the past four months.

The downturn followed MongoDB’s below-consensus revenue outlook issued during its March financial update. Despite this setback, 30 out of 39 analysts surveyed by S&P Global maintain either a “buy” or “strong buy” rating.

The median 12-month price projection for MongoDB stands 33% above its current market price.

MongoDB operates with a gross margin of 71.31%, while the overall database software market maintains expansion, with artificial intelligence applications expected to serve as an additional catalyst for demand growth.

Key Takeaways

• Global analysis identifies approximately 838 million positions—nearly 25% of all jobs—as vulnerable to generative AI disruption
• Wealthier nations show 33.5% job exposure rate compared to just 11% in lower-income countries
• First quarter of 2026 witnessed 86 technology firms eliminate over 80,000 positions—the highest three-year figure
• Meta announced May workforce reduction of 10%; Microsoft initiated voluntary separation packages
• Industry analysts argue AI serves as convenient scapegoat while pandemic overstaffing and interest rate increases remain primary drivers

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Bank of America has released findings based on International Labour Organization research indicating that approximately 838 million positions globally face exposure to generative artificial intelligence technologies. This represents roughly 25% of the worldwide workforce.

The analysis reveals that younger professionals, female workers, and those with advanced education credentials demonstrate the highest vulnerability levels. Developed nations with high-income economies experience the greatest impact, showing a 33.5% exposure rate. Conversely, lower-income countries register only an 11% exposure figure.

According to BofA’s economic team, affluent economies possess superior positioning to capitalize on AI-driven productivity enhancements. However, their analysis cautions that corporations spearheading AI infrastructure development will likely capture disproportionate benefits from these technological advances.

Economic researchers have challenged catastrophic unemployment predictions. They reference historical precedents—ranging from the Industrial Revolution through the digital era—demonstrating that technological shifts typically generate new employment categories following initial disruption.

Research from Goldman Sachs provides empirical support for this perspective. Their study examined over 20,000 American workers born during the 1950s through 1980s period, revealing that technology-displaced employees experienced genuine financial hardship—but not irreversible economic devastation.

These affected workers required approximately one additional month to secure new positions. Following reemployment, they experienced a 3% decrease in real wages. Throughout the subsequent ten-year period, their income growth lagged nearly 10 percentage points behind colleagues who maintained continuous employment.

Goldman’s analysis termed this phenomenon “occupational downgrading”—a process where professional skills depreciate in market value, forcing workers into less lucrative positions.

Technology Sector Employment Reductions Accelerate

During the first quarter of 2026, 86 technology corporations eliminated more than 80,000 positions. This figure represents a dramatic escalation from Q1 2025, when 103 companies reduced approximately 30,000 roles. The data marks the most severe quarterly reduction in three years.

Meta revealed April intentions to reduce its workforce by 10% during May. Microsoft distributed internal communications proposing voluntary departure packages to roughly 7% of employees. Additional companies implementing 2026 reductions include Spotify, Oracle, and Quora.

Numerous organizations have attributed these cuts to artificial intelligence advancement. March statistics showed AI cited as the primary factor in U.S. employment reductions, representing 25% of all job eliminations.

Does AI Actually Drive These Cuts?

During a March BlackRock gathering, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman suggested companies exploit AI as justification for workforce reductions. “Nearly every organization conducting layoffs attributes them to AI, regardless of whether AI genuinely factors into the decision,” Altman stated. Industry observers have labeled this behavior “AI washing.”

Venture investor Marc Andreessen identified two alternative explanations: historically low interest rates during the pandemic period and subsequent excessive hiring practices. His assessment suggests major corporations maintain 25% to 75% workforce surplus.

Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney demonstrated unusual transparency when eliminating over 1,000 positions: “These layoffs have no connection to AI.”

The Bank of America analysis did not establish specific timeframes for when AI exposure might materialize into concrete job displacement.

A US law firm has filed a restraining notice to block the transfer of frozen Ether from the Kelp exploit, arguing that its clients are owed over $877 million in compensation and damages by North Korea. 

Charlie Gerstein, a lawyer for US law firm Gerstein Harrow LLP, said in a post on the Arbitrum DAO forum on Friday that a New York district court signed off on a restraining notice and three writs of execution preventing the DAO from moving the Ether under threat of contempt of court.

The law firm argued that its clients, who were not affected by the Kelp exploit, won default judgments against North Korea in three separate US court cases in 2010, 2015 and 2016 and are owed a collective $877 million in compensatory and punitive damages, plus interest. It also argued that its clients have a claim to DPRK property. Gerstein said in the restraining notice that the stolen Ether is “property” in which the DPRK has a stake because the hacker group is affiliated with the country.

The freeze could mean those affected by the Kelp exploit would need to wait longer to see their funds recovered. This isn’t the first time the firm has attempted to claim stolen cryptocurrency.

Kelp DAO suffered a $292 million hack on April 18, which is believed to have been carried out by TraderTraitor, a subgroup of North Korea’s state-backed hacking unit, Lazarus Group. 

Days later, Arbitrum Security Council took emergency action to freeze 30,766 Ether (ETH), worth over $73 million, held in a wallet linked to the Kelp exploit.

Charlie Gerstein, a lawyer for Gerstein Harrow, posted a restraining notice seeking to prevent the Arbitrum DAO from moving the frozen Ether. Source: Arbitrum DAO

Funds were proposed for Kelp victims

Aave Labs proposed on April 25 that the Arbitrum DAO unfreeze the $73 million in Ether tied to the Kelp DAO attack and direct those funds to “DeFi United,” a fund aimed at restoring rsETH and compensating its holders.

An Arbitrum DAO member under the handle Zeptimus said that if the law firm’s action is successful, the DPRK debt will be transferred to the Kelp DAO victims.

“Your clients’ losses are real and the DPRK should answer for them. But the remedy the restraining notice asks for, blocking the return of stolen funds to their actual owners shifts the cost of the DPRK’s debt onto a different set of victims who were themselves robbed. That compounds the original harm; it doesn’t redress it,” they said.

Gerstein Harrow filed similar claims before

Gerstein Harrow has filed similar cases in the past, arguing its clients have a claim to funds stolen by the DPRK and frozen by crypto firms. In February, the firm filed a claim against funds frozen by Tether that were stolen in the 2023 Heco Bridge hack.

Related: North Korean hackers used AI-enabled social engineering in Zerion attack

It has also filed class-action suits against multiple DAOs. At the same time, onchain sleuth ZachXBT accused the law firm of using his research in court documents to stake a claim on funds from the $1.5 billion Bybit hack.

The law firm has three live cases against DAOs on its website. Source: Gerstein Harrow

North Korea-affiliated actors have been accused of stealing at least $578 million across major incidents throughout April and have been linked to many of the industry’s largest hacks, including the Bybit exploit.

Magazine: DeFi’s billion-dollar secret: The insiders responsible for hacks 

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.

Morgan Stanley is advising clients to hold 2%–4% Bitcoin exposure as demand for regulated crypto products grows. 

The guidance was shared by Amy Oldenburg, the bank’s head of digital asset strategy, during the Bitcoin Conference in Las Vegas.

Oldenburg said the bank sees client interest in Bitcoin products, but adoption through financial advisers remains slow. She said the issue is tied to education and awareness, not only demand.

Oldenburg also said Bitcoin could one day appear on U.S. bank balance sheets. However, she made clear that such a move is not close.

She pointed to Federal Reserve guidance, Basel capital rules, and global regulatory demands as key hurdles. “It’s not totally out of the question,” Oldenburg said, while adding that large banks still need more alignment across regulators.

MSBT draws early self-directed demand

Morgan Stanley has already moved further into digital assets through MSBT, its Bitcoin-backed exchange-traded product. The product drew more than $100 million in its first six days of trading.

Oldenburg said those early inflows came from self-directed clients. The product was not yet available through Morgan Stanley’s advisory platform, which showed a gap between client activity and adviser adoption.

Stablecoin fund adds another digital asset product

Morgan Stanley Investment Management also launched the Stablecoin Reserves Portfolio, a government money market fund for stablecoin issuers. The fund trades under the ticker MSNXX and went live on April 23.

The fund invests in cash, short-term U.S. Treasury bills and notes, and overnight repurchase agreements backed by Treasuries. It targets a stable $1.00 net asset value and daily liquidity.

The product is designed for stablecoin issuers that need to hold reserves in regulated assets. Crypto.news reported that the fund has a $10 million minimum investment, a 0.15% management fee, and a 0.20% net expense ratio after waivers.

Gold price is consolidating above the $2,565 support zone. Crude oil is showing bearish signs and might decline below $96.50.

Important Takeaways for Gold and WTI Crude Oil Prices Analysis Today

· Gold price started a recovery wave from $4,500 against the US Dollar.

· It cleared a key bearish trend line with resistance at $4,620 on the hourly chart of gold at FXOpen.

· Crude oil prices failed to clear the $108 region and started a fresh decline.

· There is a connecting bearish trend line forming with resistance at $100.45 on the hourly chart of XTI/USD at FXOpen.

Gold Price Technical Analysis

On the hourly chart of Gold at FXOpen, the price found bids near the $4,500 zone. The price remained in a bullish zone and started a recovery wave above $4,550.

There was a decent move above the 50-hour simple moving average and $4,600. The bulls pushed the price above the 50% Fib retracement level of the downward move from the $4,740 swing high to the $4,510 low.

Besides, the price cleared a key bearish trend line with resistance at $4,620. Immediate hurdle is near the 61.8% Fib retracement at $4,650.

The next key breakout level sits at $4,700. An upside break above $4,700 could send Gold price toward $4,740. Any more gains may perhaps set the pace for an increase toward $4,850.

Initial bid zone on the downside could be $4,600. The first major buy zone sits at $4,565. If there is a downside break below $4,565, the price might decline further. In the stated case, the price might drop toward $4,510. Any more losses might push the price toward the $4,420 level.

WTI Crude Oil Price Technical Analysis

On the hourly chart of WTI Crude Oil at FXOpen, the price struggled to clear the $108 barrier against the US Dollar. The price started a fresh decline below $105.

The price even dipped below $100 and the 50-hour simple moving average. The bulls are now active near $96.00. A low was formed at $96.04, and the price is now consolidating losses. If there is a fresh increase, it could face sellers near the 23.6% Fib retracement level of the downward move from the $107.62 swing high to the $96.04 low.

The first major hurdle for the bulls could be near a connecting bearish trend line at $100.45, above which the price could rise and test the 61.8% Fib retracement level at $103.20.

Any more gains might send the price toward $105.65. The main breakout zone sits at $108. Conversely, the price might continue to move down and revisit $96.00. The next major pivot zone on the WTI crude oil chart is $92.00.

If there is a downside break, the price might decline toward $90.00. Any more losses may perhaps open the doors for a move toward the $86.50 support zone.

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Three tests land inside one week. The first is jobs data, with April payrolls print coming, the first read after a delay caused by the 2025 federal shutdown.

A weaker-than-expected print gives the Federal Reserve cover to cut sooner. A strong one delays it. The second is additional insight into the bitcoin treasury trade.

Strategy, Coinbase, MARA, CleanSpark, Hut 8 and Core Scientific all report Q1 earnings inside the week. Riot already sold 3,778 BTC last quarter at an average $76,626. MARA sold 15,133.

The third is the Fed itself. San Francisco Fed CEO and President Mary Daly and Chicago Fed President Austan Goolsbee speak on central bank independence at Hoover on Friday, the same week Jerome Powell exits his chair role (but not the Fed itself) under White House pressure.

“Investors aren’t heavily positioned and volatility remains low, creating an asymmetrical setup: markets appear stable on the surface but could react quickly to any catalyst that forces a repricing of risk,” Jennifer Hanny, a partner at Echo Base, told CoinDesk.

What to Watch

(All times ET)

• Crypto
  • May 4: Coinbase to delist dai (DAI) and convert remaining tokens to USDS.
  • May 4: ZKsync Lite to be fully deprecated.
• Macro
  • May 4, 11:30 p.m.: Reserve Bank of Australia Interest Rate Decision est. 4.35% (Prev. 4.1%)
  • May 5, 09:00 a.m.: U.S. JOLTs Job Openings for March(Prev. 6.882M)
  • May 5, 09:00 a.m.: U.S. ISM Services PMI April est. 54 (Prev. 54)
  • May 6, 4:00 a.m.: Euro Area Producer Price Index YoY for March (Prev. -3%); MoM (Prev. -0.7%)
  • May 6, 07:15 a.m.: U.S. ADP Employment Change for April (Prev. 62K)
  • May 6, 06:50 p.m.: Bank of Japan Monetary Policy Meeting Minutes
  • May 7, 07:30 a.m.: U.S. Initial Jobless Claims for period ending May 2 (Prev. 189K)
  • May 7, 03:30 p.m.: U.S. Fed Balance Sheet for period ending May 6 (Prev. $6.700T)
  • May 8, 7:30 a.m.: Canada Unemployment Rate for April (Prev. 6.7%)
  • May 8, 07:30 a.m.: U.S. Non Farm Payrolls for April est. 73K (Prev. 178K)
  • May 8, 07:30 a.m.: U.S. Unemployment Rate for April est. 4.3% (Prev. 4.3%)
  • May 8, 07:30 a.m.: U.S. Average Hourly Earnings MoM for April est. 0.3% (Prev. 0.2%); YoY (Prev. 3.5%)
  • May 8, 09:00 a.m.: U.S. Michigan Consumer Sentiment Prel for May (Prev. 49.8)
  • May 8, 06:30 p.m.: U.S. Fed Presidents Mary Daly and Austan Goolsbee to participate in a conference on “Independence, Structure, and Risks Ahead for Central Banks”
• Earnings (Estimates based on FactSet data)
  • May 5: Strategy (MSTR), post-market, -$12.95
  • May 5: PayPal Holdings (PYPL), pre-market, $1.27
  • May 5: Cipher Digital (CIFR), pre-market, -$0.08
  • May 5: MARA Holdings (MARA), post-market, -$0.45
  • May 6: Hut 8 (HUT), pre-market, -$0.34
  • May 6: Core Scientific (CORZ), post-market, -$0.04
  • May 7: Coinbase Global (COIN), post-market, $0.26
  • May 7: Block (XYZ), post-market, $0.60
• May 8: TeraWulf (WULF), pre-market, -$0.19
• May 8: CleanSpark (CLSK), post-market, -$0.23

Token Events

• Governance votes & calls
  • Lido DAO is voting on a time-sensitive proposal to temporarily lower the EarnETH first-loss protection trigger to below the standard 1% threshold, ensuring full compensation for users if the rsETH shortfall is resolved via DeFi United. Voting ends May 6.
  • Beefy DAO is voting to authorize its Treasury Council to conduct private, discretionary BIFI buybacks whenever the token’s price falls below its calculated “fair value.” Repurchased tokens will be held as non-circulating supply. Voting ends May 6.
  • World Liberty Financial is voting to restructure vesting for locked WLFI tokens. Early supporters will receive a 4-year vesting schedule, while insiders must burn 10% of their allocation and accept a 5-year vest. Voting ends May 6.
  • Arbitrum DAO is voting to release 30,766 ETH frozen by its Security Council after the Kelp DAO exploit to the DeFi United recovery fund. Voting ends May 7.
  • CoW DAO is voting on whether to use its Legal Defense Reserve to reimburse users who lost $1.2 million in the April 14 cow.fi domain hijack. Voting ends May 7.
  • Mantle DAO is voting to lend up to 30,000 ETH to Aave as a structured 36-month credit facility, benchmarked to Lido’s stETH staking return plus a 1% spread, as part of the DeFi United rsETH recovery. Voting ends May 8.
• Unlocks
  • May 5: Ethena (ENA) to unlock 2.12% of its circulating supply worth $17.34 million.
  • May 6: Hyperliquid (HYPE) to unlock 0.18% of its circulating supply worth $17.5 million.
• Token Launches
  • May 5: Virtual Protocols’ OPG airdrop snapshot expected to take place.
  • May 8: SoSoValue’s final testnet airdrop expected to complete.
  • May 4-10: BNB’s 35th quarterly burn expected to occur.

Conferences

Bitcoin breached $80,000 on Monday, rising 2.7% over a three-hour span as Asian equities began trading, marking its highest price since Jan. 31, 2026.

The Bitcoin rally began at 1:25 am UTC, rising from $78,415 to break the $80,000 level about 75 minutes later before climbing to $80,515 by 4:20 am UTC, according to TradingView data. 

Bitcoin’s price change on Coinbase on Monday. Source: TradingView

The rally coincided with a 2.3% rise in the MSCI AC Asia Index to 245.2 on Monday morning, breaking its previous high of 243.6 on Feb. 22, about a week before the US-Iran war began.

A rise in the MSCI AC Asia Index at the start of the week generally reflects positive global risk sentiment in response to weekend developments, though it doesn’t necessarily mean that US equities will follow suit.

Ether (ETH), XRP (XRP) and BNB (BNB) also rallied and are up 3.9%, 2.4% and 3.3% over the last 24 hours, at the time of writing. 

The price rise also comes as crypto momentum has been building in Washington, where members of the banking and crypto industries reached a compromise on stablecoin yield provisions in the CLARITY Act, with a Senate markup expected this month.

The US-based spot Bitcoin exchange-traded funds have also seen net inflows in 11 of the past 14 trading days, indicating that institutional demand remains strong.

Friday’s inflow of $629.8 million also marked the US Bitcoin ETF industry’s strongest day in two weeks.

Bitcoin up nearly 30% from 2026 low

Bitcoin’s climb back to $80,000 marks a nearly 30% recovery from its 2026 low of about $62,000 reached on Feb. 5, and several industry observers said there is a path for Bitcoin to reach $100,000.

Related: Strategy takes Bitcoin buying breather ahead of Q1 earnings report 

One of them is MN Trading Capital founder Michael van de Poppe, who said Friday that Bitcoin does not need a fresh narrative to return to the $100,000 mark:

“There doesn’t need to be a narrative that pushes the price upwards,” he said, stating that as the price moves upwards, “the narrative will create itself.”

The crypto industry is also watching the US Bitcoin Reserve after White House crypto adviser Patrick Witt said at the Bitcoin Conference in Las Vegas last week that a “big announcement” on President Donald Trump’s Bitcoin reserve is coming in the next few weeks. 

Magazine: Adam Back says current demand is ‘almost’ enough to send Bitcoin to $1M

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.