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Tether plans US stablecoin launch as soon as this year — CNBC

Tether plans to launch a stablecoin product in the United States as soon as this year, the stablecoin issuer’s CEO, Paul Ardoino, said in an April 30 CNBC interview.

Tether’s flagship stablecoin, USDT (USDT), is already the US dollar’s top “exporter,” Ardoino told CNBC. It has a market capitalization of nearly $150 billion, according to data from CoinGecko.

Now, Tether is preparing to expand into the US market “by the end of this year or early next year, at the fastest,” Ardoino said, adding that the timing depends on US lawmakers’ progress on stablecoin legislation.

The stablecoin issuer is working to woo US regulators by proactively collaborating with law enforcement and highlighting USDT’s benefits for the US economy.

“We are just exporters of what we believe to be the best product the United States ever

VC Roundup: Funding surge targets confidentiality, tokenization and Web3 infrastructure

After months of volatility and extreme fear, crypto markets turned a positive corner in the second half of April, highlighting the industry’s big sentiment shift.

For venture capital, it was business as usual, with investors continuing to pour money into promising startups across layer-1 blockchains, infrastructure, real-world asset tokenization (RWA), and Web3 social media.

This edition of VC Roundup highlights six notable funding deals from April.

Unto Labs raises $14.4M for layer-1 blockchain

Blockchain R&D company Unto Labs raised $14.4 million to continue developing its scalable layer-1 network called Thru. The pre-seed and seed funding was led by venture firms Electric Capital and Framework, with support from angel investors in the Solana engineering community.

The company is led by former Solana contributor Liam Heeger, who argues that “blockchains painted themselves into a corner by inventing custom Virtual Machines (VMs),” which he believes has prevented mainstream adoption.

Thru is built on

Ethereum Pectra upgrade goes live next week — Will ETH price rally?

Key takeaways:

ETH price has underperformed its peers during the current bull market, but gas sponsorship could lure developers and traders back to the network.

Ethereum’s upcoming Pectra upgrade promises to improve staking efficiency, potentially increasing demand for ETH.

Data suggests ETH price bottomed. Will the Pectra narrative reignite bullish momentum?

Since 2024, ETH (ETH) has been more of a meme than a market mover. Unlike most of its rivals, ETH still hasn’t reclaimed its all-time high of $4,870 from November 2021, and it regularly underperforms even in the weak altcoin market. Currently, ETH trades at $1,813, down 56% from its local peak in December 2024.

Despite the dismal price action, dismissing Ethereum as a relic may be premature. The network continues to evolve, and the upcoming Pectra upgrade scheduled for May 7 could rekindle market interest. By addressing long-standing user experience challenges and improving staking, Pectra may help Ethereum

Ripple $4B-$5B bid to purchase Circle rejected — Report

Blockchain payments firm Ripple has reportedly bid up to $5 billion in an effort to acquire stablecoin issuer Circle, but the offer was rejected.

According to an April 30 Bloomberg report, Ripple put in a bid of between $4 billion and $5 billion as part of an attempted takeover of Circle, which was rejected as being too low. Ripple hasn’t considered whether to make another bid to purchase the stablecoin issuer.

The reported acquisition came less than 30 days after Circle applied for an initial public offering (IPO) in the US. Cointelegraph reached out to representatives of Circle and Ripple for comment, but did not receive a response from either at the time of publication.

This is a developing story, and further information will be added as it becomes available.

Price predictions 4/30: BTC, ETH, XRP, BNB, SOL, DOGE, ADA, SUI, LINK, AVAX

Key points:

Bitcoin’s 7-day volatility is the lowest in 563 days, signaling an impending range expansion.

Bitcoin’s breakout above $95,000 could swiftly take it to $100,000 and above.

Although the probability is low, traders should remain cautious about a pullback in the near term.

Bitcoin (BTC) has been trading in a tight consolidation near the $95,000 level for several days. K33 Research head of research Vetle Lunde said in a post on X that Bitcoin’s 7-day volatility has hit a 563-day low.

A range expansion usually follows a low-volatility period. Although it is difficult to predict the direction of the breakout, a tight consolidation just below a crucial resistance increases the likelihood of an upside rally. Several analysts are also optimistic that Bitcoin’s break will occur to the upside.

Crypto market data daily view. Source: Coin360

Although

Global demand grows for non-dollar stablecoins, says Fireblocks exec

Governments outside the US, including Singapore, are increasingly interested in stablecoins not tied to the US dollar, despite their currently limited liquidity, Fireblocks director of policy Dea Markova told Cointelegraph at Token2049.

In an exclusive interview, Markova described the competition with dollar-pegged stablecoins as “all about sovereignty.” She compared the situation to earlier tensions between governments and US payment giants like Visa and Mastercard. “Now we’re seeing the same dynamic with stablecoins — on a smaller scale for now — but they’re definitely emerging as a new arena for sovereign concerns,” she said.

According to Markova, dollar-pegged stablecoins operating in the European Union are already “having a massive headache,” particularly from central banks. “Even though they’re compliant and regulated, they’re having a fixed push back.”

Dea Markova at Token2049. Source: Cointelegraph

The European Central Bank is increasing pressure to accelerate the development of a digital euro, citing concerns over

Bitcoin selling at $95K is ‘profit-taking pressure test’ but BTC whales are still buying

Key Takeaways:

US GDP shrank -0.3% in Q1, far below +0.3% forecasts, sparking recession fears.

Bitcoin faces selling pressure with its spot volume delta dropping $300 million in 3 days.

Whales are accumulating BTC, but smaller holders are selling, hinting at profit-taking.

Bitcoin’s (BTC) price dropped under $93,000 on April 30, after the US Gross Domestic Product (GDP) data revealed a -0.3% contraction in Q1. While the GDP missed expectations of +0.3%, the GDP Price Index soared to 3.7%—the highest since August 2023. Polymarket odds of a recession in 2025 hit 67%, with consumer confidence at its lowest since May 2020.

Quarterly US GDP growth data. Source: X.com

Meanwhile, in March 2025, PCE (Personal Consumption Expenditures) inflation fell to 2.3% (above the expected 2.2%), and Core PCE dropped to 2.6% (in line with expectations). Still, February’s Core PCE was revised from 2.8% to 3.0%, signaling mixed

Ex-Binance CEO chides Europe over crypto adoption

Changpeng “CZ” Zhao, the former CEO of crypto exchange Binance, said most European countries were moving “nowhere” in terms of the adoption of digital currencies.

Speaking at the Token2049 conference in Dubai on April 30, Zhao said that areas of the United Arab Emirates were “extremely pro-business,” leading to crypto adoption in Dubai, while others like Bhutan were building national Bitcoin (BTC) and Ether (ETH) stockpiles. According to Zhao, the US was pressing other countries’ hands by exploring its own policies for a crypto reserve, but those in Europe didn’t seem to be reacting.

“I don’t see Europe in this discussion,” said Zhao, highlighting one exception. “Montenegro is actually quite pro-crypto. We had an active dialogue with [the] prime minister there, and he’s a very forward-thinking person, leader. But other than Montenegro, I don’t have any other,

Grayscale launches Bitcoin adopters exchange-traded fund

Asset manager Grayscale launched the Grayscale Bitcoin Adopters exchange-traded fund (ETF), an investment vehicle that tracks companies employing a Bitcoin (BTC) treasury, or holding strategy.

According to the April 30 announcement, the ETF will provide exposure to companies across seven business sectors, including Bitcoin mining firms, automotive companies, and energy.

Some of the most notable firms in the ETF include Michael Saylor’s Strategy, mining company MARA, automotive manufacturer Tesla, BTC treasury company Metaplanet, and aerospace energy firm KULR Technology Group.

Grayscale’s Bitcoin Adopters ETF highlights the growing trend of Bitcoin acquisition companies using the scarce digital asset to drive up shareholder prices and to protect their corporate financial reserves against the inflation inherent in fiat currencies.

Public companies with Bitcoin holdings. Source: River

Bitcoin drops under $93K after US GDP data shows shrinking economy, raising recession alarms

Key points:

US GDP shrank in Q1, raising recession alarms while also prompting calls for Fed rate cuts.

Bitcoin dropped to $92,910 as GDP figures were released, but sustained buy-side demand could provide support.

Today’s crypto derisking is likely transitory; market fundamentals remain strong.

Bitcoin (BTC) price took an abrupt tumble as data showed the US gross domestic product (GDP) retracting by 0.3% in Q1, raising alarms among analysts anticipating a recession. Following the news, BTC price dropped to an intra-day low of $92,910, while the DOW and S&P 500 fell by 1% and 1.3% respectively.

While the GDP figures are shocking at face value, CNBC pointed out that the drop was primarily due to “a surge in imports ahead of President Donald Trump’s tariffs.” Imports are subtracted from GDP, suggesting that the pullback is more transitory than endemic.

After an initial 1% price drop, Bitcoin