[News Brief] Apr 22, morning | Large-Scale Outflows from U.S. Bitcoin and Ethereum ETFs

Outflows are continuing from U.S. Bitcoin ETFs and Ethereum ETFs.

According to Odaily, citing Lookonchain, U.S. Bitcoin ETFs saw net outflows of more than 11,205 BTC on the day, while total net outflows over the past seven days reached 22,038 BTC.

Ethereum ETFs also posted net outflows of 46,391 ETH, bringing the seven-day cumulative net outflow to 148,620 ETH. ETF fund flows are widely used as a key indicator for measuring institutional investor demand.

Russia’s Ministry of Energy has drafted a government resolution to ban cryptocurrency mining in Moscow, the Moscow region, and parts of Kursk region from July 1, 2026 through December 31, 2032, according to TASS.

The document says the ban will apply to several municipalities and cities in Kursk region. Previously, the Russian government decided to impose a long-term mining ban starting in 2025 in parts of the North Caucasus as well as in Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson.

It also strengthened seasonal power restrictions in the Republic of Buryatia and Zabaykalsky Krai into long-term restrictions. The move is seen as part of a broader trend of expanding mining regulations in regions facing heavy power supply burdens.

Some members of the U.S. Congress have called for an investigation into Polymarket’s advertising and disclosure practices.

According to Odaily, citing The Wall Street Journal, several U.S. lawmakers argued that Polymarket may have misled users by failing to clearly disclose the nature and risks of its products during marketing.

Some lawmakers asked regulators to assess the legality of its advertising and the adequacy of its disclosure standards. Polymarket, a crypto-based prediction market platform, is already under regulatory scrutiny.

Source: Odaily

Galaxy’s head of research said on X that he has again lowered the odds of the U.S. CLARITY Act passing in 2026.

He cited a shrinking legislative calendar and increasing competition from other agenda items for floor time. However, he said a July vote remains possible and that he hopes the bill can secure 60 votes, though the outcome remains uncertain for now.

The CLARITY Act is designed to establish the market structure and regulatory authority framework for digital assets in the U.S., and it remains a major focus for the industry.

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 shareholder approval is obtained on June 29, the deal is expected to close on July 1, and the merged company is set to begin trading on the New York Stock Exchange on July 2 under the ticker SECZ.

Securitize currently tokenizes more than $4 billion worth of real-world assets.

Prediction market platform Polymarket’s annualized revenue surpassed $1 billion just six weeks after launching its U.S. exchange, according to Watcher.Guru.

The revenue growth appears to reflect increased user trading demand following the U.S. exchange launch.

Sports betting platform DraftKings is launching its own prediction market exchange, DKeX, entering the event contracts market.

According to CoinDesk, DraftKings plans to allow users to trade contracts tied to the outcomes of various events through DKeX. Prediction markets, where specific event outcomes are traded, have recently emerged as a new business area attracting attention from both the financial and betting industries.

More than 60 crypto projects have announced shutdowns so far this year.

Wu Blockchain, citing RootData, reported that the number of closed projects continues to rise. Among them, 10 projects had raised more than $10 million in cumulative funding.

The top three by amount raised were all projects backed by a16z. Yup raised $33 million, Syndicate raised $27.8 million, and Entropy raised $26.95 million.

The data highlights an ongoing trend of restructuring among some crypto infrastructure and protocol projects amid market weakness and worsening business viability.

The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) have launched a public consultation on coordinating portfolio margining and cross-margining regulatory frameworks.

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

The consultation covers existing margin models, customer protection, cross-product offsets, capital and collateral treatment, clearinghouse operations, and technical and operational implementation issues. The comment period will remain open for 60 days after publication in the Federal Register.

Australia’s Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) has extended no-action relief related to a new licensing regime for digital asset firms until September 30, 2026, according to PANews.

As a result, digital asset firms providing financial services may continue applying for or varying an Australian Financial Services (AFS) license. They may also continue operating through an authorized representative arrangement under an AFS license holder or through intermediary authorization agreements.

The extension also applies to entities requiring market licenses and clearing and settlement licenses. Those entities must notify ASIC in writing of their intention to apply and engage in prior consultation.

ASIC previously said that after updating its INFO 225 guidance in October 2025, it received around 30 license applications from digital asset firms.