News
18 May 2026, 10:00
Why Iran’s Bitcoin-based ‘Hormuz Safe’ has global markets watching

Iran’s Hormuz Safe uses Bitcoin for maritime insurance, bypassing Western systems and boosting crypto adoption.
18 May 2026, 10:00
Aptos price prediction for 2026 – 2032: Will APT token hold bullish hopes?

Key takeaways: Our Aptos price prediction anticipates a high of $5.54 by the end of 2026. In 2028, it will range between $19.33 and $25.91, with an average price of $20.18. In 2030, it will range between $79.95 and $99.65, with an average price of $82.60. The Aptos blockchain has aggressively attracted capital into its ecosystem, with its total value locked ( TVL ) rising above $275 million. Aptos is a high-performance layer-1 blockchain with a mature ecosystem of decentralized finance (DeFi) applications. Aptos network continues to build decentralized applications and tools for developers. But how about APT’s performance? How high will it go? Is APT a good investment? Let’s explore these questions in our Cryptopolitan price predictions from 2026 to 2031. Overview Cryptocurrency Aptos Symbol APT Current price $0.9206 Aptos crypto market cap $754.15M Trading volume $71.96M Circulating supply 819.16M All-time high $19.90 on Jan 30, 2023 All-time low $0.7926 on Feb 23, 2026 24-hour high $0.9679 24-hour low $0.9186 Aptos price prediction: Technical analysis Metric Value Volatility (30-day variation) 5.71% (High) 50-day SMA $0.9513 200-day SMA $0.9513 Current APT sentiment Bearish Green days 5.71% Fear and Greed Index 28 (Fear) Aptos price analysis At press time, May 18, Aptos crossed below $1.00, down 3.44% over the last 24 hours and 4.74% over the last 30 days. Its trading volume rose by 83.14% over the last 24 hours to $72 million. Aptos 1-day chart price APTUSD chart by TradingView The MACD histograms show APT descent was driven by negative momentum since last week. The move came after APT recorded its highest this month at $1.239. Its relative strength index (RSI) is in neutral territory (39.42). It is oversold when the value drops below 30. Aptos 4-hour chart price analysis APTUSD chart by TradingView The chart highlights APT’s run this month. The latest candle formation is suggestive of a bearish continuation. Its momentum slowed over the last 8 hours, limiting further losses below $1.00. The $1 mark is the pivot level above which APT could rise to $1.20. A reversal would send it back to the April lows at $0.80. Aptos technical indicators: Levels and action Daily simple moving average (SMA) Period Value ($) Action SMA 3 0.9534 SELL SMA 5 0.9915 SELL SMA 10 1.06 SELL SMA 21 1.02 SELL SMA 50 0.9513 SELL SMA 100 0.9554 SELL SMA 200 1.49 SELL Daily exponential moving average (EMA) Period Value ($) Action EMA 3 0.9559 SELL EMA 5 0.9826 SELL EMA 10 1.01 SELL EMA 21 1.01 SELL EMA 50 0.9965 SELL EMA 100 1.12 SELL EMA 200 1.67 SELL What to expect from the APT price analysis next? According to the technical indicators, APT is bearish. Over the short term, the charts show APT broke out to the downside, supported by negative market momentum. There is support at $0.09, which, if broken, could send APT to $0.08; otherwise, $1.20 is a likely target if the market reverses. Why is Aptos down? There is widespread altcoin weakness, with technical breakdowns detected across several major tokens, including APT, triggering sell signals and momentum loss. Will Aptos reach $10? Yes, Aptos will rise above $10 in 2027. The move will come as the market corrects to previous highs. Will Aptos reach $100? According to the Cryptopolitan price prediction, Aptos will reach $100 in 2032. Will Aptos reach $1000? Per the Cryptopolitan price prediction, it remains unlikely that Aptos will get to $1000 before 2032. What is the long-term price prediction for Aptos? According to Cryptopolitan price predictions, Aptos will trade higher in the years to come. However, factors such as market crashes or stringent regulations could invalidate this bullish theory. How high can Aptos coin go? Per the Cryptopolitan price prediction, Aptos will reach a high of $146 in 2032. Recent news The Aptos community passed a proposal to introduce deflationary tokenomics in a vote that ended on March 1. The change sets a hard cap on the total supply of APT tokens at 2.1 billion, aligning with a broader shift towards performance-driven tokenomics. Aptos price prediction May 2026 The Aptos price forecast for May ranges from a minimum of $0.82 to a maximum of $1.40. The average price for the month will be $0.94. Month Potential low ($) Potential average ($) Potential high ($) May 0.82 0.94 1.40 Aptos price prediction 2026 For 2026, APT’s price will range between $0.85 and $3.54. The average price for the period will be $2.72. Year Potential low ($) Potential average ($) Potential high ($) 2026 0.85 2.72 3.54 APT price prediction 2027–2032 Year Potential low ($) Potential average ($) Potential high ($) 2027 5.59 11.18 14.84 2028 19.33 20.18 25.91 2029 34.08 35.59 40.67 2030 54.42 56.24 67.14 2031 79.95 82.60 99.65 2032 121.21 125.84 145.97 Aptos price prediction 2027 The Aptos APT price prediction estimates it will range between $5.59 and $14.84, with an average price of $11.18. Aptos price prediction 2028 Aptos coin price prediction climbs even higher into 2028. According to predictions, APT’s trading price will range from $19.33 to $25.91, with an average price of $20.18. Aptos price prediction 2029 Our analysis indicates a further acceleration in APT’s price. It will trade between $34.08 and $40.67, with an average price of $35.59. Aptos price prediction 2030 According to the Aptos forecast for 2030, the APT price will range from $54.42 to $67.14, with an average of $56.24. APT price prediction 2031 According to the Aptos price prediction for 2031, the price will range between $79.95 and $99.65, with an average of $82.60. Aptos price prediction 2032 The Aptos price prediction for 2032 is a high of $145.97. It will reach a minimum price of $121.21 and an average price of $125.84. Aptos price prediction 2026 – 2032 APT market price prediction: Analysts’ APT price forecast Platform 2026 2027 2028 Coincodex $0.7903 $1.76 $1.18 Gate.com $1.01 $1.23 $1.47 Cryptopolitan’s APT price prediction Our predictions indicate that APT will reach a high of $5.54 by the end of 2026. In 2028, it will range between $19.33 and $25.91, with an average of $20.18. In 2031, it will range between $79.95 and $99.65, with an average price of $82.60. Note that the predictions are not investment advice. Seek independent professional consultation or do your research. Aptos historic price sentiment APT price history by CoinGecko Aptos raised seed funding in January 2022, led by a16z. Series A funding included Apollo, Dragonfly, Franklin Templeton, and others. Some members previously worked on the Diem blockchain, a project proposed by Facebook. The Aptos mainnet launched in October 2022 with an initial supply of 1 billion tokens. After the launch hype, Apt fell to its lowest in December 2022, at $3.09. A month later, the tables turned, as it peaked at $19.90 on January 30, 2023. It pumped, partly driven by the NFT market. Collections such as Aptos Monkeys and Aptomingod have attracted more users. On June 6, it fell below its initial listing price, extending losses from the preceding months. In October, it began correcting, rising to $8.47 in November. In 2024, it broke above $10, reaching $18 in March. From April, it reversed, falling below $10. By September, it had fallen to $6. It recovered in October, rising above $7.50. It crossed into November, trading at $8.9, and rose to $13.91. It corrected and traded at $13.24 into December. It was later corrected and crossed into 2025, trading at $8.71. The drop continued into February, and in May, it fell below $5.10. In October, it crossed above $5.30, then assumed a bear run, and by November, it had dropped to $3.21. In December, it reached support levels at $1.70. It maintained the levels into January 2026. Later, it turned bearish, falling below $1 in March and $0.90 in April. In May, it rose back above $1.00.
18 May 2026, 09:59
PI slips below $0.15: can it survive mounting token unlock pressure?

The cryptocurrency market has continued its recent bearish price action, with Bitcoin and Ethereum losing key support levels. Bitcoin has dropped below the $77,000 level, while Ethereum risks losing the $2,100 support zone in the near term. The bearish price action extends to other altcoins, with Pi Network (PI) extending its decline on Monday. PI is now trading below the $0.1500 level, marking its fourth consecutive day of losses as persistent selling pressure and upcoming token unlocks continued to weigh on sentiment. Nearly 130 million PI tokens set to unlock in May According to data from PiScan , approximately 129.83 million PI tokens are scheduled to unlock during the remainder of May, representing nearly $19.73 million worth of additional supply entering the market. The ongoing monthly token unlocks have become a recurring source of downside pressure for Pi Network, particularly during periods of weak market demand and declining investor confidence. As prices continue to decline, the increase in PI’s circulating supply adds further downward risk as holders look to reduce exposure. PiScan data also showed that centralized exchange wallet balances increased by more than 277,000 PI tokens over the past 24 hours. The total PI token reserves held on centralized exchanges now stand near 543 million tokens. This adds concerns about the increasing available supply and potential liquidation pressure. Rising exchange balances are often interpreted as a bearish signal, as investors typically move tokens onto exchanges when preparing to sell. PI price forecast: PI remains firmly bearish The PI/USD 4-hour chart is extremely bearish, with PI down 6% in the last 24 hours. It has broken below the $0.1500 psychological support level and could dip lower if the selloff persists. On the 4-hour chart, PI remains below both the 50-period Exponential Moving Average (EMA) at $0.1669 and the 200-period EMA at $0.1736, confirming sustained downward momentum. Momentum indicators also continue to favor sellers. The Relative Strength Index (RSI) has fallen to 29, signaling deeply oversold conditions. While the RSI suggests an oversold condition, it does not yet confirm a bullish reversal. Furthermore, the Moving Average Convergence Divergence (MACD) indicator remains firmly in negative territory. PI has dropped below $0.1500, and a daily candle close below this level could expose the next downside target at $0.1440. Failure to defend this level would expose other downside barriers at $0.1319, which sits close to Pi Network’s all-time low around $0.1310. However, if the buyers step in, they would encounter immediate resistance near the descending trendline around $0.1645, followed by stronger resistance at the 50-period EMA near $0.1669. Unless buying momentum improves significantly, the bulls will continue to face heavy selling pressure at major resistance levels. The ongoing situation in the Middle East also adds further pressure to the broader cryptocurrency market. The post PI slips below $0.15: can it survive mounting token unlock pressure? appeared first on Invezz
18 May 2026, 09:58
SBI Supercharges Japan’s XRP Push With Tokyo Stock Exchange Ambitions and a $32B AUM Goal

Japan’s XRP Moment: SBI’s Push Toward the Tokyo Stock Exchange Could Change Everything Japan’s relationship with XRP is entering a more assertive phase, fueled by rising institutional experimentation that is steadily erasing the boundary between traditional finance and digital assets. At the center of this shift is SBI Group, which is reportedly pushing forward with plans to bring XRP-linked investment products closer to mainstream capital markets. One of the most closely watched proposals is a Bitcoin and XRP ETF that could be listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, with projections targeting as much as $32 billion in assets under management within three years of launch. While regulatory approval is still pending, the trajectory is increasingly difficult to ignore. Japan’s Financial Services Agency Financial Services Agency of Japan is currently reviewing frameworks that would formally classify crypto assets as financial instruments. If adopted, the shift would be significant: it would move crypto from fragmented, niche investment channels into fully regulated brokerage systems, placing it alongside equities, bonds, and managed funds already accessible to millions of retail investors. Japan’s Crypto Shift Accelerates as SBI Expands XRP and Brokerage Integration SBI Securities and Rakuten Securities are moving toward launching their own crypto investment products, signaling a clear shift in Japan’s brokerage industry from observation to active integration. Rather than treating digital assets as a separate market, both firms are working to embed crypto-linked offerings directly into their existing trading ecosystems, allowing investors to access them alongside traditional equities and bonds within the same platforms. Furthermore, SBI Group is steadily deepening XRP’s role in real-world financial infrastructure. Through SBI Remit, Ripple-powered blockchain systems are already being used in cross-border payment partnerships designed to improve settlement speed and reduce reliance on traditional SWIFT-based rails. Separately, collaborations between SBI Group and Visa have introduced crypto-linked reward card programs in Japan, further embedding digital assets into everyday financial activity and consumer spending. On the infrastructure side, SBI Ripple Asia has completed development of an XRP Ledger-based token issuance platform designed to streamline and accelerate the creation of digital assets. This strengthens Japan’s emerging blockchain stack by connecting payment rails, tokenization infrastructure, and brokerage access points into a more unified system. Taken together, these moves point to a clear shift: Japan is no longer treating crypto as a side experiment. It is actively constructing regulated bridges between traditional capital markets and blockchain-based settlement, positioning tokenized assets within familiar financial channels. If XRP-linked products eventually reach the Tokyo Stock Exchange, it would mark a major step in embedding digital assets into one of the world’s most established financial systems.
18 May 2026, 09:46
Intesa Sanpaolo crypto portfolio jumps to $235M in Q1 2026

🚀 The $235 million digital asset portfolio of Intesa Sanpaolo became public. The bank doubled its crypto holdings and moved into $XRP and ETH. Continue Reading: Intesa Sanpaolo crypto portfolio jumps to $235M in Q1 2026 The post Intesa Sanpaolo crypto portfolio jumps to $235M in Q1 2026 appeared first on COINTURK NEWS .
18 May 2026, 09:45
Hacker Drains $11.58 Million From Verus-Ethereum Bridge

A hacker drained approximately $11.58 million in assets from the Verus-Ethereum Bridge in a single transaction on May 17, 2026 — targeting a cross-chain infrastructure project that had explicitly marketed itself as immune to the kind of smart contract exploit that just gutted it. The exploit was flagged in real time by blockchain security firm Blockaid, with details subsequently amplified by on-chain intelligence account @coinxtreme_en on X. According to the post , the drainer wallet — 0x65Cb8b128Bf6e690761044CCECA422bb239C25F9 — received approximately 1,625 ETH worth roughly $3.43 million, 103.57 tBTC worth approximately $7.96 million, and 147,000 USDC in a single outbound transfer. Most of the stolen assets were subsequently converted to ETH through Uniswap, per the X post. The Marketing That Made The Ethereum Attack Worse The attack lands with particular force given how Verus positioned its bridge. The project’s homepage carried language stating the bridge was “validated by protocol rules, not custom code” — a direct appeal to users fatigued by smart contract vulnerabilities that have defined DeFi’s most damaging exploits. The Verus architecture relied on cryptographic proofs, notary witnesses, and protocol-level validation rather than the custom contract logic that attackers have repeatedly targeted across other bridges, per the @coinxtreme_en post. The irony, as the post frames it, is that the “no code to exploit” marketing became the bridge’s most damaging liability once the exploit materialized. A Suspicious Timeline The sequence of events in the 48 hours before the attack raises questions the post describes as smelling like a targeted, sophisticated play rather than opportunistic scanning. Two days prior to the exploit, Verus pushed an emergency update labeled version 1.2.14-2, described by the team as urgent and mandatory, citing an unspecified vulnerability. According to the @coinxtreme_en post, the attacker’s wallet was funded through Tornado Cash approximately 11 to 13 hours after that announcement — a timing pattern consistent with an actor who had prior knowledge of the vulnerability and used the emergency update window to prepare the attack infrastructure before execution. The pattern is not new to DeFi. Emergency patches that reveal the existence of a vulnerability without fully closing it have historically provided sophisticated actors with a narrow window to act before the broader community understands the exposure. Cross-chain bridges remain the most structurally vulnerable layer of decentralized finance, responsible for a disproportionate share of total DeFi losses since 2021. The Verus incident reinforces a principle the nascent sector has paid for repeatedly in nine-figure losses: protocol-level design assumptions, however elegant in theory, are no substitute for formal verification, independent audits, and the operational discipline to pause systems when a credible threat is identified. Another bridge fell. The gap between “unhackable by design” and “unhacked in practice” remains as wide as ever. As of this writing, the Ethereum price shows signs of further downside after a soft weekend. The cryptocurrency is down around 10% over the past week, and around 3% over the past 24 hours. Cover image from ChatGPT, ETHUSD chat from Tradingview







































