Liquid has completed a $18 million Series A funding round, led by Neo and Left Lane Capital

April 28th — The cryptocurrency industry is currently grappling with a wave of shutdowns, hitting projects from exchanges to analytics tools. April’s latest casualty: decentralized email service Dmail announced it will cease operations due to sky-high infrastructure costs, failed funding rounds, and weak token utility. Roshan Dharia, CEO of crypto holding firm Echo Base, observed: “In past market cycles, projects could stretch their runway via new token issuances or VC backing. That playbook is now largely closed, leading to earlier loss recognition—and more shutdowns than recoveries.” The crypto space has long relied on rapid token-based fundraising but lacks a formal resolution framework during distress, making debt restructuring or stakeholder coordination tough as conditions worsen. Recent months have seen further deterioration amid sliding user activity, shrinking financial reserves, and narrowing funding channels: - DAO tool platform Tally said it’s gradually winding down

April 28 – Per Iranian state media, an Iranian military spokesperson said: "We don’t believe the war is over—we still view the situation as active combat, and our armed forces have updated their objectives and equipment." (Golden Finance)

April 28 – A deputy commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy stated Wednesday that Iran has full control over the Strait of Hormuz and is requesting passage fees from vessels transiting the waterway. He emphasized the strait’s territorial sovereignty is inviolable, and foreign vessels must comply with Iran’s transit rules—including communicating in Persian. “Without the Supreme Leader’s orders and the people’s will, Iran will never allow even a drop of oil to flow through the strait,” he said. The Iranian military is currently “on alert” and in a state of high vigilance, he added. He also claimed U.S. military dominance in the Persian Gulf has ended, reiterating Iran can handle any form of maritime blockade. (CCTV News)

April 28 — U.S. President Donald Trump tweeted: “Iran just issued a major threat. They’ve announced they see the Houthis have faded from the scene and are trying to change their leadership approach (I believe they can do it!)”

On April 28, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) announced it will withdraw from OPEC and OPEC+ starting May 1. Nordea Bank analyst Jan von Gerich noted the UAE’s goal to boost oil production, which would weigh on oil prices. He also said OPEC won’t be able to control prices like it once did once the Iran conflict is resolved. Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank Chief Economist Monica Malik said this paves the way for the UAE to grab global market share once geopolitical tensions ease. She added the move would benefit consumers and the broader global economy. (Source: FXStreet)

April 28th – Per Bitget data, U.S. stock markets opened with the Dow Jones Industrial Average (Dow) up 0.22%, the S&P 500 down 0.52%, and the Nasdaq Composite falling 1.18%. Reports indicate OpenAI has failed to meet its revenue and user targets, pressuring related tech and semiconductor stocks: NVIDIA is down 3.5%, AMD 6%, the iShares Semiconductor ETF 4%, and Oracle 5.9%.