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Fold (FLD) Launches Bitcoin Bonus Program For Employers Through Fold Business Platform

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Fold (FLD) Launches Bitcoin Bonus Program For Employers Through Fold Business Platform

Fold Holdings has launched a new Bitcoin Bonus Program that lets employers offer recurring bitcoin-denominated bonuses without changing payroll systems, positioning it as the first product under its new Fold Business platform.

Employers set bonus amounts in dollars on their normal payroll schedule, while Fold handles conversion to bitcoin, custody, vesting and delivery through the Fold app.

Fold describes the Bitcoin Bonus Program as an employer-grade bonus vehicle that can function both as a benefit and as a retention tool. 

The company says employees can track and hold their bitcoin over time, turning what is often a spent-on-arrival cash bonus into a longer-term asset. Vesting schedules are built into the program, which allows companies to tie bonus access to tenure or performance.

Under the model, companies designate a recurring USD bonus or allocation in line with existing payroll cycles, and Fold executes real-time conversion to bitcoin at distribution. Fold also provides custody and administers vesting, so employers avoid direct exposure to digital-asset handling or additional compliance workflows. 

Early Fold adopters and target segments

Steak ’n Shake is the flagship partner and is offering the Bitcoin Bonus Program to thousands of hourly workers across its more than 10,000-person U.S. workforce. Simple Mining, a bitcoin mining hosting company in Iowa, is directing 1 percent of employee pay into bitcoin through the program, redeemable at year-end, to align staff with the asset they support for clients. 

The Bitcoin Bonus Program is the first step in a broader B2B strategy for Fold Business, which aims to add payroll, corporate bitcoin treasury services, corporate cards and other enterprise tools built on bitcoin rails. 

Last September, Fold announced a partnership with Stripe and Visa to launch a Bitcoin-only credit card designed to simplify Bitcoin rewards for everyday spending. The card offers up to 3.5% back in Bitcoin, combining instant rewards with additional earnings for users who pay through a Fold Checking Account. It also included up to 10% Bitcoin back at selected major retailers and aims to remove the complexity of traditional crypto reward systems. 

Fold, listed on Nasdaq under the ticker FLD, already offers a consumer app, debit card, credit card and bitcoin gift card products, and views workplace bitcoin benefits as a next growth channel. 

As of early Thursday trading, FLD shares changed hands near the mid‑$1 range with a market capitalization of about $73 million.

Crypto-Aligned Fellowship PAC Bets Big on Texas Senate Race

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Crypto-Aligned Fellowship PAC Bets Big on Texas Senate Race

The crypto-aligned Fellowship political action committee (PAC), led by stablecoin issuer Tether’s head of government affairs, reported spending more than $3 million on advertising related to US Senate and House races, with the majority going toward to support a Texas Republican candidate.

In a Tuesday filing with the US Federal Election Commission (FEC), Fellowship PAC disclosed that it had spent $1.75 million in support of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. The Republican is facing off against incumbent Senator John Cornyn in a May 26 runoff to determine who will become the party’s candidate for the 2026 US Senate race.

Fellowship PAC expenditure report on Ken Paxton. Source: FEC

In addition to Paxton, the PAC reported spending $350,000 on advertising for Mike Collins in Georgia’s Senate race, $350,000 on Barry Moore in Alabama’s Senate race, and $250,000 and $350,000 on Blake Miguez and Julia Letlow, respectively, for House and Senate races in Louisiana. All expenditures went through the Nxum Group, a marketing company co-founded by former White House crypto adviser and Tether US CEO Bo Hines.

Fellowship launched in September, claiming to have more than $100 million from undisclosed investors aligned with the crypto industry. Although the PAC has since reported $11 million in contributions to the FEC, no other filings or public records showed backers associated with crypto.

Crypto-backed PACs like Fellowship and Fairshake are expected to influence the results of the 2026 US midterm elections through spending on media and advertising to support candidates they consider “pro-crypto.” Fairshake and its affiliates reported spending more than $131 million in 2024, possibly influencing voters in key battleground states.

Related: Texas Lt. Gov. calls for study of crypto, prediction markets

Paxton’s time as Texas Attorney General was plagued by corruption allegations, leading to his impeachment in the state’s House of Representatives in 2023 — he was later acquitted by the Texas Senate. Either Paxton or Cornyn will likely face off against Democratic candidate James Talarico in November’s US Senate election.

Kalshi suspends and fines Texas candidate over insider trading 

As US state primaries continue and the general election approaches, many prediction market users are betting on the outcomes of events related to big and small races, including some candidates themselves.

On Wednesday, prediction markets platform Kalshi announced financial penalties and bans on three candidates in Minnesota, Texas and Virginia after they were found to have placed bets on their respective races. The Texas candidate, Ezekiel Enriquez, “purchased less than $100 worth of contracts related to his own candidacy” for Texas’ 21st Congressional District, according to Kalshi.

“Under the terms of the settlement, Kalshi suspended Enriquez from direct or indirect access to Kalshi for a period of 5 years and imposed a financial penalty of $784.20,” said the company.

Magazine: How to fix suspected insider trading on Polymarket and Kalshi

Cointelegraph is committed to independent, transparent journalism. This news article is produced in accordance with Cointelegraph’s Editorial Policy and aims to provide accurate and timely information. Readers are encouraged to verify information independently.

Bitcoin Created An Imperfection And The Price Will Crash Lower To Fill It

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Bitcoin Created An Imperfection And The Price Will Crash Lower To Fill It

Trusted Editorial content, reviewed by leading industry experts and seasoned editors. Ad Disclosure

Bitcoin’s recent price has carried the price action into a zone that one analyst believes was never meant to hold. The cryptocurrency climbed to $78,000 over the weekend and even pushed above $79,380 in the past 24 hours. 

Technical analysis shows that in doing so, it left behind an unresolved imperfection, which is a price imbalance that markets have a well-documented tendency to revisit. 

The Weekend Rally Left Behind A Debt

Crypto analyst Minga, writing on X, identified a dynamic playing out on Bitcoin’s 4-hour candlestick timeframe chart. According to the analyst, BTC is currently in the process of filling the imbalance created over the weekend. The development visible on Minga’s chart is the formation of a head-and-shoulders pattern, which is one of the most reliable bearish reversal signals in technical analysis. 

The left shoulder and the head have already formed, and Bitcoin is now in the process of completing the right shoulder. The analyst identified a rejection zone between $76,800 and $77,400, which is shown on the chart below in red, as the area where that right shoulder is most likely to top out.

Bitcoin
Source: Chart from Minga on X

If this formation completes, it would signal a change from upward momentum into distribution, where larger players begin offloading positions. The neckline of this pattern sits around the mid-$73,000 region, which also coincides with a rising trendline that has supported price in recent sessions.

Where Does Bitcoin Go From Here?

This technical analysis proposes that the current push higher might only be a retest, and once the right shoulder is complete, the structure calls for a breakdown. The important level to watch on the way down is the previous monthly high, currently sitting at $76,053. 

According to Minga, a rejection at the $76,800 to $77,400 red box must be followed by a break below that monthly high on the subsequent revisit. Should the pattern play out as the analyst projected, the chart points toward two notable downside reference points. The first reference point is the equal low level around $70,450, which is labeled on the chart above as a liquidity target. 

Failure to break below the previous monthly high at $76,053 would invalidate the bearish scenario and give us another push toward the highs to take out the Monthly FVG above $79,000.

The second reference point is an untapped monthly imbalance of $79,388, which represents the opposing scenario. If Bitcoin instead breaks above $78,332 and acceptance is established above that level, the monthly fair value gap becomes the next logical target to the upside.

At the time of writing, Bitcoin is trading at $77,640, just above the rejection zone between $76,800 and $77,400.

Bitcoin
BTC trading at $77,371 on the 1D chart | Source: BTCUSDT on Tradingview.com

Featured image from Pixabay, chart from Tradingview.com

Editorial Process for bitcoinist is centered on delivering thoroughly researched, accurate, and unbiased content. We uphold strict sourcing standards, and each page undergoes diligent review by our team of top technology experts and seasoned editors. This process ensures the integrity, relevance, and value of our content for our readers.

Tether Freezes $344M USDT in Coordination with U.S. Law Enforcement

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Tether Freezes $344M USDT in Coordination with U.S. Law Enforcement

The stablecoin issuer says it has now supported more than 2,300 cases worldwide, including over 1,200 with U.S. agencies.

Tether said Thursday it has frozen $344 million in USDT across two wallet addresses on the Tron blockchain, acting on information shared by U.S. authorities about activity tied to “unlawful conduct.”

The stablecoin issuer said in a statement that the freeze, executed in coordination with the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) and U.S. law enforcement, prevented further movement of the funds once the addresses were identified. Tether did not specify the underlying alleged conduct.

The action lifts Tether’s cumulative cooperation with U.S. authorities to more than $2.1 billion in frozen assets, out of a global total exceeding $4.4 billion, the company said. Tether added that it now works with more than 340 law enforcement agencies across 65 countries and has supported over 2,300 cases globally, including more than 1,200 tied to U.S. agencies.

“USD₮ is not a safe haven for illicit activity,” Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino said in the announcement. “When credible links to sanctioned entities or criminal networks are identified, we act immediately and decisively.”

Ardoino added that the company combines blockchain transparency with real-time monitoring and direct coordination with law enforcement to “stop funds before they can move.”

The freeze extends a string of high-profile collaborations between Tether and U.S. authorities. The company noted that the Department of Justice has previously acknowledged its support in seizures of nearly $61 million and approximately $225 million tied to pig butchering fraud, a romance-investment scam category that is becoming more widespread.

Tether’s compliance posture has shifted markedly since 2022, when the company declined to preemptively freeze sanctioned addresses following the U.S. Treasury’s action against Tornado Cash. The issuer has since become a central player in cross-border on-chain enforcement, joining with Tron and TRM Labs in September 2024 to launch the T3 Financial Crime Unit, which had frozen more than $300 million in illicitly sourced funds as of late 2025.

The expanded enforcement footprint also coincides with tensifying U.S. regulatory pressure on stablecoin issuers. The GENIUS Act, signed into law in July 2025, requires payment stablecoin issuers to maintain on-chain freezing capabilities and comply with sanctions and AML rules, though final implementing regulations remain pending.

Tether launched its self-custodial wallet earlier this month and last week led a $150 million recovery plan for Drift Protocol following the Solana DEX’s April 1 exploit.

This article was written with the assistance of AI workflows. All our stories are curated, edited and fact-checked by a human.

Temenos and Bain Identify Technology Megatrends Redefining the Future of Banking

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Temenos and Bain Identify Technology Megatrends Redefining the Future of Banking

WHY THIS MATTERS: This joint assessment by a major banking technology provider and a top-tier consulting firm is a critical roadmap for any financial institution CEO planning their next decade of investment. The core message is clear: the era of incremental digital optimization is over, replaced by a strategic imperative for foundational change. The key challenge for banks is no longer merely adopting AI, but establishing a robust foundation for Responsible AI. This means retiring legacy infrastructure and embracing core modernization to create the governed data structures necessary for compliant, scalable automation. Firms that fail to treat their technology stack as a competitive strategic asset risk being left behind, especially as the report spotlights the rapid shift toward hyper-personalisation and the operational efficiencies unlocked by AI agents in commercial banking. The window for strategic inertia is closing.

Temenos, a global leader in banking technology, today unveiled Technology Trends Redefining the Future of Banking, a collaborative industry assessment with Bain & Company, revealing the technology trends set to reshape global banking across retail, SME, corporate, wealth, and payments.

Based on industry perspectives from Temenos and Bain, combined with insights from the Temenos Value Benchmark, the report shows banks making decisive shifts. They are modernising core banking systems in the cloud and improving their data structures to underpin intelligent services. They are moving from building digital experiences to monetising them. They are also navigating the move to digital ecosystems beyond traditional finance.

William Moroney, Chief Revenue Officer, Temenos, commented: “Technology has become central to how banks earn trust, compete, and grow. Those treating technology as a strategic asset are pulling ahead, while others are finding it increasingly difficult to keep pace. This report highlights where value is emerging and outlines the technology decisions shaping the future of banking.”

Joseph Edwin, Partner at Bain & Company, said: “Banks are entering a decisive period where technology choices will determine competitiveness for years to come. Bain’s work across the sector shows that the winners will be those that modernise the core, adopt cloud-native architecture, and build governed data and security foundations that allow AI to scale safely.”

The Temenos report highlights five megatrends shaping banks’ technology priorities for 2026 and beyond:

  1. Responsible AI in Banking Starts with a Trusted Core: As global guidance and legislation continue to evolve, some financial institutions are gravitating towards approaches such as the Model Context Protocol (MCP), which allow AI to securely retrieve context and data from core systems and external services without duplicating data or embedding logic into models. This strengthens governance and regulatory alignment.
  2. Cloud, SaaS and Data Mesh Underpin the Intelligent Bank: Banks are accelerating the adoption of cloud native architectures and SaaS platforms to scale efficiently and reduce reliance on legacy systems. But while data remains a critical asset, it is often fragmented, hard to access and over a fifth (21%) duplicated. This is driving adoption of data mesh architectures to organise data and unlock real‑time, AI‑driven value.
  3. AI Agents Transform Complex Corporate Banking Processes: Corporate and commercial banking is shifting away from manual, bespoke processes as AI agents begin orchestrating workflows such as deal structuring, compliance checks, and documentation. At the same time, treasurers expect real‑time visibility into liquidity and payments, driving modernisation of API‑driven channels and core infrastructure.
  4. Stablecoins expand into real-world use cases: Stablecoins are evolving from crypto plumbing into a credible settlement and liquidity rail for targeted banking and payments flows. While not replacing existing systems, they are becoming strategically relevant – particularly for cross‑border, liquidity, and wholesale use cases – creating long‑term opportunity and short‑term complexity for banks.
  5. Hyper Personalisation Redefines Retail and SME Banking: AI and behavioural data are driving rapid growth in hyper‑personalisation, enabling banks to deliver more relevant, real‑time offers and deepen customer engagement. With an average of just 2.59 products per customer, this represents a significant opportunity to increase share of wallet.

FF NEWS TAKE: Absolutely, this moves the needle. It validates the widespread industry consensus that the battleground for market share will be won on data governance and cloud-native capability. We see the primary short-term focus shifting from internal digital tools to external, revenue-driving intelligence. Banks must now closely watch how regulators respond to the practical deployment of AI agents in areas like corporate deal structuring, and how the burgeoning utility of stablecoins in wholesale payments impacts traditional correspondent banking models.

U.S. arrests soldier for Polymarket bets on Nicolas Maduro raid he participated in

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U.S. arrests soldier for Polymarket bets on Nicolas Maduro raid he participated in

The U.S. Department of Justice arrested a master sergeant with the Army on allegations he placed wagers on the raid of Nicolas Maduro ahead of participating in the operation to detain former Venezuelan leader.

The DOJ unsealed an indictment Thursday charging Gannon Ken Van Dyke with the unlawful use of confidential government information for personal gain, theft of nonpublic government information and fraud charges, alleging he used his knowledge of the forthcoming raid on Venezuela to place $33,000 in bets, winning about $400,000 after the raid.

“The defendant allegedly violated the trust placed in him by the United States Government by using classified information about a sensitive military operation to place bets on the timing and outcome of that very operation, all to turn a profit,” U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton said in a statement. “That is clear insider trading and is illegal under federal law.”

Van Dyke allegedly created a Polymarket account on Dec. 26, 2025 and placed 13 bets through Jan. 2, 2026 on contracts anticipating whether U.S. forces would land in Venezuela, remove Maduro, invade Venezuela and similar contracts.

In tandem with the criminal pursuit, the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission is pursuing an insider trading complaint in federal court, the agency said in a Thursday statement.

“The defendant was entrusted with confidential information about U.S. operations and yet took action that endangered U.S. national security and put the lives of American service members in harm’s way,” said CFTC Chairman Mike Selig.

Van Dyke is an active duty soldier with the U.S. Army Special Forces, colloquially known as “green berets,” and was based out of Fort Bragg. According to the indictment, he “was involved in the planning and execution” of the military operation to detain Maduro.

After the raid, Van Dyke allegedly withdrew the funds, converted the winnings to a bridged version of USDC, sent them to “a foreign cryptocurrency ‘vault'” and then began withdrawing funds and moving them into a brokerage account, the filing said.

The filing noted that the fact someone had made a massive profit on these Polymarket bets had been noticed by news organizations, and it alleged that Van Dyke asked Polymarket to delete his account and changed his email to attempt to conceal his identity.

In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Polymarket said, “when we identified a user trading on classified government information, we referred the matter to the DOJ [and] cooperated with their investigation.”

U.S. President Donald Trump, during a press scrum, told reporters that he would look into allegations of federal reporters placing prediction market bets using confidential information, Bloomberg reported.

“The whole world, unfortunately, has become somewhat of a casino,” he said. “And you look at at what’s going on all over the world, in Europe and every place they’re doing these betting things. I was never much in favor of it. I don’t like it conceptually.”

UPDATE (April 23, 2026, 20:35 UTC): Adds CFTC, Trump comments.

UPDATE (April 23, 2026, 20:45 UTC): Adds Polymarket post, clarifies role of green berets.

Bitcoin’s Quantum Problem Is Really A Governance Crisis In Disguise: UTXO

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Bitcoin’s Quantum Problem Is Really A Governance Crisis In Disguise: UTXO

Bitcoin developers have a solution to quantum computing threats. The harder question is whether the network can agree on one in time. The quantum computing threat to Bitcoin is not primarily a technical problem — it is a political one. 

Those are the central arguments of a new commentary published by Guillaume Girard, a venture associate at UTXO Management, the Bitcoin-focused investment firm and subsidiary of Nakamoto Inc. In a piece titled “Bitcoin and the Quantum Threat: A Non-Technical Guide,” Girard argues that while a cryptographically relevant quantum computer (CRQC) does not yet exist and may never reach the threshold required to break Bitcoin’s encryption, the community must act now — because the governance process that governs any protocol change moves at the pace of a state legislature.

Bitcoin’s security rests on elliptic curve cryptography, which protects the private keys that control wallet access. A sufficiently powerful quantum computer running Shor’s algorithm could derive a private key from an exposed public key, enabling theft at scale. Google’s Quantum AI team published research in March indicating that a machine with fewer than 500,000 physical qubits — far below earlier estimates of 10 million — could potentially break this encryption, with Google’s own internal target for post-quantum readiness set at 2029. Approximately 1.7 million BTC currently sit in legacy Pay-to-Public-Key (P2PK) addresses where public keys are permanently exposed on-chain, making them the most vulnerable targets.

A quantum solution is on the table for Bitcoin 

Bitcoin Improvement Proposal 360 (BIP-360), authored by developer Hunter Beast, introduces a new output type called Pay-to-Merkle-Root (P2MR) that removes public key exposure from standard transactions. The proposal has been merged into Bitcoin’s development repository and is under active review. 

A companion proposal, BIP-361, authored by Jameson Lopp, maps a three-phase migration away from vulnerable signature schemes, though Phase B of that plan could freeze coins in wallets that fail to migrate within a five-year window. 

A separate proposal called Hourglass would allow quantum attackers to move stolen coins only in limited batches — potentially one BTC per block — throttling the economic damage and transferring fee revenue to miners.

The harder problem involves coins that cannot migrate: lost wallets, inactive holders, and an estimated 1.1 million BTC attributed to Satoshi Nakamoto. Girard identifies two candidate solutions, each with serious drawbacks.

The first would burn coins in quantum-vulnerable addresses after a deadline — an effective fix that critics say sets a dangerous censorship precedent for a protocol built on neutrality. The second, Hourglass, accepts that theft will occur but restricts the flow of stolen coins to dampen the price impact and market disruption. 

Neither option is clean, and both require the same thing: broad social consensus across users, miners, developers, and — for the first time — large institutional holders like BlackRock.

Institutions are already reacting

The debate has moved beyond developer mailing lists. Jefferies removed its entire 10% Bitcoin allocation from its pension model portfolio in January 2026, with global equity strategist Christopher Wood citing quantum risk as a potential long-term threat to Bitcoin’s cryptographic foundation. 

Strategy’s Michael Saylor announced a Bitcoin Security Program to coordinate with the broader security community on quantum preparedness, framing the issue as an engineering challenge rather than an emergency. Citi’s cybersecurity team has put a multi-trillion-dollar price tag on the quantum threat to crypto broadly.

Girard’s conclusion is measured: the real contest is between the timeline for a CRQC capable of breaking Bitcoin and the timeline for the community to activate a soft fork. Based on current data, he believes Bitcoin is on track — but notes that if developer action is perceived as too slow by sovereign and institutional buyers, those stakeholders have both the motive and the financial weight to accelerate consensus outside existing structures. 

The marginal buyer of Bitcoin is no longer retail; it is governments and asset managers who will not tolerate inaction. Most experts still consider a practical attack at least several years away, but as Girard puts it, the fog of war makes the timeline unclear — and in this battle, waiting for certainty is itself a risk.

Bitcoin Magazine is published by BTC Inc, a subsidiary of Nakamoto Inc. UTXO Management is also a subsidiary of Nakamoto Inc. (NASDAQ: NAKA)

NatWest Launches Venture Banking to Help Scale the UK’s Innovation Economy and Drive Future Growth

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NatWest Launches Venture Banking to Help Scale the UK’s Innovation Economy and Drive Future Growth

WHY THIS MATTERS: The introduction of NatWest Venture Banking marks a significant commitment by a major incumbent to the UK’s crucial FinTech ecosystem. This move is less about a new product line and more about a strategic re-alignment, targeting the “missing middle” of high-growth companies that require specialist support beyond standard commercial banking but often struggle to access dedicated venture debt and scalable financial infrastructure. By creating an integrated proposition—combining dedicated relationship managers, flexible capital solutions, and the notable strategic partnership with Amazon Web Services (AWS)—NatWest is acknowledging the specialized needs of equity-backed businesses. In a world where scaling innovation is key to national productivity, this dedicated approach is a necessary counter-move against pure-play venture banks, positioning the group as a critical, domestic financial partner for founders looking to turn promising ideas into global scale. This matters because the competition for future UK economic growth has just intensified.

Today NatWest has launched NatWest Venture Banking, a dedicated venture banking business to support the UK’s most ambitious high growth companies and the investors backing them — helping to turn innovation into scale, jobs and long‑term economic growth.

As the UK looks to strengthen productivity and compete globally, high‑growth, equity‑backed businesses are playing an increasingly critical role in driving innovation, attracting investment and creating skilled employment. NatWest Venture Banking has been created to meet growing demand from founders and investors for more sophisticated, joined‑up financial partners, supporting companies through every stage of growth — from early‑stage ideation through to global scale.

Building on NatWest’s longstanding support for entrepreneurs and growth companies, the new business brings together a strong experienced team with specialist capabilities from across the bank into a single, integrated venture banking proposition. Through a distinct, relationship‑led regional coverage model — combining dedicated relationship teams across the UK, bringing deep sector expertise and flexible capital solutions — NatWest Venture Banking is designed to support founders and investors at critical moments of growth.

As part of the launch, NatWest is announcing a new strategic partnership with Amazon Web Services (AWS) to strengthen its support for technology‑led businesses. NatWest Venture Banking clients will gain access to AWS’s advanced technical capabilities, network, and deep sector expertise. By joining forces, the companies aim to help accelerate the growth and innovation of UK startups by providing the tools, insight and support needed to build and scale.

NatWest Venture Banking will also work closely with venture capital firms and other investors to support portfolio companies, streamline capital flows and provide dedicated fund banking expertise — reinforcing the UK’s position as a leading destination for innovation and investment.

The launch brings together founders, investors and ecosystem partners, with Paul Thwaite, CEO of NatWest Group, and Jenny Edwards, Head of NatWest Venture Banking, discussing the role of innovation‑led businesses in driving the UK’s future economic growth.

Paul Thwaite, CEO of NatWest Group, said: “Innovation‑led businesses are central to the UK’s future prosperity — driving productivity, jobs and global competitiveness. Too many founders still face barriers to scaling, and NatWest Venture Banking is designed to change that. By combining specialist expertise, tailored support and a powerful ecosystem, we’re backing ambition with action to support the next chapter of UK growth.”

Jenny Edwards, Head of NatWest Venture Banking, said: “The UK has world‑class talent and ideas, but innovation only delivers economic growth if businesses can scale. NatWest Venture Banking is a major investment in the UK’s innovation economy, bringing together a specialist team and strong ecosystem partnerships to help high‑growth, equity‑backed businesses become globally competitive and create jobs across the UK.”

Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves said: “When innovative businesses thrive and grow, the whole economy benefits. I want Britain to be the best place in the world to start a business, scale, list and stay – that’s why we’re cutting red tape, supporting high-growth firms and creating the certainty they need to invest.”

Bitcoin Bulls Fight For Bull Market Support Band Into Weekly Close

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Bitcoin Bulls Fight For Bull Market Support Band Into Weekly Close

Bitcoin (BTC) slipped from near three-month highs on Thursday as attention turned to the weekly close.

Key points:

  • Bitcoin retraces after its latest trip to its highest levels in several months.
  • The upcoming weekly candle close is of particular interest as price eyes its bull market support band.
  • A macro lull comes ahead of a deluge of US inflation data next week.

Bitcoin bull market support band returns after six months

Data from TradingView showed BTC/USD dropping to $77,200 prior to the Wall Street open.

The pair hit $79,500 the day prior, marking its highest levels since the last day of January as the $80,000 mark remained narrowly out of reach.

BTC/USD one-hour chart. Source: Cointelegraph/TradingView

“$BTC just keeps taking out the highs, taking out short stops without following through,” trader Jelle commented on the latest price action in a post on X. 

“Been a while since we saw PA like that; usually means liquidity is being generated for a larger position. The question is, when will they step on the gas?”

BTC/USD four-hour chart. Source: Jelle/X

As Cointelegraph reported, multiple resistance levels remain in play in the current spot price zone, with the 21-week exponential moving average (EMA) proving hard to flip to support. Bitcoin last traded above that trend line in October 2025.

With that, another chart feature finally making a comeback after a six-month absence is Bitcoin’s bull market support band.

Formed by the 21-week EMA and the 20-week simple moving average (SMA), the support band was lost as support soon after Bitcoin’s latest all-time highs.

“$BTC Attempting to break back above the bull market support band,” trader Daan Crypto Trades confirmed. 

“Eyes on the weekly close this weekend, as it will be an important one. Bitcoin has not traded above its bull market support band since October 2025.”

BTC/USD one-week chart. Source: Daan Crypto Trades/X

Fed policy, oil seen as next crypto catalysts

Macro markets provided little volatility on the day, with few cues from the US-Iran war.

Related: Bitcoin Bull Score hits six-month high as 2022 bear-market fears linger

The coming week was due to see key US macroeconomic data prints released, along with the latest interest-rate announcement from the Federal Reserve.

As Cointelegraph previously noted, markets saw little chance of Fed easing policy until the end of 2027 as geopolitical uncertainty raised the odds of inflation making a comeback.

The latest data from CME Group’s FedWatch Tool put the chances of the Fed changing rates at next week’s meeting at practically zero.

“The cleanest tells from here are still oil and policy. Oil below $100 would support the relief case, while clearer Fed signalling would help compress the policy premium,” trading company QCP Capital wrote in its latest “Market Color” analysis on Wednesday. 

“Until then, the broader message remains the same: risk has stepped back from the brink, but the underlying macro and geopolitical overhang has not been cleared.”

Fed target rate probabilities (screenshot). Source: CME Group

This article is produced in accordance with Cointelegraph’s Editorial Policy and is intended for informational purposes only. It does not constitute investment advice or recommendations. All investments and trades carry risk; readers are encouraged to conduct independent research.

Crypto Advocacy Group Calls Action on Market Structure Bill ‘critical‘

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Crypto Advocacy Group Calls Action on Market Structure Bill ‘critical‘

More than 120 entities affiliated with the cryptocurrency and blockchain industry are urging US lawmakers to stop stalling on the advancement of a digital asset market structure bill.

In a Thursday letter to leaders in the US Senate Banking Committee, the Crypto Council for Innovation (CCI) and Blockchain Association said that the body should “proceed towards a markup of the CLARITY Act to provide a comprehensive federal market structure framework for digital assets.”

The legislation, expected to be one of the most significant laws to potentially impact the crypto industry, passed the House of Representatives in July 2025 but has been delayed due in part to government shutdowns and debates over stablecoin yield and other issues.

“Timely action is critical, as other major jurisdictions have already implemented comprehensive frameworks, and the absence of comparable US policy risks ceding both economic and strategic advantages,” said the letter. “The US needs a comprehensive market structure framework to support domestic digital asset innovation, or risk migration of investment, jobs, and technological development offshore.”

Source: CCI

The Senate Banking Committee, under chair Tim Scott, postponed a markup on the CLARITY Act in January hours after Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong said that the company could not support the bill as written. Since that time, representatives from the banking and crypto industries have met with lawmakers to discuss issues within the bill — e.g. how to address stablecoin yield — and possible paths forward. 

As of Thursday, the banking committee had not publicly announced a new date for the bill’s markup. However, US Senator Thom Tillis on Monday called for committee leaders to consider postponing any markup until May to give crypto and banking representatives more time to discuss a compromise on stablecoin yield.

Related: Four reasons why the crypto market is rallying today: Will bulls maintain control?

About 120 crypto companies and organizations signed onto the letter, including exchanges like Coinbase and Kraken, but also groups like the Texas Blockchain Council and Solana Policy Institute. It came just three days after the advocacy organization The Digital Chamber asked the banking committee to schedule a markup “as soon as the calendar allows”:

“We are now more than halfway through the 119th Congress, and it has been more than 270 days since the House passed the CLARITY Act with strong bipartisan support and we recognize the legislative window for this Congress is narrowing.”

Banking association asks for more, not less, time to address stablecoins

On Tuesday, the American Bankers Association asked four US government agencies responsible for GENIUS regulations for 60 additional days to comment after the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency finalized its rules. The request, if granted, would likely delay full implementation of the stablecoin bill.

Magazine: AI-driven hacks threaten to kill DeFi — unless projects act now

Cointelegraph is committed to independent, transparent journalism. This news article is produced in accordance with Cointelegraph’s Editorial Policy and aims to provide accurate and timely information. Readers are encouraged to verify information independently.
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