The popular AI framework Virtuals Protocol will host an in-person meet-up in Hong Kong on Friday, January 17.

On April 20, Bitmine Chairman Thomas “Tom” Lee stated: “We’re seeing growing signs the ‘Mini Crypto Winter’ is ending. With reduced downside risks tied to the U.S.-Iran conflict, ETH has rallied 41% from its early February low. Since the conflict began, ETH has outperformed the S&P 500 by 2,280 basis points and remains the top-performing global asset (excluding oil prices).” Ethereum continues to benefit from two key bullish narratives: Wall Street’s asset tokenization on blockchain and growing demand for a public, neutral blockchain for proxy AI systems. “In our view, ETH has emerged as the top ‘wartime store of value,’ and its market leadership since the conflict began carries significant weight,” Lee added. While many expect the crypto winter to linger until fall 2026, Lee’s team maintains the downturn is nearing its end. Every major crypto winter since 2015 has aligned with at least a 20% stock pullback: the 2025 crypto selloff coincided with a 20% S&P 500 drop, but the 2026

April 20 The U.S. government will launch a tariff refund process on April 20, following a Supreme Court ruling that deemed the prior tariff policy illegal. Companies can apply via a new customs system to recover tariffs levied earlier under emergency powers—since the court held only Congress has authority to impose tariffs, forcing the administration to revoke the policy. An estimated 330,000+ importers, covering 53 million shipments, may qualify for refunds. Approved claims will be processed with interest within 60–90 days, though reviews for complex cases may take longer. Officials note the refund process is large-scale and complex, but funds will be directly reimbursed to the companies that originally paid the tariffs.

An Iranian source with knowledge of the first round of Iran-U.S. talks said on April 20 that as of 3:00 p.m. local time (7:30 p.m. Beijing time) that day, Iran holds "deep distrust" of the U.S. due to its shifting words and actions, and has not yet decided whether to participate in the second round of the talks. The source noted that a U.S. attack on an Iranian commercial vessel on April 19 has further complicated the situation. (CCTV News)

April 20 — Two Pakistani officials told the Associated Press on Monday that Iran has offered to send a delegation to Islamabad later this week for the second round of talks. Pakistan will not release itinerary details for either side due to security concerns.

April 20th, Matthew Sigel—VanEck’s Director of Digital Asset Research—posted on social media that GUC is leading the pack as Bitcoin miners ramp up expansion into AI infrastructure. GUC, the world’s largest fabless Bitcoin ASIC design partner, has successfully transformed into the top design partner for AI-focused CPUs. Its clients include Google, Microsoft, and Elon Musk’s upcoming xAI. Buoyed by growing adoption of AI intelligent agents, market expectations for the CPU ecosystem keep climbing. Morgan Stanley projects Google’s CPU shipments will hit 1.5 million units in 2026—double HSBC Equities’ 700,000-unit forecast from three months ago. The jump is driven mainly by the market’s accelerated shift away from traditional x86 architecture. This momentum sent GUC surging 10% overnight, with its stock price hitting an all-time high.