[News Brief] Apr 22, morning | $368M Liquidated in Crypto Futures Market Over 24 Hours

$368M Liquidated in Crypto Futures Market Over 24 Hours

Source=PANews. According to CoinAnk data, a total of $368 million worth of positions were liquidated in the cryptocurrency futures market over the past 24 hours.

Liquidated long positions totaled $345 million, while liquidated short positions came to $23.2539 million. Bitcoin liquidation amounted to $123 million, and Ethereum liquidation reached $94.7371 million.

Futures liquidation is the process in which positions that fail to meet margin requirements due to price fluctuations are forcibly closed by the exchange.

Hyperliquid Trader With 114,000 ETH Long Position Swings From $13M Profit to $10M Loss

A trader holding a 114,000 ETH long position on Hyperliquid reportedly swung from a $13 million profit to a $10 million loss, according to PANews citing on-chain analyst Eugene.

The trader opened the long position in late April by purchasing 99,000 ETH at $2,270, and later added to the position twice, increasing total holdings to 114,000 ETH, or about $259 million. The average entry price was approximately $2,268.

Whale Opens $50.55M ETH Short and $25.27M BTC Long Using 25x Leverage

Odaily, citing Lookonchain monitoring, reported that a whale opened a 23,151 ETH short position worth about $50.55 million using 25x leverage.

At the same time, the whale also opened a 323.72 BTC long position worth about $25.27 million using 20x leverage. The liquidation price for the ETH position is $2,288.33, while the liquidation price for the BTC position is $70,325.36.

U.S. Reportedly Demands Delivery of 400kg of Enriched Uranium in Exchange for Releasing Up to 25% of Frozen Iranian Assets

The United States has reportedly demanded the delivery of 400 kilograms of enriched uranium in exchange for releasing up to 25% of Iran’s frozen assets.

PANews, citing Iran’s Fars News Agency, reported that the U.S. also conveyed its position that Iran should be allowed to retain only one operational nuclear facility and that no separate compensation payment would be made.

Iranian Military Warns of Stronger Retaliation if U.S. Takes Further Military Action

According to Odaily, Iranian media reported on the 17th that a senior spokesperson for the Iranian military warned in response to former President Trump’s recent remarks on Iran.

The spokesperson said that if the U.S. acts again against Iran in an attempt to “save face,” it would face a stronger and heavier blow.

He added that if the U.S. resumes military threats or action against Iran, American assets and troops in the region would face “a new, offensive, and unexpected storm-like response.”

KB Financial Completes PoC for KRW Stablecoin Payments, Settlement, and Overseas Remittances

KB Financial Group has completed a proof of concept for payments, settlement, and overseas remittances using a Korean won stablecoin, according to Odaily.

The test was conducted jointly with electronic payment company KG Inicis, public blockchain Kaia, and digital asset solutions firm Open Asset. The group reviewed the full process of financial services, from issuance of a KRW stablecoin to offline payments, merchant settlement, and overseas remittances.

The actual payment test was carried out at an offline unmanned terminal at coffee franchise Hollys. Users were able to make payments via QR code without installing a separate digital wallet, while blockchain smart contracts were automatically executed during settlement.

In the remittance test, KRW stablecoins were exchanged for dollar stablecoins using liquidity on the Kaia chain and then deposited in fiat currency through a local partner in Vietnam. The entire remittance process took about three minutes, and fees were reportedly about 87% lower than conventional SWIFT transfers.

Italy’s Largest Bank Intesa Sanpaolo Expands Crypto-Related Holdings to $235M

According to Odaily, Intesa Sanpaolo, Italy’s largest bank, increased its crypto-related holdings to about $235 million in the first quarter of 2026, up from around $100 million at the end of 2025.

The bank additionally purchased the ARK 21Shares Bitcoin ETF and BlackRock’s iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT), and also added Ethereum exposure for the first time through BlackRock’s iShares Staked Ether Trust. It also newly acquired about $26 million worth of the Grayscale XRP Trust ETF.

Intesa Sanpaolo also established an IBIT call options position for the first time and newly added 165,600 shares of BitGo stock. Meanwhile, it fully exited all Bitmine-related positions and cut its holdings in the Bitwise Solana Staking ETF from 266,300 shares to 2,817 shares.

Intesa Sanpaolo had previously stated that these crypto-related holdings were mainly for proprietary trading purposes. Last month, Ripple announced that it would provide digital asset custody services to the bank.

Jump Crypto’s Solana Validator Client Firedancer Begins Producing Blocks on Mainnet

Firedancer, the Solana validator client developed by Jump Crypto, has begun operating on mainnet, producing blocks and processing tens of millions of transactions.

According to CoinDesk, Firedancer founding engineer Rich Patel said there would be no large-scale public deployment until the security audit is completed. The measure is intended to reduce risks associated with a major network upgrade.

Firedancer is software developed by Jump Crypto to diversify Solana’s validator clients. Solana has previously faced criticism over its outage history and dependence on a single client.

More Than 20% of Senior Trump Administration Officials Hold Crypto or Blockchain Investments

According to Odaily, around 70 senior Trump administration officials and nominees, or more than 20% of the total, have held or currently hold investments related to cryptocurrencies or blockchain.

Public disclosures indicate that the minimum estimated value of these related assets totals $193 million. President Trump reportedly holds at least $51 million, while Vice President Vance and some cabinet members are also said to hold crypto-related assets worth several million dollars.

The report said that amid a growing number of technology and crypto industry figures joining the government, developments such as the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s suspension of lawsuits, efforts to establish a strategic Bitcoin reserve, and stablecoin legislation are moving forward.

Critics, however, argue that crypto holdings by senior government officials could lead to conflicts of interest and ethical concerns.

Japan’s SBI Securities and Rakuten Securities Move to Sell Crypto Investment Trust Products

SBI Securities and Rakuten Securities are moving to sell cryptocurrency investment trust products, according to PANews citing Nikkei.

SBI Securities plans to sell ETF and investment trust products developed by its subsidiary SBI Global Asset Management, based on highly liquid cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin and Ethereum. Rakuten Securities also plans to develop its own cryptocurrency investment trust products in cooperation with affiliates, allowing trading through its smartphone app.

Nikkei reported that among 18 major Japanese securities firms surveyed, 11 said they would consider offering such products once the regulatory framework is finalized. Major firms including Nomura Securities are also said to be leaving open the possibility of launching similar products after regulatory clarification.

Tokenized Government Bonds Reach $13.7B, Stablecoin Market Expected to Grow 10x by 2030

According to Token Terminal data, the market size of tokenized government bonds has reached about $13.7 billion.

The top products by market capitalization are USYC at $3 billion, BUIDL at $2.7 billion, and IBENJI at $1.5 billion.

Token Terminal analyzed that tokenized government bonds are becoming key infrastructure products for stablecoin issuers.

It also projected that by the end of 2030, the stablecoin market will grow about tenfold, increasing on-chain dollar supply by roughly $2.7 trillion.