At MPE 2026, Ivan Vukelikj, G+D Netcetera, outlined his responsibilities for the company’s portfolio of payment security products for the acquiring market. He highlighted that the company’s core mission is centered on addressing three key needs in today’s digital commerce landscape: boosting conversion rates, driving down fraud, and ensuring fast integration of payment capabilities.
To achieve these goals, Vukelikj explained that G+D Netcetera provides scheme-agnostic and technology-agnostic payment security stacks. This approach is designed to simplify things for acquirers and Payment Service Providers (PSPs), enabling them to adapt to the ongoing digital commerce transformation with easier and more cost efficient integration.
The company is constantly evolving its services to maintain high quality while adapting to new emerging technologies, specifically the concept of “agentic commerce while noting that G+D Netcetera is applying AI within its own operational processes and building new AI-driven features into its existing services. Since agentic commerce is fundamentally based on tokenization, digital delegated authentication, and SRC (Secure Remote Commerce) technology, G+D Netcetera is already set up to support it by providing these components as a service to its customers.
Vukelikj stressed that MPE is “the best event to engage with the experts in the payment ecosystem” andG+D Netcetera’s presence at the conference is aimed at sharing its perspective on emerging topics like agentic commerce, digital identity, and tokenization.
Bitcoin price traded above $76,500 today, holding onto recent gains despite rising geopolitical tension. Bitcoin fell back toward $75,000 into the weekly close and over the weekend as renewed tension between the United States and Iran rattled markets and refocused attention on oil prices.
The pullback followed a failed breakout above $78,000, which had marked Bitcoin’s highest level in ten weeks. The move higher came after a brief easing in geopolitical risk, when Iran signaled the Strait of Hormuz was open. That shift sent crude lower and lifted risk assets, including crypto. The rally reversed once reports emerged that the waterway had been closed again, raising the prospect of tighter global oil supply.
“Bitcoin finally broke out of its multi-week range last week, now trading around $75,000, finally breaching the important $74,000 as $530 million worth of shorts were squeezed by positive developments around the Straits of Hormuz,” Bitfinex analysts wrote to Bitcoin Magazine.
The Strait of Hormuz handles a significant share of the world’s oil shipments, and any disruption tends to drive energy prices higher. Oil climbed back toward the high-$80 range after the renewed closure, adding pressure to inflation expectations and risk markets. Bitcoin price, which has tracked macro conditions through the conflict, gave up gains as sentiment shifted.
“The sustainability of a move higher [for bitcoin] now hinges on geopolitics as the US-Iran ceasefire expires 21 April unless a resolution is found, leaving upcoming negotiations in the driving seat and determining whether this breakout evolves into a continuation or a failure,” Bitfinex analysts note.
Market data shows the reversal triggered a wave of liquidations. More than $250 million in crypto positions were wiped out over a 24-hour period, with longs taking the brunt after the failed push higher. The unwind followed a larger short squeeze earlier in the week, when Bitcoin price’s surge above $76,000 forced bearish bets out of the market.
Traders remain focused on key technical levels. Bitcoin price continues to face resistance near its 21-week exponential moving average, which sits just below $79,000. Analysts say rejection at that level raises the risk of a retest of support near $73,000, an area tied to a prior double-bottom formation.
Derivatives positioning also points to heightened volatility. Roughly $7.9 billion in Bitcoin options are set to expire this week, with heavy open interest clustered around the $75,000 strike. That level may act as a pivot zone, where dealer hedging flows could amplify price swings in either direction.
Bitcoin price sentiment is bullish
Despite the recent pullback, broader sentiment has not fully turned. Funding rates in perpetual futures remain negative, signaling that short positioning is still elevated. That leaves room for another squeeze if prices hold above key support levels.
At the same time, macro drivers remain dominant. Bitcoin price’s recent price action has shown sensitivity to headlines tied to the conflict and energy markets. Any sustained rise in oil prices could reinforce inflation concerns and delay expectations for looser monetary policy, a backdrop that has weighed on crypto demand in recent months.
Since Paul Atkins was sworn in as chair of the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on April 21, 2025, the agency has significantly changed its position on regulation and enforcement related to digital assets, marking a shift from the leadership of former chair Gary Gensler during the Biden administration.
During his 2024 presidential campaign, Donald Trump made removing Gensler one of his promises to the crypto industry, along with creating a national Bitcoin (BTC) stockpile and opposing the issuance of a US central bank digital currency.
His November 2024 election win led to Gensler’s resignation in January 2025 and the appointment of SEC commissioner Mark Uyeda as acting chair of the financial regulator until the Senate could confirm Atkins as Trump’s pick to lead the agency.
SEC Chair Paul Atkins on CNBC’s Squawk Box on April 20, 2026. Source CNBC
Even before the Senate voted to confirm Atkins, the SEC was already signaling a change in crypto regulation and enforcement under Trump. Uyeda oversaw the creation of an SEC crypto task force headed by Commissioner Hester Peirce and the agency began to drop civil enforcement actions and investigations into crypto companies, starting with Coinbase in February.
The first 12 months of Atkins’ chairmanship has seen the SEC push policies and approaches to regulation widely viewed as favorable to the crypto and blockchain industry.
In addition to wrapping up enforcement actions, the regulator has approved multiple exchange-traded funds tied to various crypto assets, signed a memorandum of understanding with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) over coordination on digital asset regulation and issued an interpretative notice on not treating most cryptocurrencies as securities under federal law.
Related: One year after Gary Gensler’s exit, SEC’s crypto playbook looks very different
“A year goes by quickly, but we’ve made huge progress, I think,” said Atkins in a Monday CNBC interview. “I promised a new day at the SEC when I came aboard, and we have. We’ve pivoted from the old practice of regulation through enforcement and the opaqueness of the agency, as, for example, with crypto.”
Source: CFTC Chair Michael Selig
SEC chair faces scrutiny from Democratic lawmakers
While many in the crypto industry have lauded Atkins’ approach to digital assets since taking office, Congressional Democrats have criticized the SEC and chair for potential conflicts of interest following dropped investigations and enforcement actions against companies tied to Trump and his family.
Last week, Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren accused the SEC chair of misleading Congress in his testimony before a House committee in February. Warren said in an April 15 letter that the SEC’s own data from the 2025 fiscal year showed the agency had fewer enforcement actions than at any point in the previous 10 years.
Magazine: Adam Back says current demand is ‘almost’ enough to send Bitcoin to $1M
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In the dynamic blockchain sector, the Cardano network is being flagged as the most decentralized blockchain by several crypto analysts, with security being a major part of this assertion. However, the highly decentralized network has been called out for its lack of clear leadership.
Unclear Cardano Leadership Raises Concerns In The Ecosystem
Recently, a fresh debate has been raised around the Cardano network, particularly involving its leadership state. A crypto pundit and ADA enthusiast, Cardano Yoda, argues that the leading network is lacking clear leadership. Once again, the focus is on how Cardano strikes a compromise between decentralization and the requirement for unified leadership.
The pundit stated that in the past, the network was centered around the IOGs, the Cardano Foundation, and EMURGO, and its founder, Charles Hoskinson, was considered the leader. However, after the introduction of on-chain governance, the model evolved, breaking into two parts. These include DReps (governance decision-making) and Pentad (leadership and execution), which go hand-in-hand to produce a unified platform.
While DReps decide on Treasury spending, they also grant legitimacy to the strategy that Pentad offers because DReps are not coordinated. Since they cannot define the strategy and prioritize, on-chain governance is still dependent on the founding entities, indicating that the network remains strongly centralized in leadership and execution. These entities can offer their experience, knowledge, and expertise, but DReps will set the path from the ground up.
Source: Chart from Cardano Yoda on X
A strong player is intersect as it plays the role of coordinator, particularly preparing the budget framework process. Meanwhile, intersect is required to balance the role of facilitator and leader because it may not want to be a leader. However, being a leader means taking on responsibilities.
According to Yoda, on-chain governance is not the same as leadership, and Cardano does not have one. The issue is that it is difficult, if not impossible, to decentralize leadership and execution. A leader bears responsibility, which is diluted somewhere between Pentad and DReps, causing a fragmented network.
Despite this, Yoda still believes that leadership should not be dismissed because of decentralization. In the meantime, there may be a struggle for leadership, as new leaders may be born, or it might remain the same.
An Ideal Direction For Leadership
After carefully analyzing the Cardano network, Yoda claims that the logical direction for leadership is toward DReps because they have a stronger position and must be coordinated. With the emergence of a DReps board, they are expected to take responsibility for treasury spending, defining strategy, and prioritizing.
By using DAOs, DReps can be involved in the process of an effective execution. This is because they are responsible for supporting builders, ecosystem growth, innovation, marketing, and open-source activities, among others.
To have clear leadership, a more robust layer of cooperation between DReps, founding entities, and Intersect is required. However, this can only be built by a clearly defined coordination layer between DReps and sub-DAOs. Meanwhile, to create a dialogue between DReps and founding entities, the governance system must evolve.
Currently, communication is carried out through on-chain proposals, and may result in a rejected proposal regarding Summit and TOKEN2049 due to the diverse views of DReps and founding entities. Although it may not be easy, the goal remains finding a consensus on the future functioning because governance needs to be more effective.
ADA trading at $0.24 on the 1D chart | Source: ADAUSDT on Tradingview.com
Featured image from Freepik, chart from Tradingview.com
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Global liquidity is set to deteriorate sharply, according to Russell Thompson, chief investment officer at crypto asset manager Hilbert Group (HILB), who said even a quick geopolitical resolution in Iran is unlikely to sustain a rally in risk assets without policy support.
Liquidity conditions have stabilized in parts of the financial sector following the rollout of the reserve maturity program (RMP), Thompson said, but a broader tightening of 20%–25% is approaching, a significant drag that could leave bitcoin BTC$76,264.97 struggling in the near term.
“Even with a resolution quickly in Iran, I do not believe that risk assets will rally for any sustainable time without outside help,” Thompson said in the report published last week.
Thompson said he expects U.S. policymakers to respond. He pointed to likely measures including reform of the supplementary leverage ratio (SLR), a sizable drawdown of the Treasury General Account (TGA) without offsetting Federal Reserve bill issuance, and a series of rate cuts under a potential new Fed chair.
The SLR is a banking regulation that sets how much capital large banks must hold against their total leverage. The TGA is the U.S. Treasury’s main cash account at the Federal Reserve.
When the Treasury draws down the TGA (spends money from it), liquidity is effectively injected into the financial system; when it builds the TGA, liquidity is drained.
Bitcoin’s performance over the past six months has been marked by sharp volatility, a clear shift from late-2025 exuberance to a more fragile, macro-driven market.
After hitting an all-time high above $126,000 in October 2025, bitcoin entered a sustained drawdown through the end of the year and into early 2026. By February, prices had fallen to roughly $63,000, a decline of about 50% from the peak, amid a broader crypto market sell-off and tightening financial conditions. This period was characterized by weaker demand, exchange-traded fund (ETF) outflows and a more risk-off macro backdrop, with BTC underperforming equities in some stretches.
Bitcoin is currently trading around $75,600, leaving it significantly off its peak but no longer in freefall. The last six months, in short, have seen a full cycle: from peak euphoria, to a deep correction, to a tentative stabilization phase, with macro liquidity, policy expectations and investor positioning now the dominant drivers.
Advances in crypto regulation could also provide support. Thompson said he anticipates legal clarity on key measures before the summer recess and a faster-than-expected expansion of the Fed’s balance sheet as disinflationary pressures build.
Higher oil prices, he argued, could ultimately weigh on growth, while a softening labor market and emerging stress in private credit may add to the disinflationary backdrop.
Markets remain overly focused on the Federal Reserve as the primary source of liquidity, Thompson said, but the U.S. Treasury has significant capacity to inject funds into both the real economy and financial markets. With Treasury leadership experienced in deploying such tools, he expects a more proactive approach.
The result: short-term pressure on bitcoin, but improving conditions over the medium term.
Thompson said he expects bitcoin to be “significantly higher” by year-end as liquidity dynamics evolve. Even in a more protracted scenario, he sees liquidity bottoming around 2027, a timeline that could coincide with fresh all-time highs.
Read more: U.S. crypto adoption is rebounding, bitcoin still dominates, Deutsche Bank says
John Roche, Director of Engineering at AQMetrics, introduces the company as a leading RegTech provider and AQMetrics provides a trusted framework for clients through four pillars: regulatory, financial, and transaction reporting, plus compliance monitoring.
AQMetrics’ core strength is its cloud-first, scalable architecture which is deliberately built with a data model first approach which creates a unified, single platform, which Roche highlights as crucial in an industry plagued by fragmented systems and disparate data models that cause failures and inefficiency.
AQMetrics’ single data model allows one input to be used for multiple purposes, directly combating this issue and to guarantee data accuracy, which is essential for regulatory reporting. AQMetrics partners with golden sources like Bloomberg, EDI, and Factset which ensures market data is correct, preventing false alerts in compliance monitoring.
Looking ahead, Roche identifies increasing regulatory demand for continuous, granular data and the rise of AI as the main drivers and argues that AI should only be adopted when tied to client outcomes, it is an enabler, not a solution in itself, to improve speed, accuracy, and provide new data insights, thus mitigating regulatory risk.
Separately, AQMetrics’ view on fraud prevention emphasizes that AI adoption must be thoughtful, not reactive and advocates for supervised machine learning. Its noted that although compliance requires continuous monitoring, the human element is vital. Without this human-in-the-loop validation, AI risks being merely a “tick in the box” rather than an effective, unified solution for managing fraud risk.
The post AQMetrics’ Strategy for Unifying Data, Scaling for AI, and Building Trust appeared first on FF News | Fintech Finance.
Buyers aggressively bought into the dip in Bitcoin, indicating positive sentiment. That increases the possibility of a rally to $84,000.
Several major altcoins have pulled back to their support levels, signaling that the bears remain sellers on rallies.
Bitcoin (BTC) corrected over the weekend but is finding buyers at lower levels, indicating a positive sentiment. According to SoSoValue data, US spot BTC exchange-traded funds recorded $996 million in inflows last week, the best weekly performance since early January.
The cryptocurrency recovery may be at risk if the US and Iran do not reach a deal before the two-week ceasefire ends on Wednesday, or if the ceasefire is not extended. Trading resource Mosaic Asset Company said in its newsletter that “intensifying hostilities could unwind the bullish action over the past few weeks.”
Crypto market data daily view. Source: TradingView
However, the short-term uncertainty could not stop Michael Saylor’s Strategy from adding more BTC to its portfolio. The BTC treasury company purchased 34,164 BTC between April 13 and April 19 for $2.54 billion, according to an 8-K filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission on Monday. That boosted Strategy’s holdings to 815,061 BTC acquired for $61.56 billion.
Could buyers resume the relief rally in BTC and the major altcoins? Let’s analyze the charts of the top 10 cryptocurrencies to find out.
S&P 500 Index price prediction
The S&P 500 Index (SPX) rallied sharply last week, rising to a new all-time high of 7,147 on Friday.
The sharp upward move propelled the relative strength index (RSI) into overbought territory, suggesting the index is at risk of a minor consolidation or pullback in the short term. The first support on the downside is at the breakout level of 7,002, followed by the 20-day exponential moving average (6,828). If the price rebounds off the 20-day EMA, it signals that the uptrend remains intact.
Sellers have an uphill task ahead of them. They will have to swiftly yank the price below the moving averages to signal a comeback.
US Dollar Index price prediction
The US Dollar Index (DXY) turned down sharply from the 20-day EMA (98.73) on April 13 and dropped to the 97.74 support on Friday.
The index is attempting to initiate a relief rally but is expected to encounter selling pressure at the 20-day EMA. If the price again turns down from the 20-day EMA, the possibility of a break below the 97.74 level increases. That may sink the price to the 96.21 support.
The index is likely to remain inside the 95.55 to 100.54 range for a while longer. The next trending move is expected to begin on a close above the 100.54 resistance or below the 95.55 support.
Bitcoin price prediction
BTC has bounced off the 20-day EMA ($72,832), suggesting the bulls are seeing dips as buying opportunities.
The bears are unlikely to give up easily and will attempt to halt the recovery in the $76,000 to $78,333 zone. If the BTC price turns down from the overhead zone and breaks below the moving averages, it suggests that the market has rejected the breakout.
On the other hand, a break and close above the overhead resistance zone signals the resumption of the up move. The BTC/USD pair may then skyrocket to $84,000 and eventually to the pattern target of $92,000.
Ether price prediction
Buyers tried to push Ether (ETH) above the $2,415 level on Saturday, but the bears held their ground. That started a pullback to the 20-day EMA ($2,252).
Buyers will have to fiercely defend the 20-day EMA and secure a close above the $2,415 level to signal the resumption of the relief rally. If they do that, the ETH/USDT pair may march to the $2,800 level.
Sellers are likely to have other plans. They will attempt to push the ETH price below the moving averages, keeping the pair within the $1,916 to $2,415 range for some time.
BNB price prediction
BNB (BNB) continues to oscillate between $570 and $687, signaling a balance between supply and demand.
The flattish moving averages and the RSI near the midpoint do not signal an advantage either to the bulls or the bears. If the BNB price breaks above $650, the next target is likely $687.
Instead, if the price breaks below the 20-day EMA, the BNB/USDT pair may plunge toward the range’s support at $570. The next trending move is expected to begin on a close above $687 or below $570.
XRP price prediction
XRP (XRP) has been consolidating between the $1.27 support and the $1.61 resistance for several days.
The flattish moving averages and the RSI just above the midpoint suggest that the range-bound action may extend for a few more days. Buyers will have to achieve a close above the downtrend line to signal a potential trend change. The XRP price may then surge to $2.
On the downside, a break and close below the $1.27 level signals that the bears are back in the driver’s seat. There is support at the $1.11 level, but that may be broken. The XRP/USDT pair may then tumble toward the support line of the descending channel pattern.
Solana price prediction
Solana (SOL) fell below its moving averages on Sunday, suggesting that higher levels are attracting sellers.
The flattish moving averages and the RSI near the midpoint indicate that the range-bound action may continue for a while. If the price remains below the moving averages, bears will attempt to push the SOL/USDT pair toward the $76 support.
Buyers will have to push the SOL price above the $90 level to open the door to a rally toward the $98 resistance. A close above the $98 level suggests the start of a sustained recovery to the $117 level.
Related: Bitcoin daily gains near 3% as stocks ignore US-Iran war threat, oil drops
Dogecoin price prediction
Dogecoin (DOGE) turned down from the $0.10 psychological level on Friday and has fallen to the moving averages.
The flat moving averages and the RSI near the midpoint do not give either buyers or sellers a clear advantage. If the DOGE price breaks below the moving averages, the $0.09 support may be tested. A break below the $0.09 level may start the next leg of the downward move to $0.08 and subsequently to $0.06.
Buyers will have to push the price above the $0.10 level and maintain it to signal strength. The DOGE/USDT pair may then climb toward the $0.12 resistance level, where bears are expected to step in.
Hyperliquid price prediction
Hyperliquid (HYPE) fell back below the breakout level of $43.76 after staying above it for several days.
The bulls are attempting to halt the pullback at the 20-day EMA ($41.03), but the bears continue to exert pressure. If the 20-day EMA gives way, the HYPE/USDT pair may plummet toward the 50-day SMA ($38.09) and then toward $34.45.
On the contrary, a bounce off the 20-day EMA suggests that the lower levels continue to attract buyers. The bulls will then attempt to drive the HYPE price above the $45.77 level again. If they succeed, the pair may skyrocket to the $50-$51.43 zone.
Cardano price prediction
Cardano (ADA) rose above the 50-day SMA ($0.26) on Friday, but the bulls could not sustain the higher levels.
The ADA/USDT pair turned lower on Saturday, falling below the $0.25 level. Sellers will attempt to strengthen their position by driving the ADA price below $0.23. If they manage to do that, the pair may resume its downtrend to $0.22 and later to the support line of the descending channel pattern.
Buyers will have to push the price above the downtrend line and maintain it there to signal a potential short-term trend change. The pair may then rise to $0.32, then to $0.37.
This article does not contain investment advice or recommendations. Every investment and trading move involves risk, and readers should conduct their own research when making a decision. While we strive to provide accurate and timely information, Cointelegraph does not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of any information in this article. This article may contain forward-looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties. Cointelegraph will not be liable for any loss or damage arising from your reliance on this information.
Bitcoin and other risk assets have become increasingly sensitive to statements from U.S. President Donald Trump, with markets often swinging upward or downward within minutes of his social media posts or policy announcements to the news media.
This has drawn scrutiny from lawmakers, academics and market experts, as questions mount over whether those price movements have created lucrative opportunities for market manipulation or insider trading.
A recent University of Oxford Faculty of Law study found sharp swings in global markets following rapid changes in U.S. tariff policy, including a sequence in which prices across crypto and stock markets fell after new tariffs were announced, then rebounded after Trump partially rolled them back days later.
The scale and timing of those moves, the author noted, created “fantastic trading opportunities” for anyone with advanced knowledge of the decisions. Also, those back-and-forth decisions by Trump have been widely criticized and called the Trump Again Chickens Out (TACO) dynamic.
‘A great time to buy’
The issue gained further attention after Trump posted “THIS IS A GREAT TIME TO BUY!! on Truth Social in April 2025 shortly before announcing a tariff adjustment that sent markets higher, prompting calls from lawmakers, including Senator Adam Schiff, for an investigationinto potential insider trading or market manipulation.
Analysts, experts and media reports have highlighted patterns of large, well-timed trades across commodities and prediction markets, in some cases placed minutes before major policy or military announcements.
“Many experts say the Trump administration has engaged in market manipulation,” according to a March episode of CBC’s Front Burner, which pointed to unusually massively profitable trades in oil futures ahead of announcements related to the war with Iran.
Democratic Congressman Stephen Lynch raised similar concerns. He said trading activity tied to major Trump announcements “raised serious concerns about insider trading and market manipulation by government officials in possession of sensitive national security information.”
There is no evidence that Trump or his administration have violated securities laws or purposely manipulated the markets for self gain, but the increasing number of unusually well-timed market moves, combined with the administration’s direct influence over policy, geopolitics and regulation, has fueled a broader debate over whether the line between political decision-making and market impact is becoming increasingly blurred.
Here are five top moments when bitcoin’s price swung either up or down due to a statement or social media post by Trump, from the “Genesis” skepticism of 2019 to the naval blockades of 2026.
The top five BTC price swings
1. July 11, 2019 — The “Not a Fan” Genesis Post. In his first direct broadside against the asset class, Trump posted on Twitter: “I am not a fan of Bitcoin and other Cryptocurrencies, which are not money… and based on thin air.” Bitcoin dropped 7.1% within 45 minutes of the thread.
2. March 3, 2025 — The Strategic Reserve Pivot. Following a year of pro-crypto campaigning, Trump confirmed via Truth Social that his “Strategic National Crypto Reserve” would include a multi-asset basket of cryptocurrencies, most notably bitcoin. Bitcoin surged 8.2% in under 24 hours, jumping from $84,000 to over $91,000.
3. October 10, 2025 — The 100% tariffs on China. In yet another Truth Social post, Trump announced a 100% tariff on all Chinese imports to counter Beijing’s rare-earth export controls. Bitcoin plummeted 12.4% in roughly two hours, crashing from its $124,714 all-time high toward $102,000. And in 24 hours, a $19.38 billion liquidation event had taken place, marking the largest single-day wipeout in the asset’s history.
4. March 3, 2026 — The Anti-Bank “Genius Act” Post. Trump took to Truth Social once again to criticize Wall Street banks for “undermining” the Genius Act and delaying the passage of the Clarity Act over stablecoin yield provisions. Bitcoin rose 5.2% in 10 minutes to $71,000. This moment highlighted the administration’s willingness to go to war with the legacy financial system to protect the crypto sector.
5. April 14, 2026 — The Peace Talks. Following the naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, Trump said that Iran had “reached out” for potential peace talks and that a deal was “very possible.” Bitcoin rose 6.2% within 30 minutes from $70,000 to nearly $75,000.
It might happen again
Bitcoin shot to a more than two-month high above $78,000 on Friday after Trump essentially announced the end of the war and the full reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. Yet, by the end of the day, there were already questions about exactly what the U.S. and Iran had agreed to.
By Saturday morning, Iran’s military said the Strait was again closed, and there were reports of some ships making U-turns and others being fired upon. Crypto prices were quickly giving back Friday’s gains, with bitcoin sliding back below $76,000.
In this episode of The Fintech Show, Tristan Prince from NOTO and Robert Brooker from Opus Advisory Group broke down the converging forces that are mandating a radical shift in financial crime prevention. Their central argument is that organizations are now caught between two major pressures: the immediate threat of high-velocity, AI-enabled financial crime and stringent new regulatory accountability.
Prince opened the discussion by focusing on the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act (ECCTA), which now includes a provision for a failure to prevent fraud. This act places a heavy burden on organizations to definitively prove that they have sufficient processes and systems, across all employees and affiliates, to stop financial crime. This is where the industry faces its core challenge: fractured, siloed technology. Many firms have layered on various point solutions over the years for application fraud, biometrics, and transaction monitoring.
The issue is that these systems rarely communicate, creating “operational drag” and making it impossible for analysts to connect disparate data points across the customer journey. Prince shared the stark example of a customer who fails a KYC check at a call center, only to have their account emptied via an ATM shortly after, a scenario that happens because crucial signals are not shared between systems.
The need to consolidate is made urgent by AI-enabled fraud as fraud is now the UK’s largest crime, accounting for over 40% of registered offenses. NOTO warned that the sheer velocity and volume of attacks, from an organization expecting 100,000 applications suddenly facing 10 million, will overwhelm heritage controls. Prince starkly illustrated this mismatch: how can a legacy system limited to one transaction per second manage an AI-enabled attack hitting at a thousand? This surge in volume and frequency has fundamentally changed the nature of fraud, which is no longer a contained risk but a competitive differentiator; customers judge institutions on how they treat them after they have been victimized.
The current strategy of layering on more technology is not working as a recent Gartner survey found that while 53% of UK businesses plan to increase their fraud spending, 70% admit that risk levels are still climbing. Prince noted an unusual “bell curve” effect: when spending exceeds 10% of an IT budget, the effectiveness of identifying fraud actually starts to drop due to the complexity of managing these fragmented systems.
To counter this, NOTO advocates for a move to enterprise fraud management platforms. Prince suggests using a single API to migrate the entire estate to a real-time rules engine and a unified case management view. Crucially, their strategy involves supervised machine learning, which Prince argues is more effective long-term than an unsupervised approach, provided the underlying data governance is in place.
However, technology alone is not enough as Brooker stressed that to satisfy regulators, compliance requires a cultural shift. Organizations must adopt a “tone from the top,” establishing accountability at the board level rather than relying on “simple spot fixing or buying a new piece of shiny kit”.
This cultural change must address the urgent insider threat, particularly in fintech where organized crime places “foot soldiers” in contract centers for short stints. Brooker advises senior leadership to set an example by making internal examples of fraudsters, rather than dismissing staff quietly to avoid reputational damage. Ultimately, both Prince and Brooker agree that the true cost of fraud includes “operational cost bloat” and lost customer trust, making it imperative to move away from outdated systems now.
An Ethereum whale has opened a significant long position on Ether (ETH) worth $90.8 million, in what looks like a bold bet that the upside is not over for the top altcoin.
Key takeaways:
Ethereum whale opened a leveraged long position totaling $90.8 million.
Data from TradingView showed the ETH/USD pair trading at $2,280, or 32% higher than the $1,750 low reached on Feb. 6.
Holding above $2,200, Ether offered some cause for optimism ahead of key volatility triggers.
“Strong retail sales could push yields higher and delay Fed cuts, while weak data would fuel risk-on bets,” analyst AlphaBTC said in a Monday post on X, referring to the main macro drivers this week, adding:
“Fed commentary and PMI data add growth signals, while geopolitical risks remain the wildcard catalyst for sudden volatility.”
As market participants waited for the next catalysts, attention has shifted to a trader with an impressive track record, who has opened a long position worth about $90.8 million in ETH, with 20x leverage.
Source: X/Ash Crypto
Analyst TAnotepad noted that another whale, 0x6C851, has opened a $61 million ETH long position at 20x leverage with entry around $2,303 on HyperLiquid.
ETH whale position on HyperLiquid. Source: TAnotepad
These moves coincide with continued flows into spot Ethereum ETFs, which have recorded net inflows for seven consecutive days, totaling $426 million.
Spot ETH flows chart. Source: SoSoValue
Meanwhile, global Ethereum investment products recorded $328 million in inflows during the week ending April 17.
This reinforces the narrative that whales and institutions view the recent ETH price rebound above $2,400 as a promising move that could open the way toward $3,000.
Ether’s ascending triangle targets $3,200 ETH price
Ether’s price action has formed a classic ascending triangle on the daily chart, as shown below.
The pattern will resolve once the ETH/USD pair breaks above the triangle’s resistance line at $2,400. If this happens, the price could rise by as much as the maximum distance between the triangle’s trend lines.
That puts Ether’s breakout target at about $3,230, up by more than 41% from current price levels.
The relative strength index has increased to 54, from oversold conditions at 18 on Feb. 6, suggesting increasing upward momentum.
However, the breakout could be curtailed by resistance from the $2,350-$2,500 resistance zone, marked by the 50-day exponential moving average (EMA).
Above that, the next major hurdle is the 200-day EMA at $2,640.
Zooming out, analyst Micro2Macr0 said that a breakout from a multi-year ascending triangle could lead to a 60%-%100% ETH price rally.
ETH/USD weekly chart. Source: X/Micro2Macr0
As Cointelegraph reported, ETH price closing above $2,400 resistance, puts it on the path for a recovery toward $2,800, then to $3,050 over the next few days or weeks.
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