[News Brief] Apr 22, morning | BlackRock's Bitcoin holdings increase to approximately 806,700 BTC

Brent crude oil rose 3.30% intraday, breaking above $100 per barrel.

According to Odaily, citing Gate data, Brent crude prices moved above the $100 mark on the day. The sharp rise in oil prices may heighten concerns about renewed inflation and weigh on investor sentiment toward risk assets, including cryptocurrencies.

BlackRock's Bitcoin (BTC) holdings increased to 806,700 BTC, according to an Odaily report citing Lookonchain data.

According to the report, BlackRock has continued to buy BTC recently, bringing the value of its holdings to approximately $63.73 billion.

This figure is being interpreted as a sign that institutional demand for Bitcoin remains strong.

According to Whale Alert, 1,998 BTC were transferred from an anonymous wallet to the cryptocurrency exchange Kraken. The transaction was worth approximately $157.41 million.

Large Bitcoin deposits to exchanges are typically interpreted as a possible sign of incoming sell-side liquidity, which may create short-term pressure. However, the movement could also reflect an internal wallet reshuffle or a simple on-chain transfer, so whether it represents an actual sale remains to be confirmed.

Source: @whale_alert

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said that cryptocurrencies will become a "very important payment rail" in the future.

According to Watcher.Guru on the 22nd local time, Secretary Bessent expressed the view that crypto will grow in importance as a payments infrastructure.

The remark is seen as a notable indication from a senior U.S. administration official regarding the potential expansion of digital assets in real-world use cases, and may bolster expectations for deeper institutional integration and broader payment adoption.

Bitcoin rose above $79,000 on the OKX market on the 22nd. It was trading at $79,023.20, up 4.20% over 24 hours.

According to PANews, the rise suggests that Bitcoin is continuing its short-term rebound.

U.S. spot XRP ETFs recorded total net inflows of $2.4211 million in a single day.

On the 23rd, PANews cited SoSoValue data showing that on the previous day, the 22nd U.S. Eastern Time, the U.S. spot XRP ETF market posted these net inflows.

By product, only the Bitwise XRP ETF recorded inflows. Its daily net inflow was $2.4211 million, bringing cumulative net inflows to $419 million.

As of the time of reporting, the total net asset value of spot XRP ETFs stood at $1.088 billion. The net asset ratio was 1.23%, while cumulative net inflows reached $1.28 billion.

Tesla did not sell its Bitcoin (BTC) holdings worth approximately $900 million during the first quarter of 2026.

On the 22nd local time, Watcher.Guru, citing Tesla's filings, reported that the company did not sell any of its Bitcoin during the quarter.

News that a listed company is maintaining a large Bitcoin position may be viewed by the market as reducing concerns about sell-side pressure. Tesla has long been regarded as one of the representative companies to adopt Bitcoin as a treasury asset.

Bitcoin showed weakness by falling below $78,000.

According to PANews on the 23rd, Bitcoin traded at $77,999.90 on OKX, down 1.60% over 24 hours.

According to PANews, citing monitoring account Onchain Lens, a newly created wallet withdrew 4,000 ETH from Kraken.

The withdrawal was worth approximately $9.59 million. Large transfers from exchanges to external wallets are often interpreted as a sign of holding intent, though a single on-chain movement alone is not enough to determine the exact nature of the funds.

According to Odaily, AAVE founder Stani Kulechov said on X that the team is working with several partners on multiple options to ensure an orderly normalization of Aave and the best possible outcome for users.

He explained that the Arbitrum Security Council had recovered $70 million worth of ETH, a move that could significantly reduce potential risk exposure. Various discussions and solutions are currently under review, and any further developments will be announced through Aave's official account.

Stani added that the current focus is on Aave users and protocol stabilization, and thanked developers across the industry for their support.