Another eventful week in finance, with several events having an impact on the cryptocurrency market.
Monday – Institutional Adoption Keeps Growing
We started off the week with several reports of growing institutional investments in Bitcoin. On Monday, the largest corporate BTC holding in the world, Strategy, expanded even more its reserves, adding $480 million in Bitcoin—growing its total reserve to 580k BTC.
On that same date, we reported how the Blockchain Group—Europe’s first Bitcoin treasury fund—allocated €63 million in convertible bonds, with the intent of using these funds to purchase Bitcoin.
Following these moves, regulatory shifts also made headlines. The UK announced that starting in 2026, crypto platforms will need to comply with new CARF-based reporting requirements. HMRC will mandate full identification of individuals and entities, alongside detailed transaction-level data, reinforcing stricter oversight in the sector.
Thursday – Trump Media Going All In on BTC
On Thursday, we reported how Trump Media Group was set to invest $2.5 billion in Bitcoin, following suit with the growing institutional BTC investment trend. This major purchase would lead the company to become a top-3 BTC holder among publicly traded companies.
Building on that trend, Bitcoin’s role in global competition gained further traction. U.S. Senator Cynthia Lummis revealed that military officials strongly support the creation of a strategic Bitcoin reserve, emphasizing its potential for economic resilience.
Finally, Bitcoin payments are shifting from theory to reality. Block, the company behind Square, announced that BTC transactions will be fully integrated into its merchant ecosystem by 2026.
Wednesday – Elon Musk Steps Down
Wednesday started off with another institutional push in the crypto space, this time focused on Ethereum staking. Cactus Custody and Chorus One joined forces to integrate Cactus Link with ETH Vaults, streamlining access for institutions.
Hedge fund giant BlackRock is also reportedly aiming for a major stake at Circle, the company responsible for issuing USDC. According to reports, BlackRock may invest $600 million for a 10% stake at Circle.
Arguably, the biggest breaking news of the day was the announcement that Elon Musk would be stepping down from his position as head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), after only 5 months in office.
Thursday – Trader Loses $100 Million in BTC Long Position
The second reading of America’s economic performance in Q1 confirmed a 0.2% decrease in economic power.
This, in combination with traders taking profits, led the crypto market to halt its ascent. One trader, popular crypto influencer James Wynn, was among the largest liquidations not only of the day, but of all time. As Bitcoin reverted back to $104K, this investor lost a whopping $100 million in a 40x leveraged long Bitcoin position.
On a brighter note, the SEC ended its 2-year legal scuffle with Binance and its founder, Changpeng Zhao. Meanwhile, Phemex prepared to launch its largest crypto trading competition to date, offering a $5 million prize pool.
In other news, the country of Germany is preparing to impose major taxes on tech giants Google and Meta, according to Wolfram Weimer.
Friday – PCE Report
Friday was the date that the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis released the Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE) Report. This data is often seen as the Federal Reserve’s preferred inflation gauge, and will hold a lot of significance in the Fed’s next interest rate decision.
In another development, the SEC issued new guidance on crypto staking, marking a significant shift in regulatory stance.
Also on Friday, XRP staking took a step forward with Uphold launching tests via Flare FAssets. This move opens the door for yield opportunities and broader DeFi integration, allowing XRP holders to access EVM-compatible protocols despite XRP’s non-native smart contract functionality.
Finally, despite the PCE Report showing that inflation appears to be under control, markets continued to react negatively throughout the day. Donald Trump’s tensions with the Chinese Government were back, massive Bitcoin options expired, and other reasons eventually led the crypto market to lose over $180 billion in a single day.
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