[News Brief] Apr 22, morning | U.S. Spot Bitcoin ETFs Record Total Net Inflows of $630 Million on May 1

U.S. Spot Bitcoin ETFs Record Total Net Inflows of $630 Million on May 1

U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs posted total net inflows of $630 million on May 1 (U.S. Eastern Time). BlackRock’s IBIT saw the largest inflow at $284 million, followed by Fidelity’s FBTC with $213 million.

According to Odaily, citing SoSoValue data, BlackRock IBIT’s cumulative net inflows reached $32.7 billion, while Fidelity FBTC’s cumulative net inflows stood at $11.082 billion.

As of the time of writing, the total net asset value of spot Bitcoin ETFs was $103.785 billion. The ETF net asset ratio accounted for 6.66% of Bitcoin’s total market capitalization, while cumulative net inflows were tallied at $58.718 billion.

WSJ: “Fed Officials Have Begun Discussing the Possibility of Rate Hikes”

The Wall Street Journal reported on May 2 that discussions have begun within the Federal Reserve not only about future policy turning points but also about the possibility of interest rate hikes. The report said market focus is shifting from when rate cuts may resume to under what conditions rate hikes could become necessary.

According to the report, Nick Timiraos, often referred to as the “Fed whisperer,” said that three regional Fed presidents, including Dallas Fed President Lorie Logan and Minneapolis Fed President Neel Kashkari, opposed keeping the language that “the next policy move is more likely to be a rate cut” at this week’s meeting.

They argued that the statement should reflect that the next rate move could be either a cut or a hike. Fed Chair Jerome Powell also said the Fed is gradually moving from a “rate-cutting bias” toward a “neutral stance.”

Powell explained that if future rate hikes become necessary, the Fed would likely first shift to a neutral position before signaling further tightening. Timiraos assessed that internal Fed discussions are no longer centered solely on the timing of renewed rate cuts, but increasingly on the conditions that could require rate hikes.

The Fed has previously adjusted its policy path by monitoring inflation and labor market indicators. This report is being interpreted as a sign that easing expectations may be retreating and policy uncertainty could rise again, weighing on risk assets broadly.

White House Correspondent: “Bitcoin Industry and Major Banks Reach Compromise on CLARITY Act”

A White House correspondent reported that the Bitcoin industry and major banking institutions have officially reached a compromise on the CLARITY Act, allowing the market structure bill to move into the markup stage.

Pete Rizzo (@pete_rizzo_) shared this on X, calling it a sign of progress in U.S. crypto market structure legislation.

Markup is the formal congressional process in which lawmakers review and revise bill language. If confirmed, the development could accelerate discussions aimed at increasing regulatory clarity for digital assets.

Odaily: “Spot Ethereum ETFs See Total Net Inflows of $101 Million on May 1”

According to Odaily, total net inflows into U.S. spot Ethereum ETFs on May 1 (U.S. Eastern Time) came to $101 million.

The product with the largest inflow that day was Fidelity’s FETH, which recorded $49.39 million in net inflows. FETH’s cumulative net inflows now stand at $2.289 billion.

BlackRock’s ETHA followed with net inflows of $43.16 million. As of the article’s publication, ETHA’s cumulative net outflows were reported at $100 million.

The total net asset value of spot Ethereum ETFs currently stands at $13.603 billion, representing 4.93% of Ethereum’s market capitalization. Cumulative net inflows were recorded at $12.016 billion.

Exploit Hits Solana Meteora ANB Pool, ANB Drops 99%

According to Odaily, Solana-focused outlet SolanaFloor said on X that an account believed to be a MEV bot exploited a vulnerability in Meteora’s ANB pool, manipulating pool pricing through a MEV-style attack and converting just $0.22 worth of USDC into approximately $696,000 in USDC in a single transaction.

Following the attack, the ANB token reportedly plunged 99%.

Meteora is a Solana-based liquidity protocol, and the incident is seen as once again highlighting structural vulnerabilities in Solana ecosystem DeFi pools and the risks posed by MEV attacks.

Zcash Foundation Releases Zebra 4.4.0, Fixes Consensus-Level Security Vulnerabilities

The Zcash Foundation has released Zebra 4.4.0 and patched multiple consensus-level security vulnerabilities, PANews reported on May 2.

The foundation urged all node operators to upgrade immediately. The update addresses risks including a denial-of-service attack that could permanently halt new block production, consensus mismatches caused by incorrect sigops calculations in block validation, abnormal transparent transaction signature hash handling, and memory allocation amplification attacks.

According to the foundation, some of the vulnerabilities could cause Zebra nodes to accept blocks rejected by zcashd, potentially resulting in a chain fork. Failure to update in time could lead to halted block synchronization, consensus forks, and increased resource consumption, and the foundation said there are currently no separate mitigation measures available.

Iran: “Possibility of War Resuming With the United States”

Iran has said that the possibility remains that war with the United States could resume.

According to Odaily, the comment was relayed by Solid Intel. The statement could intensify geopolitical tensions in the Middle East and weigh on sentiment across risk assets.

U.S. Treasury OFAC: Paying Iran Strait of Hormuz Transit Fees With Digital Assets May Violate Sanctions

The U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) warned that paying so-called Strait of Hormuz transit fees to Iran using digital assets or other methods could violate U.S. sanctions on Iran.

According to panewslab.com, OFAC said that in relation to fees recently demanded by Iran under the pretext of guaranteeing safe passage, methods such as currency payments, digital assets, offset transactions, in-kind payments, and donations to accounts linked to the Iranian Red Crescent, Bonyad Mostazafan, or Iranian embassies could be regarded as supporting the Iranian government or the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

OFAC emphasized that transactions involving the Iranian government, the IRGC, or Iranian digital asset exchanges are generally prohibited for U.S. persons and foreign entities controlled by U.S. persons. It also added that non-U.S. entities involved in such payments or in supporting Iranian financial institutions could face secondary sanctions or civil and criminal liability.

In addition, OFAC recommended enhanced due diligence for shipping and maritime service providers on vessels transiting Iranian waters or calling at Iranian ports.

Whale Transfers 300 Million USDT From Unidentified Wallet to HTX

A whale transferred 300 million USDT (approximately $299.97 million) from an unidentified wallet to HTX, according to Whale Alert.

Funds moving into an exchange are often interpreted as capital being prepared for trading or buying activity, but on-chain movement alone cannot confirm actual trading intent or purpose.

Source: Whale Alert.

Taiwanese Lawmaker Submits Proposal to Use Foreign Exchange Reserves for Bitcoin Reserve

Taiwanese legislator Ko Ju-Chun has submitted a report to the premier and Taiwan’s central bank proposing the introduction of a Bitcoin reserve using the country’s foreign exchange reserves, according to Wu Blockchain.

According to the Bitcoin Policy Institute (BPI), Ko submitted a report outlining a plan to establish a national Bitcoin reserve. The move suggests the possibility that the government and central bank may consider Bitcoin as part of the foreign reserve framework.

Some countries and regions have previously discussed strategic Bitcoin stockpiles or incorporating Bitcoin into public reserve assets. However, it has not been confirmed whether Taiwan’s government and central bank have formally begun reviewing such a policy.