[News Brief] Apr 22, morning | U.S. Destroyer-Iranian Forces Clash in the Strait of Hormuz... Oil Prices Surge

Bitcoin Falls Below $80,000

On the 7th (local time), Watcher.Guru (@WatcherGuru) reported on X that Bitcoin had fallen below $80,000. With a key psychological support level broken, market attention is turning to the possibility of increased short-term volatility.

U.S. Destroyer-Iranian Forces Clash in the Strait of Hormuz... Oil Prices Surge

Oil prices surged after a clash between a U.S. destroyer and Iranian forces in the Strait of Hormuz. Amid accusations of a ceasefire violation, concerns over a broader Middle East conflict resurfaced, heightening fears of disruptions to global crude supply.

According to Josh Owens, the clash led to criticism that a roughly month-long ceasefire had been broken, once again elevating geopolitical risks around the Strait of Hormuz, a key corridor for global oil shipments.

The Strait of Hormuz is a critical passageway through which a significant portion of global oil flows. If tensions continue to escalate, volatility in both international oil prices and financial markets could increase. Rising demand for safe-haven assets could also become a short-term headwind for major cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin and Ethereum.

UAE National Emergency Crisis and Disaster Management Authority: "Air Defense Systems Responding to Missile Threats"

The UAE National Emergency Crisis and Disaster Management Authority stated that its air defense systems are currently responding to missile threats.

According to Odaily, the report was delivered citing Jin10. The announcement signals the potential for heightened military tensions in the Middle East, which could weigh on sentiment toward risk assets.

U.S. Treasury Requests Binance Explain Compliance Regarding Iran-Related Transactions

The U.S. Treasury has sent Binance a letter requesting an explanation of its compliance efforts and stronger supervisory cooperation related to recent reports on Iran-linked cryptocurrency transactions, according to Odaily citing The Information.

The move comes as U.S. regulators continue to monitor cross-border fund flows on crypto platforms. Previous investigations and reports have raised the possibility that Iran and related entities may have transferred funds through centralized exchanges, drawing attention from the Treasury Department and the Department of Justice.

Coinbase Says Some Services Experiencing Performance Degradation Due to AWS Outage

Coinbase said that some users may experience degraded platform performance due to an AWS service disruption.

According to panewslab.com, Coinbase Support said it is investigating the issue and will provide further updates if necessary. The company added that user funds remain safe despite the outage.

The incident highlights how cloud infrastructure disruptions can affect exchange service stability.

Coinbase to Suspend Trading of 12 Perpetual Futures Contracts

Coinbase will suspend trading of 12 perpetual futures contracts on May 21, including KAITO, SENT, SAHARA, CAKE, TOSHI, AKT, VET, ANIME, THETA, ZK, KERNEL, and BARD, according to PANews.

According to the report, trading will halt at 9:00 p.m. Beijing time on May 21, and all open positions will be automatically settled at that time. The final settlement price will be calculated based on the average index price during the 60 minutes before trading stops, and the funding rate during the final settlement period will be set to zero.

Coinbase said it reserves the right to halt trading when necessary and adjust the final settlement price to a reasonable level. It explained that the measure is intended to maintain the quality of its derivatives market by focusing on products that continue to meet liquidity and market quality standards.

Aptos Allocates More Than $50 Million to Strategic Fund

The Aptos Foundation and Aptos Labs said they will allocate more than $50 million to a strategic fund for internal products, research, protocol infrastructure, and trading and AI partners.

According to Wu Blockchain on X, Decibel, operating on Aptos mainnet, has surpassed $1 billion in cumulative trading volume. Aptos network stablecoin market capitalization has reached $1.93 billion, while its real-world asset (RWA) footprint has grown to $1.2 billion.

It was also stated that asset managers including BlackRock, Franklin Templeton, and Apollo Global are participating on the Aptos network. Aptos said it also plans to further develop encrypted mempools, FIX and CCXT integration, multi-leader consensus, and private perpetual futures trading features.

BNY Confirms Investment in Bitcoin and Digital Assets

News has emerged that BNY, one of the world's major banks, has confirmed that it is investing in Bitcoin and digital assets.

The source, Pete Rizzo (@pete_rizzo_), shared this based on a video of BNY's remarks, interpreting it as a sign of broader institutional participation in digital assets.

BNY is a global financial firm with $2.1 trillion in assets under management. If confirmed, the development could further support the broader trend of traditional finance embracing Bitcoin.

Fairshake-Affiliated PACs Spend $7.2 Million Supporting Candidates in Five States

Crypto industry political action committee (PAC) groups affiliated with Fairshake spent a total of $7.2 million this week supporting candidates in five U.S. states.

According to a PANews report on the 8th citing Cointelegraph, Protect Progress PAC, under the Fairshake umbrella, spent about $1.6 million supporting Democratic candidate Jasmine Clark in Georgia's 13th District and Christian Menefee in Texas' 18th District. It also pledged $1.5 million to oppose the reelection of incumbent Representative Al Green.

Defend American Jobs PAC deployed $5.6 million to support Buddy Carter, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Adrian Smith, and Senate candidates Katie Britt and Andy Barr. Barr alone received more than $3.5 million in support, and he previously voted in favor of the GENIUS Act and the CLARITY Act.

The spending illustrates the growing political influence of the crypto industry in U.S. elections, with the sector focusing support on candidates viewed as favorable toward regulation, stablecoins, and market structure legislation.

Jito (JTO) Surges on Expectations for New Trading Engine JTX

Jito (JTO) is surging on expectations surrounding the launch of a new trading engine, JTX, designed for professional investors.

According to Odaily, based on OKX market data, JTO has continued its recent upward trend, rising more than 45% over the past 24 hours to trade at 0.597 USDT.

Jito previously said it plans to launch JTX, an on-chain trading engine aimed at professional users. Jito described JTX as an on-chain trading platform integrating charting, order execution, portfolio management, and treasury management functions.

Nick Armond, Head of Governance at Jito, said the system is designed so that 80% of JTX revenue will flow back to the JTO token.