[News Brief] Apr 22, morning | Bitcoin whale buys $1.2 billion worth of BTC as ETF inflows rise

A Bitcoin (BTC) whale address bought $1.2 billion worth of BTC. Spot Bitcoin ETFs also saw $754 million in inflows this week.

CoinDesk reported on the 7th (local time) that large-address accumulation and fund inflows into spot ETFs occurred in the same week. A whale refers to a large address holding a substantial amount of BTC, and the accumulation size is measured by its dollar-denominated valuation.

Tim Scott, chairman of the U.S. Senate Banking Committee, said on the 6th (local time) that he will bring the CLARITY Act, a crypto market regulation bill, to a vote before Congress goes into recess.

He said, "Without question, there will be a vote." In an interview with Fox News, Scott said the Senate could extend its session beyond the next two days, suggesting that more time may be secured to advance the legislation. He said Republicans are coalescing around the bill and that establishing a regulatory framework for crypto is "in America's interest." He added, "We are going to get this done," according to BeInCrypto. The CLARITY Act is centered on clarifying the U.S. digital asset regulatory framework and dividing oversight authority over the crypto market between the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). Supporters believe the bill would provide the industry with clearer rules and help preserve U.S. competitiveness in digital assets. The legislation still faces disagreement in Congress over consumer protection, allocation of regulatory authority, and market risk.

U.S. spot Bitcoin (BTC) exchange-traded funds (ETFs) recorded net inflows of $244.42 million on the 5th (local time).

This extended the streak of net inflows to three consecutive trading days. On the same day, Ethereum (ETH) ETFs also attracted $60.86 million. Combined inflows into the two product categories exceeded $300 million, led by BlackRock, according to Bitcoin.com News. The Hyperliquid (HYPE) ETF also snapped a long-running outflow streak and returned to modest net inflows.

The Shanghai branch of the People's Bank of China said it will continue efforts to prevent and address speculative risks related to cryptocurrency trading.

According to Odaily, the Shanghai branch said at its second-half work meeting that it will strengthen monitoring of financial institutions and crack down on illegal financial activities to prevent systemic financial risks. It also plans to standardize online marketing practices for internet financial products by entities under its jurisdiction.

The remarks came as Chinese authorities continue to treat cryptocurrency trading and speculative activity as financial risk factors and maintain a management-focused stance.

Attacks by Houthi rebels on Saudi Arabia and tensions surrounding the Strait of Hormuz are increasing geopolitical risks to Middle East oil supplies.

According to Irina Slav, the attacks highlighted the possibility of disruptions to Saudi crude supply and contributed to upward pressure on international oil prices.

The Strait of Hormuz is a major oil shipping route, and heightened tensions in the area could increase volatility across global energy markets.

According to Deribit data, about $2.325 billion worth of Bitcoin (BTC) and Ethereum (ETH) options will expire today at 5 p.m. Korea time.

The notional value of BTC options is about $2 billion, with a put-to-call ratio of 0.26 and a max pain price of $63,500. The notional value of ETH options is about $325.3 million, with a put-to-call ratio of 0.73 and a max pain price of $1,800.

Deribit said the expiry could bring strong liquidity and volatility, potentially affecting the short-term options trading environment.

CoinDesk reported in a real-time market update on the 7th (local time) that Bitcoin (BTC) was moving sideways near $64,300.

The move came as talks surrounding the Strait of Hormuz remained deadlocked, pushing Brent crude prices higher. The same report said rising oil prices revived inflation concerns that had capped Bitcoin's upside throughout the summer. CoinDesk identified the U.S. jobs report due later that day as the next key variable.

MetaMask has launched its own custodial AI wallet, called Agent Wallet, according to Odaily.

Agent Wallet is designed to allow AI agents to monitor markets, identify opportunities, and execute on-chain trades within user-defined limits.

Users can set spending limits, approved protocols, and risk parameters, and can choose between Guard Mode and Beast Mode for the level of automation.

The wallet integrates with Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, OpenCL, Hermes, and OpenCode, and supports Hyperliquid and Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM)-compatible networks.

It also supports gas abstraction, allowing users to pay network fees with the asset they are transferring. MetaMask said it applies transaction simulation, threat scanning, and MEV protection to supported trades, and offers transaction protection of up to $10,000 per month for certain losses on transactions that pass its security checks.

Wells Fargo plans to launch a tokenized deposit service for corporate clients this fall.

In the initial stage, it will support transactions between the U.S. dollar and the British pound, and will be automatically applied to eligible transactions that require speed, processing efficiency, or flexibility through integration with existing payment platforms.

Wells Fargo said the system will support 24/7 transfers, including weekends and holidays, and plans to add programmable payment functions that release funds once preset conditions are met.

The related deposits will remain bank liabilities and will continue to retain the regulatory protections and deposit insurance eligibility applied to existing banking products.

Cosmos Labs co-CEO Magmar said Wells Fargo's blockchain infrastructure was built using Cosmos technology. Wells Fargo plans to expand the range of clients, countries, and currencies beginning in 2027.

Deposits in tokenized real-world assets (RWA) reached $7.4 billion in the second quarter of 2026, more than doubling from $2.3 billion a year earlier. Over the same period, total DeFi deposits declined by about 15%.

According to a report by CoinShares and Token Terminal cited by PANews and The Block, the growth was driven by traditional financial products such as tokenized Treasury products and multi-strategy funds. Private credit products and delta-neutral strategies also contributed to the increase.

The report said DEX spot trading volume fell about 70%, while RWA trading volume rose about 220%. Gold-backed tokens XAUT and PAXG accounted for a large share of the trading volume.

Ethereum accounted for about 70% of RWA deposits. Plasma and Solana were also found to be expanding their market share.