BREAKING: $435 million has been liquidated from the cryptocurrency market in the past 12 hours.

April 22 — Etherealize, the institutional marketing and product arm of the Ethereum ecosystem, has set a long-term price target of $250,000 for ETH, describing the token as a unique asset in monetary history. The firm’s report did not specify a target date for the prediction, marking a sharp drop from its prior $740,000 per token target—first unveiled in its inaugural public statement last year. Etherealize’s core argument is that ETH functions as both a store of value (like Bitcoin and gold) and a productive asset capable of generating returns. The Ethereum blockchain secures its network via a proof-of-stake consensus mechanism. Gold and Bitcoin currently hold a combined currency premium of roughly $31 trillion. If Ethereum were to capture a similar premium, its implied price would exceed $250,000 given its current circulating supply of 121 million ETH.

April 22 — Scammers posing as Iranian authorities are demanding cryptocurrency payments for safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz, with at least one vessel reportedly falling victim to the ruse, CoinDesk reported. Greek maritime risk firm Marisks issued a warning that multiple shipping companies have received fraudulent messages impersonating Iranian officials requesting payments in Bitcoin (BTC) or Tether (USDT). The firm noted at least one ship was targeted over the weekend, with the vessel reportedly fired upon while attempting to transit the strait. “This specific information is a scam,” Marisks stated, confirming the messages did not originate from the Iranian government. The original fraudulent message, released publicly by Marisks, reads: “After submitting required documents and your vessel being assessed by the Iranian Security Department, we will determine fees payable in cryptocurrency (BTC or USDT). Only then can your vessel transit the strait at the agreed time.”

April 22 According to the Financial Times, ahead of Revolut’s planned initial public offering (IPO), the fintech firm’s target valuation could hit as much as $2 trillion. Details in its high-profile listing plans shared with investors show that valuation would catapult its founder into the ranks of the world’s wealthiest people. The London-headquartered fintech, which secured a full UK banking license last month after a four-year wait, said it won’t pursue an IPO before 2028. Investors and company insiders told the Financial Times that executives have internally floated a valuation target between $1.5 trillion and $2 trillion. A person familiar with the matter noted no formal valuation target has been set yet. Revolut declined to comment. Revolut founder Nik Storonsky said this week the company’s IPO could arrive as early as 2028. Under a long-term agreement, Storonsky’s stake would rise by several percentage points if Revolut hits a $1.5 trillion valuation. In a Russian interv

On April 22, Volo— a liquidity mining platform within the Sui ecosystem— suffered a security breach, resulting in the theft of roughly $3.5 million in assets (including WBTC, XAUm, and USDC) from three specific vaults. Following the incident, the team promptly notified the Sui Foundation and ecosystem partners, and froze all vaults to prevent further losses. The breach only impacted three vaults; the remaining vaults do not share the same attack vector, and approximately $28 million in total value locked (TVL) assets remain secure. The team will cover the losses from the incident, will not pass them on to users, and plans to release a comprehensive post-incident report and remediation plan once the investigation concludes.

April 22: President Trump tweeted that the U.S. will postpone its military strike against Iran and extend the ceasefire deadline at the request of Pakistan’s Chief of Army Staff and Prime Minister. He also asked Iran to first submit a unified negotiation plan. During this period, the U.S. military will maintain a naval blockade against Iran and stay on military alert. The ceasefire will remain in effect until Iran submits the plan and completes negotiations, “regardless of the outcome.” Iran’s state TV responded to Trump’s ceasefire extension announcement, noting that Iran has already emerged as the victor on the battlefield. Controlling the Strait of Hormuz is a valuable chip Iran gained in this war. Iran has agreed to a temporary halt to combat operations, but the war is not over. It also warned Iran must be wary of any rhetoric suggesting it must enter negotiations, or the enemy will attack. Even if the naval blockade is lifted, Iran’s participation in negotiations is conditional

April 22 — Per Bloomberg, cryptocurrency tycoon Li Lin is moving his 20-person trading team from his family office Avenir Group to Bitfire Group, a wealth management firm where he holds a 30% stake. The transfer aims to help Bitfire attract more private banking clients. Hong Kong-listed Bitfire CEO Livio Weng told reporters in an interview that Bitfire will acquire the team and its trading system from Avenir Group. Avenir has confirmed the transaction. Following the team’s addition, Bitfire has secured initial investment commitments of roughly $500 million from Avenir (Li’s family office) and the listed company. Bitfire launched its private banking arm in August 2023 and has since onboarded around 300 clients, primarily family offices, listed companies, and high-net-worth individuals (HNWIs). The firm plans to expand its Ethereum and stablecoin trading strategies later this year, with expectations that its private banking assets under management (AUM) will exceed $1 billion