Trump Aide: U.S. Has Ability to Maintain Iran Port Blockade Indefinitely

Binance will launch pre-market trading for the CHIP perpetual contract starting April 16, 2026, at 15:15 UTC+8, per an official April 16 announcement. The contract offers a maximum leverage of 5x. USD.AI is a permissionless lending protocol that funds AI infrastructure, letting GPU operators tokenize their hardware as collateral for instant funding.

April 16th — Grant Cardone, billionaire CEO of real estate investment firm Cardone Capital, announced on X that he has purchased 500 prime properties and will acquire an additional 400 bitcoins. Since April last year, Cardone Capital has been building up its Bitcoin treasury and has consistently increased its holdings.

**Reuters Survey: Nearly Two-Thirds of Economists See BOJ Hiking to 1% by June End Amid Iran Conflict Uncertainty** Nearly two-thirds of economists expect the Bank of Japan (BOJ) to raise its benchmark interest rate to 1% by the end of June, according to a Reuters survey, with market bets on a hike this month or June roughly balanced amid uncertainty from the Iran conflict. The survey, conducted April 7–14, polled 71 economists: 46 (65%) predicted the policy rate would hit 1% by June, up from 60% in March and 58% in February. Of the 40 economists who gave a specific timing, 38% picked April and 35% chose June—up from last month’s survey, where 32% favored June (the highest share then), followed by 30% for July and 27% for April. Economists still broadly expect the BOJ to tighten policy this quarter, a view unchanged since the U.S. launched military action against Iran on Feb. 28. The conflict has amplified market concerns over rising energy prices, resurgent inflation, and fur

April 16th — HTX market data shows HYPE has surged past $45, currently trading at $45.7412 with a 24-hour gain of 2.52%. The token has now returned to its pre-"10/11" crash level, sitting just 23% below its all-time high of $59.3.

As of April 16th, data from Arkham Monitor shows BlackRock’s Bitcoin ETF holds $59.31 billion in Bitcoin, with an average entry price of $89,000. Amid Bitcoin’s recent rebound, the ETF’s holdings bottomed out on February 25th and have since gained over $11 billion in value.

On April 16, South Korea’s Ministry of Economy and Finance announced (via Newsis) that a pilot project for digital currency use in treasury fund disbursement has been selected as a 2026 targeted regulatory sandbox topic. Currently, government agencies cover business advancement expenses primarily through government procurement cards (credit/debit cards). The pilot will allow for the issuance and payment of blockchain-based deposit tokens. The Korean government expects the move to boost fund utilization transparency—via predefined validity periods and industry scopes—and reduce fee burdens on small merchants by leveraging an intermediary-free payment structure. The pilot is set to officially launch in Q4 2024, starting first in Sejong City before expanding gradually to other regions.