BitMine (BMNR) announced a stock buyback plan worth up to $1 billion to strengthen shareholder value and support its long-term Ethereum accumulation. The company currently holds 625,000 ETH, 192 BTC, and $401 million in cash. BitMine’s chairman emphasized that the buyback aligns with their strategy to grow Ethereum holdings while optimizing capital structure. This move reinforces their commitment to digital asset growth and investor confidence in the evolving crypto market.
Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong triggered a bomb squad response this week after receiving a suspicious package at home.
The scare came amid a surge in crime targeting crypto investors and industry billionaires.
Crypto Kidnapping Cases Are Making CEOs Nervous
The Coinbase CEO shared the incident in a post on X (Twitter), reporting what would have otherwise added to the growing list of crimes targeting crypto billionaires.
A delivery to Brian Armstrong’s house alarmed his security guards as its packaging was rather suspicious.
“A white unmarked van pulled up to my house yesterday and dropped off a mysterious package,” Armstrong posted on X.
Armstrong was out of town at the time. However, as is expected for deliveries to high-profile individuals, his guards at the gate x-rayed the package, and the results prompted a security alert.
The X-ray reportedly showed that the package contained a battery, wires, and a cylinder, components typical of a bomb.
Tequila gift or improvised device (Bomb)?Source: Brian Armstrong on X
The means of delivery, a white unmarked van, likely added to the suspicion. What was meant to impress ended up alarming instead.
Based on this, the security team called the bomb squad to investigate, citing questionable packaging complete with electronics.
Given the rise in crypto-related crime, where bad actors target investors and billionaires holding digital assets, this was a legitimate concern from Armstrong’s security detail.
While the foresight was well-informed, the item was ultimately identified as a promotional bottle of tequila from The All-In Podcast, marking an interesting twist.
“In the end they discovered it was a gift from The All-In Podcast guys of their new tequila! I think I will be giving this bottle to my security team for keeping us safe every day,” Armstrong said.
Marketing or Full-Scale Bomb Scare?
Against this backdrop, Armstrong directed interested or prospective buyers to the sender’s website to place orders for a bottle of tequila whose packaging mimics the appearance of an improvised device.
Meanwhile, crypto Twitter reacted with shock, humor, and confusion as the unusual packaging turned heads.
“Genuinely terrifying until I got to the gift part. Glad you’re safe,” one user replied.
Others were more skeptical, calling for an explanation about the use and purpose of the battery and wires.
Are you going to tell us what the battery and wires were doing there?
While ending on a light note, the incident highlights ongoing safety concerns within the crypto industry. Armstrong’s high-profile status undoubtedly makes him a potential target, and recent events serve as good precedent.
Elaborate scams, extortion attempts, and physical threats are potential dangers as the surge in crypto wealth increasingly makes industry leaders possible targets.
The All-In podcast has yet to comment on the packaging choice publicly.
Cardano price reclaims $0.70 as Hoskinson unveils AI agent rollout; on-chain data suggests highly-correlated altcoins like AVAX and LTC may rally alongside ADA.
Cardano Rallies Past $0.70 as Hoskinson Unveils AI-Powered Network Testing
Cardano price climbed 1.5% to surpass the $0.70 mark on Saturday, reversing weekly losses and building bullish momentum.
Over the past 14 days, ADA price has gained 13.3%, driven by investor optimism surrounding a new network update disclosed by Cardano founder Charles Hoskinson.
In a recent post on X, Hoskinson confirmed that Cardano is launching a testnet for its Leios protocol—an advanced initiative aimed at dramatically increasing transaction throughput.
Positioned within Cardano’s 2025 roadmap, Leios is designed to address scalability and prepare the network for post-quantum cryptographic standards.
What sets this testnet apart is the deployment of thousands of AI agents programmed to interact, trade, and simulate high-frequency network transactions
AI Integration Could Push Cardano’s Market Cap Toward $50 Billion
At the time of writing, Cardano trades just above $0.70, valuing the network at $25.5 billion. If AI integration succeeds in delivering its stated scalability goals, Cardano’s valuation could potentially double in the coming months.
Charles Hoskinson shares updates on Leois protocol initiative, May 2, 2025 | Source: X.com
First, the Leios protocol, by increasing network throughput. With faster settlement and reduced latency, Cardano becomes a more viable infrastructure layer for DeFi, gaming, and tokenized real-world assets.
Second, the use of autonomous AI agents aligns Cardano with a growing global trend. Major corporations are investing in AI-powered workflow automation, from logistics to finance. Each of these factors could potential fuel economic activty and capital inflows towards the Cardano network, potentially doubling its market cap from $25 billion to $50 billion in the coming years.
Cardano Rivals to Watch If ADA Market Cap Doubles on AI Momentum
If Cardano’s AI-driven roadmap delivers results, investors may seek exposure to similar assets showing strong correlation to ADA.
IntoTheBlock‘s Correlation Matrix chart below shows top 10 ranked altcoins and their directional movements relative to ADA price over the last 30-days.
Within this context, correlation values closer to 1.0 indicates strong positive correlation. Over the past month, the following tokens have shown high directional movement alongside Cardano.
Litecoin (LTC) shows the strongest correlation with ADA at 0.97.
Avalanche (AVAX) and Shiba Inu (SHIB) each post a 0.96 and 0.95 correlation, respectively, making them top candidates for joint rallies with ATA.
Dogecoin (DOGE) also shows a 0.95 correlation, reflecting shared interest among retail-heavy communities.
Polygon (MATIC), another high-performance layer-2 network, tracks ADA with a 0.90 coefficient, signaling mutual investor confidence in the scalability narrative.
While correlation indicates movement trends, it does not imply causality. However, these have clearly benefitted from the same investor psychology and directional capital flows that lifted ADA price over the last 30-days.
Cardano Price Forecast Today: ADA Eyes $0.76 Target if Bulls Sustain AI Optimism
Cardano price closed at $0.7110 on May 3, staging a 1.85% daily advance despite subdued trading volumes throughout the week. The ADA/USDT daily chart reflects a short-term consolidation pattern as price action remains boxed within the Keltner Channel boundaries between $0.6816 and $0.7607.
This range-bound movement, coupled with a tapering volume profile, points to indecision in the near term.
However, the latest trend still carries a stronger bullish narrative supported by the recent AI agent announcement from Charles Hoskinson, which has injected fresh speculative interest into the network’s future growth prospects.
The MACD histogram continues to trend upward above the zero line, suggesting ongoing momentum. The MACD line itself has crossed above the signal line—a classic bullish setup. However, the shallow angle and muted volume imply a lack of conviction from traders, warranting caution. Cardano price forecast today is moderately bullish in structure, supported by a successful defense of the $0.68 mid-band level.
While short-term upside could be capped at $0.76, sustained optimism around AI-driven decentralization could help ADA reclaim the March highs above $0.90.
