Author: James Wilson
Summary Deribit data shows $20k Bitcoin put options are now the third most crowded strike by open interest, with about $596m notional, behind $125k and $75k calls heading into the quarterly expiry. Despite the doomsday optics, much of the $20k put exposure likely reflects traders selling tail-risk insurance for premium rather than betting on a 70%+ crash from spot. With max pain clustered around $75k and fear gauges elevated after macro and geopolitical shocks, the positioning highlights a split market: structurally bullish but acutely aware of low‑probability blow-up scenarios. As Bitcoin’s largest quarterly options expiration of the year approaches on…
Arthur Hayes, a veteran trader and co-founder of BitMEX, has once again placed a bet in ETHFI nearly a month after a possible exit from the token. Summary Arthur Hayes re entered ETHFI with a $72,800 purchase shortly before Upbit announced a KRW listing, drawing attention to the timing of the move. ETHFI price briefly surged nearly 12% following the listing before retracing, highlighting volatility tied to exchange driven catalysts. Technical signals remain mixed, with a breakout above trendline resistance suggesting upside potential, while MACD and RSI indicate lingering bearish pressure. According to a March 19 X post by on-chain…
Some South Korean lawmakers are pushing back against the ruling party’s plan to levy a 22% tax on cryptocurrencies. Summary People Power Party has introduced a bill to amend the Income Tax Act and scrap the planned crypto gains tax ahead of its 2027 rollout. The proposed 22% tax on crypto profits above 2.5 million won has already been delayed three times amid continued political disagreement and industry pushback. A bill introduced by the right-wing People Power Party on Thursday seeks to amend the Income Tax Act and fully abolish the planned taxation on cryptocurrency gains, according to local media…
The European Central Bank is looking for experts who can help define how a potential digital euro can be used across ATMs and payment terminals. Summary ECB opens applications for expert workstreams to define how a digital euro would function across ATMs and payment terminals. Workstreams will focus on technical specifications and certification frameworks to ensure integration with existing payment systems, including offline capability. The ECB published an announcement on Wednesday, opening applications for two workstreams under its Rulebook Development Group. The first will focus on implementation specifications for ATM and terminal providers, while the other will work on certification…
Crypto scammers are using OpenClaw’s popularity to target developers via a new GitHub phishing campaign designed to drain their crypto wallets. Summary Attackers are impersonating OpenClaw on GitHub, creating fake accounts and tagging developers with messages offering $5,000 in $CLAW tokens. Victims are directed to a cloned website where a malicious wallet connection prompt is used to trigger wallet draining. OX Security says the campaign uses obfuscated code and targeted tactics, though no confirmed victims have been reported so far. A report published by platform OX Security detailed an active phishing campaign targeting OpenClaw via a coordinated effort on GitHub,…
A Coinbase user’s attempt to block an IRS summons for his financial records was blocked by a California court. Summary A California court dismissed a Coinbase user’s attempt to block an IRS summons, citing failure to meet required notification rules within the 90 day deadline. The petition challenged the summons on privacy and scope grounds, even though the user had already amended his tax return and paid additional dues. According to information from PACER, Roger Metz filed a petition in the Northern District of California in May last year to quash an IRS summons that sought his financial records in…
Oil tops $100 as the Hormuz blockade chokes 20% of global supply, forcing a rare Jones Act waiver and stoking inflation that threatens Fed cuts and crypto risk appetite. Summary Brent trades above $104 and WTI near $97, more than 70% above January levels, as the U.S.-Israel war on Iran effectively shuts the Strait of Hormuz. The Trump administration’s 60‑day Jones Act waiver lets foreign tankers move fuel between U.S. ports, but estimates suggest only modest relief for gasoline prices. Surging energy costs flow into PPI and future CPI, keeping Fed cuts on hold and adding macro pressure to Bitcoin…
XRP has legal clarity and sits in a post‑parabolic range; models see slow upside toward 2026–2030, with any real breakout hinging on Ripple turning hype into payment volume. Summary XRP trades in the mid‑$1.40s and is negative year‑to‑date after a huge 2024–2025 run, behaving like a large‑cap alt digesting gains rather than a meme coin about to explode. The 2025 SEC settlement treated XRP as a non‑security for exchange trading, imposed manageable penalties on Ripple, and lifted the lawsuit overhang, but shifted the story from court drama to execution risk. Base‑case models cluster around a gradual climb (roughly $1.7–$1.9 by…
Sen. Cynthia Lummis says the Digital Asset Market CLARITY Act “must be completed by the end of the year,” with Republicans planning a late‑April Banking Committee markup after months of delay. Summary Lummis told colleagues the CLARITY Act “must be completed by the end of the year,” and said Republican members of Senate Banking aim to start markup in late April after Easter. The bill would split oversight of “digital commodities” and securities between the CFTC and SEC, set rules for exchanges and issuers, and plug gaps left by the 2025 GENIUS Act stablecoin law. A dispute over banning passive…
Pi has morphed from a hyped IOU into a battered $0.18 L1; 2026’s open mainnet will decide whether it earns real usage or just fuels another round of unlocked sell pressure. Summary Pi now trades near $0.18 with a roughly $1.7–1.8 billion market cap after an 80–90% rally toward $0.30 faded, as unlocks and miner distribution keep it pinned near cycle lows. The 2026 “open mainnet” pivot — stricter KYC, biometric checks and migrating 2.5 million users into a compliant, transferable environment — is the only real catalyst beyond more supply hitting order books. External forecasts mostly cluster around range‑bound…