SpendNode Podcast: Crypto News & Analysis

UK FCA joined HMRC and organized crime units to raid 8 London sites in its first crackdown on illegal peer-to-peer crypto trading. What it means. Read the full article: https://www.spendnode.io/blog/uk-fca-first-p2p-crypto-crackdown-london-raids-april-2026/

Bybit's security team disclosed a macOS malware campaign that preys on users searching for Claude Code, exploiting AI tool demand to deliver payloads. Read the full article: https://www.spendnode.io/blog/bybit-macos-malware-claude-code-searchers-security-alert-april-2026/

Mythical is migrating its gaming marketplace to non-custodial wallets, EVM and Seaport rails, and removing KYC checks and withdrawal limits. Read the full article: https://www.spendnode.io/blog/mythical-marketplace-non-custodial-wallets-kyc-removal-evm-april-2026/

Russia's State Duma approved a first-reading bill recognizing crypto as property and allowing it for foreign trade payments, with the CBR as regulator. Read the full article: https://www.spendnode.io/blog/russia-duma-crypto-foreign-trade-payments-first-reading-april-2026/

Uzbekistan has launched a state-backed crypto mining zone offering tax incentives to operators, turning government policy into a direct industry subsidy. Read the full article: https://www.spendnode.io/blog/uzbekistan-state-backed-crypto-mining-zone-tax-breaks-april-2026/

PBoC kept cash abundant in China's banking system. Bitcoin trades at $78,015, Ether added 3.6% in 24 hours, and the seven-day crypto tape sits up 5% or more. Read the full article: https://www.spendnode.io/blog/china-pboc-cash-injection-crypto-rally-april-2026/

Sui-based Volo Protocol has confirmed a $3.5M exploit of its vaults, with roughly $500K frozen so far. What's on the table and what isn't. Read the full article: https://www.spendnode.io/blog/volo-protocol-3-5-million-exploit-sui-vaults-april-2026/

Bloomberg reports a small group of unauthorized users accessed Anthropic's new Mythos AI, a model the company says is powerful enough to enable cyberattacks. Read the full article: https://www.spendnode.io/blog/anthropic-mythos-ai-breach-cyberattack-bloomberg-april-2026/

The attacker behind the $292M KelpDAO drain has routed roughly $80M in ETH through Thorchain swaps, complicating recovery efforts for rsETH depositors. Read the full article: https://www.spendnode.io/blog/kelpdao-exploiter-80-million-eth-thorchain-laundering-april-2026/

DoorDash is preparing to pay drivers and merchants globally in stablecoins using the Tempo blockchain, pulling crypto rails deep into the gig economy. Read the full article: https://www.spendnode.io/blog/doordash-stablecoin-payouts-drivers-merchants-tempo-blockchain-april-2026/

A Nomura and Laser Digital survey says nearly 80% of Japanese institutional investors plan crypto allocations of 2% to 5% within three years. Read the full article: https://www.spendnode.io/blog/japan-institutional-investors-80-percent-crypto-allocation-nomura-laser-digital-april-2026/

The Sanmar Herald paid crypto scammers posing as Iranian authorities for fake Hormuz clearance, then got hit anyway. A shadow fraud industry is forming. Read the full article: https://www.spendnode.io/blog/sanmar-herald-oil-tanker-crypto-scam-hormuz-safe-passage-april-2026/

A grandson of mob boss John Gotti was sentenced for wire fraud after moving $420K in stolen COVID relief through crypto rails amid rising KYC scrutiny. Read the full article: https://www.spendnode.io/blog/gotti-grandson-covid-fraud-crypto-sentenced-april-2026/

The Philippines SEC told citizens that dYdX and six other crypto platforms are not registered to solicit investments locally, escalating regional enforcement. Read the full article: https://www.spendnode.io/blog/philippine-sec-dydx-seven-crypto-platforms-unauthorized-advisory-april-2026/

A wallet tied to Justin Sun cleared $274M USDT from Aave after the protocol froze its rsETH markets from the KelpDAO exploit. The speed is the story. Read the full article: https://www.spendnode.io/blog/justin-sun-linked-wallet-274-million-usdt-aave-freeze-april-2026/

The Arbitrum Security Council took emergency action to freeze 30,766 ETH worth roughly $71M tied to the KelpDAO exploit address on Arbitrum One. Read the full article: https://www.spendnode.io/blog/arbitrum-security-council-freezes-30766-eth-kelpdao-exploit-april-2026/

RedotPay is now letting users pay in 100+ countries with SUI and native USDC on the Sui network, opening the chain's first major card rail. Read the full article: https://www.spendnode.io/blog/redotpay-sui-usdc-sui-integration-100-countries-april-2026/

Tron processed about $2 trillion in USDT transfer volume during Q1 2026, extending its lead as the dominant settlement rail for Tether's stablecoin. Read the full article: https://www.spendnode.io/blog/tron-2-trillion-usdt-transfers-q1-2026/

Tim Cook stepped down as Apple CEO on April 20, 2026. His legacy includes Apple Pay, a payment rail nearly every crypto card now depends on. Read the full article: https://www.spendnode.io/blog/tim-cook-steps-down-apple-ceo-apple-pay-crypto-legacy-april-2026/

BlackRock's Jay Jacobs says Bitcoin is driven by geopolitical and inflation risk, not broader market sentiment. What the framing means with BTC at $76K. Read the full article: https://www.spendnode.io/blog/blackrock-jay-jacobs-bitcoin-own-drivers-geopolitical-inflation-april-2026/

Strategy's STRC preferred has accumulated 77,000 BTC in 2026, ten times the net intake of every US spot Bitcoin ETF combined, per River data. Read the full article: https://www.spendnode.io/blog/strategy-strc-77000-btc-accumulation-etfs-combined-april-2026/

Coinbase's x402 protocol rolled out Agent.market, a paid service catalog where autonomous AI agents can buy access to APIs and tools using stablecoins. Read the full article: https://www.spendnode.io/blog/coinbase-x402-agent-market-ai-agent-app-store-april-2026/

Grayscale amended its Hyperliquid ETF filing, naming Anchorage Digital Bank as custodian and replacing Coinbase Custody in institutional crypto custody. Read the full article: https://www.spendnode.io/blog/grayscale-hyperliquid-etf-anchorage-digital-bank-custodian-coinbase-custody-april-2026/

Polymarket is reportedly negotiating a raise of up to $400 million at a $15 billion valuation as prediction market demand keeps setting new records in 2026. Read the full article: https://www.spendnode.io/blog/polymarket-400-million-raise-15-billion-valuation-prediction-market-april-2026/

Tether led an $8M round in Abu Dhabi tokenization firm KAIO and plans an institutional onchain fund with Mubadala Capital, deepening its UAE footprint. Read the full article: https://www.spendnode.io/blog/tether-kaio-mubadala-capital-abu-dhabi-tokenization-april-2026/