Weekly Recap｜Tesla Holds Bitcoin Steady in Q1, Thailand SEC Proposes Digital Asset Derivatives Rule
2026.04.27
Weekly Overview (Apr 20 – Apr 26)
Last week, the crypto market showed a rebound within a volatile range. Bitcoin (BTC) performed strongly, breaking above the $76,000 level and briefly surging past $78,000, driven by easing U.S.-Iran tensions and large-scale accumulation by whales. Market sentiment improved, with BTC dominance remaining solid, although trading volume declined slightly ahead of the weekend.
This week, Bitcoin’s 30-day correlation with the U.S. Dollar Index has dropped to -0.90, indicating a strong inverse relationship. As geopolitical and inflation risks rise, any rebound in the dollar could directly pressure crypto market gains. In addition, developments around Federal Reserve leadership and interest rate expectations will be key focal points, as markets face uncertainty amid potential policy shifts.
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
- Google plans to invest up to $40 billion in Anthropic.
- A U.S. judge dismissed Elon Musk’s fraud claims against OpenAI and its founders.
- Donald Trump disclosed significant bond purchases in March in his latest filings.
- A Morgan Stanley-affiliated Bitcoin ETF added approximately 120 BTC, bringing total holdings to 1,834 BTC.
- Tether reported cooperating with U.S. law enforcement to freeze over $344 million USDT.
- Tesla maintained its Bitcoin holdings in Q1, reporting an impairment loss of $173 million.
Funding & M&A
A total of 11 funding rounds were recorded last week, raising over $100 million, mainly across DeFi and AI sectors:
- Cluster Protocol raised $5 million, led by DAO5.
- Japanese yen stablecoin issuer JPYC secured an additional ¥2.8 billion, bringing its Series B total to ¥4.6 billion.
- Abu Dhabi-based tokenization platform KAIO raised $8 million in strategic funding, led by Tether.
- AI-driven predictive modeling firm Sooth Labs is raising approximately $50 million, with a post-money valuation of around $335 million.
Policy & Compliance
- South Africa plans to include crypto assets within its foreign exchange control framework.
- Mastercard joined a blockchain security standards committee.
- India is advancing its digital rupee pilot and exploring interoperability with BRICS CBDCs.
- The U.S. government is running a Bitcoin node for cybersecurity testing purposes.
- Thailand’s SEC proposed revisions to digital asset derivatives rules, allowing direct licensing applications.
- The New York Governor signed an executive order banning insider betting in prediction markets for state employees.
- The bipartisan U.S. PACE Act proposes opening access to the Federal Reserve payment system, gaining support from the crypto industry.
- Hong Kong’s SFC introduced a new regulatory framework allowing tokenized SFC-authorized investment products to be traded on secondary markets.
Echobit Highlights
Echobit continued its April campaign series, enhancing platform activity and user engagement.
Echobit’s April Futures Trading Competition remains ongoing, strengthening trading participation.
Echobit continues Trade & Get Rewards Vol. 4, incentivizing user trading activity.
Echobit is advancing the Alpha Task Force, reinforcing core user contribution systems.
Echobit launched the EchoAgent AMA Giveaway, integrating product promotion with community interaction.
Echobit partnered with Galxe to launch the April points leaderboard competition.
Echobit introduced the Alliance Battle campaign, enhancing competitive community engagement.
Echobit launched the Cypher Squad Giveaway, boosting user participation and sharing.
EchoAgent has officially launched, expanding the intelligent trading product suite.
Echobit hosted multiple AMA sessions and published recaps to strengthen transparency and communication.
Next Week Preview (Apr 27 – May 3)
- Sources indicate the second round of Iran–U.S. negotiations is scheduled for April 27.
- Everstake will exit the Celestia validator network by April 28.
- Strategy proposed adjusting STRC preferred stock dividends to a semi-monthly schedule.
- The Federal Reserve FOMC will announce its interest rate decision.
- The U.S. will release weekly initial jobless claims data (as of April 26).
- Cosmos ecosystem lending chain UX Chain will shut down and begin liquidation on April 30.
- The Solana Foundation will implement new validator delegation requirements starting May 1.
Echobit will continue tracking global crypto developments — focusing on market movements, regulatory trends, and funding opportunities — helping you stay ahead in every market cycle.