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Research institution Bernstein's latest report states that as Bitcoin approaches the $80,000 mark, the cryptocurrency market is entering a new phase of structural growth. This cycle may last longer than previous ones and has "asymmetric upside potential." The report points out that the previous drop to $60,000 has formed a temporary bottom, and the market is being driven by the integration of institutional funds and the traditional financial system.Analyst Gautam Chhugani stated, "The best times for the crypto industry are still ahead, which will be reflected in a higher and more sustained bull market cycle." In terms of supply structure, about 60% of Bitcoin has not been transferred for over a year, indicating an increase in the proportion of long-term holders; at the same time, ETFs and corporate balance sheet allocations continue to absorb supply. Strategy currently holds approximately 818,000 BTC, and its yield-generating products are attracting more traditional funds.On the institutional channel front, Morgan Stanley and Charles Schwab are expanding Bitcoin ETF and spot trading access, further lowering investment thresholds. Fundamentally, the supply of stablecoins has surpassed $300 billion, and the demand for real payments and settlements has increased; the tokenization scale of real-world assets (RWA) has reached $345 billion, a year-on-year increase of 110%. Additionally, platforms like Hyperliquid are driving increased activity in on-chain stock and commodity trading.The report also warns that quantum computing poses a long-term potential risk to crypto security, but it is manageable in the short term, and the industry has ample time to transition to quantum-resistant standards.

According to Coinglass data, the current 8-hour average funding rate for ETH across the network is -0.0004%. Among the current mainstream exchanges, the funding rate on Binance is -0.0076%, OKX is -0.0048%, Bybit is -0.0051%, and Gate is -0.0014%.

According to Coinglass data, the current 8-hour average funding rate for BTC across the network is -0.0042%. Among the current mainstream exchanges, the rate on Binance is -0.0058%, OKX is -0.0053%, Bybit is -0.0016%, and Gate is -0.0008%.

The Spark protocol released its financial report for the first quarter of 2026 on April 27.The report shows that the gross protocol return for the quarter was $31.5 million (a 31% decrease quarter-over-quarter), the net protocol return was $6.91 million (a 30% decrease quarter-over-quarter), and the net protocol surplus was $3.46 million (a 47% decrease quarter-over-quarter). The protocol treasury reached a size of $46.1 million at the end of the quarter (a 5.7% increase quarter-over-quarter). Additionally, Spark launched a SPK token buyback program, investing $986,000 to repurchase tokens from the open market.The revenue structure for this quarter has shifted, with distribution rewards becoming the largest net return contributor to the protocol ($3.31 million), surpassing the net income from Spark Liquidity Layer (SLL) for the first time. The average deployed capital for SLL was $1.93 billion, with an average annualized yield of 5.8%. SparkLend continues to support institutional-level lending operations, with its USDT savings treasury continuing to grow. The Spark institutional lending product deployed $150 million at the end of the quarter, with governance approving its $1 billion cap.The report noted that the current unfavorable conditions in the DeFi lending market have led to a narrowing of the SLL interest margin, but the protocol's distribution business has seen significant growth. USDS, as a scalable savings-based return mechanism in a poor market environment, is continuously expanding its distribution channels to multi-chain and various stablecoins.

According to the official website of the Council of the European Union, the EU officially passed the 20th round of sanctions against Russia in 2026, which is also the largest sanction package in two years, adding 120 individuals and entities to the list, and applying comprehensive pressure from multiple dimensions including energy, finance, military industry, and trade.In the field of cryptocurrency, given Russia's increasing reliance on cryptocurrency for international settlements under financial sanctions, the EU has implemented a comprehensive industry ban on cryptocurrency asset transfers and trading platforms within Russia. Additionally, it has sanctioned a platform in Kyrgyzstan that supports the government-backed stablecoin A7A5 and prohibited transactions related to the cryptocurrency RUBx as well as all support from the EU for the development of the digital ruble.

Gate announced the launch of the GateRouter enterprise account feature, enhancing enterprise-level management capabilities based on the existing AI model gateway, providing an integrated AI usage and governance solution for team and institutional users. GateRouter supports quick access to over 30 mainstream models such as GPT, Claude, DeepSeek, and Gemini through a single API, and automatically matches models based on task complexity. By intelligently routing and automatically selecting cost-effective models, GateRouter can help enterprises significantly reduce costs and achieve more efficient scalable applications.The launch of the GateRouter enterprise account feature optimizes three aspects: cost, permissions, and data. It achieves unified billing through a shared quota pool and controls budgets with a three-tier quota mechanism based on organization, members, and API Key; it supports up to 4 levels of organizational structure and a multi-role permission system for refined management; it also provides multi-dimensional statistics such as per capita usage, model distribution, and API Key, making AI usage traceable and analyzable. The overall design connects model invocation with organizational management, providing foundational support for the scalable implementation of AI within enterprises.

According to The Block, Bitcoin mining infrastructure company Luxor Technology announced a deepened partnership with MicroBT, committing to invest $100 million in the procurement of WhatsMiner mining machines.As part of the agreement, MicroBT signed a letter of intent to invest in Luxor through its investment management firm Inflection Technology Ltd., with the specific amount undisclosed. In addition, Luxor will support WhatsMiner mining machines through its LuxOS firmware, with new features including power switching completed within 30 to 60 seconds, improved startup speed during power limitation events, and will be rolled out in phases. Mining operators running LuxOS will have access to a complete service system including Luxor mining pool, hash rate derivatives, energy services, and fleet management tools.

According to Coinglass data, the current 8-hour average funding rate for ETH across the network is -0.002%. Among the current mainstream exchanges, the funding rate on Binance is -0.0077%, OKX is -0.0048%, Bybit is -0.0054%, and Gate is 0.0024%.

According to Coinglass data, the current 8-hour average funding rate for BTC across the network is -0.0036%. Among the current mainstream exchanges, the rate on Binance is -0.0086%, OKX is -0.0063%, Bybit is 0.003%, and Gate is 0.0024%.

According to Cointelegraph, Vanessa Perrée, the French national prosecutor for organized crime, stated that 88 people have been prosecuted for allegedly carrying out "ransom attacks" against cryptocurrency holders, including 10 minors, with 75 individuals in pre-trial detention, involving 12 cases currently being investigated by a Paris court judge. "Ransom attacks" refer to the use of violence through home invasions, kidnappings, and other means to gain access to the victims' cryptocurrency wallets.Perrée indicated that some suspects are involved in multiple cases, revealing the existence of a structured network, and the investigation is ongoing to identify all perpetrators and planners. Records from the French national office for organized crime show 18 such incidents in 2024, 67 in 2025, and 47 so far in 2026.

According to on-chain analyst Ai Yi's monitoring, the "two-month profit of 44.61 million dollars from ETH leveraged whales" has a remaining long position of 20,000 ETH, which has once again realized a profit of 2.134 million dollars. The fluctuation from a floating loss of 1.227 million dollars to a floating profit represents a difference of 3.361 million dollars. Its average opening price was 2,287.2 dollars, and there were two instances of position reduction on April 20 and April 21, with a total profit-taking of 1.042 million dollars.

According to Coinglass data, the current 8-hour average funding rate for ETH across the network is -0.0025%. Among the current mainstream exchanges, the funding rate on Binance is -0.0066%, OKX is -0.0032%, Bybit is 0%, and Gate is -0.0042%.

According to Coinglass data, the current 8-hour average funding rate for BTC across the network is -0.0024%. Among the current mainstream exchanges, the rate on Binance is 0.0003%, OKX is -0.0039%, Bybit is 0.0004%, and Gate is -0.0061%.

According to Coinglass data, the current 8-hour average funding rate for ETH across the network is -0.0014%. Among the current mainstream exchanges, the rate on Binance is -0.0029%, OKX is -0.0024%, Bybit is 0.0015%, and Gate is -0.0015%.

According to Coinglass data, the current 8-hour average funding rate for BTC across the network is -0.0031%. Among the current mainstream exchanges, the rate on Binance is 0.0002%, OKX is -0.0004%, Bybit is 0.0009%, and Gate is -0.0063%.

According to Lookonchain monitoring, a suspected insider trading address that previously made a profit of 2.27 million dollars in an APE trade is now going long on LDO.The address is using 2 wallets to go long on 5.57 million LDO (worth approximately 5.16 million dollars) with 5x leverage.

Strategy founder Michael Saylor has once again released information related to the Bitcoin Tracker, captioned: "The ₿eat Goes On."According to previous patterns, Strategy always discloses information about increasing Bitcoin holdings the day after related news is released.