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Eliza Labs launches auto.fun, a no-code AI spin on Pump.Fun

Eliza Labs, the developer behind the AI agent framework ai16z, announced the launch of auto.fun, a new no-code platform allowing users to launch AI agents on Web3 applications.

Auto.fun allows for the creation, deployment and monetization of AI agents by non-developers without programming knowledge, according to an April 17 announcement.

The platform supports the creation of AI agents that interact with social media, decentralized finance (DeFi) apps and other Web3 services.

“The vision for auto.fun is to democratize access to both AI and Web3 technologies by creating agents that can execute tasks autonomously on behalf of users,” said Shaw Walters, founder of Eliza Labs and the open-source elizaOS.

The animated ASCII art shown to auto.fun visitors ahead of launch. Source: auto.fun

Walters said the agents could automate yield farming strategies, manage social media accounts or trade on behalf of users. The platform is focused on X support, with DeFi,

Bybit shuts down four more Web3 services after axing NFT marketplace

Bybit is shutting down more of its Web3 services after axing its non-fungible token (NFT) marketplace earlier in April.

According to an April 16 announcement, the exchange is shutting down its Cloud Wallet (a hosted custodial wallet), Keyless Wallet (non‑custodial multiparty computation wallet with no seed phrase), NFT marketplace, multi‑chain decentralized exchange (DEX) DEX Pro and the Swap & Bridge cross‑chain swap widget on May 31.

Source: Bybit Web3

On April 28, Bybit will also discontinue Web3 Points, its internal loyalty program that rewarded onchain activity with redeemable points for fee discounts, airdrop boosts and early-bird perks.

On the same day, the exchange will shut down its inscription marketplace, the decentralized NFT marketplace NFT Pro, the gateway to the Apex Pro derivatives DEX, its fiat-to-crypto on-ramp, and its initial DEX offering service.

North Korean hackers target crypto devs with fake recruitment tests

North Korean hackers linked to the $1.4 billion Bybit exploit are reportedly targeting crypto developers using fake recruitment tests infected with malware.

Cybersecurity outlet The Hacker News reported that crypto developers have received coding assignments from malicious actors posing as recruiters. The coding challenges have reportedly been used to deliver malware to unsuspecting developers.

Malicious actors approach crypto developers on LinkedIn and tell them about fraudulent career opportunities. Once they convince the developer, the hackers send a malicious document containing the details of a coding challenge on GitHub. If opened, the file installs stealer malware capable of compromising the victim’s system.

The scam is reportedly run by a North Korean hacking group known as Slow Pisces, also referred to as Jade Sleet, Pukchong, TraderTraitor and UNC4899.

Cybersecurity professionals warn of fraudulent job offers

Hakan Unal, senior security operations center lead at security firm Cyvers, told Cointelegraph that the hackers often

Mantra OM token crash exposes ‘critical’ liquidity issues in crypto

Mantra’s recent token collapse highlights deeper-rooted issues within the crypto industry around fluctuating liquidity levels, creating additional downside volatility over the weekend, which may have exacerbated the token’s crash.

The Mantra (OM) token’s price collapsed by over 90% on April 13, from roughly $6.30 to below $0.50, triggering market manipulation allegations among disillusioned investors, Cointelegraph reported.

While blockchain analysts are still piecing together the reasons behind the OM collapse, the event highlights critical issues for the crypto industry, according to Gracy Chen, the CEO of cryptocurrency exchange Bitget.

“The Om token crash exposed several critical issues that we are seeing not just in OM, but also as an industry,” Chen said during Cointelegraph’s Chainreaction daily X show, adding:

“When it’s a token that’s too concentrated, the wealth concentration and the very opaque governance, together with sudden exchange inflows and

Polygon’s Nailwal: Jio partnership to drive real-world Web3 adoption for 450M users

As Polygon lays the groundwork for mainstream Web3 adoption in India by bringing blockchain access to over 450 million Reliance Jio users, it remains focused on balancing speed, scalability and affordability, without compromising on decentralization.

Polygon is working with Jio, a telecom giant owned by India’s richest man, Mukesh Ambani, to find ways to infuse blockchain technology into its existing services. The duo is currently adding blockchain-based capabilities to the JioSphere web browser, which would have been expensive, cumbersome and time-consuming via traditional methods.

“We’re building at an insane pace, onboarding massive partners, and pushing blockchain into the mainstream, but with that growth comes the responsibility to make sure we’re doing it the right way,” Polygon’s co-founder, Sandeep Nailwal, said while discussing Polygon’s India-focused initiatives with Cointelegraph.

Preserving decentralization while ensuring system scalability

“Scalability and decentralization don’t have to be either-or, and that’s exactly the balance we’re focused on

Babylon total value locked drops 32% as wallets unstake $1.2B in Bitcoin

Bitcoin staking protocol Babylon saw $1.26 billion in BTC unstaked from its platform, reducing the protocol’s total value locked by 32%.

On April 17, blockchain analytics firm Lookonchain flagged several addresses that had unstaked a total of 14,929 Bitcoin (BTC) from the staking platform. The security firm flagged four addresses that had unstaked 299 BTC, 499 BTC, 1,000 BTC and 13,129 BTC.

One address held a majority of the unstaked assets worth $1.1 billion. With BTC prices hovering at around $84,400, the total unstaked BTC was worth about $1.26 billion.

The unstaking event saw Babylon’s total value locked (TVL) drop by 32%. According to data tracker DefiLlama, Babylon’s TVL declined from $3.97 billion to $2.68 billion after the unstaking.

Source: LookonchainUnstaked Bitcoin may be “staked back” to Babylon

Community members are speculating on who was behind the unstaking. One X

Binance helps countries with Bitcoin reserves, crypto policies, says CEO

Cryptocurrency exchange Binance is involved in discussions on establishing strategic digital asset reserves with several countries, its CEO, Richard Teng, reportedly said.

Binance has been advising multiple governments on establishing strategic Bitcoin (BTC) reserves and formulating crypto asset regulations, Teng said in an interview with the Financial Times on April 17.

“We have actually received quite a number of approaches by a few governments and sovereign wealth funds on the establishment of their own crypto reserves,” Teng told the FT.

Teng did not identify any countries but said that the United States is “way ahead on that front.”

US fuels global crypto reserve spree

According to Teng, the main reason for governments approaching Binance for help in handling potential strategic reserves is the new crypto-friendly agenda in the US.

Teng referred to key US crypto policy developments, such as discussions around

Bitcoin gold copycat move may top $150K as BTC stays 'impressive'

Bitcoin (BTC) has a new gold-inspired $155,000 target, as analysis describes both assets as “remarkably impressive.”

In a post on X on April 16, popular trading and analytics account Cryptollica predicted BTC/USD copying gold to hit new all-time highs next.

Analysis sees key BTC price similarities to gold

Bitcoin has made the headlines for its inability to follow in gold’s record-breaking footsteps in 2025.

While XAU/USD continues to see repeated record highs, BTC/USD is down 9.3% year-to-date, data from Cointelegraph Markets Pro and TradingView shows.

BTC/USD 1-day chart. Source: Cointelegraph/TradingView

Despite calls for an imminent “blow-off top” for gold, Bitcoin bulls hope that after a delay of several months, its “digital” equivalent will follow suit.

For Cryptollica, this means BTC/USD breaking out of a consolidatory wedge structure to swiftly reclaim six figures

AI tokens, memecoins dominate crypto narratives in Q1 2025: CoinGecko

The cryptocurrency market is still recycling old narratives, with few new trends yet to emerge and replace the dominant themes in the first quarter of 2025.

Artificial intelligence tokens and memecoins were the dominant crypto narrative in the first quarter of 2025, accounting for 62.8% of investor interest, according to a quarterly research report by CoinGecko. AI tokens captured 35.7% of global investor interest, overtaking the 27.1% share of memecoins, which remained in second place.

Out of the top 20 crypto narratives of the quarter, six were memecoin categories while five were AI-related.

AI tokens, memecoins, were leading crypto narratives in Q1 2025: CoinGecko

“Seems like we have yet to see another new narrative emerge and we are still following past quarters’ trends,” said Bobby Ong, the co-founder and chief operating officer of CoinGecko, in an April 17 X <a data-ct-non-breakable="null" href="https://x.com/bobbyong/status/1912764341713350748/photo/1" rel="null" target="null"

Russia finance ministry official floats country making own stablecoins: Report

A Russian finance ministry official has reportedly said the country should be developing its own stablecoin after a recent freeze on wallets linked to the sanctioned Russian exchange Garantex by US authorities and stablecoin issuer Tether.

Deputy director of Russia’s Finance Ministry’s financial policy department, Osman Kabaloev, said the Kremlin should be exploring the possibility of developing a stablecoin like Tether’s (USDT) to avoid similar actions in the future, according to April 16 reports by Reuters and the state-owned news agency TASS.

“We do not impose restrictions on the use of stablecoins within the experimental legal regime. Recent developments have shown that this instrument can pose risks for us,” Kabaloev told TASS.

“This leads us to consider the need to develop internal instruments akin to USDT, potentially pegged to other currencies.”

On March 6,