Mediators Make Progress in Extending US-Iran Ceasefire Agreement and Resuming Talks

April 15: US-listed Bitcoin treasury firm Strive announced it will raise the dividend yield on its Variable Rate Series A Perpetual Preferred Stock (SATA) by 25 basis points to 13.00%, effective for interest payment periods commencing April 15, 2026, and thereafter. Additionally, the company will pay a $1.0833-per-share dividend to shareholders of record as of May 1, 2026, on May 15, 2026. Moreover, Strive has purchased an additional ~27 Bitcoin, bringing its total holdings to ~13,768 Bitcoin.

On April 15, the WLFI team officially proposed a governance plan to its community, with key details as follows: Advisors, institutions, partners, founders, and team members collectively hold 45.2 billion locked WLFI tokens. These will follow a "2-year lockup + 3-year linear vesting" schedule. Participants must burn 10% of their tokens upon opting in, capping permanent burns at roughly 4.5 billion. Early supporters holding 17 billion WLFI tokens will adhere to a "2-year lockup + 2-year linear vesting" plan—no token burn required. Tokens held by parties that do not proactively accept the new plan will be locked indefinitely. If the proposal passes, a total of 62.2 billion WLFI tokens will actively participate in governance for at least two years. WLFI describes this move as one of the strongest long-term governance alignment signals in the DeFi space.

**Trump Threatens to Fire Powell If He Fails to Resign Promptly; Yellen Uncertain on Wash Confirmation** April 15 — In a Fox News interview, U.S. President Trump said he will fire Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell if Powell does not resign promptly. Trump also emphasized he will not drop the Justice Department’s investigation into Powell, adding: *“If he doesn’t leave on time, I’ll have to fire him. I’ve held back from firing him — I want to, but I hate controversy. I hope there’s no controversy, but he will be fired.”* Powell’s Fed chair term expires in May, though his term as a Fed board member runs through 2028. He previously stated he will serve as interim chair if his successor is not confirmed by May. Trump allies had hoped Powell would also resign from the board then, but Powell said he has no intention to step down until the DOJ’s investigation into a restructuring project is “properly concluded.” Trump, however, hinted no plans to end the probe, saying it “must be cl

(FX168) — April 15th: U.S. Treasury Secretary Yellen says she understands the Federal Reserve needs to wait for the right time to cut interest rates, noting the central bank will ultimately cut rates further. Core inflation is trending downward.

On April 15, Tether officially announced that Tether Investments has joined a $134 million financing round for publicly traded Stablecoin Development Corporation (NYSE American: SDEV). Other investors in the round include R01 Fund LP, Framework Ventures, and additional digital asset-focused investment firms. SDEV positions itself as an on-chain holding company focused on stablecoin payments, transfers, cross-platform fund flows, and other infrastructure development—with the aim of lowering user barriers to entry.

April 15 — Per Axios, the U.S. has not agreed to extend the ceasefire. A U.S. official said the U.S. and Iran remain in contact to reach an agreement. Separately, an Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson noted reports of a ceasefire extension are unconfirmed.