Geopolitics

The U.S.–Iran ceasefire agreement expires on Wednesday, and attention is focused on whether the two sides can resume negotiations. U.S. stocks fell amid heightened tensions, while bitcoin rebounded to $75K, driven mainly by institutional capital and ETF inflows, with MicroStrategy becoming the world’s largest bitcoin-holding institution.

Peter Moaciur, head of Hungary's Fidesz party, announced plans to unblock EU funds by meeting key requirements within three months, focusing on anti-corruption, media freedom, and judicial independence to restore economic stability and investor confidence.

The BIS's Pablo Hernandez de Cos warned that differing stablecoin regulations threaten cross-border markets and create arbitrage opportunities. He noted stablecoins' inadequacy for payments, potential market destabilization risks, and regulatory challenges linked to money laundering and sovereignty.

Israeli Security Forces Charged in Crypto Theft Case Israeli authorities have charged seven military and police officers with running a multimillion-dollar theft and bribery ring involving cryptocurrency, marking the second crypto-related criminal case to hit the country's defence establishment in

Trump first directly mentioned Iran’s “regime change” in a public statement, and explicitly said that the U.S. side would not be influenced by Israel. He used Venezuela as an analogy, implying that the U.S. may adopt a long-term pressure strategy against Iran. This will change the negotiation framework and increase the risk of oil-price and market volatility. Taiwan investors need to pay attention to the oil price trend, the reaction at the Fed hearing, and the agenda of the U.S.-China summit.

Russian cryptocurrency exchange Grinex ceased operations after a cyberattack caused losses over $13 million. The shutdown impacts Russian businesses' ability to convert rubles internationally and challenges the country's shadow finance system.

An Iranian official indicated that Iran has not decided on participating in the second round of U.S.-Iran talks due to mistrust stemming from U.S. actions and statements, exacerbated by a recent U.S. attack on an Iranian vessel.

European Council President António Costa discussed the EU's dedication to Middle East peace with King Abdullah II of Jordan, highlighting collaboration with regional partners and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz as a priority, while monitoring Lebanon, Gaza, and the West Bank.

The U.S. government initiated a tariff refund program effective April 20, impacting over 53 million import declarations. This marks a significant policy shift, allowing importers to reclaim previously collected taxes, with over 56,000 businesses participating.

LayerZero reported that the Kelp DAO exploit, attributed to North Korea's Lazarus Group, led to a loss of $292 million in rsETH tokens due to vulnerabilities in its decentralized verifier network. Additionally, eth.limo faced a domain hijacking from a social engineering attack, but DNSSEC mitigated severe damage.

The UN FAO Director-General Qu Dongyu stated that conflicts in the Middle East are undermining fragile agricultural systems and disrupting global supply chains, escalating concerns over food availability, accessibility, and affordability.

Crude oil prices surged on April 19 after U.S. forces seized an Iranian-flagged vessel in the Gulf of Oman, raising supply disruption fears. Iran threatened to restrict access through the Strait of Hormuz, amid escalating tensions and potential impacts on global inflation and markets.

The Strait of Hormuz blockade triggers a major shock in the crypto market: after Bitcoin first breaks above $78,000, it then falls back to $74,000, and the market remains in panic. This article provides an in-depth analysis of the transmission mechanism between geopolitical shocks and crypto market price action.

Hong Kong's SFC introduced a regulatory framework for trading tokenized investment products, enabling secondary market trading on licensed virtual asset platforms and enhancing access for retail investors.

Central bankers warn that stablecoins may accelerate dollarization in emerging markets and pose financial crime risks due to weak regulatory oversight. They urge for international coordination on stablecoin standards to balance innovation with financial stability.

Aomori Prefecture in Japan issued a tsunami warning following an earthquake, impacting Tohoku Shinkansen train services. Tsunami warnings and advisories were also given for other coastal areas, while checks were initiated at Onagawa Nuclear Power Station.

Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Baghaei affirmed that the country won't accept ultimatums in defending its sovereignty, insisting that military actions are for self-defense and warning of a strong response to any new aggression from the U.S. or Israel.

The cloud development platform Vercel was breached by hackers on April 19. The attackers gained access through a third-party AI tool used by employees and threatened to extort $2 million. Although sensitive data was not accessed, other data may have been used. The incident has raised security concerns in the crypto community, and Vercel is currently investigating while advising users to rotate their keys.

LayerZero issued a statement regarding the $292 million hack suffered by Kelp DAO, accusing Kelp’s self-selected 1-of-1 DVN configuration of making the incident possible. The attacker was the North Korean Lazarus Group. LayerZero emphasized that this incident stems from configuration choices and that it will no longer support this kind of vulnerable setup. In addition, responsibility is still disputed, and no compensation plan has been provided.

Crypto Political Action Committee Fellowship PAC releases its first FEC donation disclosure, showing that Cantor Fitzgerald donated $10 million and has a business connection with Tether. Fellowship PAC supports six Republican candidates and paid $4.5 million to NXUM Group for advertising promotion.