[News Brief] Apr 22, morning | White House Teases ‘Major Announcement’ on Strategic Bitcoin Reserve Within Weeks

White House Teases ‘Major Announcement’ on Strategic Bitcoin Reserve Within Weeks

The White House has signaled that a 'major announcement' related to former President Trump’s strategic Bitcoin reserve will be made within the coming weeks.

According to PANewsLab, Patrick Witt, executive director of the White House Presidential Council of Advisers for Digital Assets, said at the Bitcoin 2026 event that since Trump signed the executive order on a strategic Bitcoin reserve last year, the government has been reviewing ways to protect and integrate digital assets—especially Bitcoin—on the federal balance sheet.

He added that a more specific announcement on the matter is expected in the next few weeks.

Related legislation is also being revived in Congress. Senator Cynthia Lummis and Representative Nick Begich are reintroducing the former BITCOIN Act under a new name, the “United States Reserve Assets Modernization Act,” which proposes purchasing 1 million BTC over five years in a budget-neutral manner.

Begich had also separately reintroduced the bill earlier, saying he would codify Trump’s executive order into a permanent Bitcoin reserve framework through legislation.

SEC Seeks Public Comment on Rule Change That Could Affect NYSE Arca Crypto ETF Listing Structures

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has opened public comment on a proposed rule change by NYSE Arca that could affect the listing structure of crypto ETFs.

According to PANewsLab, the SEC published a notice requesting comment on NYSE Arca’s proposed rule change. The proposal would require that at least 85% of a commodity trust’s assets meet existing eligibility standards, with derivatives measured by gross notional value.

Eligible assets include Bitcoin, Ethereum, Solana, and XRP. These assets must have futures trading on a designated market for at least six months and represent a significant weight in ETFs. NFTs and collectibles are explicitly excluded.

For example, if a trust holds Bitcoin and over-the-counter call options tied to a Bitcoin ETF, only about 71% of the portfolio may qualify under the proposal, meaning it may fail to meet the threshold.

The proposal is intended to allow the listing of a wider range of products while limiting exposure to non-qualifying assets. The SEC may approve or reject the proposal during the review period, or initiate further proceedings.

U.S. Senate Has Only About 9–10 Effective Weeks to Process the CLARITY Act

Analysts say the U.S. Senate has only about 9 to 10 effective weeks to process the CLARITY Act before the August congressional recess.

According to Odaily, Ji Kim, CEO of the Crypto Council for Innovation, said amendments to the CLARITY Act are expected to move forward in May, and the industry hopes to get the bill to Trump’s desk for signature before August.

However, once recess schedules and competing legislative priorities are taken into account, the Senate’s actual available time is limited. The bill must first pass the Senate Banking Committee, and disagreement over stablecoin yields and reward structures has been identified as a major stumbling block.

The legislation is aimed at clarifying the U.S. regulatory framework for crypto markets and is therefore expected to have broad implications for the digital asset industry.

T. Rowe Price Files Third Amended Registration for Active Crypto ETF

T. Rowe Price has filed its third amended registration statement for an actively managed crypto ETF.

On April 28, Bloomberg ETF analyst Eric Balchunas said the proposed ticker is 'TOKN' and the fee rate is 0.75%. He added that the product is likely to launch soon.

Balchunas noted that T. Rowe Price is the largest active asset manager to enter this segment so far, making the ETF one to watch.

The filing is seen as part of a broader trend of large traditional asset managers expanding into the crypto ETF market.

South Korea’s National Tax Service to Require Overseas Crypto Asset Reporting and Collect Transaction Data From 56 Countries Starting Next Year

According to The Korea Times, South Korea’s National Tax Service (NTS) has recovered KRW 33.9 billion in unpaid taxes over the past nine months since launching a new international cooperation system. Starting next year, the NTS will require overseas crypto asset reporting and receive related transaction data from 56 countries.

PANewsLab, citing The Korea Times on April 28, reported that since the introduction of the new system in July 2025, the NTS has collected KRW 33.9 billion (about $23 million) in delinquent taxes through cooperation with tax authorities in three countries. That accounts for most of the KRW 37.2 billion recovered across borders since 2015.

The NTS currently operates information exchange systems with 163 countries to strengthen tracking of hidden overseas assets. Beginning next year, under a new crypto reporting framework, it plans to receive virtual asset transaction data from 56 countries and use it for overseas crypto asset reporting.

The NTS also plans to begin exchanging information on overseas real estate holdings and transactions starting in 2030. The move is seen as part of a broader policy push to crack down on hidden offshore assets and cross-border tax evasion.

The agency also said it participated in a foreign bankruptcy proceeding for the first time and secured creditor status in the bankruptcy case of a real estate developer that filed in Indonesia.

Block Launches Touchscreen Hardware Wallet Bitkey and Adds Automatic Bitcoin Purchases in Cash App

Block has launched a touchscreen-enabled hardware wallet called Bitkey and introduced automatic Bitcoin purchases in Cash App.

According to PANews on April 28, the payments company founded by Jack Dorsey unveiled the new Bitkey hardware wallet featuring a secure touchscreen. Bitkey supports a 2-of-3 multisig structure, can be used without a seed phrase, and includes inheritance planning features. Pre-orders are currently open.

Cash App has added a feature that automatically converts received peer-to-peer transfers into Bitcoin. It is also offering 5% Bitcoin cashback on purchases made with Square merchants. Withdrawal limits have been raised to $10,000 per day and $25,000 per week, and fees and spreads are waived for purchases of $2,000 or more.

Block also published proof of reserves for the Bitcoin held by Cash App, Square, and its own treasury. Users can verify the holdings directly through on-chain signatures.

Square merchants now support Bitcoin NFC tap-to-pay, with near-instant settlement via the Lightning Network. Related processing fees will be waived through 2026.

Block had previously released proof-of-reserves materials verifying about $2.2 billion worth of Bitcoin holdings.

Galaxy Digital-Linked Wallets Deposit 45,000 ETH to Exchanges Over 15 Hours

Two wallets linked to Galaxy Digital deposited a total of 45,000 ETH into centralized exchanges including Binance, Bybit, and OKX over the past 15 hours.

On April 28, PANews, citing Lookonchain monitoring, said the transfers were worth about $104 million.

Large exchange inflows are typically interpreted as a sign of increased sellable supply and may be viewed as a short-term headwind for Ethereum market supply-demand dynamics.

Spot Bitcoin ETFs See Net Inflows for 9 Consecutive Trading Days

Spot Bitcoin ETFs recorded net inflows for nine consecutive trading days. Cumulative inflows totaled about $2.1 billion, though some analysts argued that recent gains were driven more by ETF inflows and short liquidations than by strong spot demand.

According to Odaily, SoSoValue data showed that on April 24, spot Bitcoin ETFs recorded net inflows of $14.45 million, extending the streak to nine trading days. Total inflows during that stretch reached about $2.1 billion. Total inflows last week came to $823.7 million, while BlackRock’s IBIT recorded $983 million in weekly inflows.

Market interpretation remained mixed. According to CryptoQuant founder Ki Young Ju, the Bitcoin market is currently being driven by futures, with open interest continuing to rise, while apparent on-chain demand remains negative aside from ETF inflows and purchases by MicroStrategy.

A senior analyst at CEX.IO also said the recent rally has depended heavily on short liquidations. Since April 13, short liquidations have totaled about $2.8 billion, far above long liquidations of $1.8 billion. Some ETF demand may also have come from basis trades involving buying IBIT while shorting CME Bitcoin futures. This is a market-neutral strategy rather than a pure bullish bet.

The options market has also shown signs of caution. The current 25-delta skew remains in negative territory, suggesting investors are paying a premium for downside protection.

Colombia’s Largest Pension Fund Launches Bitcoin Fund

Colombia’s largest pension fund has launched a Bitcoin (BTC) fund, according to @pete_rizzo on X.

The pension fund said that “denying Bitcoin is ignoring the reality of global markets,” explaining the rationale behind the launch. The move is seen as another sign of growing Bitcoin adoption among traditional financial institutions, including pension funds.

Israel Approves Shekel-Pegged Stablecoin BILS

Israel’s Capital Market, Insurance and Savings Authority has approved BILS, a shekel-pegged stablecoin issued by crypto exchange Bits of Gold, according to PANews citing Cointelegraph.

BILS completed a two-year pilot on the Solana blockchain. Its reserves are held in designated segregated accounts within Israel.

Bits of Gold said BILS directly connects the Israeli shekel with the global digital asset ecosystem, supporting real-time payments, on-chain transactions, and regulated local-currency-based programmable financial services.

The approval marks a regulated local-currency stablecoin case in Israel and could expand the use of Solana-based stablecoins.