[News Brief] Apr 22, morning | U.S. Treasury Sanctions Iran-Linked Crypto Wallets, Freezes $344 Million

U.S. Treasury Sanctions Iran-Linked Crypto Wallets, Freezes $344 Million

The U.S. Treasury said it has sanctioned multiple cryptocurrency wallets linked to Iran and frozen $344 million worth of crypto assets.

According to Odaily, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the department is tracking and disrupting financial networks connected to the Iranian regime. Earlier, Tether announced that it had assisted the U.S. government in freezing $344 million worth of crypto held in two addresses.

Chainalysis analyzed the wallets and found that their activity patterns were similar to the on-chain fund flows of wallets associated with Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). U.S. authorities said blockchain analysis showed the funds had moved through intermediary addresses and transacted with wallets linked to Iran's central bank, indicating they were used to evade sanctions and facilitate international trade.

As background, Iran's cryptocurrency holdings in 2025 were estimated at $7.8 billion, with roughly 50% held by the IRGC as of the fourth quarter of last year.

White House Says Investigation Into Chair Powell Is Still Ongoing

According to Odaily, the White House said the investigation into U.S. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell is still ongoing.

The White House said matters related to the Fed are not necessarily being dropped, signaling continued uncertainty surrounding Powell, the head of U.S. monetary policy.

Investigations and pressure surrounding the Fed chair could raise concerns over the interest-rate path and policy independence, potentially weighing on major crypto assets such as Bitcoin and Ethereum.

Tennessee Bans Crypto ATMs Statewide

The U.S. state of Tennessee has banned the operation of cryptocurrency ATMs statewide.

According to Odaily, Tennessee Governor Bill Lee signed the relevant bill (HB 2505), making Tennessee the second U.S. state after Indiana to implement a full ban.

The law takes effect on July 1. Under the bill, installing or operating a Bitcoin ATM classified as a 'virtual currency self-service terminal' will be treated as a Class A misdemeanor, punishable by up to one year in jail and a $2,500 fine. Stores that allow such machines to be installed may also face legal liability.

Many U.S. states have previously tightened rules on crypto ATMs through licensing requirements and transaction caps. However, a full ban remains rare and is seen as part of a stronger crackdown on scam risks involving crypto ATMs.

Aave DAO Proposes 25,000 ETH Contribution to Help Recover From Kelp rsETH Bridge Incident

Aave DAO has published a proposal to contribute 25,000 ETH to ongoing recovery efforts following the Kelp rsETH bridge incident.

According to Wu Blockchain, the proposal would join recovery efforts led by DeFi United, with 25,000 ETH allocated from the Aave DAO treasury as a fixed contribution.

The Kelp rsETH bridge incident, which occurred on April 18, initially left a shortfall of about 163,183 ETH. After accounting for frozen assets and expected recoveries, the current deficit has been reduced to about 75,081 ETH.

So far, support commitments totaling about 14,570 ETH have been secured, and Mantle has provided a credit facility of up to 30,000 ETH. Under the proposal, any additional donations would first be used to repay Mantle's loan.

The measure is being pursued as part of broader efforts to restore confidence in the rsETH ecosystem and demonstrate coordinated action across the DeFi industry.

AWS Marketplace Integrates Chainlink Data Feeds, Data Streams, and Proof of Reserve Services

AWS Marketplace has integrated Chainlink's Data Feeds, Data Streams, and Proof of Reserve services. Developers can now connect AWS computing, storage, database, and API functions with blockchain smart contracts.

Citing The Block, PANews reported that AWS said Chainlink's oracle infrastructure provides secure two-way connectivity between AWS resources and on-chain smart contracts. This allows institutions to develop tokenized asset and smart contract applications within the familiar AWS environment.

The launch broadens the connection points between traditional cloud environments and blockchain infrastructure. Chainlink has previously expanded its role in linking traditional financial institutions with blockchain-based data systems.

Public Quantum Hardware Used to Crack 15-Bit ECC Key

A case in which public quantum hardware was used to crack a 15-bit elliptic curve cryptography (ECC) key has renewed long-term concerns about Bitcoin security.

According to @WuBlockchain on April 24, independent researcher Giancarlo Relli used public quantum hardware to crack a 15-bit ECC key and won a 1 BTC bounty. The demonstration is being described as the largest publicly shown quantum attack of its kind so far.

Bitcoin currently relies on an ECC-based signature system. Estimates suggest that breaking a 256-bit ECC key in practice could require around 500,000 qubits, and some analyses say as many as 6.9 million BTC could be potentially exposed in such a scenario.

However, this demonstration targeted a very small key and remains experimental, meaning it does not imply an immediate threat to Bitcoin's current cryptographic security.

The case is being interpreted as a reminder of the need for a future post-quantum cryptography upgrade for Bitcoin as quantum computing capabilities continue to advance.

Whale Alert Says 5,000 BTC Moved From Kraken to Unknown Wallet

According to Whale Alert, 5,000 BTC was transferred from Kraken to an unknown wallet. The transaction was worth about $388.92 million.

Large Bitcoin transfers can be interpreted as signals of supply-demand shifts, but it has not been confirmed whether this was actual accumulation or merely a custody wallet reshuffle. Large on-chain transfers are often just internal wallet reorganizations.

Whale Alert Says 200 Million USDT Moved From Tether Treasury to Bitfinex

According to Whale Alert, 200 million USDT was transferred from Tether Treasury to Bitfinex.

The transfer was worth about $200.6 million. However, large on-chain transfers may reflect internal fund reallocation or liquidity provisioning, so it should not be immediately interpreted as a direct buying signal.

Transfers between Tether and Bitfinex have frequently been observed in the past as part of issuance, redemption, or exchange liquidity management.

Whale Alert Says 2,400 BTC Moved From Coinbase to Anonymous Wallet

According to Whale Alert, 2,400 BTC was transferred from Coinbase to an anonymous wallet. The transaction was worth about $186.06 million.

Whale Alert said the funds were moved to an external personal wallet. However, it has not been confirmed whether the transfer was a normal exchange withdrawal or related to an over-the-counter (OTC) transaction.

Large Bitcoin transfers can influence short-term interpretations of supply and demand, but on-chain transactions alone are not enough to determine market direction.

Whale Alert Says 2,770 BTC Moved From Anonymous Wallet to Kraken

According to @whale_alert, 2,770 BTC was transferred from an anonymous wallet to Kraken.

The transaction was worth about $215.93 million. In general, large deposits to exchanges are interpreted as potential sell-side supply and may be viewed as a short-term negative for Bitcoin market conditions.

However, this was a single on-chain transfer, and whether it will lead to actual selling or have any meaningful market impact remains unconfirmed.