[News Brief] Apr 22, morning | Bitcoin Falls to $59.4K as U.S. Spot ETFs See $691M in Net Outflows, $10.6B in Options Expiry Looms

Bitcoin Falls to $59.4K as U.S. Spot ETFs See $691M in Net Outflows, $10.6B in Options Expiry Looms

According to Odaily, Bitcoin fell to around $59,400. U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs recorded $691 million in net outflows on Thursday, marking the largest single-day outflow since May 27.

On Friday, $10.6 billion worth of Bitcoin options are set to expire. Over the past 24 hours, total liquidations across leveraged crypto positions exceeded $1.1 billion, including $875 million in long liquidations.

Bitcoin traded between $58,189 and $60,724 over the last 24 hours, while its market capitalization fell to around $1.18 trillion. The current price is about 53% below the all-time high of $125,689 recorded on October 5, 2025.

According to SoSoValue data, U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs posted total net outflows of $445 million on June 26, U.S. Eastern Time.

The largest outflow came from BlackRock’s spot Bitcoin ETF, IBIT, which saw $445 million in net outflows in a single day. IBIT’s cumulative net inflows stand at $60.766 billion.

Total net assets of all spot Bitcoin ETFs stood at $72.818 billion at the time of reporting, accounting for 6.08% of Bitcoin’s total market capitalization. Cumulative net inflows were tallied at $51.606 billion.

Capital outflows are continuing from both U.S. Bitcoin ETFs and Ethereum ETFs.

According to Odaily, Lookonchain reported that more than 11,205 BTC flowed out of U.S. Bitcoin ETFs that day, bringing the seven-day net outflow total to 22,038 BTC.

Ethereum ETFs also saw net outflows of 46,391 ETH, with seven-day outflows reaching 148,620 ETH. ETF fund flows are widely used as a key gauge of institutional investor demand.

The Hong Kong government said the Hong Kong Monetary Authority granted stablecoin issuer licenses to two bank-backed institutions in April 2026.

Based on their existing business plans, the regulated stablecoins are expected to be officially launched in the second half of this year.

The Hong Kong Monetary Authority also provided legal guidance to market participants involved in still-unregulated stablecoin issuance and said individual cases could be referred to the police or the Department of Justice if necessary.

The Hong Kong government plans to submit a new virtual asset regulatory bill to the Legislative Council this year to strengthen oversight of trading, custody, advisory, and management service providers.

On prediction market Kalshi, the probability that the U.S. CLARITY Act will pass the Senate with at least 60 votes rose above 60%.

The source was @pete_rizzo. The CLARITY Act is a bill designed to establish market structure and regulatory frameworks for digital assets, and growing support in Congress is being cited as a key variable for Bitcoin and the broader crypto market.

The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) and Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) have launched a public comment process on aligning portfolio margin and cross-margin regulatory frameworks.

According to Odaily, the two agencies are reviewing ways to unify or coordinate margin systems for securities, security-based swaps, futures, swaps, and related positions in order to improve risk management efficiency, reduce market fragmentation, and strengthen customer protection.

The comment process covers existing margin models, customer protections, cross-product offsets, capital and collateral treatment, clearinghouse operations, and technological and operational implementation. The submission window will remain open for 60 days after publication in the Federal Register.

President Trump said Iran launched at least four one-way attack drones at vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz.

President Trump criticized the attack as a violation of the ceasefire agreement. The Strait of Hormuz is a critical maritime route for Middle Eastern oil shipments, and rising geopolitical tensions there could weigh on sentiment toward global risk assets.

U.S. Central Command said on June 26 that U.S. forces struck Iranian missile and drone storage facilities and coastal radar sites.

According to Odaily, the strikes were in response to an Iranian one-way attack drone strike on the cargo vessel Ever Lovely as it transited the Strait of Hormuz on June 25.

U.S. Central Command said Iran’s attack on a commercial vessel violated the ceasefire agreement and undermined freedom of navigation. It added that U.S. forces would continue supporting the safe passage of commercial shipping through the strait and remain on alert to ensure compliance with the agreement.

Oman is reportedly considering charging vessels for passage through the Strait of Hormuz.

According to Odaily, sources said on the 26th that Oman told European officials the Strait of Hormuz may not return to prewar conditions and that vessels may need to bear certain costs.

Omani officials reportedly said they intend to comply with international maritime law, but cleaning pollution in the strait and providing navigation support services could incur costs.

However, it remains unconfirmed whether Oman will make such charges mandatory. Oman is reportedly analyzing toll systems used in maritime chokepoints such as the Strait of Malacca, where no compulsory shipping fees currently apply in this region.

The U.S., Europe, and Gulf states are increasingly concerned that Oman could work with Iran to establish a fee structure for the Strait of Hormuz. As a key artery for global energy transport, any such move could affect oil markets and international logistics.

According to Wu Blockchain, real-world asset tokenization firm Securitize is expected to raise about $400 million in gross proceeds through a SPAC merger with Cantor Equity Partners II.

The transaction follows fewer than 30% of SPAC shareholders electing to redeem their shares. If shareholders approve the deal on June 29, the transaction is expected to close on July 1, and the combined company is set to begin trading on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker SECZ on July 2.

Securitize currently has more than $4 billion in tokenized real-world assets.