US sanctions 8 crypto wallets tied to Garantex exchange and Yemeni Houthis  

Bitcoin holders are celebrating one year since the 2024 Bitcoin halving by praising BTC’s resilience amid a global trade war and suggesting an accelerated market cycle due to a growing institutional presence.The 2024 Bitcoin halving reduced block rewards from 6.25 Bitcoin (BTC) to 3.125 BTC, slashing new BTC issuance in half.Despite rising concerns over a global trade war and escalating tariff tensions between the United States and China, BTC has climbed more than 33% since April 2024, Cointelegraph Markets Pro data shows.BTC/USD, 1-year chart. Source: Cointelegraph Markets Pro“So, even though Bitcoin’s showing resilience, I think the mix of past experiences, economic uncertainty, and this selling pressure is keeping investors on the sidelines, waiting for a stronger green light before they jump in,” said Enmanuel Cardozo, a market analyst at asset tokenization platform Brickken.Cardozo added that institutional investment from firms such as Strategy and Tether could speed up Bitcoin’s traditional four-year halving cycle. He added:“For the 2024 halving in May, that puts the bottom around Q3 this year and a peak mid-2026, but I think we might see things move it a bit sooner because the market’s more mature now with more liquidity.”However, Bitcoin’s trajectory remains tied to broader monetary policy, the analyst added. He said a US Federal Reserve rate cut in May or June may “pump more money into the system and push Bitcoin up faster.”The halving is a built-in feature of the Bitcoin network that assures Bitcoin’s scarcity, which is considered one of BTC’s defining monetary characteristics.Related: Crypto, stocks enter ‘new phase of trade war’ as US-China tensions riseETFs and institutions fuel faster cycleInstitutional adoption and Bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs) may be contributing to a shorter market cycle, according to Vugar Usi Zade, chief operating officer at Bitget exchange.Continued institutional buying, including by Bitcoin ETFs, paired with Bitcoin’s rising scarcity, may accelerate Bitcoin’s rise to new highs, he told Cointelegraph.“With growing scarcity triggered by the halving, Bitcoin will likely retest its all-time high if it breaches the $90,000 mark in the coming weeks,” Usi Zade said. “While the halving offers a good basis for growth based on demand and scarcity, the timeline for impact on price can vary over time.”He noted that Bitcoin’s growth remains closely tied to traditional financial markets and investor sentiment.Related: Bitcoin speculative appetite declines as investors seek safetyBitcoin reached a new all-time high above $109,000 on Jan. 20, 273 days after the 2024 Bitcoin halving, signaling an accelerated market cycle.Source: JelleIn comparison, it took Bitcoin 546 days to reach an all-time high after the 2021 halving, and 518 days after the 2017 halving, according to data shared by popular crypto trader Jelle, in an April 8 X post.Magazine: Bitcoin’s odds of June highs, SOL’s $485M outflows, and more: Hodler’s Digest, March 2 – 8

The Bank for International Settlements’ (BIS) push to isolate crypto markets and its controversial recommendations on DeFi and stablecoins is “dangerous” for the entire financial system, warns the head of a blockchain investment firm.“Many of their recommendations and conclusions – perhaps due to a mix of fear, arrogance or ignorance–are completely uninformed and frankly, dangerous,” CoinFund president Christopher Perkins said in an April 19 X post, referring to the BIS April 15 report titled “Cryptocurrencies and decentralized finance: functions and financial stability implication.” BIS recommendations exposes TradFi to risks of “unimaginable scale”“Crypto is not communism,” Perkins said, pushing back against the BIS’s call for a “containment” approach to isolate crypto from traditional finance and the broader economy.“It’s the new internet that provides anyone with a connection access to financial services,” Perkins said. “You cannot control it anymore than you control the internet,” he added.Perkins warned that a containment approach to crypto would expose the traditional financial system to massive liquidity risks “of unimaginable scale,” especially when the crypto market operates in real-time, 24/7, while traditional financial markets shuts down after trading hours.“If implemented they will cause–not mitigate–the systemic risk they seek to prevent.”The report warned that the number of investors and amount of capital in crypto and DeFi have “reached a critical mass,” with investor protection becoming a “significant concern for regulators.”Source: Michael EgorovPerkins pushed back against the BIS’ claim that DeFi presents significant challenges, arguing instead that it represents a “significant improvement” over the “opacity” and imbalances of the traditional financial system.Related: Crypto industry is not experiencing regulatory capture — AttorneyResponding to the BIS’s concern about the anonymity of DeFi developers, Perkins questioned its relevance:“Sorry, but when was the last time a TradFi company published a list of its developers? Sure, public companies provide a degree of disclosures and transparency, but they seem to be dying off in favor of private markets.”Perkins also critiqued the BIS’s concern around stablecoins that it could lead to “macroeconomic instability in countries like Venezuela and Zimbabwe.”“If there is demand for USD stablecoins and it helps improve the condition of anyone in the developing world, perhaps that is a good thing,” Perkins said.Source: Christopher PerkinsPerkins wasn’t alone in criticizing the controversial report. Lightspark co-founder Christian Catalini also weighed in, posting a series of critiques on X that same day. Catalini summed up the report with the analogy:“Think: writing parking regulations for a fleet of self‑driving drones — earnest work, two technological leaps behind.”Magazine: Altcoin season to hit in Q2? Mantra’s plan to win trust: Hodler’s Digest, April 13 – 19

Brandon Ferrick, general counsel at Douro Labs, said that the Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) openness to public input on crypto policy and their roundtable discussions are positive signs that the crypto industry is not currently experiencing regulatory capture.In an interview with Cointelegraph, Ferrick identified signs of regulatory capture including, a public-to-private sector revolving door of employees, the same roster of attendees at regulatory events, and special treatment given to certain crypto projects. However, Ferrick added:”The reason why I am not worried today is that a lot of what you’re seeing from the regulatory side, like the SEC, for example, is totally open, public, and there are available opportunities to have conversations with the regulators about changing or thinking about the regulatory structures.””[The SEC] has a public portal where you can just submit written commentary on your thoughts for the crypto regulatory environment, and you can schedule meetings with them,” the attorney continued.Crypto Industry executives and panelists discuss cohesive crypto regulation at the SEC’s first crypto roundtable in March 2025. Source: SEC As the crypto industry becomes more integrated with the traditional financial system and engages state regulators more, some analysts and executives are worried that the industry is experiencing regulatory capture that will skew incentives and politicize the burgeoning crypto sector.Related: SEC staff gives guidance on how securities laws could apply to cryptoSEC hosts several roundtable discussions on crypto policyThe SEC has hosted several crypto roundtable discussions and panels, with more slated in the coming months — a sharp contrast from the agency’s regulation-by-enforcement approach under former SEC chairman Gary Gensler.On March 21, the regulatory agency hosted its first crypto roundtable, which featured crypto industry executives, SEC officials, and even opponents of the crypto industry.Former SEC official John Reed Stark was highly critical of the industry and opposed comprehensive regulatory reform, arguing that digital assets must comply with existing securities laws.Former SEC official John Reed Stark addresses the SEC’s March 2025 crypto roundtable. Source: SECThe SEC’s April 11 roundtable focused on trading rules and included a different set of panelists, including representatives from Uniswap and Coinbase.The next SEC panel will occur on April 25 and focus on establishing guidelines for crypto custodians and other firms holding crypto on behalf of customers.Magazine: SEC’s U-turn on crypto leaves key questions unanswered