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France Charges 88 Suspects in Crypto-Wrench Attacks Crackdown

France’s crackdown on violent, wallet-targeting crimes linked to crypto ownership has intensified, with 88 individuals indicted — including 10 minors — in connection with wrench attacks. National prosecutors say 75 suspects are in pre-trial detention, in a wave of arrests tied to 12 cases overseen by specialized investigating judges at the Paris Judicial Court and monitored by the National Prosecutor’s Office for Organized Crime (PNACO). Wrench attacks are defined as the use of physical force to access a victim’s crypto wallet, often unfolding as home invasions, kidnappings or extortion attempts. PNACO data show a troubling rise in such incidents: 18 in 2024, 67 in 2025, and 47 already in 2026. Security firm CertiK noted a 75% increase in wrench-attacks worldwide in 2025 versus the prior year, underscoring a global expansion of this criminal tactic. The prosecutions, Perrée stressed, involve acts that are particularly serious due to both harm to individuals and the coercive methods use...
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Informed Minority Shapes Prediction Markets

A new study from London Business School and Yale University challenges the notion that prediction markets reflect crowd wisdom. Focusing on Polymarket, the researchers argue that a small cadre of well-informed traders drives most price discovery on these platforms. According to the paper, roughly 3.5% of accounts generate the bulk of price discovery on Polymarket. The remaining majority trades actively but contributes little information; their losses tend to accrue to the informed minority. The study, authored by Roberto Gomez-Cram, Yunhan Guo, Theis Ingerslev Jensen, and Howard Kung and revised on April 25, relies on a sign-randomization approach that re-samples each account’s past trades 10,000 times to simulate profit and loss. “Prediction market accuracy thus reflects the wisdom of an informed minority, not the wisdom of the crowd.” Polymarket and other prediction markets have surged in crypto circles, with industry data suggesting monthly trading volumes commonly around $15 billio...
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Tillis Drops Bid to Block Warsh Fed Chair; Crypto Regulation Outlook

Republican Senator Thom Tillis signaled on Sunday that he will no longer block Kevin Warsh’s bid to become Federal Reserve chair, following the conclusion of a Department of Justice probe into Jerome Powell related to the Fed’s headquarters renovation. In a post on X, Tillis said the three-month DOJ inquiry has closed and that he is “looking forward” supporting Warsh’s confirmation. “I have been clear from the start: the U.S. Attorney's Office criminal investigation into Chair Powell was a serious threat to the Fed's independence, and it needed to end before I could support Kevin Warsh's confirmation,” Tillis wrote, adding that he welcomes the inspector general’s investigation as a necessary and appropriate measure, and that he expects it to be conducted thoroughly and professionally. Tillis, a Republican on the Senate Banking Committee, held significant leverage to slow or block Warsh’s appointment by employing a procedural hold or withholding his vote to prevent advanceme...
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Western Union Plans USDPT Stablecoin Launch in May

Western Union is targeting May for the rollout of its USD-backed stablecoin, USDPT, as part of a broader crypto initiative that includes a digital asset network and a US dollar stablecard. During the company’s first-quarter earnings call, President and CEO Devin McGranahan framed the move as a turning point: “It is no longer a question of if Western Union will be active in digital assets, it is now how fast can we scale.” He added that USDPT is in the final stages of readiness and is expected to go live next month. Industry observers have noted a growing appetite among traditional finance for stablecoins. In Europe, banks and corporations are increasingly selecting infrastructure partners to support stablecoin adoption, a trend underscored by comments from crypto custody provider Taurus’ co-founder about the shifting landscape for settlement and digital-asset rails. Key takeaways Western Union plans the USDPT stablecoin rollout in May, positioning it as a cornerstone of its digital a...
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Aave seeks Arbitrum's help to release stolen Kelp DAO funds

Aave Labs has proposed that Arbitrum’s decentralized autonomous organization unfreeze 30,765 Ether — roughly $73.5 million in value at current prices — tied to the Kelp DAO attack and redirect those funds to a remediation vehicle named DeFi United. The Ether in question sits in a wallet linked to the exploited Kelp platform, and last week the Arbitrum Security Council moved to freeze the asset as investigators assessed the breach. In a governance proposal posted on Saturday, Aave Labs argued that releasing the frozen Ether to DeFi United would “restore normal conditions for Arbitrum users” and the broader ecosystem, noting that rsETH’s backing represents a meaningful contribution toward stabilizing the stablecoin’s value after the incident. The submission is supported by Kelp DAO, LayerZero, Ether.fi and Compound, among other protocols affected by the hack. DeFi United contributions reach $21 million Days after DeFi United’s launch, data from Dune Analytics shows roughly $21 million in...
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Analyst Forecasts Bitcoin Decline, Bottom Seen in October 2026

Bitcoin could bottom near $57,000 in October 2026, according to Michael Terpin, a veteran crypto investor and author. The digital asset has risen more than 29% from February’s dip around $60,000 and was trading near $78,000 as this week unfolded. Terpin’s view rests on a historical pattern: the typical one-year drawdown from a market-cycle peak, which he says occurred in October 2025 when BTC briefly topped above $126,000. For a renewed bull market to gain traction, Terpin argues that BTC must reclaim the $100,000 level. He contends that such a move would likely materialize only if the price falls decisively below the 200-week moving average, a dynamic support commonly watched by longer-term traders. In his words, there’s “a chance of $100,000 this year, but unlikely. It would need to combine strong exchange-traded fund (ETF) buying with what Michael Saylor is already doing at Strategy, combined with an absence of liquidations from a sharp move down.” Michael Terpin expects Bitcoin to ...
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Bitcoin in Disbelief Rally as Downside Bets Persist, Analyst Says

Bitcoin has flashed another upward move, trading around the upper $70,000s after a roughly 13% surge since the start of April. Yet sentiment among holders remains unusually cautious, according to veteran analyst Matthew Hyland, who argues that the rally lacks genuine conviction and is instead being treated as a pendulum in a cautious market. “There does not seem to be much euphoria or interest; many just projecting it to fit their bias,” Hyland said in a post shared on X over the weekend, underscoring a prevailing sense of disbelief even as prices push higher. The Bitcoin narrative remains dominated by a sense that the longer-term cycle could still tilt downward before any durable bottom forms. Bitcoin consensus points to “another leg lower” by October Hyland’s assessment sits against a broader view in which the market expects a further pullback before a potential capitulation or bottom. Even after a pullback to roughly $60,000 in February — about 53% off the October 2025 all-time high...
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