[News Brief] Apr 22, morning | Trump administration optimistic about possible passage of Bitcoin and crypto clarity bill by July 4

Trump administration optimistic about possible passage of Bitcoin and crypto clarity bill by July 4

The Trump administration has expressed optimism that the Bitcoin and cryptocurrency clarity bill could be passed by July 4.

According to @pete_rizzo_, a White House official said, “We are making major progress every day,” adding, “We remain optimistic that we can meet that timeline.”

The remarks come as discussions continue over organizing the U.S. regulatory framework for cryptocurrencies. If passed, the bill is likely to draw market attention for advancing institutional adoption and reducing regulatory uncertainty.

U.S. Commerce Department moves to invest more than $2 billion in quantum computing infrastructure capable of breaking Bitcoin and Ethereum encryption

According to CoinDesk, the U.S. Department of Commerce signed letters of intent to invest more than $2 billion in nine quantum computing companies to build infrastructure capable of breaking the cryptographic systems used by major networks such as Bitcoin and Ethereum.

IBM is expected to receive $1 billion to build a wafer manufacturing facility for quantum computing, while GlobalFoundries is set to receive $375 million. The remaining funds will be distributed among seven quantum hardware companies.

The investment is intended to expand U.S. quantum computing capabilities. Industry participants note that if quantum computing performance advances significantly, existing cryptographic systems used by blockchain networks such as Bitcoin could face long-term implications.

U.S. federal appeals court upholds Sam Bankman-Fried fraud conviction

Odaily reported that a U.S. federal appeals court has upheld Sam Bankman-Fried’s 2023 fraud conviction.

A panel of judges on the Second U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan rejected his argument that the platform had been sufficiently collateralized and that customers were fully compensated.

Sam Bankman-Fried was sentenced to 25 years in prison on conspiracy and fraud charges. He had previously sought a presidential pardon, but the U.S. president said in January there were no plans to pardon the FTX founder.

Quantstamp points to North Korea-linked hacking traits in Humanity Protocol H token security incident report

Source: Wu Blockchain. Quantstamp said its investigation into Humanity Protocol’s June 8 H token security incident found that the attack method and certificate-signing patterns resembled those commonly associated with North Korea-linked hacking groups.

According to the report, the attacker gained remote access to an executive’s device through a phishing attack, then copied wallet data and private keys. The attacker later upgraded the Ethereum-based H token contract and moved about 141.18 million H tokens.

The attacker also reportedly seized proxy admin contract control on BNB Smart Chain and minted additional H tokens. The findings were disclosed through an investigation commissioned and published by Humanity Protocol through Quantstamp.

Coinbase launches features enabling AI agents to spend, monetize, and trade Bitcoin

Coinbase has introduced new features allowing AI agents to spend, monetize, and trade Bitcoin, according to @pete_rizzo_.

The new functionality appears aimed at enabling AI agents to directly use cryptocurrency for payments and trading. Major exchanges have previously been strengthening infrastructure to expand automated payments and on-chain utility.

Standard Chartered says Bitcoin bear market bottom formed at $59,000

Standard Chartered said Bitcoin’s bear market bottom was formed at $59,000.

According to Bitcoin Magazine, the bank said, “Winter is over. Crypto spring is back.” The comment is being interpreted as an institutional expression of optimism regarding Bitcoin’s medium-term market trajectory.

Brazil lower house committee approves bill to freeze crypto balances of cyber fraud suspects

Brazil’s Chamber of Deputies Finance and Taxation Committee has approved a bill that would allow the freezing of cryptocurrency balances belonging to suspects under investigation for cyber fraud, PANews reported, citing Livecoins.

The bill would strengthen penalties for cybercrime conducted through social media or phone channels and raise prison terms for those convicted of cyberattacks from the current 4–8 years to 6–10 years. Judges would be able to order the freezing of crypto exchange and bank account assets, physical assets, and restrict access to payment systems.

The bill will next go before the Chamber’s Constitution and Justice Committee for further review before any final enactment.

Zimbabwe introduces registration system for crypto businesses

Zimbabwe has introduced a registration system for cryptocurrency businesses and will charge an annual registration fee of $500.

According to Reuters, Zimbabwean Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube said all businesses involved in the buying, transfer, or custody of cryptocurrencies must register annually with the Financial Intelligence Unit, the anti-money laundering body under the central bank.

Operating without registration will be considered illegal. The new rule is the first dedicated regulatory framework applied to Zimbabwe’s cryptocurrency market, which had long operated without a separate legal structure.

Zimbabwe banned financial institutions from participating in cryptocurrency transactions in 2018, but repeated inflation and currency reforms increased demand for digital assets such as Bitcoin and for cross-border remittances.

Early HYPE whale deposits 576,000 HYPE to Coinbase

According to Odaily, Onchain Lens said an early HYPE whale deposited 576,000 HYPE to Coinbase.

The deposit was worth $35.28 million, and the address’s cumulative profit is estimated to exceed $44.34 million. Exchange deposits are generally associated with possible selling activity and are often interpreted as a short-term supply factor by the market.

Whale Alert detects transfer of 135.07 million USDC from Aave to anonymous whale wallet

According to Whale Alert, 135,074,109 USDC was transferred from Aave to an anonymous whale wallet.

The transfer was worth approximately $135,073,839. Large stablecoin movements can be interpreted as signals of changing market liquidity depending on whether the funds move to or from exchanges and on subsequent capital flows.