Greek firm MARISKS warns of Bitcoin and USDT scams targeting shipping companies in the Strait of Hormuz, where vessels face military fire. Unknown actors are extorting shipping firms for crypto to bypass blockades, with at least one tanker hit by Iranian gunfire on April 18. The scam highlights crypto's role in geopolitical conflicts.
Following recent hacks, USDT has widened its market gap over USDC, as investors seek safer assets. In just days, major attacks caused a significant capital shift toward Tether (USDT), strengthening its dominance in the stablecoin market. This trend highlights a growing mistrust in USDC and signals a deeper change in the stablecoin hierarchy.
Grayscale research suggests Bitcoin's low at $63,000 on Feb. 5 may mark the cycle's bottom. Since then, BTC has risen over 20%, with whales adding 45,000 BTC last week. The data indicates a potential bullish trend, as recent buyers are near break-even, and market momentum shows signs of stabilization, hinting at a possible new bull phase.
Microsoft has identified a code change in the Microsoft Graph API as the cause of ongoing Universal Print sharing issues, which began affecting users in April 2026. The problem prevents users from creating certain printer shares, impacting enterprise printing workflows. Microsoft is working to resolve the issue and restore full functionality.
Arkham Intelligence tracked 75,701 ETH moving into new wallets on April 21, linked to the $292 million Kelp DAO exploit. Suspected Lazarus Group actors are routing stolen funds through THORChain and Umbra, with $175 million ETH involved. The ongoing laundering efforts show the scale of the attack and the challenges in tracing stolen crypto.
Aave's total value locked (TVL) dropped significantly following the KelpDAO hack, which resulted in a loss of approximately $15 billion. Despite the decline, Aave's token price was $93.45 on Wednesday, up 1.06% in 24 hours but down 7.09% weekly. The broader crypto market increased by 2.28%, reaching a total market cap of $2.61 trillion.
On April 21, 2026, Mastercard became a charter member of the Blockchain Security Standards Council (BSSC), joining Coinbase, Fireblocks, and others. Claire Le Gal will represent Mastercard on the BSSC board. The company aims to contribute to security and privacy standards, aligning with its Multi-Token Network initiative. This move emphasizes Mastercard’s focus on enhancing blockchain security protocols.
