Weekly Recap｜Ethereum Q1 Transactions Surpass 200M, South Korea Considers Including Crypto in Pensio
2026.04.20
Weekly Overview (Apr 13 – Apr 19)
Last week, the crypto market experienced heightened volatility, with geopolitical tensions remaining the primary driver. Amid escalating U.S.-Iran conflict concerns, Bitcoin rebounded above $73,000.
From a technical perspective, Bitcoin formed a weekly golden cross, signaling the potential for broader market fluctuations ahead. However, elevated yields and tightening liquidity conditions continue to weigh on overall sentiment. While geopolitical developments temporarily reinforced crypto’s safe-haven narrative, the market still faces structural pressure.
In the coming week, attention will focus on whether Bitcoin can hold firmly above the $70,000 level. Key factors include geopolitical developments, U.S. inflation data, bond yields, and the strength of the U.S. dollar. Additionally, potential reforms in U.S. crypto taxation and the implementation of the GENIUS Act could impact medium-term market direction.
This report provides a concise recap of last week’s key developments in the crypto industry and a preview of the major trends and events to watch in the coming week.
Market Pulse
- Morgan Stanley increased its Bitcoin holdings by 177.76 BTC, bringing total holdings to over $100 million.
- Kelp DAO’s cross-chain bridge was exploited, with approximately $292 million in rsETH transferred out.
- Payward plans to acquire Bitnomial for $550 million, aiming to secure a fully licensed derivatives stack in the U.S.
- Ethereum recorded over 200 million transactions in Q1, reaching a new all-time high.
- Publicly listed mining companies sold more Bitcoin in Q1 2026 than in all of 2025 combined.
- Bernstein forecasts the prediction market sector could reach $1 trillion by 2030.
Funding & M&A
A total of 15 funding rounds were recorded last week, raising over $160 million, primarily across DeFi and AI sectors:
- Brix raised $5.5 million, planning to launch the TRY yield token iTRY on MegaETH.
- OpenGradient secured $9.5 million to advance verifiable AI compute networks.
- AI-driven risk control firm Nava raised $8.3 million, led by Polychain and Archetype.
- Paxos Labs completed a $12 million funding round, led by Blockchain Capital.
- Bond tokenization platform BlockInvest raised €4 million, with UniCredit participation.
- Digital banking platform Slash secured $100 million in Series C, led by Ribbit Capital.
- AI quant platform AlphaNet raised $10 million in seed funding, led by Joffre Capital.
Policy & Compliance
Poland’s crypto bill was rejected again, delaying regulatory progress.
Tennessee’s Strategic Bitcoin Reserve Bill is scheduled for a Senate hearing on April 20.
The UK FCA is seeking feedback on new crypto regulations, expected to take effect in October 2027.
Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey called for global stablecoin regulatory standards.
Pakistan’s central bank now allows banks to serve licensed virtual asset providers, reversing its 2018 ban.
The U.S. IRS has implemented new digital asset reporting standards to curb tax evasion.
South Korea is considering including crypto assets in national pension eligibility reviews to prevent misuse.
Echobit Highlights
- Echobit continued its April campaign series, boosting user engagement and market activity.
- Echobit launched the April Futures Trading Competition.
- Echobit rolled out the April Welcome Campaign to drive new user growth.
- Echobit introduced the Trending Topics Challenge to enhance community interaction.
- Echobit launched the Chart Prediction Challenge.
- Echobit rolled out Trade & Get Rewards Vol. 4, continuing to incentivize trading participation.
- Echobit introduced the ETH Weekly Closing Price Prediction activity.
- Echobit launched the Alpha Task Force to strengthen core user engagement.
- Echobit Labs released new industry insights, reinforcing thought leadership.
- Echobit published a Telegram AMA recap to improve transparency and engagement.
- Echobit continued expanding its ecosystem through strategic partnerships.
Next Week Preview (Apr 20 – Apr 26)
Tennessee’s Strategic Bitcoin Reserve Bill will hold a Senate hearing on April 20.
The hearing for the Federal Reserve Chair nominee Warsh is scheduled for April 21.
The Hong Kong Web3 Festival 2026 will take place from April 20 to 23.
Donald Trump will host a private dinner for TRUMP token holders on April 25 at Mar-a-Lago.
Thailand’s SEC is seeking public consultation on expanding crypto fundraising regulation (deadline: April 22).
Nifty Gateway will extend its withdrawal window until April 23 following its shutdown announcement.
The U.S. will release weekly initial jobless claims data (as of April 18).
Echobit will continue tracking global crypto developments — focusing on market movements, regulatory trends, and funding opportunities — helping you stay ahead in every market cycle.