SpendNode Podcast: Crypto News & Analysis

BTC jumped to $72K and Brent crude fell below $100 after the US and Iran agreed to a two-week ceasefire that includes reopening the Strait of Hormuz. Read the full article: https://www.spendnode.io/blog/bitcoin-72000-us-iran-ceasefire-confirmed-oil-crashes-14-percent-strait-hormuz-reopens/

The FDIC board voted unanimously to propose stablecoin rules for bank subsidiaries: 1:1 reserves, 2-day redemption, no deposit insurance, and no yield. Read the full article: https://www.spendnode.io/blog/fdic-genius-act-stablecoin-bank-subsidiary-reserves-deposit-insurance-april-2026/

Morgan Stanley's MSBT lists on NYSE Arca April 8 with a 0.14% fee, undercutting BlackRock's IBIT by 44% and marking the first bank-issued spot Bitcoin ETF. Read the full article: https://www.spendnode.io/blog/morgan-stanley-msbt-spot-bitcoin-etf-launch-april-8-first-bank-issued-0-14-percent-fee/

Spot Bitcoin ETFs pulled in $471 million on April 6, the largest daily inflow since February, as boomer-heavy allocators bought while crypto natives sold. Read the full article: https://www.spendnode.io/blog/baby-boomers-500-million-bitcoin-spot-etf-april-2026-highest-since-february/

This week in crypto cards: Bitget opens its Visa card to selected APAC users, xPlace discloses Drift exposure, Wirex brings payment infrastructure to Stellar, Gate Pay adds stablecoin subscriptions, RedotPay improves EUR and GBP funding, and COCA adds Apple Pay. Read the full article: https://www.spendnode.io/blog/crypto-cards-roundup-april-7-2026/

SEC Chair Paul Atkins confirms Reg Crypto, a proposal covering fundraising and startup exemptions, is near publication with an innovation exemption to follow. Read the full article: https://www.spendnode.io/blog/sec-chair-atkins-reg-crypto-proposal-fundraising-exemptions-white-house-sign-off/

Eighty-six crypto projects closed or began winding down in Q1 2026 as capital consolidates into Bitcoin ETFs and stablecoins. Here is who died and why. Read the full article: https://www.spendnode.io/blog/86-crypto-projects-shut-down-q1-2026-etf-stablecoin-migration-magic-eden-balancer/

Bloomberg Intelligence strategist Mike McGlone calls $10K Bitcoin's equilibrium price, citing mean reversion and the end of cheap liquidity. Read the full article: https://www.spendnode.io/blog/bloomberg-mcglone-bitcoin-10000-prediction-75000-invalidation-mean-reversion/

US spot Bitcoin ETFs added $471M and Ethereum ETFs added $120M on April 6, with all ten ETH funds in positive territory for the first time in weeks. Read the full article: https://www.spendnode.io/blog/bitcoin-ethereum-etf-591-million-inflow-zero-eth-outflows-fear-greed-35-oil-115/

The Solana Foundation rolls out two security programs, STRIDE for formal verification and SIRN for 24/7 threat monitoring, six days after the $280M Drift exploit. Read the full article: https://www.spendnode.io/blog/solana-foundation-stride-sirn-security-formal-verification-threat-monitoring-drift-exploit/

Polymarket launches Polymarket USD and CTF Exchange V2, replacing bridged USDC.e with native collateral and a rebuilt trading engine. Read the full article: https://www.spendnode.io/blog/polymarket-exchange-overhaul-native-usd-token-ctf-v2-smart-contract-wallets/

MetaMask researcher Taylor Monahan says DPRK operatives infiltrated 40+ DeFi platforms since DeFi summer, using fake identities and third-party intermediaries. Read the full article: https://www.spendnode.io/blog/taylor-monahan-north-korean-it-workers-40-defi-platforms-seven-years-lazarus-infiltration/

A federal appeals court ruled 2-1 that New Jersey cannot regulate Kalshi's prediction markets, the first circuit court to side with CFTC preemption. Read the full article: https://www.spendnode.io/blog/kalshi-third-circuit-appeals-court-new-jersey-prediction-markets-cftc-preemption-sports/

Circle's $3.25B weekly USDC issuance on Solana is the largest of 2026, pushing total supply past $15B as post-Drift liquidity demand surges. Read the full article: https://www.spendnode.io/blog/circle-3-25-billion-usdc-solana-record-weekly-minting-2026-stablecoin-liquidity/

Block launches Bitcoin Day on April 6, offering up to $80 in BTC rewards for buying, spending at Square merchants, and withdrawing to Bitkey. Read the full article: https://www.spendnode.io/blog/block-bitcoin-faucet-1-million-btc-cash-app-bitkey-self-custody-rewards/

Rwanda's central bank warned that P2P crypto trading with the Rwandan franc is illegal after Bybit launched RWF support on its platform. Read the full article: https://www.spendnode.io/blog/rwanda-central-bank-bybit-rwandan-franc-p2p-crypto-trading-banned-nbr-warning/

A 3-to-1 short squeeze wiped $274M in crypto positions as Bitcoin jumped to $69,350 on reports of a 45-day US-Iran ceasefire framework. Read the full article: https://www.spendnode.io/blog/bitcoin-69000-short-squeeze-274-million-liquidations-ceasefire-talks-fear-sentiment/

China's Cyberspace Administration ordered Apple to remove Bitchat, Jack Dorsey's Bluetooth mesh messaging app with Bitcoin relay capabilities. Read the full article: https://www.spendnode.io/blog/apple-pulls-jack-dorsey-bitchat-china-app-store-cyberspace-administration-removal/

Iran's IRGC now demands stablecoin or yuan payments for safe passage through Hormuz. A single tanker transit can cost $2 million. Read the full article: https://www.spendnode.io/blog/iran-irgc-strait-of-hormuz-crypto-stablecoin-toll-2-million-per-tanker-yuan-sanctions/

2.89 million ETH sits in a 50-day entry queue while Ethereum's exit queue stays near zero. What the one-sided demand means for supply and yield. Read the full article: https://www.spendnode.io/blog/ethereum-staking-queue-2-89-million-eth-50-day-wait-zero-exit-demand-april-2026/

Ledger CTO Charles Guillemet warns that AI is making crypto exploits faster, cheaper, and harder to stop, with $1.4 billion already lost this year. Read the full article: https://www.spendnode.io/blog/ledger-cto-ai-crypto-security-attacks-cost-zero-1-4-billion-losses/

A new DOL proposed rule creates a six-factor safe harbor for fiduciaries who want to add crypto and alternative assets to $10.1 trillion in 401(k) plans. Read the full article: https://www.spendnode.io/blog/labor-department-401k-crypto-alternative-assets-safe-harbor-erisa-10-trillion/

Drift Protocol says the April 1 exploit was carried out by UNC4736, a North Korean state-backed group that spent six months building trust before draining $270M. Read the full article: https://www.spendnode.io/blog/drift-protocol-270-million-exploit-north-korea-unc4736-six-month-infiltration/

Tokenized real-world assets reach a $22.8B all-time high led by Tether Gold, even as Bitcoin trades at $67K and the Fear and Greed index reads 30. Read the full article: https://www.spendnode.io/blog/rwa-onchain-market-cap-22-8-billion-all-time-high-tether-gold-xaut-fear-market/

Crypto markets processed $20T in Q1 2026 volume per Coinglass, with roughly 90% in derivatives. Binance dominated. Spot markets shrank to a two-year low. Read the full article: https://www.spendnode.io/blog/crypto-q1-2026-20-trillion-volume-90-percent-derivatives-binance-coinglass/