CFTC turns to AI tools and a new Innovation Task Force to police booming 
crypto and prediction markets as staff shrinks and CLARITY Act hangs over 
federal turf wars. The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission is turning to 
artificial intelligence…

CFTC deploys AI to police crypto as Innovation Task Force targets prediction markets

Bitcoin and Ethereum have spent the past few weeks moving like assets caught 
between two powerful forces. On one side, institutional demand has returned 
through Spot ETFs, treasury purchases, and dip-buying from larger investors. 
On the other side, profit-taking and heavy derivatives positioning keep 
turning rallies into sudden pullbacks. ETF Demand Is Slowly Lifting Bitcoin 
And Ethereum The crypto market has not been moving in a clean straight line. 
Bitcoin has pushed close to the $80,000 level more than once in the past week, 
only to lose momentum around $79,000. Ethereum has been following these moves, 
but with its own ETF flow and positioning pressure. Related Reading: Bitcoin 
Price Wave Down To $40,000 Shows When The Bottom Will Begin The strongest 
reason Bitcoin and Ethereum have been rising is the return of institutional 
inflows. Spot Bitcoin ETFs have been on a strong inflow streak in April, with 
data indicating more than $2.2 billion in net inflows between April 14 and 
April 24. Spot Bitcoin ETFs pulled in $823.7 million from April 20 to April 
24, while Ethereum ETFs attracted about $155 million over the same week. That 
helps explain why Bitcoin was able to rebound strongly from its earlier March 
range in the mid-$60,000s and move back near $78,000 to $80,000. Bitcoin 
recently came close to $80,000, reaching around $79,475 over the weekend 
before reversing, showing that sellers are still active. A War That Crypto 
Cannot Ignore The single biggest driver of crypto volatility in 2026 has been 
a conflict thousands of miles from any blockchain. The US-Iran conflict has 
been the biggest factor in how the cryptocurrency market has been facing 
mounting pressure. Related Reading: Analyst Says Ethereum Just Confirmed A 
‘Turtle Soup’, Here’s What It Means The sudden onset of military conflict in 
February delivered an immediate and severe shock that pushed cryptocurrencies 
to their lows. However, earlier in April, Bitcoin jumped to an 11-week high in 
light of easing US-Iran tensions and talks of reopening the Strait of Hormuz. 
As it stands, US President Donald Trump’s national security team is reviewing 
an Iranian peace plan to halt the war and open the Strait of Hormuz, and Iran 
has offered to end its chokehold on the strait if the US lifts its blockade 
and sanctions on the country. Bitcoin and Ethereum price fluctuations have 
largely tracked these ups and downs and worries over rising oil prices. An 
ongoing US naval blockade and Iran continuing to seize ships suggest, however, 
that a reopening of the Strait of Hormuz is still far off. The third force 
behind the sharp swings is leverage, as crypto markets are heavily influenced 
by derivatives. For instance, the recent Bitcoin rally to $79,000 caught many 
traders off-guard, and over $200 million worth of short positions were 
liquidated. Buying pressure on the Bitcoin derivatives side has yet to simmer 
down, as on-chain data shows BTC net taker volume recently surged to around 
$145 million. Ethereum has also seen aggressive derivatives activity. Recent 
data showed ETH futures open interest jumping 26% to about $25.4 billion. 
Ethereum buyers are also at their most aggressive buying spree phase since 
early 2023. Featured image from Getty Images, chart from Tradingview.com

Here’s Why The Bitcoin And Ethereum Prices Have Been Rising And Falling Sharply

Hezbollah&#8217;s entrenched role in Lebanon complicates disarmament, hindering 
diplomatic progress and ceasefire prospects with Israel.
The post Beirut&#8217;s Hezbollah disarmament promise dismissed as rhetoric by 
expert appeared first on Crypto Briefing.

Beirut’s Hezbollah disarmament promise dismissed as rhetoric by expert

This collaboration could accelerate global financial inclusion by integrating 
stablecoins into mainstream payment systems, enhancing cross-border 
transactions.
The post Visa, WeFi team up to explore stablecoin payments and on-chain 
banking in select markets appeared first on Crypto Briefing.

Visa, WeFi team up to explore stablecoin payments and on-chain banking in select markets

The conflict&#8217;s escalation may drive a shift from dollar assets to gold, 
impacting global markets and highlighting geopolitical risks.
The post US-Israel conflict escalates, gold targets $8K, Bitcoin dips to $60K 
appeared first on Crypto Briefing.

US-Israel conflict escalates, gold targets $8K, Bitcoin dips to $60K

Vance&#8217;s limited authority signals inefficiency, likely delaying US-Iran peace 
efforts and impacting diplomatic meeting expectations.
The post Tehran: US VP Vance lacked authority in Iran talks, complicating 
peace deal appeared first on Crypto Briefing.

Cryptocurrency price in ILS

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