influence

According to CoinDesk, Binance founder Zhao Changpeng stated that the significant decline in the crypto market in the first half of 2026 does not have a single cause. Geopolitical tensions, investors shifting funds to AI, and the typical four-year cycle of crypto may collectively lead to the continued decline of Bitcoin and other crypto assets. Bitcoin reached a historical high of over $126,000 last October and has since fallen by about 50%. At the beginning of this year, Bitcoin opened near $89,000, briefly rose to just above $96,000, and then dropped to around $60,000.In the long term, the crypto industry will continue to develop, and the demand for fintech will increase as the number of transactions continues to rise, so they are not concerned about the industry itself or short-term price fluctuations. They stated that emerging industries like AI are absorbing "hot money" from the crypto sector, but in the long run, this could be a positive factor. When discussing prediction markets, Zhao Changpeng mentioned that the rapid growth of prediction markets as tools for price discovery and liquidity is a good thing for the public.Regarding regulation, Zhao Changpeng stated that separate bills like the U.S. Clarity Act are important but more tactical matters that will not determine the long-term growth of the crypto industry. He hopes the Clarity Act can pass and believes that if U.S. legislation is delayed, other countries may take the lead in advancing rule-making.Zhao Changpeng also mentioned that if the U.S. Democratic Party regains control of at least one chamber of Congress after the midterm elections, there may be a review of Trump's support for the crypto industry and his pardons for crypto executives. Zhao Changpeng stated he "has nothing to hide" and is willing to cooperate if relevant parties seek information. When discussing political influence, Zhao Changpeng said he tries to stay away from U.S. politics but believes that any anti-crypto individuals may now lose a significant number of votes.

According to The Block, New York man Noman Saleem was sentenced to 15 months in prison and three years of supervised release for impersonating a cryptocurrency influencer to commit fraud. The U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Maryland stated that Saleem pleaded guilty to charges of wire fraud last September, admitting to creating fake Telegram accounts that mimicked well-known cryptocurrency influencers, attracting thousands to join his channel, and setting up paid "VIP sub-channels" to further profit.Prosecutors indicated that Saleem lured multiple victims into transferring digital assets to wallets under his control under the guise of providing staking rewards, but he never actually conducted any staking operations. After obtaining the funds, he cut off contact and disappeared with the money. The victims included at least one resident of Maryland, with the total amount involved exceeding $1.4 million. The U.S. government has recovered most of the defrauded funds.

According to a report by The Wall Street Journal, the prediction market platform Polymarket is suspected of paying dozens of social media creators to instruct them to record fake betting and high-profit videos on a simulated website that closely resembles the official site, using this as a promotional tactic to attract new users. The report indicates that the campaign required creators to conceal the official sponsorship relationship and specifically targeted the domestic audience in the United States.The investigation shows that the related marketing videos have accumulated over 140 million views on platforms such as TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram, involving up to $1.9 million in false bets. In response, Polymarket did not directly address the specific details of the investigation but stated in a statement that, as part of promoting industry transparency, the platform is conducting a comprehensive audit of active promotional content to ensure it strictly complies with internal standards and applicable regulatory and legal disclosure requirements.

According to Gate market data, traders believe that the dollar will rise in the coming weeks, supported by factors including the uncertainty of US-Iran negotiations and the rise of the US stock market driven by artificial intelligence. The dollar index rose last month as investors assessed the difficulty of the US-Iran negotiations. The closure of the Strait of Hormuz has led to a surge in energy prices, raising concerns that global central banks may raise interest rates to combat inflation. On Monday, the index rose by 0.4%.

According to Gate market data, influenced by reports of Iran halting communication with the United States, the US Dollar Index DXY rose to a daily high of 99.23.

The cryptocurrency asset management company Bitwise stated that Hyperliquid's native token HYPE is "one of the most distorted assets in pricing in the current crypto market," despite its price significantly outperforming the market this year. Bitwise Chief Investment Officer Matt Hougan noted in a report on Tuesday: "Hyperliquid is one of the most important crypto projects in years. Its native token HYPE is the best-performing large-cap crypto asset of 2026, having risen 77% year-to-date. But I still believe investors underestimate its influence and value."Hougan believes that part of the pricing distortion of HYPE is due to the market viewing Hyperliquid merely as a perpetual cryptocurrency futures exchange, whereas it should actually be priced as a "global super app." He pointed out that the Hyperliquid platform supports trading of assets beyond mainstream crypto perpetual futures, including stocks and prediction markets, with nearly half of its trading volume currently related to non-crypto assets.Bitwise launched the HYPE exchange-traded fund (ETF) on the New York Stock Exchange last Friday. The previous week, 21Shares also launched a similar HYPE fund, but it only attracted $1.2 million in net inflows on its first day, which is relatively low compared to the debut performances of other altcoin ETFs. Hougan added that Hyperliquid has gradually become the "super app" envisioned by SEC Chairman Paul Atkins—a "platform not regulated by the SEC" that provides investors with exposure to multiple asset classes. However, he also noted that the platform "still needs to mature," is not yet open to U.S. users, and needs to integrate into the U.S. regulatory framework.

Due to the impact of preOPAI fundraising, according to DeFiLlama data, the net inflow of funds to Bitget in the past 24 hours reached 46.17 million USD, ranking first among CEX platforms.

According to GMGN monitoring, after the release of related positive news, the market capitalization of the Meme coin USDUC on the Solana chain surged nearly tenfold, reaching a peak of 29 million USD, but has now significantly retreated to 14.7 million USD, with a 24-hour increase still holding at 550%, and the trading volume during the same period reached 21.8 million USD.The direct factor for this increase may stem from Binance US announcing that it will launch the token's spot trading pair at 7 AM Eastern Time.ChainCatcher reminds users that trading in Meme coins is highly volatile, largely relying on market sentiment and speculative hype, and has no actual value or use case; investors should be aware of the risks.

The globally leading cryptocurrency trading platform Gate announced that it will hold an offline event in Milan on May 21. This timing coincides with Inter Milan Football Club securing the championship three rounds early in the Serie A league for the 2025-26 season, successfully winning the 21st league trophy in the club's history.At the same time, Gate is also celebrating its thirteenth anniversary. As the official sleeve sponsor of Inter Milan, Gate has gained significant global exposure alongside the team's championship journey, with brand awareness continuously amplified by the excitement of the events, attracting widespread attention in both the sports and Web3 industries.As a traditional powerhouse in Italian football, Inter Milan's return to the top further solidifies its competitive position on the elite stage. Gate, the official sleeve sponsor of Inter Milan, will invite clients, KOLs, and institutions to participate in this event, engaging in multidimensional communication and interaction around the event's milestones and brand culture.Leveraging the traffic and emotional resonance brought by sports events, Gate accelerates the expansion of its connection with mainstream culture, injecting new momentum into its brand internationalization process.

According to Gate market data, as international crude oil prices rise, the US Dollar Index DXY has reached an intraday high, peaking at 98.77.

According to Gate market data, U.S. stock indices have risen sharply in the short term, and the Nasdaq index has turned positive. U.S. media reports that Trump has asked Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu to reduce military operations in Lebanon.

Bitcoin fell back after reaching $69,000 on Wednesday, following U.S. President Trump's speech that failed to assure an end to the Iran war, while WTI crude oil prices rose above $110, triggering market risk aversion. Meanwhile,the U.S. Treasury expressed concerns about the $2 trillion private credit market, and Blue Owl, which manages $30.7 billion in assets, announced that two of its private credit funds experienced "unconventional redemption requests," setting a withdrawal request limit of 5%. The number of people continuously applying for unemployment benefits in the U.S. rose to 1.84 million.Bitcoin has maintained a support level of $66,000 this week but faces multiple selling pressures. The U.S.-listed spot Bitcoin ETF has seen a net outflow of $450 million since March 24, with the industry holding $88 billion in Bitcoin assets, of which BlackRock's IBIT leads with $53.9 billion. MARA Holdings sold 15,133 BTC in March, Riot Platforms transferred out 500 BTC for sale, and Nakamoto Holdings sold 284 BTC.The U.S. federal deficit is expected to reach $1.9 trillion by 2026, and the market believes that economic stimulus measures may provide support for Bitcoin prices in the medium term. Companies like Strategy and Metaplanet continue to buy Bitcoin, partially offsetting the aforementioned selling pressure.

Data shows that lobbying groups related to the cryptocurrency industry have invested approximately $271 million to influence the 2026 U.S. elections, mainly for political activities such as advertising. Among them, the super PAC FairShake is one of the main sources of funding, with donors including Coinbase, Ripple, Uniswap Labs, and venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz.The data also indicates that about 40% of the related funds are directed towards Republican candidates, about 3% towards Democratic candidates, and the remainder supports independent candidates. Industry insiders say that as the 2026 U.S. midterm elections approach, lobbying activities in the cryptocurrency industry are expected to continue to increase.

The organizers of the Dubai TOKEN2049 Summit plan to postpone the event to April 21-22, 2027. The conference was originally scheduled to take place from April 29 to April 30, 2026, but recent conflicts in the Middle East have spread to Dubai.

According to The Block, South Korean ruling party lawmaker Kim Seung-won proposed amendments to the Capital Markets Act and the Virtual Asset User Protection Act, requiring influencers (Finfluencers) who provide cryptocurrency investment advice on social media to disclose their personal asset holdings and the compensation they receive.The proposal aims to enhance market transparency and combat misleading information and self-dealing behavior. According to the proposed legislation, individuals who regularly provide investment advice on social media, mass publications, or broadcasts must publicly disclose the types and amounts of cryptocurrency assets they hold, as well as any compensation related to their promotions. Penalties for violations will reference capital market crimes such as price manipulation.Kim Seung-won pointed out that this move is a necessary measure to address conflicts of interest and investor harm caused by unregulated social media commentary.

Bloomberg senior ETF analyst Eric Balchunas posted on the X platform, pointing out that the cumulative net inflow of Bitcoin ETFs (the most important data) peaked at $63 billion last October and is currently at $53 billion, meaning there has been a net increase of $53 billion in just two years. He stated that his team (more optimistic than most peers) originally predicted an inflow of only $5 to $15 billion in the first year. This data is of significant reference value for understanding the $8 billion outflow of ETFs after Bitcoin dropped 45% and the relationship between Bitcoin and Wall Street. Overall, it appears that Wall Street's influence remains positive.

According to Cointelegraph, the President of the German Central Bank, Joachim Nagel, stated that stablecoins pegged to the euro would provide Europe with more independence, allowing it to move away from dollar-pegged stablecoins that are set to be approved under the "GENIUS Act."Joachim Nagel, the President of the Deutsche Bundesbank (German Central Bank), supports the launch of a central bank digital currency pegged to the euro as well as payment-type stablecoins denominated in euros. In a preparatory speech at the American Chamber of Commerce's New Year reception in Frankfurt on Monday, Nagel mentioned that EU officials are "working hard" to advance the rollout of retail central bank digital currencies. He believes that euro-denominated stablecoins will also help "make Europe more independent in terms of payment systems and solutions.""It is worth noting that wholesale central bank digital currencies will enable financial institutions to make programmable payments using central bank money," Nagel stated. "I also see the value of euro-denominated stablecoins, as they can allow individuals and businesses to make cross-border payments at a low cost."Nagel's remarks come months after U.S. President Trump signed a bill to establish a regulatory framework for payment-type stablecoins in the country. This legislation could pose a challenge to any potential euro-pegged stablecoins. The law is expected to be fully implemented 18 months after signing or 120 days after relevant regulations are finalized. The German central bank president's comments on stablecoins did not mention the risks he referred to at the Euro50 Group meeting last week.Nagel warned that if the market share of dollar-denominated stablecoins significantly exceeds that of euro-pegged stablecoins, domestic monetary policy "could be severely compromised, not to mention that Europe's sovereignty could be weakened."

U.S. District Judge Beth Bloom of the Southern District of Florida issued a $2.8 million default judgment against former crypto influencer Ben Armstrong (also known as "BitBoy") in a defamation case brought by investor Kevin O'Leary. The court ruled against Armstrong in six counts of defamation due to his failure to present a defense. The damages include approximately $78,000 for reputational harm, $750,000 for emotional distress, and $2 million in punitive damages.The case stems from a post Armstrong made on the X platform in March 2025, where he falsely claimed that O'Leary was involved in a fatal boating accident in 2019 and committed murder.

In response to the statement made by the so-called "former Binance listing manager Chase" in an interview regarding "the short-term price of cryptocurrencies being influenced by liquidity, attention, and chip structure," He Yi stated, "Short-term prices are indeed greatly affected by liquidity, traffic, and token structure, but whether the hype can transcend cycles depends on factors such as revenue, empowerment, issuance, and destruction. For example, BTC, ETH, and BNB have all broken free from the constraints of the first three elements. The crypto industry has been financing through storytelling for many years; the narrative is dead, and practicality must prevail."