The lingering fears triggered by US President Donald Trump’s sweeping global tariffs have analysts increasingly convinced that Bitcoin is now more likely than ever to challenge the US dollar in the years ahead.

“Higher chance Bitcoin survives over the dollar in our lifetime after today,” Bitwise Invest head of alpha strategies Jeff Parks said in an April 9 X post.

Investors will be left with no other option but Bitcoin, says crypto exec

“First time the thought hit me and didn’t feel like theory but an actual truth to grapple with,” Parks added. 

Bitwise CEO Hunter Horsley shared a similar view, noting that with trust in the US dollar waning and other foreign currencies seen as “even weaker,” investors are left with fewer choices. 

He argued that gold, typically seen as a safe harbor amid uncertainty, also has drawbacks around shipping and storage and implied that Bitcoin may be the only option left. “You wind up buying Bitcoin,” Horsley said.

Source: Michael Saylor

The US Dollar Index — which tracks its strength against a basket of major currencies —  is trading at 102.193, down 5.84% since Jan. 1, according to TradingView. However, Wall Street analysts were mistaken in thinking that the tariffs would bolster the US dollar, according to a recent Wall Street Journal report.

On April 2, Trump signed an executive order establishing a 10% baseline tariff on all imports from all countries, which took effect on April 5. Harsher reciprocal tariffs on trading partners with which the US has the largest trade deficits then kicked in on April 9.

Uncertainty around the tariffs and fears of a broader recession have been major catalysts for a wide traditional and crypto market decline.

Bitcoin (BTC) is trading at $76,301, down 18.37% since Jan. 1, according to CoinMarketCap data.

Bitcoin author Saifedean Ammous said in an April 8 X post that America’s issue isn’t with one specific country’s deficit but with aggregate deficits worldwide due to having a “fiat money printer.”

Related: Bitcoin weekly RSI hits bull market low as trader sees $70K BTC price bottom

“An ever-increasing number of Americans can live off the money printer as long as the rest of the world is using the dollar,” Ammous said.

He argued that the real solution is to stop printing “fake money” and move to a hard store of value, naming Bitcoin or gold as examples.

“Another way to solve this problem would be for the world to move to a hard money standard and stop using America’s shitcoin, and give Trump the trade surpluses he thinks he wants.”

Magazine: Bitcoin heading to $70K soon? Crypto baller funds SpaceX flight: Hodler’s Digest, March 30 – April 5

This article does not contain investment advice or recommendations. Every investment and trading move involves risk, and readers should conduct their own research when making a decision.

The lingering fears triggered by US President Donald Trump’s sweeping global tariffs have analysts increasingly convinced that Bitcoin is now more likely than ever to challenge the US dollar in the years ahead.

“Higher chance Bitcoin survives over the dollar in our lifetime after today,” Bitwise Invest head of alpha strategies Jeff Parks said in an April 9 X post.

Investors will be left with no other option but Bitcoin, says crypto exec

“First time the thought hit me and didn’t feel like theory but an actual truth to grapple with,” Parks added. 

Bitwise CEO Hunter Horsley shared a similar view, noting that with trust in the US dollar waning and other foreign currencies seen as “even weaker,” investors are left with fewer choices. 

He argued that gold, typically seen as a safe harbor amid uncertainty, also has drawbacks around shipping and storage and implied that Bitcoin may be the only option left. “You wind up buying Bitcoin,” Horsley said.

Source: Michael Saylor

The US Dollar Index — which tracks its strength against a basket of major currencies —  is trading at 102.193, down 5.84% since Jan. 1, according to TradingView. However, Wall Street analysts were mistaken in thinking that the tariffs would bolster the US dollar, according to a recent Wall Street Journal report.

On April 2, Trump signed an executive order establishing a 10% baseline tariff on all imports from all countries, which took effect on April 5. Harsher reciprocal tariffs on trading partners with which the US has the largest trade deficits then kicked in on April 9.

Uncertainty around the tariffs and fears of a broader recession have been major catalysts for a wide traditional and crypto market decline.

Bitcoin (BTC) is trading at $76,301, down 18.37% since Jan. 1, according to CoinMarketCap data.

Bitcoin author Saifedean Ammous said in an April 8 X post that America’s issue isn’t with one specific country’s deficit but with aggregate deficits worldwide due to having a “fiat money printer.”

Related: Bitcoin weekly RSI hits bull market low as trader sees $70K BTC price bottom

“An ever-increasing number of Americans can live off the money printer as long as the rest of the world is using the dollar,” Ammous said.

He argued that the real solution is to stop printing “fake money” and move to a hard store of value, naming Bitcoin or gold as examples.

“Another way to solve this problem would be for the world to move to a hard money standard and stop using America’s shitcoin, and give Trump the trade surpluses he thinks he wants.”

Magazine: Bitcoin heading to $70K soon? Crypto baller funds SpaceX flight: Hodler’s Digest, March 30 – April 5

This article does not contain investment advice or recommendations. Every investment and trading move involves risk, and readers should conduct their own research when making a decision.

An Ether whale who had held 10,000 Ether for the last 900 days has sold their entire stash and missed out on a peak profit of $27.6 million when the cryptocurrency was worth over $4,000. 

The whale initially bought a total of 10,000 Ether (ETH) across two transactions in October and November 2022 for $13 million at the time for an average price of $1,295 per token, blockchain analytics service Lookonchain said in an April 8 X post.

“He didn’t sell when Ether broke through $4,000. But today, he exited with a $2.75 million profit. The profit at the peak was $27.6 million,” Lookonchain said.

Source: Lookonchain 

The whale sold when Ether was around $1,578, according to Lookonchain. Within the period that the whale wallet was holding its stack, Ether hit a high of $4,015 on Dec. 9, CoinGecko data shows. 

Ether is sitting at around $1,426, down 24% over the last seven days amid a broader market sell-off sparked by the Trump administration’s sweeping global tariffs.

ETH hit its all-time high of $4,878 on Nov. 10, 2021, about a year before the whale’s first purchase.

Trump’s World Liberty Financial sells part of ETH stash 

In a separate April 9 post to X, Lookonchain said the Donald Trump-backed crypto project, World Liberty Financial (WLF), might have also sold some of its Ether stash at a loss. 

“A wallet possibly linked to World Liberty sold 5,471 ETH ($8.01M) at $1,465,” Lookonchain wrote.

Source: Lookonchain

Before the supposed sale, Lookonchain said World Liberty Financial had a stash of 67,498 Ether, which it bought at an average price of $3,259.

Related: Trump tariffs could lower Bitcoin miner prices outside US, says mining exec

Two other whales have also made big moves amid a market bloodbath that has seen some traders buying the dip. 

On April 7, an unidentified crypto whale had to inject 10,000 Ether— worth more than $14.5 million, to save their position of 220,000 Ether worth more than $300 million from liquidation amid the market slump. 

Another whale wasn’t as lucky, losing 67,570 Ether on April 6, worth around $106 million, when their significant position on decentralized finance lending platform Sky was liquidated. 

Magazine: Bitcoin heading to $70K soon? Crypto baller funds SpaceX flight: Hodler’s Digest

An Ether whale who had held 10,000 Ether for the last 900 days has sold their entire stash and missed out on a peak profit of $27.6 million when the cryptocurrency was worth over $4,000. 

The whale initially bought a total of 10,000 Ether (ETH) across two transactions in October and November 2022 for $13 million at the time for an average price of $1,295 per token, blockchain analytics service Lookonchain said in an April 8 X post.

“He didn’t sell when Ether broke through $4,000. But today, he exited with a $2.75 million profit. The profit at the peak was $27.6 million,” Lookonchain said.

Source: Lookonchain 

The whale sold when Ether was around $1,578, according to Lookonchain. Within the period that the whale wallet was holding its stack, Ether hit a high of $4,015 on Dec. 9, CoinGecko data shows. 

Ether is sitting at around $1,426, down 24% over the last seven days amid a broader market sell-off sparked by the Trump administration’s sweeping global tariffs.

ETH hit its all-time high of $4,878 on Nov. 10, 2021, about a year before the whale’s first purchase.

Trump’s World Liberty Financial sells part of ETH stash 

In a separate April 9 post to X, Lookonchain said the Donald Trump-backed crypto project, World Liberty Financial (WLF), might have also sold some of its Ether stash at a loss. 

“A wallet possibly linked to World Liberty sold 5,471 ETH ($8.01M) at $1,465,” Lookonchain wrote.

Source: Lookonchain

Before the supposed sale, Lookonchain said World Liberty Financial had a stash of 67,498 Ether, which it bought at an average price of $3,259.

Related: Trump tariffs could lower Bitcoin miner prices outside US, says mining exec

Two other whales have also made big moves amid a market bloodbath that has seen some traders buying the dip. 

On April 7, an unidentified crypto whale had to inject 10,000 Ether— worth more than $14.5 million, to save their position of 220,000 Ether worth more than $300 million from liquidation amid the market slump. 

Another whale wasn’t as lucky, losing 67,570 Ether on April 6, worth around $106 million, when their significant position on decentralized finance lending platform Sky was liquidated. 

Magazine: Bitcoin heading to $70K soon? Crypto baller funds SpaceX flight: Hodler’s Digest

The European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) has warned that crypto will increasingly threaten traditional financial markets’ stability as the industry grows and becomes more entwined with traditional finance players.

“We cannot rule out that future sharp drops in crypto prices could have knock-on effects on our financial system,” ESMA’s executive director Natasha Cazenave said in an April 8 statement to the Economic and Monetary Affairs Committee.

Cazenave noted, however, that crypto currently only accounts for 1% of global financial assets and is not yet significant enough to cause major “spillover effects” into traditional financial markets.

She warned that interconnections between crypto and traditional markets are rapidly growing — particularly in the more crypto-friendly US — and called for closer monitoring.

“Crypto-assets markets evolve quickly, in an often unpredictable manner, and we need to keep a close eye on these developments,” Cazenave said, adding:

“Turmoil, even in small markets, can originate or catalyze broader stability issues in our financial system.”

Cazenave’s concerns ranged from spot crypto exchange-traded funds and stablecoin use to hacks, scams and s1candals — highlighting the recent $1.4 billion Bybit exploit and FTX’s collapse in November 2022.

The European Union has already implemented several measures to safeguard against crypto risks, most notably the Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) regulation that was rolled out last year.

While Cazenave said MiCA marked a “breakthrough” for crypto regulation, she added that there is “no such thing as a safe crypto-asset” and that more rules may need to be implemented to mitigate future risks.

Related: EU could fine Elon Musk’s X $1B over illicit content, disinformation

Her comments come as both crypto and the stock markets have experienced double-digit falls over the last few weeks as the Trump administration continues to follow through on its tariff plans.

Europe lags US in crypto adoption

While crypto adoption has accelerated in the US, Cazenave noted that over 95% of European banks remain on the sidelines, with no involvement in crypto-related activities.

However, retail participation is on the rise, with an estimated 10% to 20% of European investors having crypto exposure, which is in line with growing global interest, Cazenave said.

Most reports measuring US crypto adoption suggest that the range of adoption is between 15% and 28% of the population.

Magazine: Financial nihilism in crypto is over — It’s time to dream big again

The European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) has warned that crypto will increasingly threaten traditional financial markets’ stability as the industry grows and becomes more entwined with traditional finance players.

“We cannot rule out that future sharp drops in crypto prices could have knock-on effects on our financial system,” ESMA’s executive director Natasha Cazenave said in an April 8 statement to the Economic and Monetary Affairs Committee.

Cazenave noted, however, that crypto currently only accounts for 1% of global financial assets and is not yet significant enough to cause major “spillover effects” into traditional financial markets.

She warned that interconnections between crypto and traditional markets are rapidly growing — particularly in the more crypto-friendly US — and called for closer monitoring.

“Crypto-assets markets evolve quickly, in an often unpredictable manner, and we need to keep a close eye on these developments,” Cazenave said, adding:

“Turmoil, even in small markets, can originate or catalyze broader stability issues in our financial system.”

Cazenave’s concerns ranged from spot crypto exchange-traded funds and stablecoin use to hacks, scams and scandals — highlighting the recent $1.4 billion Bybit exploit and FTX’s collapse in November 2022.

Today in the ECON Committee, the role of crypto assets in relation to financial market stability was discussed. The European Central Bank (ECB) and the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) were present.I raised a critical question about the digital euro.… pic.twitter.com/KST7FRBhFF

— Engin Eroglu (@EnginEroglu_FW) April 8, 2025

The European Union has already implemented several measures to safeguard against crypto risks, most notably the Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) regulation that was rolled out last year.

While Cazenave said MiCA marked a “breakthrough” for crypto regulation, she added that there is “no such thing as a safe crypto-asset” and that more rules may need to be implemented to mitigate future risks.

Related: EU could fine Elon Musk’s X $1B over illicit content, disinformation

Her comments come as both crypto and the stock markets have experienced double-digit falls over the last few weeks as the Trump administration continues to follow through on its tariff plans.

Europe lags US in crypto adoption

While crypto adoption has accelerated in the US, Cazenave noted that over 95% of European banks remain on the sidelines, with no involvement in crypto-related activities.

However, retail participation is on the rise, with an estimated 10% to 20% of European investors having crypto exposure, which is in line with growing global interest, Cazenave said.

Most reports measuring US crypto adoption suggest that the range of adoption is between 15% and 28% of the population.

Magazine: Financial nihilism in crypto is over — It’s time to dream big again

The artificial intelligence agent creation and monetization platform Virtuals Protocol has seen its daily revenue plummet to just $500 as demand for crypto AI agents continues to wane.

“Probably one of the wildest crypto charts of the cycle,” Blockworks researcher Sharples said in an April 8 X post.

Steep decline in AI agent creation

Sharples said that it has “been about a week” since a new AI agent launched on Virtuals compared to late November when the platform was helping make over 1,000 new AI agents a day, according to Dune Analytics data.

On Jan. 2, when the Virtual Protocol (VIRTUALS) token hit an all-time high of $4.61, Blockworks data shows Virtuals’ daily revenue soared above $500,000. 

However, that seemed to mark the start of a downtrend, signaling a potential top for the AI agent sector. The decline continued even after a Jan. 25 announcement that the project had expanded to Solana.

On April 7, Sharples pointed out that Virtuals generated “less than $500” in daily revenue, with its token price falling as low as $0.42. 

Virtuals Protocol’s AI agents have generated a total lifetime revenue of $39.1 million. Source: Dune Analytics

The total AI agent market cap is $153.81 million, according to Dune Analytics. However, $76.6 million of that portion is allocated to AIXBT, which analyzes crypto sentiment on the social media site X to pick up on trends.

AIXBT has dropped 92% since hitting an all-time high of $0.90 on Jan. 16. As time of publication, it was trading at $0.07, according to CoinMarketCap data.

DeGen Capital core contributor Mardo said the current market conditions have played a role in Virtuals’ decline, but it could also be tied to terms Virtuals has with builders, such as “withholding token taxes that other platforms freely give back.” 

Virtuals’ struggles come against the backdrop of the entire crypto market experiencing a downturn alongside global financial markets, as US President Donald Trump continues to ramp up tariffs and fears grow that it may lead to a recession.

AI agents in current form are “garbage”

However, many criticized AI agents for their lack of functionality. AI commentator, BitDuke said of the Virtuals’ revenue decline, “ChatGPT wrappers are no longer interesting, who could have guessed.”

Related: Not every AI agent needs its own cryptocurrency: CZ

AI commentator “DHH,” said in an April 8 X post, “I’m as AI positive as the next guy, but you’re delusional if you think any AI agent is full-on replacing a great programmer today. Who knows about tomorrow, but that day hasn’t arrived yet.”

Meanwhile, Infinex founder Kain Warwick recently told Magazine that AI may possibly have a comeback despite the “first version of AI slop agents” being “garbage.”

Magazine: Bitcoin heading to $70K soon? Crypto baller funds SpaceX flight: Hodler’s Digest, March 30 – April 5

This article does not contain investment advice or recommendations. Every investment and trading move involves risk, and readers should conduct their own research when making a decision.

Former NBA star Shaquille O’Neal has been granted final court approval to settle a class-action lawsuit for $11 million with Astrals non-fungible token (NFT) buyers.

Florida federal court judge Federico Moreno granted approval of the settlement between O’Neal and the class group led by Daniel Harper in an April 1 order made available on April 8.

The deal created a fund of up to $11 million for eligible class members and awarded $2.9 million in attorney fees and costs. All those who purchased Astrals NFTs from May 2022 to Jan. 15 and those who purchased the project’s native GLXY tokens up until mid-January are eligible. 

“The fee sought by lead class counsel has been reviewed and approved as fair and reasonable by plaintiffs,” Moreno’s order read.

O’Neal was hit with the lawsuit in May 2023 over his founding and promotion of the Solana-based Astrals NFT project, which the suit claimed was an “offer and sale of unregistered securities.”

The class group said they bought Astrals NFTs and “suffered investment losses” due to O’Neal’s “conduct” in promoting the project.

In August, Judge Moreno recognized that the class suit had alleged that the former NBA player was a seller of the NFTs. O’Neal agreed to the settlement in November.

Screenshot from court order on final settlement. Source: Courtlistener

NFT sales in deep bear market territory

The Astrals NFT collection consisted of 10,000 unique 3D digital collectibles created in April 2022 by the artist Damien Guimoneau in a Solana-based project that promoted a virtual world where users could socialize and play with others, including the basketball star. 

Related: NFT sales plunge 63% in Q1, but Pudgy Penguins, Doodles buck trend 

There has been no activity or sales from the collection for the past two years, according to NFT marketplace OpenSea. 

Overall, NFT sales are still in deep bear market territory, with just $27 million sold as of April 7, down from more than $2 billion per week at the end of 2021, according to CryptoSlam.

Magazine: 3 reasons Ethereum could turn a corner: Kain Warwick, X Hall of Flame

The team behind US First Lady Melania Trump’s memecoin, Melania Meme (MELANIA), has moved $30 million worth of the token out of the project’s community funds and has begun selling them, says blockchain analytics firm Bubblemaps.

Bubblemaps said in an April 7 X post that 50 million MELANIA tokens worth around $30 million “was moved from community funds — and is now being quietly sold, with no explanation from the team.”

It added the tokens were moved to a single wallet before being “split across multiple addresses.” From there, Bubblemaps said $3 million worth was transferred to exchanges, two new $6 million positions were opened, and $500,000 worth of MELANIA was sold.

Source: Bubblemaps

“No one from the MELANIA team has addressed this. Not the movements. Not the selling,” it added.

Bubblemaps said that 92% of MELANIA’s supply is held by “team wallets” and claimed that “the damage isn’t done yet.” 

MELANIA freefalls from peak high 

The MELANIA token was launched on Jan. 19, a day after Donald Trump launched his own memecoin and a day before he was due to re-enter the White House.

The token has essentially lost all its value since launch and is down over 96% from its January high of over $13, and is trading at $0.51 — down over 7.5% in the last day, according to CoinGecko.

Bubblemaps said last month that it found that Hayden Davis, who said he helped create MELANIA, had started “covertly selling $MELANIA tokens via single-sided liquidity.”

Related: Libra, Melania creator’s ‘Wolf of Wall Street’ memecoin crashes 99%

The firm claimed Davis had also used the tactic to quietly sell LIBRA, a memecoin he also copped to making that was shared by Argentine President Javier Milei, which caused a political scandal after the token’s value cratered.

Interest in memecoins has recently waned amid a wider market rout with data from Dune Analytics in March finding that the number of tokens graduating from Solana-based memecoin launchpad, Pump.fun, had dropped by over two-thirds since January, falling from 5400 per week to just 1500. 

The total number of tokens launching on Solana is also down, with data from SolScan showing only 31,651 launched on April 5, less than one-third of the 95,578 created at the peak of the memecoin frenzy this year on Jan. 26.

Magazine: Memecoins are ded — But Solana ‘100x better’ despite revenue plunge

The team behind US first lady Melania Trump’s memecoin, Melania Meme (MELANIA), has moved $30 million worth of the token out of the project’s community funds and has begun selling them, says blockchain analytics firm Bubblemaps.

Bubblemaps said in an April 7 X post that 50 million MELANIA tokens worth around $30 million “was moved from community funds — and is now being quietly sold, with no explanation from the team.”

It added the tokens were moved to a single wallet before being “split across multiple addresses.” From there, Bubblemaps said $3 million worth were transferred to exchanges, two new $6 million positions were opened, and $500,000 worth of MELANIA was sold.

Source: Bubblemaps

“No one from the MELANIA team has addressed this. Not the movements. Not the selling,” it added.

Bubblemaps said that 92% of MELANIA’s supply is held by “team wallets” and claimed that “the damage isn’t done yet.” 

MELANIA freefalls from peak high 

The MELANIA token was launched on Jan. 19, a day after Donald Trump launched his own memecoin and a day before he was due to re-enter the White House.

The token has essentially lost all its value since launch and is down over 96% from its January high of over $13, and is trading at $0.51 — down over 7.5% in the last day, according to CoinGecko.

Bubblemaps said last month that it found that Hayden Davis, who said he helped create MELANIA, had started “covertly selling $MELANIA tokens via single-sided liquidity.”

Related: Libra, Melania creator’s ‘Wolf of Wall Street’ memecoin crashes 99%

The firm claimed Davis had also used the tactic to quietly sell LIBRA, a memecoin he also copped to making that was shared by Argentine President Javier Milei, which caused a political scandal after the token’s value cratered.

Interest in memecoins has recently waned amid a wider market rout with data from Dune Analytics in March finding that the number of tokens graduating from Solana-based memecoin launchpad, Pump.fun, had dropped by over two-thirds since January, falling from 5400 per week to just 1500. 

The total number of tokens launching on Solana is also down, with data from SolScan showing only 31,651 launched on April 5, less than one-third of the 95,578 created at the peak of the memecoin frenzy this year on Jan. 26.

Magazine: Memecoins are ded — But Solana ‘100x better’ despite revenue plunge