Author: Isabella Taylor

Pi Network has introduced PiRC1, a new token issuance framework launched under Protocol 22 on April 22, that bars projects from issuing tokens unless they can first demonstrate a functioning application with real user demand, a direct attempt to filter out speculation-driven launches from the ecosystem. Summary Pi Network launched PiRC1 on April 22 under Protocol V22, requiring any project seeking to issue ecosystem tokens to demonstrate a real, functioning application with genuine user demand before launch. Token proceeds under PiRC1 are routed to permanent liquidity pools rather than directly to project teams, adding a structural safeguard against misuse of…

Galaxy Digital head of firmwide research Alex Thorn has assessed the CLARITY Act’s chances of being signed into law in 2026 at roughly 50-50, and possibly lower, in a research note being published this week, warning that the bill faces more unresolved questions than most of Washington appreciates and that time pressure is now its biggest enemy. Summary Galaxy Research puts the CLARITY Act’s odds of becoming law in 2026 at approximately 50-50 or lower, with Thorn warning that a markup slipping past mid-May would drop chances sharply. Polymarket traders are pricing the bill’s passage at approximately 43%, down from…

Pi Network has set a hard deadline of April 27 for all Mainnet node operators to upgrade to Protocol 22, warning that any node still running version 21.2 after the cutoff will be automatically disconnected from the network. Summary Pi Network issued a mandatory Protocol 22 upgrade deadline of April 27 for all Mainnet nodes, with non-compliant nodes to be automatically disconnected. The upgrade is described as a critical infrastructure step preparing the network for full smart contract functionality, expected under Protocol 23 in May 2026. PI traded at approximately $0.1687 on April 23 with an $1.73 billion market cap,…

Ethereum opened at $2,375.12 on Thursday April 23, 2026, rising 2% from Wednesday’s open as Bitcoin led a broad morning rally past $78,000, though ETH pulled back to $2,316.88 by 7:10 a.m. ET as traders remained cautious over the lack of progress in Iran peace talks and continued US naval activity near the Strait of Hormuz. Summary Ethereum opened at $2,375.12 on April 23, 2026, up approximately 2% from Wednesday’s opening price, tracking Bitcoin’s move above $78,000 for the first time since early February. ETH pulled back to $2,316.88 by 7:10 a.m. ET as traders weighed stalled Iran ceasefire talks…

GraniteShares has delayed the launch of its 3x Long and 3x Short XRP Daily ETFs from April 23 to May 7, marking the fifth postponement in three weeks and raising fresh questions about whether the SEC will ultimately clear 3x leveraged crypto products under the framework it applied to reject similar products from ProShares in December 2025. Summary GraniteShares delayed its 3x Long and 3x Short XRP Daily ETFs from April 23 to May 7 using Rule 485, which allows issuers to shift effective dates without restarting the SEC review process. The delay is the fifth since the original April…

Deloitte and Touche LLP has completed a SOC 2 Type 2 examination for Chainlink’s CCIP and Data Feeds, making Chainlink the only data and interoperability oracle platform in the blockchain industry to hold SOC 2 Type 2, SOC 2 Type 1, and ISO/IEC 27001:2022 certifications simultaneously, the full stack of security credentials that institutional risk teams require before deployment. Summary Deloitte and Touche LLP completed a SOC 2 Type 2 examination for Chainlink CCIP and Data Feeds on April 21, 2026, announced by Chainlink via X on April 21. The certification covers Chainlink Price Feeds, SmartData feeds including Proof of…

Senator Bernie Moreno declared at a Washington event on April 22 that the CLARITY Act must clear Congress by the end of May, stating plainly that missing that deadline could shelve the legislation indefinitely as midterm election politics consume the remainder of the congressional calendar. Summary Senator Bernie Moreno set an end-of-May deadline for the CLARITY Act at a DC event on April 22, 2026, warning that failure to meet it could permanently delay the bill. Moreno’s statement pushed Polymarket odds of the CLARITY Act passing in 2026 from 38% to 46%, but Galaxy Research still puts chances at roughly…

JPMorgan says repeated DeFi hacks, a $20B TVL drop after Kelp’s rsETH exploit, and flat ETH‑denominated TVL are souring institutional appetite for onchain lending and yield. Summary JPMorgan says repeated DeFi exploits and flat ETH-denominated TVL are curbing institutional interest. A recent rsETH bridge exploit tied to Kelp DAO wiped roughly $20 billion from DeFi TVL in days. Attackers minted around $292 million of unsecured rsETH, leaving about $230 million in bad debt on Aave and pushing investors toward USDT. JPMorgan analysts told The Block that “frequent security incidents in DeFi and the stagnation of total locked value (TVL) in…

XRP spot ETFs have not recorded a single day of outflows since April 9, pulling in $71.31 million so far in April and putting the month on track to be the strongest of 2026, fully erasing March’s $31.16 million loss, which was the first monthly loss XRP ETFs had ever posted. Summary XRP spot ETFs have gone two consecutive weeks without a single outflow day since April 9, their longest positive streak ever recorded. The funds have pulled in $71.31 million in April, fully erasing March’s $31.16 million loss and pushing cumulative net inflows back to $1.28 billion. Bitwise and…

Coinbase has rebuilt its anti‑fraud stack by tightly integrating machine learning models with a high‑speed rules engine, slashing response times to new scam patterns from days to hours just as TRM Labs warns crypto fraud is now a tens‑of‑billions‑per‑year, AI‑supercharged industry. Summary Coinbase has overhauled its fraud controls by fusing machine learning with a rules engine to cut response times from days to hours. The exchange says rule backtesting now runs more than 10 times faster, enabling quicker deployment of defenses against emerging scams. The upgrade comes as crypto fraud losses hit tens of billions of dollars annually, putting pressure…