Bretton Woods institutions must reorient, US Treasury secretary says

United States Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent recently called for “Bretton Woods institutions,” such as the International Monetary Fund (IMF), to reorient themselves, a signal that the global monetary order could be shifting.

Speaking at the Institute of International Finance (IIF) on April 23, Bessent called on the IMF and the World Bank to correct trade imbalances and protect the value of fiat currencies against exchange rate risk.

“The Bretton Woods institutions must step back from their sprawling and unfocused agendas,” Bessent said. He added:

“The IMF’s mission is to promote international monetary cooperation, facilitate the balanced growth of international trade, encourage economic growth, and discourage harmful policies like competitive exchange rate depreciation.”

Bessent’s call for the IMF to correct trade imbalances between countries, specifically the US and China, coincides with a decline in the US dollar to three-year lows, $36 trillion in US government

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Bitcoin ETF inflows top 500 times 2025 average in 'significant deviation'

Key points:

Bitcoin ETF inflows obliterated the 2025 average on April 22.

ETF performance remains tightly dependent on BTC price action, with the turnaround following six-week highs in BTC/USD.

ETFs themselves are gaining influence, with one commentator arguing that they can “determine” exchange activity.

Bitcoin (BTC) institutional investors piled over eleven times the all-time average into the US spot Bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs) on April 22.

Fresh data from onchain analytics firm Glassnode confirms that the $912 million ETF inflows equal more than 500 times the 2025 daily average.

Glassnode: 2025 ETF average inflow just 23 BTC

Bitcoin ETFs immediately felt the impact of BTC price rises this week, with inflows undergoing a “dramatic” turnaround to nearly $1 billion in a single day. BTC/USD hit its highest levels since early March.

Glassnode reveals just how unusual such a tally is

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Top TRUMP tokenholders revealed? US President to host memecoin dinner

Some of the top holders of Donald Trump’s memecoin could come out of the shadows to appear for a dinner the US President is planning to host on May 22.

As of April 23, the official Trump memecoin (TRUMP) website offered the opportunity for the “top 220” holders to meet the president in person in Washington, DC. At the time of publication, the guest list for the event was unclear, but the project stated any tokenholder who applied had to pass a background check, “can not be from a [Know Your Customer] watchlist country,” and could not have any additional guests.

The memecoin, which the then-president-elect launched on Jan. 17 before taking office, has been heavily criticized by the crypto industry and lawmakers for potentially allowing foreign officials and interest groups to send money directly to the US President without proper disclosure and oversight.

The team behind

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Forget bull or bear — Bitcoin’s in a new era, says onchain analyst James Check

For years, crypto investors have looked to the four-year cycle, anchored around Bitcoin’s halving events, as a kind of sacred roadmap. The theory goes: Every four years, Bitcoin’s supply is cut in half, triggering a bullish frenzy, followed by a euphoric peak, a brutal crash, and then a slow recovery. Rinse, repeat.

But what if that model is starting to break? That is what onchain analyst James Check suggests.

In an interview with Cointelegraph, Check said that the tidy frameworks that once defined Bitcoin’s market behavior are no longer as useful in today’s macro-driven, institutionally influenced environment.

Rather than labeling the current market as “bull” or “bear,” Check paints a more nuanced picture. Bitcoin, he argues, is now driven more by macroeconomic conditions and investor psychology than by predictable cycles or halving dates. As such, the lines between bull and bear get blurry.

“The world doesn’t operate on four-year cycles,” he says. “You

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Riot Platforms secures $100M ‘Bitcoin-backed’ loan from Coinbase

Riot Platforms has used its massive Bitcoin stockpile as collateral to secure a $100 million credit facility from Coinbase as the cryptocurrency miner eyes continued expansion. 

The $100 million loan from Coinbase’s credit arm marks Riot’s “first Bitcoin-backed facility,” CEO Jason Les said in an April 23 statement.

Les said the credit line will be used to fund general corporate operations and support the company’s “strategic growth initiatives.”

Source: Riot Platforms

The credit line is scheduled to mature in one year’s time, but could be extended for an additional year. The loan carries an annual interest payment of at least 9%, based on the current upper limit of the federal funds rate plus 4.5%. 

Crucially, the funding amount “will be secured by a portion of [Riot Platforms’] total Bitcoin holdings,” the company said.

Riot owns the third-largest corporate Bitcoin (BTC)

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Institutions break up with Ethereum but keep ETH on the hook

Ethereum is entering one of its most precarious periods since its inception. Usage on the base layer is plummeting, core metrics are nearing multi-year lows, and even co-founder Vitalik Buterin is proposing a radical architectural overhaul. 

Institutions aren’t waiting to see how it plays out. Blockchain data shows that long-time supporters such as Galaxy Digital and Paradigm have been slashing their Ether (ETH) holdings in recent weeks. 

So far in April, Ethereum’s base-layer activity has continued to collapse. Ethereum’s network fees are dropping, and inflation has been rising. Though layer-2 networks continue to develop, they’re cannibalizing the base layer’s value capture.

But the story isn’t entirely about Ethereum’s collapse. Some whales are treating this downturn as a rare buying opportunity. Even those who are selling Ether can’t fully

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What are XRP futures and how to invest in them?

If you’re following developments in the cryptocurrency market, you’ve likely noticed that Coinbase Derivatives has introduced XRP futures contracts to its US derivatives exchange. This move is part of a broader trend where regulated platforms are expanding access to futures trading, giving investors new ways to engage with digital assets like XRP (XRP).

But what exactly are XRP futures? And how do you get involved as an investor or trader?

Let’s take a closer look.

What are XRP futures?

XRP futures are standardized financial contracts that allow you to agree to buy or sell XRP at a predetermined price on a specific future date. Rather than trading the actual token, you’re trading a contract that tracks the price of XRP.

These contracts are overseen by the US Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), meaning they operate within a regulated framework. That

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Blockchain prediction markets offer new hope for scientific validation

Opinion by: Sasha Shilina, PhD, founder of Episteme and researcher at Paradigm Research Institute

Decentralized prediction markets are gaining ground in the scientific world, offering an intriguing answer to the field’s ongoing reproducibility crisis. While a notable share of research findings fail to replicate in independent tests, supporters believe market-driven forecasting can speed up identifying robust studies.

Detractors remain cautious, worried that introducing financial wagers could compromise the measured, peer-reviewed process that has guided academic inquiry for centuries. The debate hinges on whether blockchain-based forecasting will elevate or destabilize scientific credibility.

Crowdsourcing predictions

Despite these concerns, recent developments point toward real promise. Platforms like Polymarket and Pump.science have shown that crowdsourcing predictions can help refine collective judgment in fields as varied as politics and longevity. This model is being adapted for science, where it could quickly flag dubious claims and reward reproducible ones. 

Although critics highlight potential market manipulation,

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PayPal to offer 3.7% yield on stablecoin balances: Report

Payments behemoth PayPal plans to offer a 3.7% yield on balances held in its PayPal USD stablecoin.

According to an April 23 Bloomberg report, a PayPal representative said that the measure aims to encourage more usage of the firm’s stablecoin. The new program is purportedly expected to launch this summer, and the rewards will also be paid out in PayPal USD (PYUSD).

Users will be able to exchange PYUSD for fiat currency, spend it, or send it to other users. The rewards will accrue daily and will be paid on a monthly basis. Jose Fernandez da Ponte explained that the company hopes this feature will lead to a higher predominance of stablecoin and crypto payments on its platform.

The report follows PayPal USD reaching a $1 billion market cap in the summer of 2024. As of publication,

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Ubisoft taps Immutable to launch Web3 card game ‘Might & Magic: Fates’

Gaming giant Ubisoft has partnered with Web3 firm Immutable to launch Might & Magic: Fates, a blockchain-powered strategy card game set in the Might & Magic universe.

According to a news release shared with Cointelegraph, Might & Magic: Fates blends classic strategic gameplay with modern blockchain technology, offering players digital ownership through Immutable’s Web3 infrastructure.

The game will launch on iOS and Android. The title introduces fresh mechanics, faction-based strategies and a wide array of legendary heroes and creatures.

Players can collect, trade, and customize decks using hundreds of cards, crafting unique strategies in a competitive environment where success is driven by skill and tactical decision-making.

Immutable co-founder Robbie Ferguson teases major announcement. Source: Robbie Ferguson

“The game is free-to-play with no hard progression barriers. Players advance by collecting cards and in-game currency through gameplay,” Justin Hulog, chief studio officer for Immutable, told Cointelegraph.

“Additionally, those

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