Cryptocurrencies had yet another eventful week on April 13–20, with many incidents, including the Federal Reserve’s reaction to Donald Trump´s tariff policy, the escalating trade war between the U.S. and China, and several other key events that shook up crypto and financial markets all across the world.
Monday – April 14 (BTC Price: $84,500)
On Monday, the day started off with Federal Reserve Governor Christopher Waller alleviating some of the pressure on the economic state of the United States related to the tariffs. In a statement on April 14, Waller claimed that he expects that “elevated inflation would be temporary”, hinting that the Fed will have enough leeway to adjust to sudden changes in the American economic performance.
On that same day, we reported how central banks all across the world have been stockpiling Gold, another hint that nations are expecting a potential recession.
Tuesday – April 15 (BTC Price: $85,828)
Tuesday’s news was a bit more crypto-oriented than the previous day. On April 15, reports of an integration between SUI and Babylon on the Babylon Genesis Chain surfaced, signaling a potential leap forward in blockchain interoperability.
Meanwhile, the layer-2 scaling solution ZkSync reported a major cyber attack where $5 million in ZK tokens were stolen. Tuesday was also the date Ripple announced the full integration of its stablecoin $RLUSD to its payment system.
Wednesday – April 16 (BTC Price: $83,713)
The news that the U.S. was to implement the almost-unthinkable 245% tariff rate on Chinese products sent Bitcoin and nearly all financial assets plunging once again.
In the meantime, the world’s second-largest CEX by trading volume—OKX— announced a triumphant return to U.S. operations. Concurrently, Swedish lawmakers took a step forward toward creating a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve in the region.
Also on Wednesday, the SEC had officially dropped its lawsuit against Coinbase, marking a major victory for DeFi companies in the U.S.
Meanwhile, Fed Chairman Jerome Powell assessed the potential impact of Trump’s tariff policy, hinting that interest rate cuts could be in jeopardy as the inflationary impact of the aggressive foreign trade policy significantly shakes the U.S. economic performance.
Thursday – April 17 (BTC Price: $84,610)
The day began with reports that Russia is considering creating a new stablecoin, following sanctions that froze the nation’s USDT wallets.
On that same date, the European Central Bank announced yet another interest rate cut. Despite fears that the world’s economy is about to enter a recession due to the looming trade war, the ECB decided to proceed with the cut, hoping to stimulate economic growth amid global uncertainties
The news of the seventh consecutive interest rate cut in Europe sent Donald Trump fuming to complain on social media. On the occasion, the President openly attacked Fed Chair Jerome Powell, calling him “too slow” — while asking for his resignation.
On a brighter note, initial reports about several nations wanting to meet with the U.S. to discuss tariffs arose. According to the news, even China was open to discussing with Trump and potentially reaching an agreement.
Friday — April 18 (BTC Price: $84,704)
On Rebecca Black’s favorite day of the week, headlines brought another wave of market-shifting events. The launch of Asia’s first XRP tracker in history marked a milestone for Ripple’s global expansion, signaling good things for Ripple and its altcoin $XRP. Ripple enthusiasts also watched Gemini announce an integration of XRP into its free algorithmic strategies.
Meanwhile, Coinbase faced yet another legal battle, this time from the State of Oregon, reigniting concerns over crypto regulation in the U.S. While the SEC recently backed down from its lawsuit against the exchange, as we reported earlier in the week, Oregon stepped in, accusing Coinbase of violating state securities laws.
Beyond these major moves, Bitcoin made headlines in Arizona, reaching the finals in a key legislative decision, although Governor Katie Hobbs threatened to veto the effort. Elsewhere, Project Eleven launched the Bitcoin Quantum Challenge, offering 1 BTC to anyone who could break Bitcoin’s public key encryption, raising fresh debates about the future of quantum security in crypto.
Did you know WEEX is offering a 50% deposit bonus? Deposit and get a 50% bonus, up to 1,000 USDT. It’s a great way to increase your trading potential—make sure to take advantage before the offer ends!
