Arthur Hayes: Maelstrom is aggressively buying into high-quality altcoins

Bitcoin slipped below $66,000 on April 2nd, per HTX market data, with a 24-hour drop of 3.75%.

On April 2, Telegram’s native encrypted wallet—Wallet in Telegram—announced the launch of perpetual contract trading, with technical backing from Lighter. The platform supports over 50 markets, offering leveraged trading for metals, stocks, oil, and cryptocurrencies with up to 50x leverage.

On April 2nd, Solana Foundation Chair Lily Liu posted a statement: "The Drift incident has had a far-reaching impact, rippling across the entire ecosystem. The Drift team is working around the clock to investigate and contain the situation, and we are fully committed to providing support. The smart contract itself has held up to scrutiny. The attack’s actual target is people — tied more to social engineering and operational security gaps, not code-level exploits. Solana has weathered multiple challenges before, advancing through faster iteration, better infrastructure, community support, and enhanced security. Stay vigilant, review your security settings thoroughly, and keep building. We’ll provide updates on any new developments as they emerge."

April 2 — Cryptocurrency exchange BTCC announced a strategic partnership with the Argentine Football Association (AFA) on Wednesday, officially becoming the official regional partner of the Argentine national team. The collaboration will span the entire cycle of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. BTCC noted the partnership will help deepen its globalization strategy, strengthen its trading ecosystem, boost user trust, and launch a range of user-focused activities — including signed jersey giveaways and trading competitions. Founded in 2011, BTCC ranks among the world’s oldest cryptocurrency exchanges.

On April 2nd, the commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy stated that as conflict escalates, the IRGC will expand its target range and accelerate efforts to expel U.S. forces from the region. In a series of retaliatory actions against what it described as attacks by the “American-Israeli enemy” on national infrastructure, the IRGC identified the following targets: U.S.-affiliated steel operations in Abu Dhabi, Bahrain’s Al-Hidd Industrial City, and remaining aluminum industry infrastructure in Bahrain, among others. (Source: Jinse)

On April 2, per Bitget data, U.S. stock futures extended losses: Nasdaq 100 futures are now down over 2%, Dow Jones futures ~1.4% lower, and S&P 500 futures off ~1.6%.