US Stocks of Crypto-Related Companies Down in Pre-market, BMNR Falls Over 3%

April 23: Strait of Hormuz Traffic Remains Mostly Stalled Only one Iran-linked large cargo ship was observed departing the Persian Gulf as of local time Thursday morning, per ship-tracking data. Security in the strait deteriorated further Wednesday: Iranian military vessels fired on a commercial ship, while the U.S. intercepted two oil tankers from Tehran. (Source: FXStreet)

April 23 — Tether announced it has frozen over $344 million in USDT across two addresses, working with U.S. authorities to halt further transfers after the addresses were linked to illicit activity. The move followed information from multiple U.S. law enforcement agencies about the funds’ ties to illegal operations. Tether noted it restricts assets linked to sanctions evasion, criminal networks or other illicit activity at law enforcement requests. Globally, it has partnered with 340+ agencies in 65+ countries, supporting 2,300+ cases and freezing over $4.4 billion total — $2.1 billion of which involves U.S. law enforcement. The stablecoin issuer emphasized it adheres to U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctions lists and has a zero-tolerance policy for USDT’s illicit use. Blockchain traceability enables transparent fund movement records, allowing identification and freezing before further transfers, it added. Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino said USDT is not a safe ha

April 23 – Per Bitget data, WTI and Brent crude prices gained 1% amid a short squeeze. Earlier, former President Trump tweeted he had ordered the U.S. Navy to sink any vessel laying mines in the Strait of Hormuz.

On April 23, U.S. President Donald Trump tweeted: "I have ordered the Navy to shoot down any ship deploying mines in the Strait of Hormuz. Our minesweepers are currently clearing the strait."

On April 23, crypto lobbying groups the Blockchain Association and the Crypto Council for Innovation (CCI)—alongside over 120 institutions including Coinbase, Ripple, Kraken, and Circle—sent a letter to the U.S. Senate Banking Committee urging progress on advancing the CLARITY Act. The groups emphasized the U.S. urgently needs a unified digital asset market structure to clarify regulatory responsibilities, boost investor protection, and solidify its leadership in financial innovation. While the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) have issued guidance in some areas, relying solely on enforcement actions cannot establish a long-term stable regulatory environment. The industry stressed that without clear policies, the U.S. risks losing its economic and strategic edge in digital assets—potentially driving capital, jobs, and technology outflows. The initiative also calls for adaptive regulatory oversight of stablecoins, tokeniz

On-chain analyst Yu Jin’s monitoring shows that BitMine deposited 75,600 ETH (valued at $176 million) into the Ethereum PoS staking contract at noon today—this move follows the firm’s recent acquisition of 100,000 ETH. As of now, BitMine has staked a total of 3.471 million ETH, accounting for 70% of its total ETH holdings (4.976 million ETH).