Top Crypto News This Week: The Latest Trends in Crypto and Blockchain | Weekly Crypto Review
The post Top Crypto News This Week: The Latest Trends in Crypto and Blockchain | Weekly Crypto Review appeared first on Coinpedia Fintech News
This analysis report, backed by quality data, covers the major developments the Web3, Blockchain and Crypto sector has experienced this week.
1. Breaking News This Week
- SEC Lawyers Resign Amid Sanctions Over Crypto Fund Case
Two SEC lawyers resigned after a federal judge sanctioned the agency for false statements in a $49 million crypto fraud case against Digital Licensing Inc. The lawyers faced termination if they stayed on.
- BlackRock’s IBIT Fund Achieves 70-Day Daily Inflow Streak
BlackRock’s IBIT fund joined the top ten longest daily inflow streaks among U.S. exchange-traded funds with a 70-day milestone. The record ties with JETS, an ETF focusing on the airline industry.
- Scammers Abandon Solana Meme Coin Projects After Massive Profits
Twelve Solana presale meme coin projects were abandoned, scamming investors out of $26.7 million. The abandoned projects took advantage of the meme coin frenzy and increased risk tolerance driven by FOMO.
- Shiba Inu Raises $12 Million for Blockchain Security and Expansion
Shiba Inu secured $12 million from non-US investors, including Animoca Brands and Polygon Ventures, to fund blockchain development. The funds will be used to build new technology, expand security, and ensure regulatory compliance.
- Grayscale Files for Smaller Bitcoin ETF With Competitive Fees
Grayscale applied for a smaller Bitcoin ETF, the Bitcoin Mini Trust, with fees set at 0.15%. This new ETF aims to compete with its prime rivals, such as BlackRock’s IBIT, following a capital exodus from its flagship GBTC product.
- NYSE Considers Round-The-Clock Stock Trading, Like Crypto Exchanges
The New York Stock Exchange conducted a survey exploring the potential of 24/7 stock trading, similar to cryptocurrency exchanges. The survey indicates growing interest in expanding trading beyond traditional market hours.
- Railgun Denies Claims of Laundering by North Korean Entities
Crypto privacy protocol Railgun refuted accusations of being used by North Korea and other sanctioned entities to launder digital assets. The protocol, nearing $1B total volume, faces scrutiny over alleged misuse.
- Kraken Launches Self-Custodial Mobile Wallet for Crypto and NFTs
Kraken introduced its self-custodial mobile wallet, Kraken Wallet, joining other major platforms. The wallet supports a wide range of coins, tokens, NFTs and DeFi assets, encompassing around eight blockchains.
- Akira Ransomware Group Linked to Over 250 Global Breaches
Akira, a new ransomware group, has breached over 250 organisations, raking in nearly $42 million in ransom payments. The group has expanded its threat landscape with the discovery of its Linux variant by the FBI.
- Hong Kong Authorities Arrest 70 in JPEX Crypto Scandal
Hong Kong authorities arrested over 70 individuals linked to the HK$1.6 billion JPEX cryptocurrency scandal. Approximately HK$230 million in assets has been frozen in what is considered the city-state’s largest fraud.
- Ernst & Young Launches Ethereum Solution for Business Contracts
Ernst & Young launched OpsChain Contract Manager, an Ethereum solution using zero-knowledge proofs technology. The solution helps private businesses manage complex business agreements with confidentiality and cost-effectiveness.
- “Jay Mazini” Sentenced to Seven Years for Crypto Fraud
Jabara Igbara, known as “Jay Mazini,” received a seven-year prison sentence for wire fraud and money laundering. Igbara, who posed as a crypto millionaire, was also ordered to forfeit $10 million in assets.
- Bitcoin Rollups Enable Unlimited Smart Contract Functionality
A new whitepaper from BitcoinOS outlines a system enabling rollups on Bitcoin, providing unlimited smart contract functionality. The development could transform Bitcoin into a more scalable platform for decentralised applications.
- Nubank Launches Bitcoin Withdrawal and Deposit Feature
Sao Paulo-based Nubank allows customers to send and receive Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Solana via its app. The new feature lets users make withdrawals and deposits through the main crypto screen in the Nubank app.
- Tether Freezes Wallets Linked to Venezuela’s Oil Sanctions Bypass
Tether has frozen wallets associated with Venezuela’s attempts to bypass U.S. sanctions on oil exports. The move follows reports that Venezuela’s state-run oil company used Tether’s USDT to circumvent U.S. sanctions.
- Binance Founder Faces DOJ’s Recommended Three-Year Prison Sentence
The U.S. DOJ recommended a three-year prison sentence for Changpeng Zhao, founder of Binance, following his guilty plea for violating the Bank Secrecy Act last November. Zhao may face additional penalties.
- SEC Demands $5.3 Billion Payment from Terra and Do Kwon
The SEC requested that Terraform Labs and founder Do Kwon pay $5.3 billion for cumulative damages related to their failed Terra blockchain. The SEC seeks one of the largest fines in crypto history.
2. Blockchain Performance
In this section, we will analyse two factors primarily: the top-performing blockchains based solely on their 7-day change and the top performers among the top five blockchains with the highest TVL.
2.1. Top Blockchain Performers by 7-Day Change
This week’s top blockchain performers, based on their 7-day change, are Chiliz, Filecoin, Near Protocol, Scroll, and Wemix Network.
| Blockchain | 7-Day Change (in %) | TVL |
| Chiliz | +182.0% | $643,248 |
| Filecoin | +48.7% | $49,755,949 |
| Near Protocol | +22.5% | $307,052,493 |
| Scroll | +21.4% | $73,337,100 |
| Wemix Network | +17.6% | $14,487,976 |
As the given data, Chiliz demonstrates an impressive 7-day change of +182.0%. Filecoin arrives second with a change of +48.7%. In the third and fourth position, we have Near Protocol and Scroll, with +22.5% and +21.4%, respectively. Wemix Network’s change is around +17.6%.
2.2. Top Performers: 7-Day Change in Top 5 Blockchains with Highest TVL
Ethereum, TRON, BNB Smart Chain, Solana, and Arbitrum One are the top five blockchains in the market on the basis of TVL and market dominance. Let’s see how the top five blockchains have performed this week, using 7-day TVL change.
Compared to the previous week, the dominance of Ethereum has grown significantly from 61.04% to 63.39%. Conversely, the other major chains see its dominance slipping down slightly.
| Blockchain | Dominance (in %) | 7d Change (in %) | TVL |
| Ethereum | 63.39% | +7.3% | $54,154,679,165 |
| TRON | 9.73% | +0.8% | $8,313,860,046 |
| BNB Smart Chain | 6.20% | -11.2% | $5,297,434,351 |
| Solana | 4.28% | -2.2% | $3,655,240,576 |
| Arbitrum One | 3.05% | -0.7% | $2,607,984,662 |
| Others | 13.34% |
As per the analysis based on the 7-d change index, among the top five blockchains, only two, Ethereum and Tron present positive change. Ethereum, with +7.3 change, appears more appealing than TRON, with just +0.8% change. Meanwhile, among the three others showing negative change, BNB Smart Chain, with -11.2%, displays the most disappointing change per cent. In comparison with BSC, Solana, with -2.2%, and Arbitrum One, with -0.7%, appear less disappointing.
3. Crypto Market Analysis
The crypto 7-day price change and dominance analysis and top gains and losers analysis are the two prime areas of the crypto market analysis.
3.1. Crypto 7-D Price Change and Dominance Analysis
Bitcoin, Ethereum, Tether, BNB, and Solana are the top cryptocurrencies as per the market cap and dominance indices. Let’s analyse their seven-day price change.
Compared to the previous week, the Bitcoin dominance percent marks a reduction of around 1 per cent. It has come down from 51.84% to 50.88%.
| Cryptocurrency | 7-D Change (in %) | Dominance Percentage | Price | Market Cap |
| Bitcoin | -1.6% | 50.88% | $62,863.06 | $1,240,401,567,006 |
| Ethereum | +2.1% | 15.47% | $3,116.67 | $380,766,457,230 |
| Tether | -0.1% | 4.47% | $0.995 | $110,308,062,997 |
| BNB | +6.7% | 3.73% | $592.43 | $91,379,019,687 |
| Solana | -4.2% | 2.52% | $135.82 | $60,961,965,498 |
| Others | 23.28% |
As per the analysis done using the 7-day change index, among the five top cryptocurrencies, only two exhibits positive change this week: the 7-day price change of BNB is +6.7%, and the same of Ethereum is +2.1%. Solana, with an unimpressive negative change of -4.2% is the worst performer among the five. Bitcoin marks a negative change of -1.6%. Tether is comparatively stable with a very minimal change of -0.1%, primarily because it’s a stablecoin, unlike the rest.
3.2. Top Gainers & Losers of the Week in Crypto Market
Here is the list of top gainers and top losers of the week in the cryptocurrency market. The analysis is made using the 7-day Gain and 7-day Lose indices.
3.2.1. Top Gainers of the Week in Crypto
| Cryptocurrency | 7-Day Gain | Price |
| Bonk | +57.15% | $0.00002365 |
| Pepe | +37.26% | $0.000007121 |
| Hedera | +31.83% | $0.1073 |
| Near Protocol | +24.36% | $7.16 |
| FLOKI | +20.62% | $0.0001731 |
Bonk, Pepe, Hedera, Near Protocol, and FLOKI are the five top gainers of the week in the cryptocurrency market. Bonk, with +57.15% gain, is the top gainer. Pepe and Hedera follow with +37.26% and +31.83%, respectively. Near Protocol registers a gain of +24.36%. And, FLOKI’s gain is +23.62%.
3.2.2. Top Losers of the Week in Crypto
| Cryptocurrency | 7-Day Loss | Price |
| Ethena | -20.28% | $0.8166 |
| Toncoin | -14.46% | $5.23 |
| Ronin | -14.22% | $2.73 |
| Sui | -12.99% | $1.17 |
| Celestia | -12.46% | $10.03 |
Ethena, Toncoin, Ronin, Sui and Celestia are the top five losers of the week in the crypto market. Ethena displays a serious loss of -20.28%. Toncoin and Ronin show losses of -14.46% and -14.22%, respectively. Sui exhibits a loss of -12.99%. And, Celestia’s loss is around -12.46%.
Notably, Ethena was in the list of top losers last week also, with a loss of -19.75. Surprisingly, Celestia and Sui were in the top gainers list last week, with +23.44 and +10.07%. The present data reveals the extreme volatile nature of these top cryptos.
3.3. Stablecoin Weekly Analysis
Tether, USDC, DAI, First Digital USD, and Ethena USDe are the top stablecoins in the market in terms of market capitalization. Let’s analyse their weekly performance using seven-day market capitalisation, market dominance and trading volume indices.
| Stablecoins | Market Dominance (7d) [in %] | Market Capitalisation (7d) | Trading Volume (7d) | Market Capitalisation |
| Tether | 70.26% | $110,388,612,841 | $26,921,184,988 | $110,289,715,138 |
| USDC | 21.24% | $33,372,364,895 | $6,738,292,988 | $33,440,300,737 |
| Dai | 3.32% | $5,223,029,136 | $618,343,772 | $5,222,496,126 |
| First Digital USD | 2.81% | $4,418,950,180 | $5,961,898,048 | $4,412,930,967 |
| Ethena USDe | 1.50% | $2,352,273,660 | $119,586,404 | $2,350,705,487 |
| Others | 0.87% |
As per the data, Tether dominates the market with 70.26%. USDC follows with 21.24%. Dai, First Digital USD, and Ethena USDe remain as minor players, with 3.32%, 2.81% and 1.50%, respectively, though they appear promising as they show far better performance than the others, which make just 0.87%.
Compared to the previous week, none of the top five stablecoins show any significant fluctuation in dominance.
3.3.1. Stablecoin Weekly Price Analysis
Let’s analyse the weekly performance of the top stablecoins further using the seven-day price change index.
| Stablecoins | 7-Day Price Change (in %) | Price |
| Tether | -0.1 | $0.9995 |
| USDC | -0.1 | $0.9998 |
| Dai | +0.2 | $1 |
| First Digital USD | -0.2 | $1 |
| Ethena USDe | -0.0 | $0.9981 |
As per the analysis done using the 7-day price change index, all the stablecoins, though stable in nature, show slighight deviation. Dai exhibits a positive change of +0.2%. The other four show negative change. First Digital USD registers a biggest negative deviation of -0.2%. Both Tether and USDC show the same negative change of -0.1%.
4. Bitcoin ETF Weekly Analysis
Bitcoin Futures ETFs and Bitcoin Spot ETFs should be analysed separately, in order to get the right picture of the Bitcoin ETF market, as they represent two different segments. Let’s start!
4.1. Bitcoin Futures ETF Weekly Analysis
ProShares (BITO), VanEck (XBTF), Valkyrie (BTF), Global X (BITS), and Ark/21 Shares (ARKA) are the top Bitcoin Future ETFs, as per the Asset Under Management index. Let’s use the price change percentage index to analyse these ETFs.
| Bitcoin Futures ETFs | Price Change (Gain/Loss) [in %] | Asset Under Management (in Million) | Price |
| BITO | -1.84% | $598.78M | $27.70 |
| XBTF | +0.33% | $42.41M | $39.22 |
| BTF | -1.17% | $38.20M | $18.64 |
| BITS | -0.31% | $26.10M | $65.00 |
| ARKA | -1.30% | $8.01M | $61.04 |
As per the latest data collected today, among the top five Bitcoin Futures ETFs, only XBTF exhibits positive price change; it shows a change of +0.33%. BITO marks a negative change of -1.84%. ARKA and BTF also demonstrate negative changes of -1.30% and -1.17%. BITS displays a comparatively minor negative price change of -0.31%.
Notably, in the previous week, none of these future ETFs showed negative change. BITO’’s change per cent was +1.19%.
4.2. Bitcoin Spot ETF Weekly Analysis
Grayscale (GBTC), Blackrock (IBIT), Fidelity (FBTC), Ark/21 Shares (ARKB), and Bitwise (BITB) are the top Bitcoin Spot ETFs, as per the Asset Under Management index. Let’s analyse them using the price change index.
| Bitcoin Spot ETFs | Price Change (Gain/Loss) [in %] | Asset Under Management (in Billion) | Price |
| GBTC | -1.49% | $24.33B | $56.74 |
| IBIT | -1.47% | $17.24B | $36.32 |
| FBTC | -1.52% | $9.90B | $55.75 |
| ARKB | -1.61% | $2.85B | $63.72 |
| BITB | -1.53% | $2.16B | $34.75 |
According to the data given above, all the top five Bitcoin Spot ETFs register a negative change. ARKB marks a serious negative change of -1.61%. BITB and FBTC follow with -1.53% and -1.52%, respectively. GBTC displays a change of -1.49%. IBIT also points to a negative change of -1.47%.
Interestingly, in the previous week, all these top five spot ETFs showcased positive changes.
5. DeFi Market Weekly Status Analysis
Lido, EigenLayer, AAVE, Maker, and JustLend are the five top DeFi protocols on the basis of TVL. Let’s analyse its weekly performance using the 7d Change index.
| DeFi Protocols | 7d Change (in Total Value Locked) [in %] | TVL |
| Lido | +1.95% | $29.264B |
| EigenLayer | +16.20% | $15.327B |
| AAVE | +1.82% | $10.529B |
| Maker | +2.73% | $8.085B |
| JustLend | -2.77% | $6.052B |
As per the analysis done using the 7-day change in Total Value Locked index, EigenLayer reports an impressive change of +16.20%. Others display minimal change. Maker show a positive change of +2.73%. Conversely, JustLend registers a negative change of -2.77%. Meanwhile, Lido and AAVE mark positive changes of +1.92% and +1.82%, respectively.
In the previous week also, EigenLayer demonstrated positive change, but minimal. This week’s change of JustLend is negative, but not as pathetic as its previous week’s change of -11.09%.
6. NFT Marketplace: A Basic Weekly Analysis
Blur, Blur Aggregator, Superrare, Cryptopunks, and Opensea are the top NFT marketplaces on the basis of market share. Let’s analyse them using the Volume Change (change of last 7d volume over the previous 7d volume) index.
Superare is a new entrant in the top five list. It pushed Gem out of the list. Gem, though with a meagre market share of 0.84%, was a member of the list last week. Notably, the new entrant has an impressive market share of 8.85%.
| NFT Marketplaces | Volume Change [Last 7 Day over the Previous 7 Day Volume] | Market Share | 7-day Rolling Volume | 7-day Rolling Trades |
| Blur | -21.45% | 65.98% | 10423.02 | 16858 |
| Blur Aggregator | -19.49% | 19.31% | 5415.21 | 8027 |
| Superrare | +4.69% | 8.85% | 412.82 | 52 |
| Cryptopunks | +10.77% | 2.36% | 852.82 | 16 |
| Opensea | -33.37% | 1.47% | 229.46 | 1509 |
| Others | 2.03% |
As per the given data, this week, only Cryptopunks and Superrare report positive volume changes: when Cryptopunks displays a change of +10.77%, Superrare records a change of +4.69%. Conversely, Opensea, Blur and Blur Aggregator exhibit negative changes. Opensea shows the biggest negative change of -33.37%. Blur and Blur Aggregator follow with -21.45% and -19.49%.
6.1. Top NFT Collectible Sales this Week
CryptoPunks #635, CryptoPunks #58, $PUPS BRC-20 NFTs #569d857, Azuki #5869, and CryptoPunks #9872 are the top NFT collectable sales reported this week in the NFT market landscape.
| NFT Collectibles | Price (in USD) |
| CryptoPunks #635 | $12,415,880.00 |
| CryptoPunks #58 | $617,572.63 |
| $PUPS BRC-20 NFTs #569d857 | $259,192.41 |
| Azuki #5869 | $211,907.50 |
| CryptoPunks #9872 | $211,390.17 |
Cryptopunks #635, sold for $12,415,880.00, is the NFT, which received the highest amount this week. CryptoPunks #58, sold for $617,572.63, and $PUPS BRC-20 NFTs #569d857, sold for $259,192.41, arrive in the second and third positions, respectively. Azuki #5869, received $211,907.50, attains the fourth position. CryptoPunks #9872, which collected $211,390.17, becomes the first top one.
7. Web3 Weekly Funding Analysis
7.1. General Crypto Fundraising Trend Analysis
The two prime areas of the general crypto fundraising trend analysis are the crypto fundraising by category analysis and the top crypto investment locations analysis.
7.1.1. Crypto Fundraising by Category This Week
Blockchain Infrastructure, Blockchain Services, Chain, DeFi, GameFi, Meme, Social and Stablecoin are the categories, which witnessed activities this week. Let’s analyse them using the Number of Fundraising Rounds and Funds Raised in USD.
| Category | Number of Fundraising Rounds April 22-28, 2024 | Funds Raised in USDApril 22-28, 2024 |
| Blockchain Infrastructure | 4 | $62.00M |
| Blockchain Services | 10 | $39.50M |
| Chain | 1 | N/A |
| DeFi | 2 | N/A |
| GameFi | 9 | $30.00M |
| Meme | 1 | $12.00M |
| Social | 2 | $3.50M |
| Stablecoin | 1 | $2.15M |
As per the data given above, Blockchain Infrastructure raised around $62.00 million. Blockchain Services secured around $39.50 million. GameFi and Meme also raised impressive funds of $30.00 million and $12.00 million. Socal and Stablecoin amassed meagre funds of $3.50 million and $2.15 million.
7.1.2. Top Crypto Investment Locations This Week
Apart from the undisclosed category, the US and Germany are the top crypto investment locations this week.
| Crypto Investment Locations | Funds Raised in (%) | Funds Raised in USD | Number of Fundraising Rounds |
| Undisclosed | 74% | $111.45M | 25 |
| United States | 23% | $34.40M | 5 |
| Germany | 3% | $4.60M | 1 |
The US raised over $34.40 million and Germany not less than $4.60 million. Notably, the undisclosed section raised as high as $111.45 million.
In the previous week, the undisclosed category secured only 57% of the total funds raised. But, this time, it grew to over 74%. Like this time, last week, the top two players, excluding the undisclosed category, were the US and Germany.
7.2. ICO Landscape: A Weekly Overview
Letit, Focus.xyz, LightLink, and Runecoin are the major ICOs that ended this week. Let’s analyse how much amount they received.
| ICO | Fund Received | Token Price | Fundraising Goal | Total Tokens | Token (Available for Sale) |
| Letit | $1,430,000 | $0.08 | $400,000 | 100,000,000 | 50% |
| Focus.xyz | $80,000,000 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| LightLink | $6,200,000 | N/A | N/A | 1,000,000,000 | 5% |
| Runecoin | N/A | N/A | 420,000,000 Tokens | 21,000,000,000 | 2% |
As per the above data, Focus.xyz received the largest fund of $80,000,000. LightLink secured $6,200,000, and Letit collected $1,430,000.
8. Weekly Blockchain Hack Analysis
As of April 27, 2024, hackers have stolen a significant $7.77 billion. The majority, approximately $5.85 billion, targeted decentralised finance platforms. Another portion, roughly $2.83 billion, was taken from bridges connecting different blockchain networks.
Grand Base experienced a major hack last week, on 15th April, 2024. Nearly $1.7 million was hacked using the technique of private key compromise. It is the only hack reported this month.
Endnote
In this week’s comprehensive analysis of Web3, Blockchain and Crypto, we have brought out powerful insights, which can be used to stay-to-data about the market developments. As the landscape evolves, the strategic integration of technology and data-driven decision-making becomes paramount for stakeholders navigating the dynamic realms of decentralised technologies.
