LayerZero issued a statement regarding the $292 million hack suffered by Kelp DAO, accusing Kelp’s self-selected 1-of-1 DVN configuration of making the incident possible. The attacker was the North Korean Lazarus Group. LayerZero emphasized that this incident stems from configuration choices and that it will no longer support this kind of vulnerable setup. In addition, responsibility is still disputed, and no compensation plan has been provided.

Polymarket is seeking a valuation of $12 to $15 billion, in early-stage fundraising discussions; if successful, it could grow tenfold in a short period of time. Competitor Kalshi is also seeking a valuation of more than $10 billion. In addition, Polymarket has teamed up with sports betting giant DraftKings and launched a USDC-backed stablecoin, demonstrating strong market demand and a viable business model.

Bearish sentiment persists, but early accumulation signals are emerging across select altcoins. Infrastructure and utility-driven projects show consistent development despite weak price action. Speculative and experimental assets continue to attract attention during early market

A U.S. Navy destroyer destroyed and seized an Iranian cargo ship in the Gulf of Oman, driving up market risk-hedging sentiment, with Bitcoin down 2.5% and Brent crude soaring to $97. Iran vowed retaliation, and diplomatic negotiations face a highly uncertain situation. On Wednesday, the ceasefire deadline has become the focus of market attention.

XRP ETFs attracted $1.5B in inflows without early outflows, driven by strong institutional demand following SEC clarity. New regulations sped up approvals, leading to increased institutional holdings as network activity and XRP adoption rose significantly.

Ethereum: Strong DeFi adoption, staking rewards, and continued network upgrades support long-term growth. Solana: Fast transactions, growing developer ecosystem, and NFT expansion drive increasing market interest. Chainlink: Critical oracle network linking real-world data with

China’s GDP grew 5% year over year in the first quarter of 2026, showing that it is still holding steady and making progress toward its policy goals under external pressure. High-tech and equipment manufacturing industries became the main drivers of growth, with year-over-year increases of 12.5% and 8.9%, respectively. Total imports and exports rose 15% year over year, demonstrating resilience. This data is also a bargaining chip for the upcoming Trump-Xi summit negotiations, which could affect the crypto market and Taiwan’s supply chain.

XRP price rose to $1.48 on April 17, up 4.51% over the last 24 hours, as stronger trading activity, easing geopolitical tension, and Ripple-related banking developments supported sentiment, according to market data. Daily trading volume increased 14.35% to $4.52 billion, while the token's market

Silicon Valley startup Sabi announced that it is developing a non-invasive wearable brain-computer interface that will let users input text into a screen just by “thinking.” It is expected to launch by the end of 2026. The device will be equipped with up to 100,000 micro-sensors, helping to accurately interpret brain activity, and Sabi also emphasizes data privacy protection.

CleanSpark (Nasdaq: CLSK) has the largest share of short open interest among Bitcoin mining and treasury companies, with short positions representing 34.89% of the free float and 4.71 days to cover, according to the source analysis. The stock traded at $11.42, up from $8.18 at the end of March,