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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 The Block, Ciarán Fitzpatrick, the global head of ETF products at JPMorgan Securities Services, stated: "We believe that tokenization will definitely drive changes in the market, not only for ETFs but for the entire fund industry as well."Ciarán Fitzpatrick pointed out that given the many benefits that tokenization may bring, such as more convenient subscription and redemption, "almost instant settlement," and uninterrupted access, experiments with ETF tokenization are still ongoing. He added: "I think tokenization will become part of the ETF ecosystem, but it will be a few years before we see some really good use cases."

Recently, during the Hong Kong Web3 Festival, at the "CypherAsia Smart Crypto Finance Forum" hosted by institutions such as Fosun Wealth Holdings, FinChain, and exSat, guests including ME Group President Vito Luo, FinChain CTO Lance Liu, SBVA Executive Director Wang Yinzhen, Solana Foundation Solutions Architect Mike Ma, Copilot Venture Studio Co-founder Yang Linyuan, and NeoSoul Co-founder Kaelan discussed the development trends of AI and crypto finance.During the forum, NeoSoul Co-founder Kaelan stated that the AI industry is still in the early stages of rapid evolution. When evaluating AI projects, it is important to look not only at the current products but also at whether the team can continuously keep up with the changes in the underlying model capabilities.Kaelan pointed out that AI entrepreneurship requires both groundedness and vision. Groundedness means that the team must have the ability to implement engineering, design products, and understand the market to create perceivable products; vision means that the team should build in line with the evolution of large models.He believes that some early AI products may seem like toys, but in emerging industries, the existence of toy-like forms should be allowed. Many truly new paradigms often first appear as experimental products.

In response to the U.S. accusations of China "stealing" intellectual property from American artificial intelligence laboratories, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiaqun stated during a regular press conference on the 24th that the U.S. claims are unfounded and are a smear against China's achievements in the development of the artificial intelligence industry. China firmly opposes this. We urge the U.S. to respect the facts, abandon prejudice, stop suppressing technology related to China, and do more to promote technological exchange and cooperation between the two countries.

Due to the ongoing escalation of the US-Iran conflict and restrictions on transportation in the Strait of Hormuz, international oil prices continue to rise strongly, experiencing the longest consecutive increase since January. Data shows that Brent crude oil (XBRUSDT) on the Gate platform is priced at $99.78, an increase of about 2.31%; WTI crude oil (XTIUSDT) is priced at $96.62, an increase of about 2.22%. Against the backdrop of rising oil prices, the trading activity of related derivatives has also increased.According to Coinglass data, the 24-hour trading volume of WTI crude oil (XTIUSDT) on the Gate platform reached $20.08 million, with a position size of about $4.53 million, ranking first among all exchanges; the 24-hour trading volume of Brent crude oil (XBRUSDT) reached $10.92 million, with a position of about $3.81 million, also ranking first. Driven by high volatility, market participation continues to rise, further highlighting Gate's advantages in liquidity and trading depth in the energy derivatives sector.Gate Contracts has pioneered the commodity contract sector, covering perpetual contract trading for XBRUSDT (Brent crude oil), XTIUSDT (WTI crude oil), and NG (natural gas), providing 24/7 trading, USDT settlement, and up to 100x leverage, helping users with cross-market asset allocation and strategic layout in volatile markets.

Morgan Stanley's investment management division, MSIM, announced the launch of a stablecoin reserve portfolio fund (MSNXX), which is a government money market fund designed specifically for stablecoin issuers. It aims to provide a regulated and secure storage place for reserves held by issuers that back their tokenized fiat currency versions.The fund only invests in the safest and most liquid instruments, such as U.S. Treasury bills (short-term loans to the U.S. government) and repurchase agreements (overnight loans secured by similar government securities), both of which aim for capital preservation. The fund's target net asset value is $1, meaning that the invested capital retains the same value upon redemption, avoiding price fluctuations; at the same time, the fund offers daily liquidity, allowing investors to redeem funds on any trading day without a waiting period or penalties.Currently, the market capitalization of stablecoins has reached $316 billion, with tokens pegged to the U.S. dollar, such as Tether and USDC, holding the majority share. Morgan Stanley's launch of the fund coincides with the advancement of the GENIUS Act in Congress. If passed, this act would legally require stablecoin issuers to back their tokens with high-quality liquid assets such as Treasury bills and cash-like instruments, and they must be held through regulated instruments. Thus, the fund is positioned to take on reserve management business ahead of regulatory mandates.Additionally, Morgan Stanley Investment Management recently launched the Morgan Stanley Bitcoin Trust (MSBT), which is a cryptocurrency ETP that tracks Bitcoin, with custodial and fund management services provided by BNY Mellon. It has also collaborated with BNY Mellon to launch tokenized DAP class shares of an institutional liquidity fund Treasury securities portfolio, achieving blockchain-based mirror records while the official ledger remains retained by BNY Mellon.

According to a research report by cybersecurity company Expel, it is tracking a highly assessed APT organization supported by North Korea (DPRK) called "HexagonalRodent," which primarily targets Web3 developers and specializes in stealing high-value digital assets such as cryptocurrencies and NFTs.The organization mainly conducts attacks by forging job postings—posting high-paying positions on LinkedIn and Web3 recruitment platforms to lure job seekers into completing "skills tests" embedded with malicious code, using the tasks.json feature of VSCode to automatically execute malicious programs when victims open project folders. The malware used includes BeaverTail, OtterCookie, and InvisibleFerret, which have capabilities for password theft, remote control, and reverse shell.It is noteworthy that the organization heavily utilizes generative AI tools such as ChatGPT and Cursor to develop malware, build fake company websites, and create AI-generated executive teams, even registering shell companies in Mexico to enhance the credibility of their attacks

Gate held the Institutional Circle event in Hong Kong, focusing on the theme "AI Reshaping Crypto Liquidity & Market Access," gathering several institutional representatives from the Asia-Pacific region to discuss the evolution of the crypto market structure and the path to liquidity reshaping. Gate's founder and CEO Dr. Han attended the event and interacted with institutional guests on-site.At the event, Gate's Global Institutional Head Addis Hu delivered the opening speech and shared insights on the platform's service capabilities and market changes in the context of deepening institutional participation. AWS Senior Regional Business Development Manager Ethan Hui shared industry insights from the perspectives of technical infrastructure and asset services.During the discussion session, attendees engaged in in-depth discussions on the evolution of liquidity, changes in market structure, and trends in multi-asset allocation against the backdrop of continuous institutional capital inflow. Overall, this event provided institutions with a reference for understanding current market structure changes and future allocation logic, further reflecting that the industry is moving towards a more mature and structured development stage.

According to Bloomberg, political groups associated with the cryptocurrency industry have accumulated nearly $180 million in funding reserves ahead of this year's U.S. midterm elections, surpassing the funding levels of some major Republican super PACs.The report states that most of this funding has been carried over from last year, with the vast majority held by Fairshake. Fairshake's main backers include Coinbase, Ripple Labs, and Andreessen Horowitz.

The Coinbase Quantum Computing and Blockchain Independent Advisory Committee has released its first position paper stating that sufficiently powerful quantum computers may be able to crack the encryption mechanisms used by mainstream blockchains to protect digital assets in the future. However, such devices do not currently exist, and encrypted assets remain secure for now. The industry should begin preparing for quantum resistance upgrades starting now.The document points out that there are currently no substantial risks associated with Bitcoin mining, hash functions, and on-chain historical records; the main vulnerability lies in the digital signatures at the wallet layer. Ethereum has proposed a clearer migration roadmap, and Solana, Algorand, and Aptos have also begun to provide or plan quantum resistance solutions.

According to Crypto In America, the U.S. CLARITY Act has entered a critical negotiation period this week, and whether it will receive the long-awaited committee review in April or be postponed until May will depend on recent progress. The Senate Banking Committee will focus on the confirmation hearing of Federal Reserve Chair nominee Kevin Walsh at the beginning of the week. After that, the committee must decide by Friday whether to notify the review of the bill in order to hold a vote in the week of April 27.The banking group represented by the North Carolina Bankers Association is lobbying against the stablecoin yield restriction provisions in the bill, urging members to call Senator Thom Tillis's office to request amendments. It is reported that industry groups are also reaching out to other committee members.After more than two months of negotiations, crypto companies and banks reached a compromise at the end of last month, which the crypto industry is generally satisfied with. However, after the White House Council of Economic Advisers report downplayed the risks of stablecoin yields to the banking system, calls for amendments from the banking side have intensified.Patrick Witt, Executive Director of the White House Crypto Council, criticized banks on the X platform for "further lobbying out of greed or ignorance." Senator Tillis proposed holding an in-person "crypto carnival" meeting, but this may extend the timeline. He emphasized that there are still issues to negotiate but expressed optimism about scheduling the review in the coming weeks.In addition to yield issues, the bill also needs to address ethical and DeFi-related provisions. This week's progress will determine the fate of the bill, and the market is highly attentive.

At the 13th anniversary gala "GATE GALA 13" held at the Rosewood Hotel in Hong Kong, Gate founder and CEO Dr. Han delivered a keynote speech titled "How We Grow Together in the Crypto Industry," providing a systematic sharing on the future development path of the crypto industry. The event attracted over 300 institutional representatives, partners, and industry guests from around the world.In his speech, Dr. Han pointed out that the crypto industry is gradually moving from early breakthroughs to a new stage of multi-ecosystem collaborative development. Among them, the integration of CEX, DEX, and TradFi will become an important direction for the evolution of infrastructure, while the introduction of RWA, multi-asset allocation, and AI technology is reshaping the application boundaries and efficiency models of the industry.He further stated that future industry competition will no longer be limited to single products or tracks, but will depend on the platform's comprehensive capabilities in multi-asset integration, technological collaboration, and global resource connectivity. As institutional participation continues to rise, the industry as a whole will accelerate towards a more mature and systematic direction.

Gold and silver opened slightly lower. Gold (XAU) reached a high of $4,826.60 in 24 hours and is currently at $4,795.56, down 0.49%; silver (XAG) peaked at $81.97 and is currently at $80.28, down about 0.52%. Against the backdrop of fluctuating metal prices, market trading sentiment remains active.According to CoinGlass data, the trading volume of gold (XAU) contracts on the Gate platform reached $79.3635 million in 24 hours, an increase of 326.77%, maintaining industry leadership; the trading volume of silver (XAG) in 24 hours was approximately $55.2903 million, with an increase of 964.24%, also ranking among the industry leaders. In the context of increased price volatility, trading enthusiasm continues to rise, further demonstrating Gate's advantages in liquidity and trading depth in the metal derivatives sector.Gate pioneered the metal contract trading sector, providing 24/7 uninterrupted trading, offering users greater strategic flexibility and asset management efficiency in volatile markets. Gate contracts cover various traditional financial assets, including stocks, metals, foreign exchange, indices, and commodities, supporting trading in core assets such as gold, silver, and globally popular stocks. Gate continues to build a more efficient and professional multi-asset one-stop trading platform for global users.

ChainCatcher reported live that Hong Kong Legislative Council member (Technology and Innovation sector) Kenneth K.Y. Lau shared a keynote speech titled "Steady and Progressive Development Keeps Hong Kong at Forefront of Web3 Expansion" at the 2026 Hong Kong Web3 Carnival.He reviewed the development of Web3 in Hong Kong since 2022, from the licensing system for virtual asset service providers, the pilot of tokenized products, to last year's Policy Declaration 2.0 and the SFC ASPIRe roadmap, believing that regulatory clarity is the primary condition for the industry's development.He specifically compared the regulatory paths of the United States and Hong Kong, pointing out that although the U.S. has introduced important documents such as the Clarity Act, Genius Act, and the joint statement from the SEC and CFTC, the political situation may lead to legislative delays or even reversals; in contrast, Hong Kong provides a stable, transparent, and continuous development environment in terms of product classification, legislation, and infrastructure.He also mentioned the potential threat of quantum computing to the cryptocurrency industry, believing that at least five more years are needed, but the industry should prepare in advance at the cryptographic level. Finally, he emphasized that Hong Kong needs more technology developers and should promote cross-jurisdictional connectivity to form a positive flywheel for product issuance, investor participation, and innovator entry.