American Express today announced that it has entered into an agreement to acquire Hypercard (Hyper), an agentic expense management company, adding to Amex’s AI expertise and capabilities across its commercial services business. Hyper’s team of AI experts will help American Express continue to build agentic tools and AI-powered solutions that help businesses automate processes and simplify operations.
“Our customers want smarter, more efficient ways to manage expenses so they can focus on what’s next for their business, and AI has the potential to transform the way businesses get things done,” said Raymond Joabar, Group President of Global Commercial Services at American Express. “We’re thrilled to welcome Hyper, a team with deep expertise in designing and deploying AI agents, as we build next-generation AI capabilities into our products and services, including our expense management platform launching later this year.”
“We’re excited to join the team at American Express and work together to help businesses reduce friction in the expense process through AI technology,” said Marc Baghadjian, CEO and Co-Founder of Hyper. “Hyper was founded with the ambition to better automate expenses, and we’re excited to continue this mission as a part of the Amex team.”
Founded in 2022, Hyper has focused on transforming expense management from a manual process into more autonomous workflows, successfully developing native AI agents that auto-categorize and file expenses, check them against budget and policy, and send reminders that submissions are due. In 2024, American Express and Hyper partnered to launch the Hypercard Rewards American Express card with embedded AI-powered expense agents leveraging the Agile Partner Platform. Since then, Hyper has continued to focus and refine its agentic expense management capabilities.
Amex Business Membership brings together award-winning service, best-in-class card products, intelligent software and next-generation AI tools. Last month, Chairman and CEO Stephen J. Squeri outlined the company’s strategy and how AI is transforming the way we operate in his annual letter to shareholders, and the company announced plans to integrate the latest AI technology into products and services to help businesses automate processes and operate more efficiently. The acquisition of Hyper builds on these plans by bolstering the company’s AI talent and capabilities.
The acquisition is expected to close within the second quarter of 2026, subject to closing conditions.
The U.S. government is active on the blockchain again, moving approximately $606,000 worth of bitcoin BTC$74,933.71 to Coinbase Prime.
These are not just any coins. On-chain data suggests the transferred 8 BTC are linked to Ilya Lichtenstein, the man behind the decade-old hack of the OG exchange Bitfinex, according to data tracked by Arkham.
Transfers to exchanges are often interpreted as a sign of potential selling pressure. However, that is not always the case and could also reflect routine wallet movements, custody changes, or other non-selling activity.
These coins have destination
The bitcoin tied to the Bitfinex hack, which saw Lichtenstein walk away with 119,756 BTC, has a court-mandated destination and it’s not U.S. Treasury.
In early 2025, federal proceedings solidified the in-kind restitution of the seized assets to Bitfinex, requiring the government to return the coins rather than liquidate them independently.
Bitfinex intends to use the returned funds to fully redeem all outstanding Recovery Right Tokens – digital claims issued to customers who suffered losses in the hack – and to allocate at least 80% of the remaining net proceeds to repurchase and burn its UNUS SED LEO token.
The 2016 hack
In August 2016, Lichtenstein hacked into Bitfinex and fraudulently authorized more than 2,000 transactions, transferring 119,756 BTC to a wallet under his control. At that time, the exploit was worth roughly $72 million. (As of today, it would be worth $8.9 billion)
What followed were years of sophisticated money laundering via crypto mixers, darknets, and chain-hopping between coins, as well as the purchase of gold.
Finally, in 2022, investigators caught up and seized a portion of the stolen BTC, then worth $3.6 billion. In 2024, Lichtenstein was sentenced to 60 months in federal prison and was released in January 2026 under the First Step Act, thanking President Donald Trump on X.
The stolen coins, however, remained in government custody. The U.S. said last year that its holdings of seized BTC would form part of a national strategic bitcoin reserve. As of writing, the government holds bitcoin valued at about $24.54 billion, ether at roughly $146 million, and several other cryptocurrencies.
The Kingdom of Jordan’s fintech landscape in 2026 presents a narrative the Middle Eastern country has been trying to advance as part of its wider digital and economic development.
Jordan’s fintech journey reflects a country leveraging digital innovation not out of abundance, but necessity. With limited natural resources and a young, increasingly connected population, Jordan has positioned financial technology as a core pillar of its broader economic modernisation strategy. They are quietly building one of the more progressive digital finance ecosystems in the Levant.
The country’s financial hub is Amman, where banking, regulatory institutions and fintech startups are concentrated. Among the largest financial institutions is Arab Bank, a regional banking powerhouse that has also invested in digital banking transformation.
Digital economic transformation
Jordan’s digital transformation has been guided by deliberate policy frameworks, notably the Digital Economy and Entrepreneurship Strategy (REACH 2025), which aims to position the country as a regional technology hub.
The strategy focuses on expanding digital infrastructure and connectivity, supporting startups and innovation ecosystems, promoting digital skills and entrepreneurship, and enhancing government digital services
Internet penetration exceeds 90 per cent in the country, while smartphone usage is widespread, creating a strong foundation for digital services.
In this context, fintech has emerged as a key enabler of broader economic goals, specifically with improving financial inclusion, supporting small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and enhancing efficiency across the economy.
Financial services sector
Amman is the capital and largest city of Jordan IMAGE SOURCE GETTY
Jordan’s financial services sector is relatively mature, with a strong banking system and high levels of regulatory oversight. However, digital transformation has accelerated in recent years, driven by both consumer demand and policy direction.
The Central Bank of Jordan (CBJ) has played a central role in shaping this evolution. How so?
First, JoMoPay (Jordan Mobile Payment System) was launched back in 2014. It is the national mobile payments platform enabling interoperability between banks and mobile wallets, supporting peer-to-peer transfers, bill payments and merchant transactions.
Second, the CBJ, through the Jordan Payments and Clearing Company (JoPACC), operates CliQ, the national instant payment system. CliQ enables instant, 24/7, peer-to-peer, and merchant transactions directly from bank accounts or mobile wallets.
Third, Jordan has established a regulatory sandbox allowing fintech firms to test innovative products in a controlled environment.
Fourth, with regards to open banking, Jordan has begun advancing open banking initiatives, encouraging banks to adopt APIs and collaborate with fintech companies, enhancing competition and innovation.
Fifth, through its Financial Inclusion Strategy (2023–2028), the CBJ continues to implement its national strategy aimed at expanding access to financial services, particularly for women, youth and small and medium enterprises (SMEs)
These initiatives reflect a broader regulatory approach focused on interoperability, inclusion and innovation, positioning Jordan as a forward-looking fintech market in the region.
Notable accomplishments have been made on the ground. For instance, last year, digital payment systems in Jordan recorded over 184 million digital transactions, with a value that exceeded $38billion. The number of transfers executed through real-time payment systems rose to almost 140 million transactions valued at around $24billion. Also, card payments exceeded 350 million transactions, in addition to over 66 million electronic bill payments. These are impressive figures for a developing country shy of 12 million people.
Financial inclusion and fintech
Financial inclusion in Jordan has improved significantly over the past decade. Current estimates suggest that approximately 55 per cent of adults have access to a formal bank account, with higher engagement through mobile wallets and digital financial services, according to both the World Bank and CBJ.
This represents meaningful progress, particularly given historical barriers such as with limited access in rural areas, gender gaps in financial inclusion, high levels of informality, and financial exclusion with the refugee population. With the latter, Jordan hosts one of the world’s highest per cent of refugees in the world per capita.
Digital financial services, particularly mobile wallets and digital payments, are helping to bridge these gaps, enabling more individuals and businesses to participate in the formal financial system.
Jordan’s fintech ecosystem is relatively small but expanding, with approximately 200 fintech companies and startups operating across payments, lending, insurtech and digital banking. Examples of fintechs include MadfooatCom,Liwwa and Dinarak.
These firms highlight Jordan’s positioning as a regional fintech hub, leveraging its talent base and regulatory environment to attract innovation.
Conclusion: a measured path to inclusion
Jordan’s fintech journey is one of steady, policy-driven progress.
In 2026, digital financial services are expanding access, improving efficiency and supporting economic participation. While challenges remain, the country is building a resilient and inclusive financial ecosystem, demonstrating that even resource-constrained economies can leverage fintech to drive meaningful transformation.
Former Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson has urged US authorities to prepare a contingency plan for a potential future collapse in demand for US Treasurys, warning that the fallout would be “vicious.”
“We need an emergency break-the-glass plan, which is targeted and short-term, on the shelf, so it’s ready to go when we hit the wall,” Paulson told Bloomberg in an interview on Thursday.
“People say, when are you going to hit the wall? I obviously don’t know, it’s impossible to know. When we hit it, it will be vicious, so we have to prepare for that eventuality.”
The US Treasury market acts as the bedrock of the global financial system, serving as a “risk-free” benchmark with other assets, such as corporate bonds, mortgages, and stocks, being priced relative to Treasurys. Instability could cause ripple effects in the global economy.
For years, economists have warned of a potential “doom loop” where investors start demanding higher yields on Treasurys due to risks tied to the government’s burgeoning debts, which are currently more than $39 trillion.
This could cause an increase in interest payments, currently 4.3% on 10-year notes, which would widen the deficit. But if the Treasury cannot raise what it needs to pay interest, many assume the Federal Reserve would become the principal buyer, Bloomberg reported.
US national debt is almost $40 trillion. Source: USDebtClock
A double-edged sword for crypto
There could be several potential impacts on crypto markets if the $31 trillion US Treasury market were to melt down.
A Treasury market crisis could potentially trigger a flight to alternative stores of value such as Bitcoin (BTC) or gold. This may happen if the Fed is forced to monetize debt, stoking inflation fears and undermining confidence in the dollar.
However, the world’s largest stablecoin issuer, Tether, is predominantly backed by Treasurys, with 63% of its total reserves comprising US Treasury bills and 10% overnight reverse repurchase agreements, according to the Tether transparency report.
Research lead at the Bitrue trading platform, Andri Fauzan Adziima, told Cointelegraph that this remains a “watch-list macro tail risk,” but if it happens, there could be short-term pain via “spiking yields, tighter global liquidity, and risk-off selling that hits BTC and altcoins hard while amplifying stablecoin risks.”
“Tether alone holds over $120 billion in Treasurys, making it vulnerable to redemption runs or depegs if confidence erodes and it faces fire-sale pressure.”
However, in the longer-term, it might “accelerate a flight to non-sovereign stores of value, positioning Bitcoin as ‘digital gold’ amid eroding trust in US debt/dollar dominance,”
It is potentially bullish if the crisis highlights fiat vulnerabilities without an immediate systemic meltdown, he said.
US Treasury conducts largest debt buyback
The US Treasury conducted its largest single debt buyback on Thursday, accepting $15 billion worth of older securities maturing from 2026 to 2028.
Such buybacks enhance Treasury market liquidity by retiring less-traded bonds and providing liquidity and cash to holders who may redeploy it elsewhere in the financial system.
Magazine: Forget stablecoin yield, how does the CLARITY Act treat DeFi?
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Bitcoin (BTC) traded between $75,000 and $73,000 over a three-hour period during the New York market open on Thursday, and the abrupt downside move liquidated $283 million in futures positions. The resulting short squeeze pushed BTC back toward $75,000, but sustaining the rebound will require steady buying volume in the spot market.
BTC rebounds amid slower spot demand
A sharp move lower to $73,200 from $75,400 triggered a wave of long liquidations across the futures markets, totaling to $166 million, according to market commentator CryptoReviewing.
The price then reversed quickly, pushing back toward $75,000 and liquidating roughly $117 million in short positions, highlighting a rapid two-sided squeeze within the same trading window.
The move tracked closely with liquidation spikes, which forced closures of short positions. The funding rates turned positive to +0.0005 shortly after the bounce, signaling that bearish positioning had built up before unwinding.
BTC price, spot and futures CVD, funding rate. Source: velo.chart
This indicates that upside momentum came from shorts covering rather than new long exposure. The rally cleared nearby liquidity pockets and pushed the price back toward the session’s mid-range.
The spot cumulative volume delta (CVD), which tracks net buying and selling in spot markets, continued to trend lower during the recovery. The divergence points to weaker spot participation even as Bitcoin holds above $74,000.
For a move above the $76,000 range highs, spot demand needs to strengthen alongside derivatives activity, aligning both sides of the market behind the price.
Related: Bitcoin rebounds near $74.5K as US stocks chase after new all-time highs
Bitcoin continues to move between defined liquidity clusters, with the price gravitating around key levels. According to analyst KriptoHolder, the $76,000–$78,000 range contains a concentrated supply zone with $2.81 billion in short-leveraged liquidity, while $74,000 serves as an equilibrium area.
Long-leveraged liquidity of $2.5 billion is below $72,000, forming a potential price magnet if the upper levels fail to clear.
Bitcoin liquidation map. Source: CoinGlass
Meanwhile, the short-term trader behavior also reflects recurring intraday patterns. Bitcoin trader Killa noted that eight of the past 11 Thursdays recorded more downside than upside. Thursday’s session has already seen a near 2% decline from the daily open, offering intraday opportunities within that pattern.
BTC returns on Thursday, analysis by Killa. Source: X
Related: Bitcoin bull run ‘still too early’ to call as demand lags exiting capital: Analyst
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 before making any decisions. Cointelegraph makes no guarantees regarding the accuracy or completeness of the information presented, including forward-looking statements, and will not be liable for any loss or damage arising from reliance on this content.
Law firm charges Circle Internet Financial with failing to freeze $230 million in stolen USDC after the April 1 Drift Protocol exploit, allegedly linked to North Korean attackers.
A class action lawsuit was filed on April 14, 2026, by Gibbs Mura, A Law Group on behalf of Drift Protocol investors who lost funds in the $280 million April 1 hack. The lawsuit alleges that Circle Internet Financial knowingly permitted attackers—reportedly tied to North Korea’s government—to offload $230 million in stolen funds using Circle’s USDC stablecoin and CCTP bridge infrastructure over eight hours without freezing the assets, despite having the technical and contractual authority to do so.
The Drift Protocol exploit, executed via pre-signed administrative transactions on Solana, caused total value locked to collapse from $550 million to under $250 million and triggered indirect losses across at least 20 additional DeFi protocols. Blockchain analytics firm Elliptic linked the attack to North Korean state-sponsored actors. The lawsuit claims Circle has accumulated over $420 million in alleged compliance failures by repeatedly allowing unrestricted use of its stablecoin and bridge services during large breaches involving misappropriated funds.
Sources: Gibbs Mura, A Law Group
This article was generated automatically by The Defiant’s AI news system from publicly available sources.
Moody’s Corporation (NYSE: MCO) anunció hoy que Moody’s Agentic Solutions (MAS) ya está disponible en AWS Marketplace. Desde hoy, la plataforma incorpora la solución MAS Credit Memo y próximamente sumará nuevas capacidades vinculadas con crédito y cumplimiento normativo, lo que permite acceder directamente a la inteligencia para la toma de decisiones de Moody’s desde AWS Marketplace.
AWS Marketplace permite a las organizaciones descubrir, probar, evaluar, comprar, implementar y administrar miles de soluciones de software, incluidos agentes de IA prediseñados y herramientas listas para integrar, todo en un único entorno.
“A medida que la IA acelera el ritmo de la toma de decisiones, la necesidad de contar con inteligencia confiable y explicable no hizo más que crecer”, señaló Helen Rider, directora global de Ventas de Moody’s. “Al poner a disposición nuestra solución Credit Memo impulsada por IA en AWS Marketplace, acompañamos a los clientes allí donde operan y los ayudamos a avanzar con mayor rapidez sin resignar rigurosidad, transparencia ni confianza”.
MAS Credit Memo combina los datos propietarios, calificaciones, análisis e información de riesgo de Moody’s mediante un proceso avanzado basado en agentes de IA que convierte en una experiencia más automatizada y consistente la elaboración de informes de crédito, una tarea tradicionalmente manual y de alta complejidad para los clientes de Moody’s.
En el centro de esta solución se encuentra la base contextual de Moody’s: un marco estructurado con controles de gobernanza que pone a disposición la información conectada adecuada, en el momento y lugar precisos, para que la IA genere resultados confiables y accionables. Diseñada para entornos regulados y de alta exigencia, esta solución ayuda a las instituciones a elaborar informes de crédito con mayor rapidez, estructuras estandarizadas y respaldo de la inteligencia confiable de Moody’s, con resultados explicables y trazables hasta los datos de origen.
La eficacia de los procesos impulsados por IA depende de la calidad, la estructura y la adecuada administración de la información que los respalda. La inteligencia conectada de Moody’s, que abarca 600 millones de entidades, 2000 millones de vínculos societarios y los principales ámbitos del riesgo financiero, aporta una base confiable que permite obtener resultados generados por IA válidos, explicables y auditables.
La disponibilidad de la solución Credit Memo en AWS Marketplace simplifica su descubrimiento e implementación para las instituciones que ya trabajan sobre Amazon Web Services (AWS), y acelera la generación de valor sin necesidad de sumar nuevas plataformas ni desarrollar integraciones a medida. La solución fue diseñada para operar de forma nativa en AWS como una herramienta integral y lista para producción, incorporando la inteligencia para la toma de decisiones de Moody’s directamente en los procesos crediticios, allí donde los usuarios desarrollan y administran sus soluciones.
La disponibilidad en AWS Marketplace refleja el compromiso de Moody’s de integrar inteligencia para la toma de decisiones directamente en la infraestructura sobre la que las instituciones financieras ya gestionan sus operaciones.
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Bitcoin has pushed back above $70,000 and is now testing resistance near $75,000, riding a wave of risk appetite that has sent equities sharply higher across global markets. The move looks straightforward on the surface — risk is on, assets are rallying, and Bitcoin is participating. But an XWIN Research Japan analysis argues that what is happening beneath the surface is considerably more interesting than a simple risk-on trade.
The report begins with a warning dressed as reassurance. The VIX has declined back to pre-conflict levels, suggesting that fear has left the market. Yet equity and bond correlations have turned positive again — meaning stocks and bonds are moving in the same direction simultaneously.
That dynamic, last seen in 2022, is the specific condition that breaks the traditional 60/40 portfolio. When the two assets that are supposed to offset each other start behaving as one, diversification stops working, and portfolio risk rises quietly while the surface looks calm.
That structural failure is redirecting attention toward alternatives — gold, commodities, and increasingly, Bitcoin. What the analysis flags as particularly notable is that Bitcoin has been holding its own price dynamics even during periods of declining fear. It is not simply tracking equities up or down. It appears to be responding to a different set of drivers entirely.
That distinction, if it holds, changes what Bitcoin is in a portfolio — and potentially what it is worth.
Bitcoin Is No Longer Playing by the Old Rules
The Coinbase Premium Index adds a layer to the analysis that is difficult to dismiss. When that indicator stays positive — meaning Ethereum and Bitcoin are trading at a premium on Coinbase relative to Binance — it reflects underlying spot demand from US investors specifically. That is not the fingerprint of traders chasing a momentum move. It looks more like deliberate, portfolio-level allocation from participants who are choosing Bitcoin as a strategic position rather than a short-term bet.
Bitcoin Coinbase Premium Index | Source: CryptoQuant
What reinforces that reading is Bitcoin’s behavior during risk-off episodes. When the VIX spikes and fear spreads through traditional markets, Bitcoin does not consistently sell off the way equities do. That inconsistency is exactly what you would expect from an asset that is being driven by factors separate from broader market sentiment — and it is precisely the property that makes a genuine diversifier valuable.
The analysis frames the current environment carefully. This is not a low-risk market. The VIX may look calm, but stocks and bonds are moving together, the 60/40 framework is quietly failing, and investors are searching for something that actually behaves differently under stress. Bitcoin, the report suggests, is increasingly fitting that description.
The thesis is not settled. But for the first time in Bitcoin’s history, the data is making a serious case for it — and the test of whether that case holds is happening right now, in real markets, with real money.
Bitcoin Tests $75K Resistance as Weekly Structure Enters a Critical Phase
Bitcoin is attempting to reclaim momentum on the weekly timeframe after a sharp correction from the $120,000–$130,000 region, which marked a clear local top in late 2025. The subsequent decline into early 2026 drove prices toward the $60,000–$65,000 range, where buyers stepped in aggressively, forming a strong reaction low with elevated volume.
Since that capitulation phase, BTC has been building a recovery structure, now trading around $74,000 and approaching a key resistance zone. This level aligns with prior support during the mid-cycle consolidation and is now acting as overhead supply. The market is effectively testing whether that former support can be reclaimed as a new base.
From a trend perspective, Bitcoin remains in a transitional phase. Price is still below the 50-week moving average (blue), which has started to flatten, while the 100-week (green) is being tested from below. The 200-week (red) remains well below price and continues to slope upward, confirming that the long-term trend is intact despite recent weakness.
Volume has moderated significantly since the sell-off, suggesting that the recovery is not driven by aggressive speculative inflows but by gradual reaccumulation.
A sustained move above $75,000 would confirm structural strength. Failure here would likely keep Bitcoin range-bound between $65,000 and $75,000.
Featured image from ChatGPT, chart from TradingView.com
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Drift, the DeFi platform that lost around $270 million in clients assets to a North Korean hack earlier this month, has secured $147.5 million in funding from Tether and partners to recover user funds and relaunch with the Tether stablecoin at its centre.
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Drift, which was hacked on 1 April, says the Tether-led package is made up of a $100 million revenue-linked credit facility, an ecosystem grant, and loans to market makers, that will fund a dedicated user recovery pool.
The platform will relaunch as a perpetual futures exchange on Solana, with Tether’s USDT stablecoin replacing Circle’s USDC as its settlement layer.
Circle faced criticism in the wake of the hack for failing to do more to prevent the attackers from moving the funds. Circle CEO Jeremy Allaire said that the firm only freezes USDC wallets when told to by law enforcement or courts, an approach that differs to Tether’s.
Drift says that it is undergoing a full protocol reboot ahead of relaunch, with security at the centre and two independent audits taking place to ensure “hardened operational security practices across the entire stack”.
Says the firm on X: “We told our community we would find a path to recovery. This is that path. This is the first step toward making users whole over time and toward building back stronger than where we were before.”
DoubleZero Foundation, a project building high-speed data infrastructure for blockchains like Solana, has rolled out a new platform to speed up how trading firms access crypto market data — a sign of growing demand for Wall Street-style systems in digital asset markets.
The project, called DoubleZero Edge, went live on Thursday. Its first offering is a real-time feed of raw data from the Solana blockchain, giving traders faster access to information that can influence prices.
Solana, a high-speed blockchain popular with traders, produces large amounts of real-time data as transactions are processed. DoubleZero plugs into that system by working with validators to distribute it more quickly to market players.
Unlike traditional finance, where exchanges rely on specialized networks to deliver data at high speed, crypto markets still largely depend on the public internet: a setup that can introduce delays and inconsistencies. DoubleZero is trying to change that by building a dedicated system designed specifically for onchain data.
According to the company, the new network can shave tens of milliseconds off data delivery times, with bigger gains during periods of heavy network activity. For high-frequency trading firms, even small speed improvements can translate into a competitive edge.
The platform works by sending data over a private fiber network using multicast, a method commonly used in traditional financial markets to simultaneously distribute data to multiple participants.
Beyond speed, DoubleZero is also pitching a new economic model. Validators on the Solana network can earn additional revenue by supplying data to the platform, while traders pay to subscribe to the feeds using USDC.
The launch comes as crypto trading firms increasingly seek more reliable, predictable infrastructure, particularly as competition intensifies and margins tighten. DoubleZero says its system could help level the playing field by reducing uncertainty in how quickly market data reaches participants.
“Traditional finance has spent decades building infrastructure where speed and deterministic performance are a real competitive advantage,” said Andrew McConnell, a co-founder of DoubleZero, in a press release shared with CoinDesk. “On-chain markets didn’t get that foundation, which left even sophisticated trading firms working on uneven ground. Deterministic infrastructure removes a risk market makers have to price in, which leads to tighter spreads and better execution.”
Read more: A former Solana exec is taking a page out of Wall Street playbook to make global crypto trades faster
