From crypto investigations to new exploits, from Russia introducing new crypto bill to Pakistan lifting its crypto banking ban, here are stories you might have missed last week.
Market Movements & Corporate Strategy
Crypto Whale Moves $225 Million USDC Before Pulling $77.52 Million Ethereum
On-chain analytics tracked a major whale (address 0xeCE7) depositing $225 million in USDC (originated from BitGo custody) into Binance, Bybit, and Deribit over a 10-hour window on April 18. Following the deposits, the same entity withdrew 32,007 ETH ($77.52 million) from Binance, signaling a significant capital rotation.
Polymarket in Talks to Raise Funds at Approximately $15 Billion Valuation
According to reports from The Information, prediction market leader Polymarket is in discussions for a new funding round at a $15 billion valuation. The figure highlights the rapid growth of the sector, though it sits slightly below the $22 billion valuation recently reached by competitor Kalshi.
Stripe Doubles Down on Blockchain and Stablecoins
Stripe is aggressively integrating stablecoins into its core stack following its $1.1 billion acquisition of Bridge and the purchase of Privy. The company has partnered with Paradigm to launch “Tempo,” a payments-focused blockchain now live with partners like Mastercard, UBS, and Visa. Merchants can now accept stablecoins via Shopify, while Remote.com has enabled crypto payouts.
World Liberty Financial Executes $22 Million Stablecoin Shuffle
The Trump-backed World Liberty Financial project saw a net increase of $22 million in its USD1 stablecoin on April 13. The activity involved minting $25 million via BitGo and burning $3 million, following the repayment of $25 million toward a larger $75 million loan on the Dolomite protocol.
Security, Hacks & Quantum Threats
Vercel Hack Sends Crypto Developers Scrambling
A security breach at Vercel on April 19 has potentially exposed customer API keys through a compromised third-party connection. The incident has directly impacted the frontend infrastructure of various crypto apps; Solana-based exchange Orca has already rotated all deployment credentials as a precaution.
Ethereum Foundation-Backed Program Exposes 100 North Korea Operatives
The “Ketman Project”, a joint investigation involving ETH Rangers, Secureum, and the Security Alliance, has exposed approximately 100 North Korean IT workers infiltrating Web3 firms using fake identities. The six-month probe successfully froze $5.8 million in stolen funds and identified 785 vulnerabilities.
Quantum Computer Demonstration Shows Bitcoin Theft in Nine Minutes
A Google Quantum AI demonstration successfully implemented Shor’s algorithm to derive a private key from a public key in just nine minutes. While the required quantum hardware does not yet exist, the test proves that 6.9 million BTC stored in wallets with exposed public keys are theoretically at risk once such technology matures.
Global Regulation & Policy
Pakistan Lifts 8-Year Crypto Banking Ban
The State Bank of Pakistan has officially rescinded its 2018 ban on crypto banking. The reversal follows high-profile deals, including a memorandum of understanding with World Liberty Financial for stablecoin remittances and an agreement by Binance to tokenize $2 billion in national assets.
Russia Introduces Bill to Criminalize Unregistered Crypto Services
A new bill submitted to the State Duma seeks to attach criminal liability to any crypto services offered without Bank of Russia licensing. Penalties range from $4,000 fines and four years in prison for individuals to up to seven years for organized groups.
Sam Altman’s World Teams With Zoom and Tinder
World (formerly Worldcoin) has announced major integrations with Tinder, Zoom, Docusign, and Reddit. The partnerships use World ID for “proof-of-human” verification; Zoom is utilizing the tech for deepfake detection, while Tinder is expanding human verification for U.S. users to combat AI bots.
RaveDAO Denies Manipulation Amid Exchange Probes, Crypto Crashes 95%
RaveDAO has denied claims of market manipulation after its RAVE token spiked from $0.25 to $28 before crashing 80%. Binance and Bitget have both confirmed they are investigating the suspicious trading activity.
Binance Founder CZ Shares Advice on Navigating “Rock Bottom”
Changpeng Zhao advised those facing life’s lowest points to “keep walking.” Drawing on his 2024 legal challenges, CZ noted that situations often improve within days and encouraged those feeling “trapped” to decisively change their environment or habits.
Disclosure: AI is used to assist in developing this article.
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This article is published on BitPinas: Binance, Bitget Investigates RaveDAO Manipulation | Crypto Catch-Up | Apr. 13 – 19, 2026
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