Bitcoin is up .5% at $51,053
Ethereum is up .5% at $4,089
and Binance Coin is up slightly at $547

The Sandbox up 18%
Fantom up 16%

Adam White is leaving Bakkt.

Thai central bank to delay CBDC test until late next year.

Kraken is acquiring the non custodial staking startup Staked.

Links:

• Adam White on Twitter: "After a great 3+ years at bakkt, next week will be my last I’ve loved working at intersection of crypto + markets and good to see the industry finding the balance between innovation & regulation. Lots of work still to do here but never been more optimistic about the future 🌕" / Twitter
• Kraken Acquires Staked to Support Growth and Resilience in One of Largest Crypto Industry Deals to Date | Business Wire
• Thai Central Bank to Delay CBDC Test Till Late 2022: Report

Bitcoin is up slightly at $63,690
Ethereum is up slightly at $4,619
and Binance Coin down slightly at $630

IoTeX up 31%
Livepeer up 24%
crypto.com chain up 20%

The SEC rejects VanEck’s Spot Bitcoin ETF proposal

Bitcoin’s Taproot upgrade activates this weekend.

Sotheby’s will feature real-time bids in Ethereum for Banksy auction.

AMC theaters will accept Bitcoin, Ether Bitcoin Cash, and Litecoin

Bakkt reports a $28.8M net loss across the third quarter.

Links:

• Taproot, Bitcoin’s Long-Anticipated Upgrade, Activates This Weekend
• SEC rejection
• Sotheby’s to hold real-time bids in ETH for Banksy art auction
• Adam Aron on Twitter: "Big newsflash! As promised, many new ways NOW to pay online at AMC.  We proudly now accept: drumroll, please… Bitcoin, Ethereum, Bitcoin Cash, Litecoin. Also Apple Pay, Google Pay, PayPal. Incredibly, they already account for 14% of our total online transactions! Dogecoin next. https://t.co/a7pqYBm7HB" / Twitter
• Bakkt - Bakkt Reports Third Quarter 2021 Results

Bitcoin is up slightly at $61,339
Ethereum is up slightly at $4,495
and Binance Coin up slightly at $620

IoTeX up 63%
Nervos Network up 27%
Rari Governance up 27%

DeFi protocol bZx has been compromised in a 55M leak.

The FBI has released a PSA about a new crypto scam involving crypto ATMs.

Bakkt is getting set to launch Eth trading

Paradigm’s co-founder Matt Huang joined the board of directors for Stripe

This week someone took out a $1.4M loan with an NFT as collateral

Links:

• (1) bZx - Fulcrum & Torque (on ETH/BSC/Polygon) on Twitter: "An hour ago it appears that the private key controlling the Polygon and BSC deployments was compromised, leading to loss of funds. The Ethereum deployment is under DAO control and not impacted. We will provide further updates soon." / Twitter
• Bakkt Expands Cryptocurrency Offering to Include Ethereum | Business Wire
• Paradigm co-founder joins Stripe's board of directors
• Someone took out a $1.4 million loan with an NFT as collateral
• The FBI has put out a PSA about an interesting crypto scam - The Verge

Bitcoin is down 1% at $47,405
Ethereum is down 1.5% at $3,340
and Cardano is down 1% at $2.34

Conflux Network up 145%
UTrust up 25%
DFI.Money up 18%

Floating Point group closes $10M series A round.

Sushi Swap’s Core Contributor 0xMaki is transitioning out to an advisory role.

Bakkt is set to go public next month

Christies is selling a full set of 31 Curio Cards

Lender Celsius has received court orders from Texas and New Jersey — BlockFi Dejavu.

Links:

• CoinDesk: Bitcoin, Ethereum, Crypto News and Price Data
• CoinDesk: Bitcoin, Ethereum, Crypto News and Price Data
• VPC Impact Acquisition Holdings and Bakkt Holdings, LLC Announce Effectiveness of Registration Statement and Special Meeting Date for Proposed Business Combination | Business Wire
• 0xMaki 源 義経 🦇🔊 on Twitter: "I will always be there for @SushiSwap but going forward I'll be in a different role. https://t.co/ybD9Jyg6HN" / Twitter
• New Jersey Bureau of Securities Orders Cryptocurrency Firm Celsius to Halt the Offer and Sale of Unregistered Interest-Bearing Investments - New Jersey Office of Attorney General

Bitcoin is up slightly at $54,258
Ethereum is down 1% at $2740
and Binance Coin is down 1% at $603.56

Venus up 23%
Fantom up 17%
Waves up 15%

Intercontinental Exchange liquidated its 1.4% stake in Coinbase for $1.2B genrating $900M in net profit

Bitcoin mining company Genesis ordered $94M worth of miners from Canaan.

The alleged operator of the crypto mixer Bitcoin Fog was arrested on money laundering charges.

Beijing will begin to watch cryptocurrency mining operations to assess their impact on energy consumption.

Links:

• Earnings Supplement for BAKKT/NYSE Parent
• Bitcoin mining firm Genesis orders $94 million worth of machines from Canaan
• Affidavit for Bitcoin Fog operator arrest
• China's capital probes cryptocurrency mining -sources | Reuters

Bitcoin is up 1% at $60,409
Ethereum is up 1.5% at $1881
and Binance Coin is up 1% at 270.94

Top gainers in the last 24 hours:
Decentraland up 54%
Hedra Hashgraph up 38%
Terra up 24%

DCG Foundry mining pool is open to the public.

WisdomTree submits ETF proposal to the SEC.

Bakkt receives BitLicense from NYDFS.

A romanian barber has been arrested for allegedly stealing 620k in crypto.

France’s central bank petitioned to purchase bitcoin.

Links:

• Wisdomtree S-1
• DCG Foundry mining pool opens to the public after quietly mining over 780 BTC
• New York regulators award BitLicense to ICE crypto venture Bakkt
• A petition asks French Parliament to allow central bank to hold bitcoin

Bitcoin is up 6% at $34,794
Ethereum is up 5% at $1076
and XRP is up 5% at 29 cents

Top gainers in the last 24 hours:
Stellar up 18%
Compound up 18%
Synthetix up 16%

Bitcoin’s active addresses and trading volumes have reached all time highs.

Steve Chen was sentenced yesterday to 10 years in prison for the GemCoin Ponzi scheme.

Bakkt forms Bakkt Holdings in prep for IPO.

Kentucky Reps look to bring crypto mining to the state with tax breaks.

New Zealand’s Financial Markets Authority says crypto buyers beware.

Links:

• Kentucky mining bill
• Bakkt, the Digital Asset Marketplace Launched by Intercontinental Exchange in 2018, to Become a Publicly Traded Company via Merger with VPC Impact Acquisition Holdings | Business Wire
• GemCoin Founder Sentenced to 10 Years for $147M Crypto Scheme - CoinDesk
• NZ regulator issues Bitcoin warning: Be prepared to lose all your money - NZ Herald
• Bitcoin's Active Addresses, Trading Volumes Now at All-Time Highs - CoinDesk

Bitcoin is up 10%% at $34,819
Ethereum is up 11% at $1139
and Litecoin is up 6% at 162 dollars

Top gainers in the last 24 hours:
Stellar up 96%
Cardano up 37%
and NEM up 33%

Bitcoin has crossed 35k for the first time.

Grayscale removes XRP from large-cap fund.

Tetragon sues Ripple for stock redemption.

Former Bakkt CEO Kelly Loeffler lost her senate seat in a run-off.

The office of the comptroller of the currency said federally regulated banks can use stable coins to conduct payments and other activities.

Links:

• Former Bakkt CEO Kelly Loeffler Loses Senate Seat - CoinDesk
• Ripple Investor Sues to Force Stock Redemption on SEC Claim - Bloomberg
• Grayscale Drops XRP From Large Cap Crypto Fund Following Ripple SEC Suit - CoinDesk
• OCC Letter on Banks Using Stablecoins, Acting as Blockchain Nodes | Cryptocurrency | Cheque

Fed Floods Economy With Money

Bakkt Taps Marsh for Insurance

Links:

• Fed Chair: ‘We Have the Ability to Create Money Digitally’
• Bakkt Announces New Insurance Coverage, Claims More Than 70 Custody Clients - CoinDesk

Bitcoin is down slightly at 6,874
Ethereum is down slightly at $159
and XRP is up 1% at 19 cents

Top gainers in the last 24 hours:
Moeda up 15%

A US federal court is unsealing the indictment against OneCoin pyramid scheme co-founder Karl Sebastian Greenwood.

CME Group and Bakkt saw Bitcoin futures fall sharply last month.

Block.one has been a silent minority token on the EOS blockchain or voting plans voting in May.

Factom has cut down its staff from 10 people to just two.

Links:

• Factom's Two Employees Press On Despite Investor's Call to Liquidate - CoinDesk
• Block.one reveals plan to begin voting on the EOS blockchain in May - The Block
• U.S. federal court unseals indictment against OneCoin pyramid scheme co-founder - The Block
• Bitcoin futures volume on CME and Bakkt fell sharply in March - The Block

Does Senator Loeffler Have a Conflict of Interest?

Links:

• Former Bakkt CEO to Help Oversee CFTC in Congress - CoinDesk

Sean Neville Resigns as Circle Co-CEO

Bakkt CEO Loeffler to US Senate

Links:

• Circle Archives - CoinDesk — Circle
• Politics Archives - CoinDesk

Bitcoin is up 3% at $7,760
XRP is up 1% at 23 cents
and Ethereum is up 1% at $154

Top gainers in the last 24 hours:
DigixDAO, up 33%
Streamr, up 24%
Hydro up 21%
and Burst up 16%

FBI arrest Virgil Griffith, programmer and developer who has worked with Ethereum since 2016.

Bakkt’s chief executive Kelly Loeffler has reportedly been selected to replace Senator Johnny Isakson.

German banks will be allowed to offer the sale and storage of crypto under new laws.

IBM has registered a patent that will stop rogue drones from stealing packages.

Finland Drills for Cyberattack

Bakkt Up

China Leans on Crypto

Links:

• Finland Prepares For Bitcoin Ransomware Attack With Cyber Fire Drill
• Bakkt Bitcoin Futures Set New Daily Record Trading Over $20M — BTC $7,186 +1.89% ETH $149 +3.04% XRP $0.23 +1.45% BCH $206 +2.43% LTC $47 +2.44% EOS $2.60 +3.25% Advertise
• China Archives - CoinDesk

Bitcoin is even at $8,849
XRP is even at 28 cents
and Ethereum is up 1% at $187

Top gainers in the last 24 hours:
Dentacoin, up 15%
Ignis, up 14%

Tencent has been approved by the Hong Kong SFC to open a blockchain based virtual bank.

Fairfax’s retirement system pension funds have doubled their position in Morgan Creek Digital.

The FBI director called cryptocurrency a "significant issue" when speaking to the US Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.

Crypto related and blockchain jobs have increased by 26% since 2018.

Bakkt’s monthly bitcoin futures have hit an all-time-high of $15 million.

Links:

• FBI Director: Cryptocurrency Is 'Significant Issue' for Law Enforcement - CoinDesk
• Chinese tech giant Tencent granted Hong Kong license to open 'virtual bank' - The Block
• Crypto and Blockchain Jobs Have Increased By 26% Since 2018: Research - CoinDesk
• Pension Funds Double Crypto Asset Exposure in Morgan Creek's Fund to 1% - CoinDesk
• Bakkt's monthly bitcoin futures hit all-time-high of $15M - The Block

Baakt Live

Libra Reveals Basket Fiat Percentages

IFRIC: Cryptos Are Intangible Assets

Links:

• Bakkt Is Finally Launching Its Bitcoin Futures Today. Here's What to Expect - CoinDesk
• Bakkt Trades 18 BTC in First 7 Hours as Bitcoin Price Falls Below $10K
• Facebook Reveals Libra Crypto's Currency Basket Breakdown: Report - CoinDesk
• Int’l Accounting Standards Body Defines Bitcoin as ‘Intangible Asset’