[News Brief] Apr 22, morning | Coinbase Strengthens Institutional Investor Services Through Strategic Partnership with Kemet

Brent crude surged 7% to $120 per barrel after Iran attacked the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Watcher.Guru reported the sharp rise in oil prices on X. The move appears to reflect growing concerns over potential supply disruptions as military tensions escalate in the Middle East.

A sharp rise in international oil prices could fuel inflationary pressure and heighten risk-off sentiment across global financial markets. In particular, increased volatility in energy prices may also weigh on risk assets, including cryptocurrencies.

Coinbase has entered into a partnership with Kemet, a provider of trading systems for institutional investors, and will make a strategic investment in the company.

Institutional clients will be able to access Coinbase's spot, futures, and options markets through Kemet's multi-market trading system on a single platform.

According to PANews, Coinbase plans to work with Kemet to expand institutional clients' access to its trading infrastructure. Under the agreement, Kemet will connect Coinbase Exchange, Coinbase Derivatives Exchange, Coinbase International Exchange, Deribit, and other Coinbase-affiliated platforms.

As a result, institutional investors will be able to execute trades and manage strategies across spot, futures, and options markets from one platform. Coinbase Ventures also plans to make a strategic investment in Kemet to support long-term cooperation between the two companies.

Coinbase said the partnership is intended to strengthen liquidity integration and execution capabilities across spot, futures, and options markets, reinforcing its position as a core platform for institutional-grade trading. Coinbase has previously focused on expanding its institutional business and strengthening its derivatives capabilities.

Bitcoin Magazine reported that companies purchased 50,351 BTC in the first quarter of this year.

This is seen as a sign that corporate demand for Bitcoin continues.

While the source claimed on X that this was the largest purchase volume on record, the article did not provide detailed methodology or comparative data.

Institutional and corporate capital inflows have recently been regarded as a key driver of Bitcoin's price action. This figure suggests that corporate buying remains one of the market's core sources of demand.

Dunamu, the operator of Upbit, has launched the next-generation Ethereum Layer 2 network "GIWA Chain" in partnership with the Optimism Foundation.

According to PANews on May 4, GIWA Chain is built on the OP Stack and is currently operating on testnet. Mainnet launch will follow at a later date.

GIWA Chain is the first case of implementing OP Enterprise's self-managed layer. The report said this represents an attempt to expand the Optimism ecosystem into institutional-grade blockchain infrastructure.

Under the self-managed model, Upbit will directly operate the sequencer and retain control over chain-level configurations. The Optimism Foundation will provide security monitoring and backup support to help ensure operational stability.

This partnership is a case of a crypto exchange directly participating in the operation of public blockchain infrastructure and could influence future competition in Ethereum-based scalability solutions.

Polymarket reflected a 64% chance that Bitcoin- and crypto market structure-related legislation will be enacted within this year.

Bitcoin Magazine reported this on X on the 4th (local time), saying expectations for the integration of crypto assets into the U.S. regulatory framework and for clearer regulation remain intact in the market.

This figure reflects the judgment of prediction market participants and does not mean legislation has actually been passed. Still, as discussion around related bills continues, it can be interpreted as a signal of ongoing expectations for broader institutionalization across the crypto market, including Bitcoin.

Source: @whale_alert

200 million USDT (approximately $199.9372 million) was transferred from an unknown wallet to Binance.

The transaction was detected on the Ethereum network. Large stablecoin deposits to exchanges are often interpreted as signals of buying power waiting on the sidelines or capital reallocation, though whale fund movements alone are not enough to determine market direction.

Whale Alert reported on X that 1,791 BTC was moved from an anonymous wallet to Coinbase Institutional.

The transfer was worth approximately $143.3 million. In general, large Bitcoin transfers to exchanges are often seen as a potential sign of selling pressure and may be interpreted as a short-term supply overhang.

This transaction was an on-chain fund movement, and it has not been confirmed whether it led to an actual sale.

Whale Alert reported that 48,600 ETH worth about $114.99 million was transferred from an anonymous wallet to a Beacon Depositor address.

A Beacon Depositor address is used for Ethereum staking deposits, so this transfer could support expectations of reduced circulating supply. However, since this is a single on-chain transaction, further accumulation or staking activity still needs to be confirmed.

President Trump warned that Iran would be "wiped off the face of the Earth" if it attacks U.S. ships.

According to Odaily, President Trump delivered the statement as a hardline warning directed at Iran.

The remark once again highlighted tensions in the Middle East and may act as a negative factor for investor sentiment in global financial markets and risk assets such as cryptocurrencies.

Bybit CEO Ben Zhou said he uses Bitcoin as a core defensive asset in managing his personal wealth.

He explained that securing protection against potential problems is more important than aggressively pursuing returns.

According to Wu Blockchain, in an April 23 interview titled "When Shift Happens," Ben Zhou said he is better at building and growing businesses than at investing, so he keeps most of his asset allocation defensive. For that reason, he buys and holds a large amount of Bitcoin long term, and when Bitcoin falls to what he considers relatively cheap levels, he follows a simple strategy of buying more.

The remarks show that a major figure in the exchange industry views Bitcoin as a long-term safe asset within his personal portfolio. However, this was an explanation of personal asset allocation principles, not a company-level investment or official purchase plan.