Eric Council Jr., 26, of Athens, Alabama, has been sentenced to 14 months in federal prison for his involvement in a cybercrime conspiracy. The case involved the hacking of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) official X (formerly Twitter) account. Eric Council Jr Sentenced to 14 Months According to a statement from federal authorities, Eric Council Jr conspired with others to gain access to the US SEC’s X account by carrying out a SIM swap. On January 9, 2024, a false post was published from the account, falsely claiming the SEC had approved Bitcoin Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs). Bitcoin’s price rose quickly by more than $1,000 before falling after the SEC confirmed the post was not legitimate. Eric Council Jr pleaded guilty in February 2025 to conspiracy to commit aggravated identity theft. U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson sentenced him to 14 months in prison, ordered the forfeiture of… Read More at Coingape.com
Ethereum price dips below $1,800 lagging behind Bitcoin to start the week, but Vitalik’s Layer-Zero update renews optimism for ETH’s long-term growth, after recent criticisms from Cardano Founder, Charles Hoskinson.
Ethereum (ETH) Lags as Crypto Market Leans Towards Positive Start to the Week
Ethereum (ETH) has opened the week on a weak footing, sliding 2.9% to $1,783.53 as broader crypto markets flashed mixed signals. Meanwhile Bitcoin (BTC) posted a strong 1% gain to reclaim $95,100.
The current data shwos Ethereum lagged behind, extending a weekend correction that now sees ETH trading near the lower end of its 24-hour range between $1,782.07 and $1,848.73.
Ethereum price action, April 28 | Coingecko
Despite short-term dip, a closer look and mid-term price action shows bullish dominance as U.S. President Trump’s softened stance on tariffs. At the time of publication, CoinGecko data shows ETH’s weekly returns standing at +12.4%, compared to Bitcoin’s +10.6%. However, on the monthly view, ETH’s 6.0% gain trails BTC’s double-digit surge.
This divergence reflects active capital rotation as trader leverage the volatile macro sentiment to execute short-term plays.
Vitalik shares Layer-Zero Update after Charles Hoskinson’s criticism
Hoskinson’s remarks fueled debate across crypto media channels about Ethereum’s long-term viability, as Layer-2 networks like Arbitrum and Optimism increasingly capture user activity and fees.
In an indirect but timely response, Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin shared a major Layer-Zero scalability update on Sunday.
Through his vitalik.eth account, Buterin reposted product launch documentation from LayerZero Labs and Succinct Labs, proposing a shift from the EVM (Ethereum Virtual Machine) to a more efficient zkVM system using RISC-V standards.
According to the reposted research this update would expand Ethereum’s network capabilities by:
Up to 832× fewer cycles than current EVM interpreters
95.7% reduction in proving cycles via precompiles
30× throughput increase with GPU acceleration
346MB → 1.5MB proof compression via recursion
These Layer-Zero vApps (Verifiable Applications) technology aims to combine Web2-level performance with Web3 verifiability, offering a new path to scaling Ethereum without excessive reliance on Layer-2 networks.
How Could Vitalik’s Layer-Zero Update impact Ethereum Price?
If successfully implemented, Vitalik’s Layer-Zero framework could reshape Ethereum’s scalability narrative, potentially alleviating long-term fears about ecosystem fragmentation
A transition to high-efficiency zkVM infrastructure could enhance Ethereum’s competitiveness against newer chains and reduce fees directly on the Layer-1 base.
Ethereum’s Vitalik Buterin issues proposal to replacing the EVM with RISC-V | Source: x.com/pumatheuma
In the short term, however, Ethereum price forecast hangs in the balances as it continues to languish below $1,800 and remains sensitive to short-term risks as Bitcoin’s dominance rises.
Ethereum Price Forecast Today: ETH Eyes $2,875 Target After Falling Wedge Breakout
Ethereum (ETH) currently trades at $1,780 as of Monday April 28, printing a falling wedge pattern after 12% gains last week.
This technical pattern suggests a bullish reversal for ETH price with the a critical target at $2,850, as marked by the red vertical dotted projection on the chart.
Notably, the Parabolic SAR (Stop and Reverse) indicator, plotted as blue dots below the recent candles, reinforces the bullish trend, suggesting that buyers are now in control after months of selling pressure.
Ethereum price forecast today
Supporting this upside scenario, the Fisher Transform indicator shows strong positive momentum, currently reading 2.22, indicating overbought conditions but also underlying strength. While a minor pullback cannot be ruled out, the mid-term momentum still leans heavily in favor of the bulls.
Still, failure to maintain the support cluster around the Parabolic SAR level at $1,569 could invalidate the bullish thesis, likely making the $1,385 low as a potential bearish target.
The crypto market experienced a spike in trading activity last week, pushing overall capitalization up by 3%. This surge in momentum fueled gains across several US-listed crypto stocks, some of which closed higher on Friday.
With bullish sentiment still active in the crypto space this week, here are three US crypto stocks to watch:
Galaxy Digital Inc. (GLXY)
GLXY closed Friday at $27.13, up 4%. This was driven by growing investor optimism ahead of its upcoming earnings report.
The company announced on July 15 that it will release its Q2 2025 financial results on August 5, before markets open. Galaxy CEO Michael Novogratz and the management team will host an earnings call the same day at 8:30 AM ET to provide updates on the firm’s performance and strategic outlook.
In pre-market trading today, GLXY trades at $29. A surge in investor demand following the opening bell could drive the stock toward $30.
On the other hand, any selling pressure may send it below $28.20.
RYVYL Inc. (RVYL)
RYVYL Inc. shares closed Friday’s session at $0.33, marking a 5.10% gain. This came a few days after the company announced the successful closing of its public offering.
The San Diego-based fintech firm raised approximately $6 million through the sale of 15.38 million shares of common stock and accompanying warrants priced at $0.39 per share. The warrants are immediately exercisable and expire in five years.
In pre-market trading today, RVYL trades at $0.34. The stock could rally toward $0.45 if demand accelerates once markets open.
However, if bullish momentum fades, RVYL risks sliding below the $0.30 support level.
Digi Power X (DGXX)
DGXX surged by 7.51% to close at $3.58 on Friday. This came after the company announced a definitive purchase order with Super Micro Computer, Inc. to supply NVIDIA B200-powered systems for its new NeoCloud platform.
During Monday’s pre-market session, DGXX trades at $3.54. If buying activity grows when markets open, the stock could rally toward $3.67.
Crypto giants Ripple and Circle are again in the spotlight, with rumors of a $20 billion deal surfacing after a $5 billion agreement failed to materialize. Experts are divided on whether Ripple will go all out to acquire the stablecoin issuer, with some considering the $20 billion deal too unrealistic.
This article examines the likelihood of Ripple’s $20 billion bid for Circle and its potential impact on the XRP ecosystem.
Will Ripple Buy Circle for $20B?
In the latest development within the XRP community, all eyes are on Ripple’s escalating efforts to acquire Circle, a move that could solidify its position in the stablecoin market. Ripple is said to be pushing forward with a new $20 billion proposal, following the collapse of its $5 billion Circle deal. While Ripple remains tight-lipped about its Circle acquisition plans, expert insights from Scott Melker (The Wolf Of All Streets) suggest CEO Brad Garlinghouse might be considering a substantial bid increase.
Community Questions the Alleged ‘Unrealistic’ Circle Bid
Despite increasing speculations of Ripple’s potential $20 billion Circle purchase, many question the viability of the deal. For instance, industry expert Dom Kwok suggested that the XRP platform’s final offer for Circle will likely fall within the range of $6 billion to $6.5 billion. His estimation is based on the typical acquisition premium, which is the amount a buyer pays above the target company’s valuation to incentivize the sale. This premium usually ranges from 20% to 30%.
Assuming that Circle’s valuation is around $5 billion, the expert asserted that a 20% premium would put the offer at $6 billion, while a 30% premium would put it at $6.5 billion. With this detailed analysis, the expert dismisses the rumors surrounding Ripple’s potential purchase of the USDT issuer for a whopping $20 billion.
Amidst these speculations, XRP lawyer John Deaton has brought up an interesting angle regarding the deal. The XRP attorney underscored the possibility of a “bidding war” between Ripple and Coinbase, a top crypto exchange, which already holds a minority stake in the stablecoin issuer.
However, if Ripple finally acquires Circle, one of the largest stablecoin issuers, it could be a game-changer for the former.
