Donald Trump announced today that he’s instituting a 90-day pause on all tariffs except those on China. Bitcoin has surged over $80,000, while altcoins like XRP, Solana, and Cardano surged more than 10% in just minutes of the announcement.
The Dow Jones and stock market reacted similarly, surging by 2,000 points after the news. The US President has now added a total of 125% tariff on China, while pausing others.
Today, however, Trump has made a surprising reversal. Although he is increasing tariffs against China to 125%, he is repealing those on other nations.
Based on the lack of respect that China has shown to the World’s Markets, I am hereby raising the Tariff charged to China by the United States of America to 125%, effective immediately. At some point, hopefully in the near future, China will realize that the days of ripping off…
— Donald J. Trump Posts From His Truth Social (@TrumpDailyPosts) April 9, 2025
This news immediately caused a substantial rally in the markets. At 1:30 PM Eastern Time, the Dow Jones responded by shooting upwards over 2000 points, and this was mirrored in other high-profile stocks.
Dow Jones Reacts to Tariff Relief. Source: Google Finance
Still, the erratic nature of Trump’s tariff strategy has left more than a few open questions. In his announcement, Trump only mentioned China’s retaliation strategy by name, lumping all other countries together.
However, a few crucial markets, like the EU, also retaliated. It is currently unclear how Trump will treat other actors, as China is his main target.
Open questions like this may continue to cause market uncertainty. As analyst Joe Wiesenthal pointed out, Trump has already caused a lot of economic chaos with his tariff threats alone.
Will he retaliate against nations other than China? Will former allies continue pulling away from the US? These live questions may frustrate long-term economic gain
According to CME FedWatch data, the probability of a Federal Reserve interest rate cut in May has plunged from 57% to just 15%. This is due to President Trump’s 90-day tariff pause and newly released March FOMC minutes.
The March 18–19 FOMC minutes, released Tuesday, confirm that policymakers remain cautious on easing.
FOMC Minutes Reveal Hawkish Caution
While the Fed acknowledged solid economic growth and stable labor markets, officials noted that inflation is still running above the 2% target.
Many participants emphasized upside risks to inflation, particularly from broad-based tariff increases and potential supply chain disruptions.
Several Fed members observed that inflation prints for January and February came in higher than expected, and warned that the effects of new tariffs — particularly on core goods — may prove more persistent than anticipated.
Federal Reserve’s Interest Rate Cut Probability in May 2025. Source: CME FedWatch
Although participants supported maintaining current interest rates, they stressed that policy flexibility is essential as uncertainty surrounding trade, fiscal, and immigration policy clouds the outlook.
As of now, Trump’s decision to pause new tariffs for most countries for 90 days while raising Chinese tariffs to 125% has reduced fears of a full-blown trade war.
However, retaliatory action from China and elevated inflation expectations reinforce the Fed’s hawkish stance. So, policymakers are signaling they are in no rush to cut rates.
What It Means for Crypto
As we have seen lately, crypto markets are macro-sensitive assets. A more hawkish Fed stance and reduced odds of near-term rate cuts could lead to:
Lower liquidity expectations, weighing on crypto asset prices.
Stronger dollar pressure, potentially reducing Bitcoin’s appeal as an inflation hedge.
Higher volatility, as macro uncertainty intensifies and rate cut hopes fade.
For now, the Fed’s message is clear: monetary policy remains data-dependent, but a pivot is off the table unless economic conditions deteriorate sharply.
The market is currently rallying after Trump’s 90-day Tariff pause. However, Crypto investors hoping for tailwinds from rate cuts may have to wait.
Hedera’s Long/Short ratio has soared to a 30-day high, signaling a bullish shift in market sentiment.
This comes amid severe market volatility and huge long liquidations across many assets. With growing bullish sentiment, HBAR could reverse its downward trend and record gains in the near term.
HBAR Shows Bullish Signs as Long Positions Surge
Despite a broader market downturn that has weighed on altcoin prices, HBAR is bucking the trend in terms of investor positioning.
Coinglass data shows that many traders are entering long positions on the token, indicating growing confidence in a potential upside move. This is reflected by its Long/Short, which currently sits at a 30-day high of 1.06 at press time.
The long/short ratio measures the proportion of long positions (bets on price increases) to short positions (bets on price declines) in the market. A ratio below one means there are more short positions than long positions.
Conversely, as with HBAR, when an asset’s long/short ratio is above one, more traders are holding long positions than short positions, indicating a bullish market sentiment.
Further, HBAR’s open interest has climbed, supporting this bullish outlook. As of this writing, it is at $142 million, rising 3% in the past 24 hours. Notably, during this period, HBAR’s price is down 2%.
When an asset’s price falls, but open interest rises, it suggests that traders are still actively entering new positions, potentially anticipating a future price rebound despite the current decline.
A combined reading of HBAR’s long/short ratio and rising open interest amid falling prices signals that the majority of its traders have a bullish outlook. This indicates that even with price declines, HBAR traders anticipate an upward trend in the near future.
Profit-Taking Threatens HBAR’s Rally
At press time, HBAR exchanges hands at $0.15. The gradual resurgence in bullish sentiment and new demand could reverse its current downtrend and push HBAR toward $0.17.
BeInCrypto had the opportunity to sit down with Laura K. Inamedinova, Chief Ecosystem Officer at Gate.io, during the Next Block Expo, The Blockchain Festival of Europe 2025. As one of the leading figures in the Web3 and crypto space, Laura shared her insights on the current state of the venture capital industry, its challenges, and the exciting opportunities emerging in 2025.
In this interview, Laura discusses the factors that are shaping the future of Web3 venture capital, the potential for stablecoins and real-world asset tokenization, and how global regulatory advancements are paving the way for more institutional involvement in the sector. Her expertise offers valuable guidance for anyone looking to understand the next phase of crypto and blockchain development.
The Resurgence of Web3 Venture Capital: Key Drivers for 2025
BeInCrypto (BIC): Given the challenging VC landscape in 2024, what factors do you believe will drive a potential resurgence in Web3 venture capital activity in 2025?
Laura K. Inamedinova (LKI): After a tough 2024, I think we’re finally seeing the pieces fall into place for a strong Web3 VC comeback in 2025. Regulations are becoming clearer; the US is dropping major lawsuits like Ripple, and Trump announced a $17 billion crypto reserve.
That shift alone has already brought results: we saw $861 million in crypto VC deals just in Q1, which is a clear sign of renewed confidence. What’s also fueling the comeback is global capital.
For example, Gate Ventures launched a $100 million fund with UAE last year, and Abu Dhabi invested $2 billion into Binance, positioning the region as a new hotspot for Web3 investment. Overall, Web3 venture capital activity is shifting back to the early stage. In 2024, 85% of VC deals were seed or Series A, backing infrastructure-first projects like modular chains like Celestia and Move-based networks like Movement Labs.
Institutional Involvement and Regulatory Advancements Shaping Investment Strategies
BIC: Last year marked the rise of institutional involvement in Web3 and regulatory advancements for the industry. How do you see these factors influencing your investment strategy in the coming year?
LKI: This has been a cycle of contrasts. Retail chased hype-driven meme coins, while institutions played it safe, focusing on stablecoins and tokenized assets.
Regulatory clarity is now reinforcing that shift: MiCA in Europe and new US frameworks under the Trump administration are making yield-bearing stablecoins and risk-adjusted RWAs like tokenized treasuries more attractive. In a high-interest-rate environment, these assets offer stable returns – a much safer bet for serious investors.
Our investment thesis aligns with this institutional trend, focusing on RWA tokenization platforms and stablecoin ecosystems. By backing the infrastructure that enables compliant, scalable adoption, we position ourselves at the core of crypto’s institutional evolution.
Consumer-Oriented Solutions in Web3
BIC: Which areas of Web3 (e.g., NFTs, DeFi, DAOs, etc.) do you believe will maintain its momentum into 2025, and why?
LKI: To predict the next big narratives, we need to understand what’s holding the market back today. Most projects have been heavily B2B-focused, catering to existing industry players rather than expanding the ecosystem by attracting a fresh audience from Web2. This inward-facing approach has limited mainstream adoption. It created an echo chamber where innovation circulates among the same user base without reaching new consumers.
Put simply, for one project to win, three others need to die. The true winners of this cycle will be those who shift their focus to consumer-oriented solutions, designing products and experiences that resonate with everyday users. By prioritizing accessibility, usability, and real-world value, these projects will finally break the cycle and catalyze the beginning of the bull market.
Apart from the B2C focused apps, I see strong potential in AI, RWA, and payment solutions. It goes without saying, AI is here to stay. But instead of simple ChatGPT-wrapped AI agents, we’ll see more advanced, integrated solutions with real-world applications, including robotics.
This will unlock a ton of new use cases in automated security, AI-driven trading, and on-chain decision-making, to name just a few. I see AI transforming from an external tool into a fundamental layer of Web3. RWA tokenization will continue to gain momentum, especially with the integration of AI-powered RWAs.
Major institutions like State Street are already exploring AI-driven tokenized bonds and money market funds. There’s a growing alignment between traditional finance and blockchain. This isn’t a niche development – it’s an opportunity to unlock liquidity in a $70 trillion+ asset class. With RWA tokenization projected to surpass $50 billion by the end of 2025, the addition of AI will introduce automation, scalability, and transparency – critical elements for mass adoption.
Payments will also be a key driver. Stablecoins are seeing increased adoption for cross-border transactions, remittances, and on-chain settlements. Regulatory clarity and improved UX will accelerate this trend, making stablecoins a core component for the future of global finance.
Bartek Juraszek of BeInCrypto speaks with Laura K. Inamedinova at Next Block Expo
Stablecoins as Core Infrastructure for Venture Capital
BIC: Stablecoin development attracted significant venture capital in the last quarter of 2024. Do you see this trend continuing, and what specific aspects of stablecoin projects are you prioritizing?
LKI: Stablecoins were a major VC focus in late 2024, and I see that trend continuing in 2025. Just in Q4, stablecoin projects pulled in $649 million across nine deals; that’s nearly 18% of all crypto VC funding. We’re also seeing strong signals from traditional finance: Fidelity is testing its own stablecoin, and Trump-linked World Liberty Financial launched USD1.
With over $239 billion in stablecoins already in circulation, this space isn’t just growing, it’s becoming core infrastructure for payments, trading, and settlements across both DeFi and TradFi.
What’s getting the most attention now is the rise of gold-backed stablecoins. Tokens like Tether’s XAUT and Paxos’ PAXG now hold a combined market cap of over $1.4 billion, a massive jump from just $12 million in 2020. These asset-backed models bring real-world value on-chain and offer protection against inflation, which is super attractive in today’s macro environment.
Based on this, we’re prioritizing stablecoin projects that have strong collateral models, clear regulatory paths, and real use cases beyond speculation, especially those bridging into RWAs or global payments.
Innovations in DeFi and Infrastructure
BIC: DeFi and Infrastructure followed closely behind the top categories. What specific innovations within these sectors are you most excited about for potential funding in 2025?
LKI: I think in DeFi, the real momentum is getting toward projects that merge automation with usability and compliance. One standout is DeFi Agents AI ($DEFAI), which raised $1.2 million in January 2025, backed by GameFi.org and eesee.io. It is building an AI trading assistant layered with restaking mechanics. So, you’re not just trading; you’re staking for revenue share and training custom models.
Add to that tools like Griffain, which reduces impermanent loss by 22%, and VaderAI, running 10,000+ on-chain transactions daily, and you start to see a new class of DeFi products built for scale, efficiency, and real usage. As MiCA 2.0 rolls out in Europe, platforms that offer AI-powered compliance and risk tools will stand out in both funding rounds and user adoption.
From an infrastructure perspective, we’re seeing strong capital flow into AI-ready backend systems that support these DeFi layers. CoreWeave, backed by over $1.1 billion from Nvidia and Microsoft, is scaling AI-optimized data centers that can support up to 5 million DeFi agents per site.
On the enterprise side, Cisco’s acquisition of strong intelligence and deeper insights AI shows how serious legacy tech firms are about owning the infrastructure layer. For investors, this is where the edge is. Make sure to check out projects that are building the high-speed, compliant infrastructure that will quietly power the next wave of DeFi and on-chain automation.
Not Just Meme Coins and AI Agents: Is Web3 Maturing?
BIC: The last couple of months suggested a shift away from meme coins and AI agents. What do you attribute this change in investor sentiment to, and what does it suggest about the maturity of the Web3 market?
LKI: The recent shift away from memes and AI agents reflects a growing maturity in the Web3 market. Meme coins, while often popular in speculative cycles, generally lack real utility, making them unsustainable in the long run.
AI agents are still in their infancy – most projects offer similar functionalities, suffer from technical limitations, and remain too buggy for practical use. As the market matures, investors are becoming more discerning, prioritizing projects with tangible value, strong fundamentals, and real-world applications.
This shift suggests a move toward more sustainable narratives, such as payments, RWA tokenization, and infrastructure, signaling that Web3 is evolving beyond hype-driven trends into a phase of real adoption and long-term growth.
BIC: What types of projects and what qualities of projects are you most looking for in 2025?
LKI: We have multiple criteria when evaluating projects with the best fit for our venture arm. First, we’re looking for projects that are led by experienced founders with a proven track record in Web3, ideally with a successful exit in the past.
Second, we prioritize businesses with existing investor backing, whether in the current or previous rounds. We evaluate each project on a case-by-case basis, but our investment thesis generally revolves around stablecoins, payments, new technology, infrastructure, and US-based projects.
Third, we take into consideration the project’s valuation, tokenomics, and burn rate.
Last but not least, we assess the company’s ability to drive real-world adoption, offering solutions with a clear path to mainstream success.
Conclusion: Venture Capital in Web3
BIC: How do you balance the pursuit of emerging trends with the need for sustainable, long-term value creation in your Web3 investments?
LKI: One of the clearest signals this cycle has been the rise of AI agent coins – they hit a $16.6 billion market cap early in 2025. It shows that when you combine a viral narrative with actual user engagement, there’s staying power.
From there, we saw that the bigger trend wasn’t just AI; it was AI fused with tokenization. Projects like Centrifuge, which tokenizes real-world assets like invoices and real estate to unlock liquidity for businesses, are doing exactly that. They’re not hype plays; they’re solving real inefficiencies in traditional finance using on-chain rails.
We’re also seeing strong signals from early-stage modular blockchain ecosystems that are building quietly but with clear scalability goals. We lean into trends but only when the tech underneath has the foundation to last.
Laura K. Inamedinova speaks at NBX
About Laura K. Inamedinova
An award-winning serial entrepreneur, investor, and keynote speaker sharing her insights on Web3 space since 2016. She currently holds a dual role within the Gate ecosystem, managing the global growth of the exchange and attracting new investments to its venture arm – GVC.
In her position as a CGEO at Gate.io, she builds cross-border partnerships and as a Principal at Gate Ventures, Laura oversees investments, partnerships, and development of the fund.
Before joining Gate.io, she founded a Web3 marketing agency, LKI Consulting, which she grew to 8-figures. This led her to be globally acclaimed as one of the “10 Women Entrepreneurs” by Entrepreneur Magazine and among the “Top 10 Women in International Business” by Silicon Valley Times. She was named one of Forbes’ 30 Under 30 Blockchain Visionaries, recognizing her impact on the global crypto ecosystem.
On a personal level, Laura is a successful angel investor with 40+ projects in her portfolio, an ex-Forbes and Huffington Post columnist, and an internationally renowned speaker with a track record of 156+ conferences in 25+ countries.
About Gate.io
Gate.io is a global cryptocurrency exchange platform that facilitates the buying, selling, and trading of over 3,800 digital assets. It offers a variety of products and services, including spot and futures trading, staking, decentralized finance (DeFi) solutions, Web3 wallets, and educational resources.
Additionally, Gate.io provides a range of tools for managing crypto investments, such as exchange wallets, live market data, and token airdrops. The platform also emphasizes security with robust measures like proof of reserves and offers services like Gate Pay for sending and receiving cryptocurrencies.
The White House confirmed that 104% tariffs against China will go live at midnight tonight, much to the woe of the crypto market. After a brief recovery to $79,000, Bitcoin fell to $76,000 amid $300 million in total crypto liquidations.
There are a few points of optimism, as Bitcoin’s long positions rose to 54%. Tomorrow will be a critical day to follow; it may bring chaos to TradFi, but crypto could potentially weather the storm.
China is America’s largest trading partner, and these sweeping tariffs could devastate the markets. Crypto, however, has been especially devastated. Publicly listed crypto companies faced another day of harsh drops after the tariff confirmation, as MicroStrategy’s MSTR slumped over 11%.
Additionally, Coinbase, Robinhood, and publicly traded Bitcoin miners all approached a 5% drop.
Bitcoin might be in a particularly dangerous position. Although a recent report claimed that it has been one of the crypto sector’s most tariff-proof assets, its risk profile might be changing.
It dropped 2.6% today, approaching the $75,000 price mark as more than $300 million was liquidated from crypto. If Bitcoin falls below this point, it could trigger further price routs.
Bitcoin Long-Short Ratio Fuels Optimism
As this morning’s price gains clearly demonstrated, the market still has a lot of remaining optimism. This could help all of crypto withstand tariff threats, including Bitcoin.
Its long positions have surged to 54%, showing that most traders are betting on BTC to rebound back to a higher price point.
Traders Go Long on Bitcoin Despite Tariffs. Source: Coinglass
Ultimately, tomorrow will be a very critical day for tariffs, crypto, and TradFi markets as a whole. It’s probably too late to hold out hope that Trump will decide not to escalate with China.
However, it remains to be seen whether the crypto market will continue to co-relate with the stock market after the tariffs are live or at-risk assets will reverse course and hedge against potential inflation fears.
Cardano (ADA) is showing signs of life despite dropping 3% in the past 24 hours as traders weigh the possibility of a broader recovery. Technical indicators like BBTrend and DMI are flashing mixed signals, hinting that momentum may be fading after a brief surge.
ADA’s BBTrend has flipped into negative territory, while its DMI suggests bulls are gaining ground but haven’t fully taken control. With ADA hovering just above key support levels, the next few sessions will be crucial in determining whether this rally has legs or if another correction is around the corner.
ADA BBTrend Is Fading After Reaching Levels Above 5 Yesterday
Cardano’s BBTrend indicator has flipped into negative territory, currently sitting at -0.02 after reaching a positive peak of 5.28 just a day earlier.
The BBTrend (Bull and Bear Trend) indicator measures the strength and direction of a price trend. Values above +1 typically indicate a strong bullish trend, while readings below -1 signal a strong bearish trend.
For Cardano, this neutral-to-negative reading could mean that upward momentum is fading, increasing the risk of further downside if selling pressure builds in the coming sessions.
Cardano DMI Shows Buyers Are Almost Taking Control
Cardano’s DMI (Directional Movement Index) chart shows that its ADX, which measures trend strength, has dropped to 34.29 from 43.41 yesterday.
While this indicates that the current trend is weakening, the ADX is still well above the key 25 threshold, meaning the market remains in a strong directional move.
The ADX is part of the DMI system, which includes the +DI (positive directional index) and -DI (negative directional index).
The +DI has climbed from 4.68 to 19.19, showing growing bullish interest, while the -DI has sharply dropped from 44.92 to 22.18. This narrowing gap hints at a potential trend reversal or at least a slowing of bearish momentum.
However, since -DI is still slightly above +DI and ADX remains elevated, ADA is technically still in a downtrend — though bulls may be starting to regain some ground.
Is Cardano Getting Ready For A Recovery?
Cardano price is currently attempting a recovery after dipping below the $0.52 mark, a key support level in recent weeks. If buyers manage to confirm their strength and sustain upward momentum, ADA could first test resistance at $0.629.
A successful breakout above that could open the path toward $0.70, and if bullish pressure continues, a further rally to $0.77 may be on the table — levels not seen since early 2024.
However, if ADA fails to hold its current ground and bearish momentum returns, the token risks sliding back below $0.52.
A move toward $0.51 would be the first critical test, and losing that level could push Cardano below the $0.50 threshold for the first time since November 2024.
Lily Liu, President of the Solana Foundation, is looking beyond meme coins to establish Solana as the infrastructure for what she calls “internet capital markets.”
In an exclusive interview with BeInCrypto and a presentation at the 2025 Web3 Festival in Hong Kong, Liu outlined her vision for blockchain technology’s role in democratizing financial access.
From Meme Coins to the “Everything Chain”
“Solana has evolved from being the DeFi chain to the NFT chain, the gaming chain, the payment chain, and recently the meme coin chain,” Liu explained. “When you sum all that up, Solana is the everything chain.”
While meme coins drove Solana’s price to an impressive $290 high in January before falling 60% to around $120 today, Liu views them as just one transient asset class in a much broader ecosystem. “Meme coins are just one type of asset. There will be something else—there’s always going to be the tulip market and the beanie baby market. That’s been going on for a really long time. That’s just what humans do with or without blockchain,” Liu noted.
Despite price volatility, Solana’s Total Value Locked (TVL) reached an all-time high in April 2025, demonstrating continued investor confidence in the ecosystem beyond speculative assets.
The Crisis of Capital Access for Young Generations
Liu, who previously co-founded Earn.com (acquired by Coinbase in 2018) and served as CFO of Chinaco Healthcare Corporation, brings significant experience from building businesses in both the US and China to her current role at Solana. Her background in traditional finance gives weight to her critique of current capital markets.
“Fifty years ago, it took 25 hours of labor to buy one share of the S&P 500. Today, it takes 195 hours,” Liu noted in her presentation, highlighting how capital gains have become less accessible to average workers while losses are increasingly socialized through national debt.
This inaccessibility to capital markets has created anxiety among young people globally. Liu pointed to challenges in Korea and China, where housing prices have skyrocketed beyond what young professionals can afford without parental support.
“In Korea and China, the parents’ generation has retained the upside of a major asset class like housing. Young people’s ability to convert hours of labor into capital and freedom later in life has become extremely limited,” she observed. “In China, it creates huge anxiety for families where young men are culturally expected to own an apartment before marriage, yet average professional salaries make this impossible without parental help.”
Blockchain as Global Financial Infrastructure
Liu sees blockchain’s core purpose as creating a unified global financial infrastructure, similar to how the internet unified attention. “What crypto is doing is providing this unified infrastructure to unify the wealth, the transactions, the financial coffers of five and a half billion people,” she explained.
This infrastructure enables what Liu calls “internet capital markets,” making the full range of financial assets available to anyone with an internet connection. She contrasts the simplicity of downloading a crypto wallet against the complex paperwork of traditional banking and investment systems.
Lily Liu, President of Solana Foundation. Source: 2025 Web3 Festival Hong Kong.
For Liu, this infrastructure is particularly valuable in expanding access to equities and other assets that have both fundamental value and price discovery—currently reserved primarily for accredited investors even in developed markets.
Community-Based Capitalism and the Ownership Economy
Liu argues that blockchain offers an alternative to traditional economic systems. “In the last 100 years, we’ve come to accept that the dominant ownership models are either capitalist or communist—corporate ownership or state ownership,” she explained. “What Bitcoin proposed is that those aren’t the only choices.”
This has evolved into what Liu calls “community-based capitalism,” a term she uses to describe economic models where value accrues to network participants rather than just shareholders or the state. “Instead of universal basic income, which is essentially a welfare economy, crypto proposes universal basic opportunity,” she said. This model allows early participants in network building to share in the upside.
Liu contrasts this with traditional platforms like Uber, where early drivers who helped bootstrap the network received hourly pay but no equity upside. Her “ownership economy” concept refers to this more inclusive approach to capital formation where contribution and ownership are more closely aligned.
Solana’s governance reflects this philosophy, which was recently demonstrated in a controversial proposal to reduce inflation. Liu actively participated in this discussion, explaining that inflation reduction might seem efficient from a network security perspective but would potentially harm Solana as a yield-generating asset.
“Dynamic yield on an asset makes it a worse asset,” Liu emphasized. “If you have an asset yielding a fixed percentage annually, you price that very differently than an asset yielding at variable rates.”
Looking five years ahead, Liu envisions Solana enabling an ownership economy where blockchain creates new pathways for individuals to convert labor into capital, bringing “more inclusivity for five and a half billion people on the internet into capital markets.”
“The end state is moving into assets that have value, can also command price, and bring more inclusivity around the world,” Liu concluded. “This is where crypto is going.”
The US DOJ just published a new directive claiming it will stop investigating and criminally charging crypto exchanges, mixers, and offline wallets.
This has produced a mixed response from the crypto community. Some sectors are jubilant about the potential freedom for business, while others fear the growing problem of fraud and criminal money laundering.
Today, the Department of Justice (DOJ) released a statement claiming it will no longer investigate crypto entities.
“The Justice Department will stop participating in regulation by prosecution in this space. Specifically, the Department will no longer target virtual currency exchanges, mixing and tumbling services, and offline wallets for the acts of their end users or unwitting violations of regulations,” the DOJ’s statement claimed.
The DOJ’s statement applies to cryptocurrency exchanges, wallets, and crypto mixers like Tornado Cash. It builds on the Department’s previous announcement today, claiming that it disbanded the National Cryptocurrency Enforcement Team.
The department gives itself room to prosecute individual bad actors, but only in specific circumstances.
However, the department is now moving on from crypto. According to today’s announcement, it will even drop any ongoing investigations against such entities immediately.
We will wait to see what happens with the Tornado Cash and Samourai Wallet prosecutions. But the memo from the Deputy Attorney General yesterday is right on target: we should be going after bad guys. Not the developers of good tools that bad guys happen to use. pic.twitter.com/h8taM5BvGm
— Peter Van Valkenburgh (@valkenburgh) April 8, 2025
Also, it will not pursue legal liability for developers whose code is used by others to commit crimes, and it has closed all active investigations.
While it was expected that the department would lower its crypto enforcement under Trump, the complete laissez-faire decision has caught the crypto by surprise. Following the news, Tornado Cash (TORN) surged nearly 10% today.
The Department also asked regulators to review victim compensation laws. Although this is arguably a victory for crypto, it may also enable future finance crimes.
The DOJ is disabling its ability to target criminals on exchanges and mixers, with little guarantee that it can enforce the law. In other words, it may be removing critical guardrails to prevent future disasters.
“Crypto lobby: ‘Sure, Trump nixed the Crypto Enforcement Team, directed Major Fraud prosecutors to stop prosecuting crypto cases, and is trying to exempt crypto platforms from the Bank Secrecy Act, but they wrote right here that they care about stopping crypto crime! Reject the evidence of your eyes and ears!’” claimed crypto researcher Molly White.
Overall, it’ll be difficult to fully predict the implications of the department’s new policy on exchanges. For now, this directive will give many crypto-related businesses the freedom to conduct operations as they see fit.
Hopefully, business will proceed as usual without any serious controversies.
For years, crypto in Africa was synonymous with Bitcoin (BTC). Today, that narrative has flipped, with companies like Yellow Card, a crypto exchange operating in Africa, clearly reflecting this shift.
In an exclusive with BeInCrypto, Yellow Card co-founder and CEO Chris Maurice reveals how it is building a pan-African stablecoin network to leapfrog traditional finance (TradFi). This is amid growing regulatory clarity, collapsing fiat systems, and a remittance revolution.
Stablecoins Are Transforming Africa’s Financial Scene
The pan-African exchange operates in over 20 markets, and Maurice says stablecoins now account for over 99% of its transactions. This makes Yellow Card a bellwether for what might be the most transformative trend in emerging markets finance.
“When we first launched Yellow Card in 2019, people were exclusively buying Bitcoin. Now, the most popular asset is Tether (USDT),” Maurice told BeInCrypto.
As it happened, necessity, not speculation, has driven this evolution. Africa leads the world in peer-to-peer (P2P) crypto trading volume. However, unlike global crypto hubs chasing volatile returns, Africans are choosing stablecoins out of financial survival.
Local currencies are eroding under inflationary pressure in countries like Nigeria, which ranks second globally in crypto adoption (per Chainalysis). Stablecoins offer a reliable store of value and seamless means of cross-border payments.
This is especially critical in a continent with $48 billion annual remittances and persistent banking limitations.
“Stablecoins are solving practical financial services challenges in Africa. People aren’t in love with the tech. They need faster, cheaper ways to move money to survive and thrive,” Maurice added.
Infrastructure Built for the Unbanked
Yellow Card has gone beyond trading services. Its infrastructure integrates mobile money systems (like M-Pesa in Kenya) and local fiat currencies such as the Nigerian naira and Ghanaian cedi. According to the firm’s CEO, this helps onboard users without bank accounts.
By managing compliance, currency exchange, and payments internally, the firm enables businesses to operate without battling unreliable local rails.
“Our mission is to let companies invest, hire, and grow in emerging markets without needing to stress over infrastructure. We’ve built the back office [meaning] cybersecurity, AML, [and] data protection, so they can focus on growth,” he articulated.
The Regulatory Dam Has Broken
Maurice also observed that African regulators kept crypto in limbo for years. In Yellow Card’s view, 2024 marked a tipping point.
“There is regulatory momentum in Africa that is only accelerating. The dam has broken,” he said.
South Africa now classifies crypto as a financial product. It has licensed major exchanges like Luno and VALR. Countries in the Central African Economic and Monetary Community (CEMAC), Mauritius, Botswana, and Namibia have followed suit with licensing regimes.
Meanwhile, regulatory incubators are emerging in Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda, and Tanzania. Against this backdrop, Maurice says Yellow Card has actively helped draft legislation in Kenya and supports crypto frameworks in Morocco.
Fighting the Informal Market
Still, challenges remain. In countries like Ethiopia, Cameroon, and Morocco, outright bans have driven users underground into high-risk P2P networks. Yellow Card pushes for frameworks that level the playing field for compliant players.
“We face a lot of competition from companies that don’t maintain high AML standards…A level playing field is all we seek,” he said.
With $85 million in venture funding, Yellow Card is deploying capital into compliance and partnerships. With this, the company positions itself as the go-to infrastructure provider for global firms looking to tap African markets.
From Africa to Emerging Markets Everywhere
Cross-border payments are perhaps Yellow Card’s most powerful use case. The company’s co-founder says its stablecoin-powered rails are helping businesses reduce working capital needs, expand to new regions, and hire faster.
“We’ve had clients tell us we’ve enabled them to scale into new countries and reduce their costs dramatically. That’s real economic impact,” said Maurice.
The company is not stopping at Africa. Its infrastructure extends into other frontier markets, with a wave of strategic partnerships expected in 2025.
“Yellow Card has built a series of easy buttons for developed world companies to expand into complicated, high-growth markets,” he noted.
“Stablecoins are already a standard part of the financial infrastructure in Africa. CFOs and treasurers in traditional industries are now routinely using them to store and transfer value,” he added.
Africa’s crypto market is still small compared to global giants. Nevertheless, as the world shifts from speculation to utility, the continent’s fragmented financial systems may offer a glimpse into crypto’s most impactful use case: economic empowerment. For Yellow Card, the mission is clear and increasingly urgent.
“We’ve built a company for longevity and scale. Crypto adoption in Africa is stablecoin adoption,” Maurice concluded.
A local media report claims that Q1 2025’s four worst-performing ETFs in the UK were all related to crypto and blockchain. These products track more nebulous market indicators, not specific tokens.
However, global recession fears are also spurring a downturn in ETFs tied to specific assets. This data from Britain is only one piece of the puzzle, but it doesn’t suggest an optimistic outcome in the near future.
However, according to a local media report, a few crypto products are the worst-performing ETFs in the UK in Q1 2025.
Morningstar, a British finance publication, claimed that Q1 2025’s four lowest-performing ETFs in the UK were crypto and blockchain-related.
The worst offenders were VanEck Crypto & Blockchain Innovators UCITS ETF (DAPP), Global X Blockchain UCITS ETF (BKCH), and iShares Blockchain Technology UCITS ETF (BLKC).
Worst-Performing ETFs in the UK. Source: Morningstar
It is very important to note that all these ETFs are tied to the crypto market in general, not specific tokens. As friendlier US regulators have signaled fresh approvers, issuers are launching more of these indirect products.
Three of the four worst-performing ETFs in the UK are traded by major crypto-related issuers.
All that is to say, this recent data from the UK could give valuable insights into the global crypto ETF market. None of these results paint an optimistic picture, and the bearish news from token-specific ETFs only makes the market seem more dismal.
It may be too soon to say, but institutional crypto funds may be in for a contraction.
