25 Apr 2025, 19:38

CEO Forecast: Public Companies Could Control 3M BTC by 2026

Public companies are increasing their Bitcoin accumulation at a fast pace, with Bitcoin Magazine CEO David Bailey forecasting that they could collectively hold between 2 and 3 million BTC by the end of 2026. According to an April 25 X post from Bailey, new companies are announcing BTC treasury strategies nearly every week, which he believes will increase to daily soon. Bailey’s Prediction The executive anticipates that more than 1,000 cash-flowing and capital-raising public entities will eventually participate in the Bitcoin buying trend, covering every market, appearing in every index, and using various investment wrappers to gain exposure to the digital asset. Currently, public firms hold over 700,000 BTC. Bailey outlined two scenarios for how this number could grow. If the crypto’s price remains flat, he expects public company holdings to exceed 1 million BTC by the end of this year. However, increased liquidity would likely encourage firms to expand their BTC programs even faster if the asset begins to rally. Under that scenario, he said it would be “reasonable” to expect public entities to collectively hold between 2 and 3 million BTC by late 2026. This outlook is supported by recent data from Bitwise, which reported on April 14 that the number of publicly traded firms holding Bitcoin rose by 16.11% in Q1 2025. Further, companies with the flagship cryptocurrency on their balance sheets increased to 79. This figure marks a 17.91% quarter-over-quarter growth, with 12 new additions during the period. Bitwise attributed the surge to a recent rule change by the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB), allowing firms to report BTC at fair market value. Top Public Traded BTC Holders Michael Saylor’s Strategy remains the largest corporate holder of the digital asset. The firm’s stash now stands at 538,200 BTC after purchasing an additional 6,556 BTC for $555.8 million earlier this week. In total, the outfit has spent $36.47 billion acquiring the cryptocurrency at an average price of $67,766 per BTC. Other top holders include mining operations such as MARA Holdings with 47,600 BTC, Riot Platforms with 19,223 BTC, CleanSpark with 11,869 BTC, as well as electric vehicle manufacturer Tesla with 11,509. Interest is growing globally as well. Japanese investment firm Metaplanet has committed to acquiring 10,000 BTC by the end of 2025. In line with this, it has adopted an aggressive accumulation strategy this year. In April alone, the outfit has made 4 buys of 696 BTC on the 1st, 319 BTC on the 14th, 330 BTC on the 21st, and 145 BTC on the 24th, bringing its total reserve to 5,000 BTC. The post CEO Forecast: Public Companies Could Control 3M BTC by 2026 appeared first on CryptoPotato .

25 Apr 2025, 19:14

LAX Cargo Theft Unveiled: LAPD Catches Suspects Behind $2.7M in Stolen Bitcoin Miners

A local news outlet reports that two individuals tied to a South American theft ring were apprehended in Los Angeles after allegedly stealing $4 million in goods, including $2.7 million worth of application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) bitcoin miners. From Tequila to Bitcoin Mining Rigs: LAPD Unravels Multi-Million Dollar Heist The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD)

25 Apr 2025, 19:08

Fed Eases Crypto Oversight, Suggesting New Opportunities for Bitcoin and Stablecoin Activities

The Federal Reserve has made significant changes to its regulatory stance, signaling support for banks engaging with the crypto industry. These modifications are aimed at enhancing innovation, though they come

25 Apr 2025, 18:21

Bitcoin, gold rise while stocks fall: is decoupling here to stay?

In April, many crypto market observers were writing about an ongoing decoupling or divergence of Bitcoin from equities, meaning that the trajectory of Bitcoin’s price took a different direction compared to stocks and equities. Bitcoin and Gold are up, while the American dollar and stocks are down. However, opinions among market experts on whether the Bitcoin and equities markets have truly diverged vary. Some enthusiastically proclaim that Bitcoin has decoupled from risk assets and joined Gold as a safe haven. The reason is not hard to see: lately, Bitcoin and Gold have been the only major assets with positive price movements. On April 21, 2025, the price of Gold crossed the $3,400 mark for the first time. This unprecedented rally is widely seen as a response to growing uncertainty among investors, stocks and altcoins went through a wave of liquidations and some of the strongest declines in years, prompting a shift toward Gold. For most of the 2020s, the gold price fluctuated between $1,800 and $2,000, only starting to climb in the fall of 2023. MacroTrends points to a correlation between the price of gold and global economic uncertainty. Another correlation is the alignment of gold prices with the level of U.S. national debt. Read more: Why will gold continue rising? Gold is traditionally seen as a safe haven. Bitcoin has a similar reputation among many investors. However, an influx of institutional investors buying Bitcoin led to a relative alignment of BTC’s price with stocks. Some viewed Bitcoin as an extension of the stock market, but with higher price amplitude. The chart below clearly shows that over the past three years, Bitcoin has mirrored Nasdaq movements closely, mimicking its ups and downs with sharper swings. Experts remain divided on this. For instance, in March 2025, BlackRock’s Robbie Mitchnick stated that Bitcoin is still yet to consistently move in line with Wall Street, although he anticipates it will happen as more TradFi investors start trading Bitcoin. Did Bitcoin really decouple from stocks? The second half of April saw Bitcoin and Gold rise, while major assets including stocks and the USD dropped. On April 22 alone, Bitcoin gained 7%, while risk assets ended the day in negative territory. Many in the crypto community quickly reacted, declaring that Bitcoin was undergoing a decoupling from stocks. Bitcoin and Gold seemed to confirm their roles as safe havens, while other assets appeared increasingly risky and vulnerable amid political and economic turmoil. 🇺🇸 BLOOMBERG JUST SAID #BITCOIN IS DECOUPLED FROM THE STOCK MARKET IT’S HAPPENING!!! 🚀 pic.twitter.com/gEbBXxHosq — Vivek⚡️ (@Vivek4real_) April 22, 2025 However, the debate over whether Bitcoin is truly decoupling continues. While there is no doubt that Bitcoin currently stands apart from stocks and the dollar, some market observers warn this could be a short-term phase. They suggest that as headwinds take hold, Bitcoin may eventually follow the broader stock market’s downtrend. In other words, the current divergence could turn out to be just a temporary fluctuation. "Bitcoin divergence" and "Bitcoin decoupling" will be dominant headlines for 2025. pic.twitter.com/VBXqZNLFul — Tuur Demeester (@TuurDemeester) April 22, 2025 Some commenters attributed the Bitcoin rally to increased liquidity, encouraging investors to “ignore the noise.” They argue that Bitcoin can surge thanks to technical triggers even when news sentiment is mixed. Others pointed to macro headlines as a major driver of the demand for Bitcoin, including comments from U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent suggesting a possible de-escalation between the U.S. and China. Meanwhile, headlines reported that India was considering sanctions against China, and China itself urged countries to reject collaboration with the U.S. In this light, it appears that Bitcoin’s rally was at least partly news-driven. Such major economic shake-ups don’t happen often, suggesting that the current decoupling may be more extraordinary than permanent. Bitcoin could realign with the stock market once the trade tensions subside. Why is decoupling important? We asked our market analyst and trader, Ekta Mourya , to enlighten our readers on this topic. Here’s what she replied to why decoupling is important and whether she sees the current decoupling as a temporary or a long-term phase: “Bitcoin’s decoupling comes at a time when the largest cryptocurrency’s correlation with Gold rises. BTC’s outperformance against the Nasdaq during Trump’s tariff crisis marked a pivotal shift in Bitcoin’s price this cycle, bringing back the “digital Gold” narrative. Bitcoin’s 30-day Pearson correlation coefficient with Gold is up from -0.7 in March 2025 to 0.45 and rising as of April 2025. For traders, this signals an opportunity to enter long positions; it opens doors for Bitcoin’s re-test of the $109K all-time high and likely price discovery. Bitcoin’s divergence from the stock market feels more like a temporary blip rather than a permanent shift. Market volatility, tariff tensions, and weak earnings are rattling U.S. equities, while Bitcoin is catching a bid as a safe haven for traders’ capital. However, structurally, BTC has always stood apart; it is a high-beta asset with a growing appeal for portfolio diversification. Both retail and institutional traders should watch Bitcoin for its evolving risk/reward profile and gains.” You might also like: Pantera founder: ‘Bitcoin is better than gold’ as a reserve asset

25 Apr 2025, 18:10

Swiss National Bank Chief Rejects Bitcoin Reserve Proposals

Swiss National Bank still opposed to Bitcoin Swiss National Bank (SNB) Chairman Martin Schlegel dismissed proposals for investing in Bitcoin in the central bank’s reserves at a shareholder meeting in Bern. In an April 25 report by Reuters, Schlegel said that cryptocurrencies have yet to meet the standards for them to be added to Switzerland’s currency reserves, citing stability, liquidity, and security issues. The move comes amid growing calls by Switzerland’s cryptocurrency community who feel that Bitcoin would act as a hedge against macroeconomic uncertainty. Local cryptocurrency industry pushes for amendment Activist Luzius Meisser, who sits on the board of Bitcoin Suisse, has been one of the leading voices calling for the SNB to invest in Bitcoin. In Meisser’s view, there is a need to own Bitcoin as the globe moves towards a multipolar financial order, and relying on devaluating currencies like the US dollar and euro is unsustainable over time. A national petition launched by the Federal Chancellery of Switzerland seeks to amend the nation’s constitution, proposing that Bitcoin be included alongside gold as part of the SNB’s reserve. The campaign, backed by the 2B4CH non-profit organization, is now in the process of collecting 100,000 signatures to trigger a national referendum. Bitcoin reserve campaign gains momentum Should the initiative succeed, Article 99 of the Swiss constitution would be amended to obligate the SNB to hold part of its reserves “in gold and in Bitcoin.” Initiative supporters like 2B4CH founder Yves Bennaïm argue that even a small 1–2% investment in Bitcoin could help shore up the central bank’s balance sheet with an asset that becomes increasingly valuable and is resistant to inflationary pressures. Crypto Valley’s scope is also expanding, with Zug’s blockchain industry reaching a $593 billion valuation and spawning 17 startup unicorns new in 2024 alone. Meanwhile, Bitcoin payment solutions are also proliferating in Switzerland’s mainstream economy, indicating the nation’s hastening commitment to digital assets.

25 Apr 2025, 17:56

Stablecoins Could Bring 'ChatGPT' Moment to Blockchain Adoption, Hit $3.7T by 2030: Citi

Global bank Citi has predicted 2025 could be a possible inflection point for blockchain adoption driven by stablecoins, akin to the breakout year artificial intelligence (AI) had with popular application ChatGPT. "2025 has the potential to be blockchain’s ‘ChatGPT’ moment," the bank's analysts said in a report published earlier this week. At the center of the Citi's projection are stablecoins, a class of cryptocurrencies pegged to traditional currencies like the U.S. dollar. These tokens, led by Tether's $145 billion USDT and Circle's $60 billion USDC, have seen tremendous growth recently and are increasingly being used for payments and remittances globally. Citi sees the asset class potentially growing to $1.6 trillion by 2030 in its base case from the current $230 billion, with the caveat that regulatory support and institutional integration take hold. In the bank's more optimistic scenario, the market could balloon to $3.7 trillion, though lingering structural challenges could keep the number closer to $500 billion in the bank's bear case. A major catalyst is the supportive regulatory stance in the U.S., with a recent presidential executive order directing the formation of a federal framework for digital assets, the report said. The clarity around stablecoin rules could allow these tokens to be more deeply embedded in the financial system, offering faster payments, improved transparency and more efficient asset settlement. "This could lead to greater adoption of blockchain-based money and spur other use cases, financial and beyond, in the U.S. private and public sector," the authors noted. Stablecoin issuers to become major U.S. Treasury holders Stablecoins are expected to remain heavily dollar-denominated in the future. The report anticipates that around 90% of stablecoins in circulation in 2030 will still be tied to the U.S. dollar, cementing its dominance. This has major implications for the global financial system. Dollar stablecoin issuers could become one of the largest buyers of U.S. Treasuries, assuming that regulations push toward backing tokens with low-risk, highly liquid traditional financial assets like government bonds. Citibank estimated issuers could hold $1.2 trillion in U.S. government debt by the end of the decade, potentially surpassing all major foreign sovereign holders. Meanwhile, the central banks of countries in Europe and Asia will likely promote their own digital currencies, or CBDCs, the report noted. The report pointed to several risks that could hamper the growth. Stablecoins de-pegged nearly 1,900 times in 2023 alone, including more than 600 instances involving major tokens, the report's authors wrote, citing Moody's data. In extreme cases, mass redemptions—like those following the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) that consequently hit USDC—can disrupt crypto liquidity, force automated selloffs and ripple through financial markets, the authors added.