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blockonomi.com Global Silver Market Faces Sixth Straight Deficit as Supply Tightness Deepens Into 2026

TLDR: Global silver deficit expected to rise 15% in 2026, reaching 46M troy ounces amid tightening supply. Since 2021, silver stocks have dropped 762M ounces, reducing liquidity across physical markets. Industrial silver demand is seen falling 3% as global growth slows and geopolitical risks weigh on output. Coin and bar demand expected to rise 18%, [...] The post Global Silver Market Faces Sixth Straight Deficit as Supply Tightness Deepens Into 2026 appeared first on Blockonomi.

forklog.media World Unveils Major World ID Protocol Update for the AI Era

The World project has introduced its "most significant update" to the World ID protocol, positioning the system as a proof of human infrastructure aimed at consumers, businesses, and AI agents. New Architecture The upgrade is based on a shift to an account-based architecture: rotation and support for multiple keys, access recovery, and session management make the protocol suitable for corporate use.  One-time nullifiers are designed to enhance anonymity guarantees, while a new open-source SDK allows any application to act as a World ID authenticator. Simultaneously, the project launched the World ID app, specifically designed for managing and using online identity verification. Initially, the product is available as a public beta version. Project Partners According to World, several consumer platforms have continued to integrate proof of human infrastructure to enhance trust: Tinder — expanded World ID implementation to the US. Verified users receive a badge on their profile and five free Boosts. Previously, the partnership was active in other markets; Zoom — became the first communication platform to integrate Deep Face directly into calls. It provides three-way identity matching: Orb verification, real-time Face Auth selfie, and current video frame; Docusign — document signers confirm through World ID that they are a living person, not a bot; Vercel — integrates human in the loop for AI agent creators and workflows using the company's SDK. Any step in the action chain can require human verification—with full auditing; Okta — plans to launch the Human Principal product, allowing API developers to verify if a real person is behind an agent and apply policies based on this. World ID is a key integration partner; Match Group — implements Razer ID technology based on World ID as a standard for games; Mythical Games — uses user authentication for the gaming economy. Focus on AI Agents World emphasized that the update prepares the infrastructure for a new class of users—AI agents. The protocol will allow verification that each assistant is backed by a unique human, which becomes critical as autonomous systems spread. Back in March, World introduced the AgentKit product for identity verification in the agent internet.

bitcoinist.com New Scrutiny Wave Hits Binance: Fresh Letters Sent To DOJ And FinCEN Over Iran Links

Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal is increasing his scrutiny of Binance as new questions emerge about the exchange’s handling of Iran-related transactions.  The Connecticut senator has been pursuing the issue since February, when he first launched a formal inquiry into whether the cryptocurrency exchange violated US and international sanctions involving Iran.  On Friday, April 17, Blumenthal […]

blockonomi.com TRX Now Live on Binance.US as TRON DAO Expands Regulated U.S. Market Access

TLDR: TRX is now tradable on Binance.US with TRX/USD and TRX/USDT pairs live for U.S.-based users. The listing gives American investors regulated and compliant access to the TRON blockchain network. TRON DAO says the move supports long-term growth by expanding TRX availability on licensed platforms. USDT on TRC20 remains central to TRON’s ecosystem as CEX [...] The post TRX Now Live on Binance.US as TRON DAO Expands Regulated U.S. Market Access appeared first on Blockonomi.

blockonomi.com Ethereum Holds $2.4K Range as ETF Inflows, Schwab Access Boost Market Activity

TLDR: ETH trades between $2,300–$2,400, with momentum near the 100-day EMA, supported by steady ETF inflows. Schwab launches spot ETH trading for retail clients, increasing traditional market access to Ethereum. Ethereum Foundation sees key researcher exits while security alert flags 100+ operatives in Web3 firms. Market sentiment remains bullish at 89%, with ETH holding $2,300 [...] The post Ethereum Holds $2.4K Range as ETF Inflows, Schwab Access Boost Market Activity appeared first on Blockonomi.

blockonomi.com LitecoinVM Testnet Sees 230K Transactions as Developer Activity Reawakens Network

TLDR: LitecoinVM Liteforge testnet recorded over 230,000 transactions within its early launch phase More than 41,000 unique wallets interacted with the testnet, showing strong early engagement The rollout introduces smart contract capabilities to Litecoin’s long-established network BTC_OS integration positions Litecoin within the emerging “Hard Money Web3” framework Litecoin has recorded renewed developer activity following the [...] The post LitecoinVM Testnet Sees 230K Transactions as Developer Activity Reawakens Network appeared first on Blockonomi.

news.bitcoin.com EU’s Highest Court Backs German Player’s Right to Reclaim Gambling Losses From Malta-Licensed Operator

The Court of Justice of the European Union ruled on Wednesday that EU member states can prohibit specific online gambling services even when operators hold licenses from other EU countries. More critically, the decision means that consumers can sue to reclaim their losses when gambling contracts violate these national bans. Key Takeaways: CJEU ruled in […]

bitcoinist.com Crypto Exec Joe McCann Draws Scrutiny After Fiancée’s Death In Zanzibar

Crypto founder Joe McCann’s passport is sitting with Zanzibar police. He isn’t going anywhere until they get answers. Related Reading: X Money’s Crypto Ambitions Draw Fire From Senator Over Security Fears Authorities Hold McCann Pending Autopsy Tanzanian police are questioning McCann, founder of the crypto hedge fund Asymmetric, after his fiancée, Ashly Robinson, 31, died […]

forklog.media Kraken faces extortion, Signal chats recovered, and other cybersecurity news

We compiled the week’s most important cybersecurity news. Ukrainian authorities seized $8.3 million in hackers’ crypto assets. Analysts found a crypto-address–swapping trojan with a sophisticated delivery chain. Kraken faced extortion. The FBI extracted Signal chats after the app was deleted. Ukraine seizes hackers’ crypto assets worth $8.3 million Law enforcement in Ukraine detained a member of an international hacking group that carried out cyberattacks in Europe and the US, according to Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko. Investigators say the perpetrators used malware to steal confidential information and documents to extort ransoms. The proceeds were sent to crypto wallets, then cashed out and laundered in Ukraine — including through purchases of real estate and high-value assets. Estimated losses exceeded $100 million. As part of the investigation, more than 30 searches were conducted and assets worth about $11.1 million were seized, including houses and cars, $1 million in cash and roughly $8.3 million in cryptocurrency. Authorities also identified the whereabouts of an accomplice responsible for laundering the funds. Analysts discover a crypto-address–swapping trojan with a complex delivery Researchers at Kaspersky reported a campaign distributing the ClipBanker trojan, which swaps crypto wallet addresses in the clipboard. The malware masquerades as Proxifier, a utility for routing application traffic through a proxy server used by developers and system administrators. According to analysts, a link to the infected GitHub repository appears near the top of search results on Google and Yandex. The trojan deploys stealthily during Proxifier installation, using a fileless technique that runs code in memory. A scheduled task then launches a registry-based script that points to GitHub. From there, the chain retrieves a file with code, injects it into fontdrvhost.exe and deploys the final payload. Source: Kaspersky Lab. ClipBanker’s core function is to monitor the clipboard for crypto wallet addresses and swap them. Since early 2025, more than 2,000 Kaspersky users — mainly in India and Vietnam — have encountered the threat, the experts said. Kraken faced extortion  Kraken’s chief security officer, Nick Percoco, reported several employee-related incidents after which the crypto exchange’s leadership was subjected to extortion. Kraken Security UpdateWe are currently being extorted by a criminal group threatening to release videos of our internal systems with client data shown if we do not comply with their demands. It’s important to start with the most important points: our systems were never…— Nick Percoco (@c7five) April 13, 2026 The perpetrators threatened to publish company videos that allegedly display exchange users’ data. According to Percoco, Kraken’s infrastructure was not breached and client funds remain safe. He attributed the incident to customer-support staff accessing restricted information without authorization. Users whose data may have been affected were notified. In total, about 2,000 accounts (0.02% of the client base) were impacted. Percoco said that in February 2025 a source alerted the team to a video circulating in criminal circles showing access to customer-support systems. The investigation found that a support agent had been recruited by hackers. A second similar case followed.  Percoco added that the exchange is working with law-enforcement agencies in several jurisdictions and has handed over evidence. The FBI extracted Signal chats after the app was deleted The FBI recovered messages from Signal even though they had been deleted and the app removed from an iPhone, 404 Media reported.  In a court case concerning an attack on an ICE facility in Alvarado, Texas, the FBI submitted deleted Signal messages as evidence. Journalists say federal agents restored the data from push notifications preserved in iOS’s internal database. If Signal’s settings allow message content to appear in lock-screen previews, the text remains stored even after the app is removed.  Signal offers an option to hide content, but Lynette Sharp apparently did not enable it. Telegram co-founder Pavel Durov reacted to the news. He called it “yet another proof” that Secret Chats are the safest way to communicate. Signal representatives confirmed receiving a request from 404 Media but then stopped replying. Apple declined to comment. Obsidian note-taking app used as a trojan backdoor Experts at Elastic Security Labs identified a campaign in which scammers use the Obsidian note-taking app as bait. The final payload is a previously unknown trojan dubbed PHANTOMPULSE. The targets were employees of financial and cryptocurrency organizations. The attack unfolds as follows: Attackers pose as staff at a venture-capital firm. The conversation moves to Telegram, where several “partners” discuss industry services to create an air of legitimacy. The victim is invited to connect to a shared Obsidian cloud vault that purportedly contains a joint analytics dashboard. To execute malicious code, the hackers rely on Obsidian community plugins: Shell Commands (to run commands) and Hider (to conceal activity in the interface). Because third-party plugins are disabled in Obsidian by default, the hackers persuade the victim to enable them. The malicious vault configuration then automatically launches commands. Source: Elastic Security Labs. On Windows, the attack triggers a script that downloads and installs the PHANTOMPULSE malware. Its features include: built with the help of AI; uses the Ethereum blockchain as a Dead Drop Resolver (DDR) to determine the command server’s address by decoding recent transactions of a specific wallet; collects telemetry, executes commands via code injection, takes screenshots, logs activity, can escalate privileges to SYSTEM, and cover its tracks. On Apple systems, the trojan launches an AppleScript and uses Telegram as the DDR, allowing the attackers to rotate domains if discovered. Also on ForkLog: Drift received $127 million from Tether to compensate hack victims. Ledger published a security roadmap for the age of AI agents. Scammers stole $9.5 million via a fake Ledger app in the App Store. The US Department of Justice began payouts to OneCoin victims. Regulators worldwide voiced concern over the capabilities of Anthropic’s new AI model. A hacker hacked the Hyperbridge bridge and minted 1 billion Polkadot tokens. What to read this weekend? Promises, billions raised and harsh reality: in a new feature, ForkLog revisits the evolution of layer-1 blockchains that tried to unseat Ethereum.

forklog.media Ethereum Foundation Scholar Uncovers 100 North Korean IT Agents in Web3 Firms

The Ketman project, funded by the ETH Rangers program, identified a hundred North Korean IT specialists working in crypto companies under false identities over six months. The ETH Rangers Program has wrapped up and the results speak for themselves: $5.8M+ recovered, 785+ vulnerabilities reported, 100+ DPRK operatives identified, and so much more.A decentralized defence for a decentralized network.Read the full recap 👇— EF Ecosystem Support Program (@EF_ESP) April 16, 2026 The Ethereum Foundation has published a report on the ETH Rangers program—an initiative launched at the end of 2024 to fund independent researchers focused on ecosystem security. One of the scholarship recipients allocated funds to create the Ketman project, specializing in identifying "fake developers" in the crypto industry. Researchers concentrated on operations supported by North Korea. North Korean IT specialists have been infiltrating Web3 companies under fake identities for years, earning salaries while simultaneously conducting reconnaissance and potentially accessing project infrastructure. The notorious Lazarus Group is behind the most prominent operations. In six months, the Ketman team documented 100 DPRK operatives actively working within Web3 organizations and notified 53 projects that they likely employ active agents. According to materials posted on the Ketman website, experts focused on identified traits of "tactics, behavior, and operational models" typical of North Korean IT operatives, including: repeated use of avatars and profile metadata across multiple GitHub accounts under different names; accidental disclosure of unrelated email addresses during screen sharing in calls; system language settings that contradict claimed citizenship—such as Russian or others; specific communication behavior patterns and atypical working hours for the stated time zone. The methodology for detecting DPRK agents in the project and Ethereum Foundation was not disclosed in detail. In addition to investigative work, Ketman developed an open-source tool for automatically detecting suspicious activity on GitHub. Together with the non-profit Security Alliance, an industry verification standard was created—a framework for identifying North Korean IT workers during hiring. “This work directly addresses one of the most acute operational security threats facing the Ethereum ecosystem today,” states the Ethereum Foundation report on the ETH Rangers outcomes. As part of the initiative, the foundation supported 17 scholars in total. Their activities ranged widely, from researching vulnerabilities and security tools to education, threat analysis, and incident response. Earlier, on April 1, the DeFi platform Drift Protocol on Solana was hacked for $280 million. According to findings by the project team and cybersecurity experts, North Korean hackers were behind the attack.

bitcoinist.com Ethereum Is Finally Rewarding Risk Again – But the Direction Has Changed

Ethereum is pushing against the $2,400 level but has not been able to close above it, caught in a market that is heating up around it, while the price action remains tentative. The broader environment is increasingly constructive, but ETH is still navigating the lingering effects of the correction that defined the first quarter of […]

blockonomi.com Anthropic’s Claude Design Triggers Market Reaction as Figma and Adobe Stocks Slip

TLDR: Claude Design enables users to create prototypes, slides, and documents using simple text prompts, reducing manual design work Figma and Adobe shares declined following the launch, reflecting investor concern over AI replacing core SaaS features The tool supports exports to Canva, PDF, and PowerPoint, streamlining workflows across design and presentation platforms Multiple AI labs [...] The post Anthropic’s Claude Design Triggers Market Reaction as Figma and Adobe Stocks Slip appeared first on Blockonomi.

bitcoinist.com Mastercard Weighs RLUSD Settlement On XRP Ledger, Exec Says

Mastercard is exploring a path to settle card flows in Ripple USD (RLUSD) through its network in a move that could bring XRP Ledger-linked stablecoin infrastructure closer to one of the world’s largest payments systems. In an interview shared April 16 by XRPL Commons’ Odelia Torteman, Mastercard’s senior vice president for digital assets and blockchain, […]

blockonomi.com Solana Price Prediction Targets $108 as Pepeto Eyes 100x and DoubleZero Edge Brings Wall Street Speed to SOL

The solana price prediction just picked up a fresh catalyst after DoubleZero rolled out its Edge data feed on April 16, giving traders real time raw data from the Solana blockchain through a dedicated high speed network that 22% of staked SOL already runs on, per CoinDesk. That single move hands crypto traders the same [...] The post Solana Price Prediction Targets $108 as Pepeto Eyes 100x and DoubleZero Edge Brings Wall Street Speed to SOL appeared first on Blockonomi.

bitcoinist.com Stocks Are At All-Time Highs, Bitcoin Is Lagging: Is BTC Late To The Rally?

Bitcoin is pushing higher after months of consolidation, with buyers gradually reasserting control and the market beginning to feel like it might have found its footing. The strength is real — but a report from XWIN Research Japan is adding important context to what that strength actually means in the broader picture. Related Reading: Ethereum […]

blockmanity.com SEC’s April 2025 Staff Statement: How It Hands a Huge Win to DeFi Front Ends and Builders

A Game-Changer for DeFi: Understanding the SEC’s Latest Move In the fast-moving world of crypto, rules from regulators like the SEC can shift everything overnight. The pushes DeFi mainstream. Expect tokenized stocks, DeFi banking, and wallet super-apps. Builders, rejoice—but stay […] The post SEC’s April 2025 Staff Statement: How It Hands a Huge Win to DeFi Front Ends and Builders appeared first on Blockmanity.

news.bitcoin.com Tempo Launches Private Stablecoin Zones for Enterprise Payroll and Treasury Settlements

Tempo has introduced Zones, a private execution environment that allows enterprises and financial institutions to process stablecoin transactions without exposing payment data to the public. Key Takeaways: Tempo launched Zones, a private stablecoin execution environment, giving enterprises transaction-level privacy on Tempo Mainnet. Payroll teams using Tempo Zones can process employee payments in 2025 without exposing […]

bitcoinist.com Analyst Reveals The Chances Of Bitcoin Price Crashing Again

Bitcoin’s recent price behavior has kept traders split between those expecting another leg down and those calling that a bottom is already in. That tension is now feeding different technical analyses, with one analyst arguing that the probability of a deeper crash has dropped significantly based on long-term signals. Chance Of Bitcoin Making New Lows […]

cryptobriefing.com Nader Al-Naji: Decentralized social platforms ensure censorship resistance, bank-backed stablecoins are set to dominate, and Deso’s unique blockchain drastically reduces content storage costs | Unchained

Dismissal of fraud charges highlights the challenges of regulating decentralized social platforms like Deso. The post Nader Al-Naji: Decentralized social platforms ensure censorship resistance, bank-backed stablecoins are set to dominate, and Deso’s unique blockchain drastically reduces content storage costs | Unchained appeared first on Crypto Briefing.