Charles Schwab Plans to Introduce Prediction Markets With Cboe for Wagering on the S&P 500's Performance: WSJ

The IMF warns that stablecoins could face runs as tokenized finance scales, creating a mismatch between tokenized systems and crisis management frameworks. The report suggests anchoring settlement in safe assets and adapting regulation and liquidity tools for automated environments.

BitMine Immersion Technologies has acquired 71,252 ETH worth $152 million, increasing its total holdings to over 4.8 million ETH, valued at $10.3 billion. The firm's chairman, Tom Lee, expects Ethereum's leadership to strengthen investors amid global market pressures.

Strategy disclosed that it purchased 4,871 BTC for $330 million last week, increasing its Bitcoin treasury to nearly 767,000 BTC valued at $53.3 billion. The company funded this acquisition mainly through its preferred share, STRC, issuing $227 million worth of the dividend-paying product.

Drift Protocol revealed a sophisticated six-month intelligence operation by a North Korean state-affiliated group that drained $285 million. The attackers used fabricated identities and malicious tools to compromise contributors before executing the drain.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) highlights how tokenization can revolutionize financial markets by enabling instant settlement and reducing counterparty risk. Tokenized assets, like stablecoins, could bridge the gap between crypto and traditional finance, but require robust governance and legal frameworks to ensure stability.

Bitcoin and global markets rose following reports of ceasefire talks between the U.S. and Iran. The leading cryptocurrency hit a weekly high of $69,350, currently trading at $69,245, up 3.5% on the day. Oil dropped 1.4%, while the Nikkei and S&P 500 futures gained.

MARA, a publicly traded Bitcoin miner, has reduced its workforce by 15% following the sale of $1.1 billion in Bitcoin. The company is shifting focus towards energy and digital infrastructure, necessitating the strategic decision to downsize its team.

Dmail Network, a decentralized email platform operational for five years, will gradually cease services starting May 15 due to high decentralized infrastructure costs and failed monetization attempts. The team struggled with user growth expenses and unsuccessful token economics, leading to shutdown.

Todd Blanche, the new head of the Department of Justice, has a history of pro-industry reforms and crypto investments. Under his leadership, U.S. attorneys have pursued cases against crypto developers, causing concern among privacy advocates. Blanche's past actions include disbanding the office's crypto enforcement team and easing regulations on exchanges.

Drift, a Solana-based decentralized exchange, identified wallets holding stolen crypto and attempted on-chain negotiations with the attackers. Security experts suspect North Korean involvement in the $285 million exploit, while Drift plans to share updates once third-party attributions are complete.