Semler Scientific has filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to issue $500 million in securities. This move follows the company’s announcement of a $30 million settlement with the Department of Justice (DOJ). The funds raised are expected to be used for various corporate purposes, including acquiring more Bitcoin.
Semler Scientific Settlement with DOJ
Semler Scientific has reached a tentative agreement with the DOJ, agreeing to pay $29.75 million to settle claims related to marketing its flagship product, QuantaFlo. The settlement addresses accusations of potential violations of federal anti-fraud laws.
While the DOJ’s investigation started in 2017, it was only in recent months that Semler entered discussions to resolve the matter. The company stated that it has complied with several subpoenas over the years, which led to the current settlement negotiations.
In its Tuesday filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Semler disclosed that the settlement agreement is not final yet. If the agreement is approved, the company plans to use a loan from Coinbase, secured by its Bitcoin holdings, to fund the $30 million payment. Semler’s current Bitcoin holdings amount to 3,192 BTC, valued at approximately $267 million today.
Bitcoin as Collateral for Loan from Coinbase
To finance the settlement, Semler Scientific has partnered with Coinbase, one of the largest cryptocurrency exchange.
According to the terms of the contract, the firm will receive a cash and digital asset loan from it, backed by its BTC balance.
The crypto-based loan from Coinbase will ensure Semler has adequate balance to facilitate settlement without straining its balance in other aspects of its operations.
Plans for Further BTC Purchases
Not limiting itself to the $30 million DOJ settlement, Semler Scientific has hinted at intent to purchase more Bitcoin. To issue new securities, the company has submitted an S-3 for registration with the SEC in an effort to offer $500 million in securities.
The funds raised from this selling will increase the company’s Bitcoin holdings, which it has outlined as a plan to diversify cryptocurrency.
Semler’s intentions of acquiring more Bitcoin come simultaneously with those of other firms, such as Michael Saylor’s Strategy, which also accumulates the cryptocurrency. Just recently, Strategy bought 3,459 bitcoins for $285.8 million, and thus, it is now holding 531,644 bitcoins.
Similarly, Metaplanet has bought $26.3m worth of Bitcoins, demonstrating that the firm remains bullish in this market volatility. These purchases come in light of a potential reversal in the Bitcoin price that some analysts, such as the Titan of Crypto, have estimated to hit $137,000.
The founder of Yescoin, a tap-to-earn game on Telegram, has apparently been arrested by Shanghai law enforcement. The project still hasn’t launched a token, citing delays due to repeated cyberattacks, and the community is growing restless.
Yescoin’s statement assured users that operations would continue as normal, but it gave very few details about the dispute or criminal charges. Hopefully, everyone involved is acting in good faith, and its token launch will happen on March 31.
Today, however, Yescoin has encountered legal trouble, as its pseudonymous founder, Zoroo, was arrested by Shanghai law enforcement:
“We regret to inform you that Zoroo, the founder of Yescoin, has been taken away from Hangzhou by Shanghai police due to a dispute with his business partner, OldWang. What began as a business disagreement between partners has now escalated into a criminal case. We would like to assure everyone that Yescoin continues to operate normally,” the firm claimed.
Other than this statement, very few details about the arrest have come to light. Shanghai is nearly 200 kilometers away from Hangzhou and is in a totally different administrative province, so it’s somewhat surprising that the city’s police arrested Yescoin’s founder.
So far, the community doesn’t have any idea what the criminal charges are about.
Yescoin launched in mid-2024 when the tap-to-earn hype was at its peak. The game has over 4 million followers on X (formerly Twitter) and nearly 3 million subscribers on Telegram.
However, unlike Hamster Kombat and other Telegram mini-games, Yescoin has yet to have its token generation event (TGE). The project cited repeated cyberattacks as the reason for the launch delays but maintains that the token will go live on March 31.
On Yescoin’s initial announcement and other social media posts, users professed skepticism about the alleged arrest. Some fans apparently believe that this incident is an excuse to perpetually delay the launch date or is otherwise somehow fabricated.
In other words, this arrest announcement has riled up the Yescoin community. If further delays happen, it could seriously damage the project’s credibility.
Trezor, the pioneer company in hardware wallets, has integrated the 1inch Fusion protocol with Trezor Suite. This latest integration allows the users to swap cryptocurrencies through their hardware wallet without incurring gas fees and also having the additional feature of front-running (MEV) attack protection.
Fusion Protocol in Action
The 1inch Fusion protocol enables swaps of tokens at comparatively better rates, with the advantage of not needing any native tokens on the account for covering gas fees. It removes one of the barriers for decentralized trading, thereby giving a graceful land to protect users from malicious-on-chain tactics like sandwich attacks or fun running, where this would matter, especially for huge trades.
With Fusion being directly integrated within Trezor Suite, users can access liquidity nearly without limitation across various chains, such as Ethereum, BNB Chain, Polygon, Arbitrum, Optimism, and Base. All swap transactions are secured by Trezor hardware so that the user’s private keys stay offline and under his total control for the whole process.
“At Trezor, we’re excited to integrate 1inch Fusion — a collaboration that aligns perfectly with our mission to empower individuals to self-custody their bitcoin and crypto with tools that seamlessly balance security, privacy, and usability. By removing the need for native gas tokens and protecting users from MEV attacks, Fusion delivers frictionless, secure token swaps directly within the Trezor ecosystem.” — Danny Sanders, CCO at Trezor
“With the integration of the 1inch Swap API, the Trezor Suite users gain access to the most secure, efficient, and seamless DeFi experience available. Combining industry-best swap rates with hardware-grade protection, this partnership sets a new standard for what decentralized finance should look like.” – Sergej Kunz, 1inch Co-Founder
Assessing the Key Features and User Benefits
Gasless Transactions
Users no longer need to hold ETH or other native tokens to pay network fees — gas is abstracted away, simplifying the experience.
MEV Protection
Fusion protects trades from frontrunning and sandwich attacks, improving fairness and reducing slippage during execution.
Integrated Experience
Trezor Suite makes it easy for users to swap directly in the interface without the use of third-party applications or extensions.
Cross-Chain Liquidity
The Fusion project draws liquidity from all corners of the Web3 space, both Layer 1 and Layer 2, for maximum flexibility and extensibility.
Hardware-Level Security
Basically, everything is done in the hardware environment of the Trezor, where the users keep full control of their private keys and assets. The integration has been introduced with the latest version of Trezor Suite and is available for Trezor Model T, Trezor Safe 3, and Trezor Safe 5.
To Sum Things Up
With 1inch Fusion integrated, Trezor rejuvenates security and usability in DeFi. Gas-free, MEV-protected swaps on multiple chains can now be conducted directly from the hardware wallet without compromising control, privacy, or performance in decentralized trading.
Bitcoin (BTC) is hovering below the $94,000 level while still showing sensitivity to US economic indicators. Accordingly, this week’s US economic data could spark volatility in the crypto market.
From consumer confidence to labor market strength, economic indicators could influence sentiment and sway crypto prices.
US Economic Data To Watch This Week
The following US economic indicators could affect the portfolios of crypto market traders and investors.
“Let me try to help you make sense of everything that’s going on: Tariff madness, plunging consumer confidence, rising recession odds, market fragility and all the ways that the economy will shape your life,” economist Justin Wolfers remarked.
Consumer Confidence
The Consumer Confidence report will start the list of US economic indicators with crypto implications this week. On Tuesday, April’s Conference Board’s Consumer Confidence Index will show whether households are optimistic about financial conditions.
March’s 92.9 index signaled a relatively pessimistic outlook among US consumers concerning the economy and their financial situation.
According to data on MarketWatch, the median forecast is 87.4. Strong confidence often correlates with risk-on sentiment, driving investment into Bitcoin and altcoins.
Accordingly, reading below expectations might trigger profit-taking, denting confidence in the economy’s overall strength.
With global trade tensions, an unexpected decline could amplify safe-haven demand for Bitcoin, though volatility remains a risk.
“The soft data suggests that the hard data is set to fall. Consumer Confidence can lead the unemployment rate (inverted). If that ends up being the case this time around, we’re looking at around 6% or higher,” wrote Markets and Mayhem.
JOLTS Job Openings
This week, the Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLT), which tracks demand, adds to the list of US economic indicators.
The last JOLTS report was released on April 1, covering February 2025 data. It reported job openings at 7.6 million, hires at 5.4 million, and total separations at 5.3 million. The next JOLTS report, for March 2025, is due on Tuesday, with a median forecast of 7.4 million.
A rebound above 7.6 million for crypto could signal economic resilience, boosting risk assets like Bitcoin. Strong openings suggest hiring confidence, potentially increasing disposable income for crypto investments.
However, a weaker-than-expected figure, potentially below the median forecast of 7.4 million, might stoke recession fears. Such an outcome would drive investors toward Bitcoin as a hedge.
Crypto markets react to labor market signals as they influence Federal Reserve (Fed) policy expectations. With rates at 4.25%–4.5%, a tight labor market could delay cuts, pressuring speculative assets.
ADP Employment
The ADP National Employment Report tracks private-sector job growth and will be out on Wednesday. March 2025’s 155,000 jobs beat expectations, signaling labor market strength despite tariff concerns.
A strong reading above 160,000 for crypto could ignite bullish sentiment, as job growth fuels consumer spending and risk appetite. If employment data suggests economic expansion, Bitcoin could gain more upside potential.
However, a miss below the March reading of 155,000 or below the median forecast of 110,000 might spark fears of a slowdown. This could push investors toward stablecoins or Bitcoin as safe havens.
Unlike the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Non-farm Payrolls (NFP), ADP’s payroll-based methodology excludes government jobs. This methodology offers a granular view.
With markets eyeing Fed policy, ADP’s outcome will set the tone for Friday’s NFP.
Q1 GDP
The advance estimate for Q1 2025 GDP will be released on Wednesday. This data also measures economic growth.
Q3 2024’s 2.8% annualized rate fell short of expectations, pressured by trade deficits. Meanwhile, Q4 2024’s 2.4% reading came following a downward revision to imports.
Strong GDP growth above 3% in crypto signals economic health, often boosting Bitcoin as investors embrace risk. Nevertheless, crypto markets are sensitive to GDP revisions and influence Fed rate decisions.
With inflation concerns lingering, a strong GDP, higher than Q4’s 2.4%, might reduce rate-cut hopes, pressuring speculative cryptos. Conversely, sluggish growth could spur expectations of monetary easing.
PCE
The Fed’s preferred inflation gauge is the Core PCE (Personal Consumption Expenditures) Price Index. This US economic indicator, covering March, will come out on Wednesday this week after the March 28 data covering February.
After February 2025 saw a 2.5% year-over-year (YoY) PCE index, economists anticipate a modest drop to 2.2% for March, reflecting persistent price pressures.
Nevertheless, a PCE reading below 2.5% for Bitcoin could signal cooling inflation, raising hopes for rate cuts and boosting sentiment toward Bitcoin.
A hotter-than-expected figure above the previous reading of 2.5% might tighten Fed policy expectations. PCE’s exclusion of volatile food and energy prices offers a stable inflation view, making it a key driver of crypto sentiment.
With markets sensitive to monetary policy shifts, traders should monitor services spending, as it reflects consumer resilience. Nevertheless, volatility is likely, as PCE shapes the Fed’s rhetoric.
“March PCE inflation (out on Wed Apr 30) should read 2.1% (rounded). April PCE (out in late May) should read 2.0% (rounded). Tariffs are a boss but this is the Fed’s target measure. It could be time to cut, to be honest, politics aside,” wrote hedge fund manager Ophir Gottlieb.
Initial Jobless Claims
This week, the Initial Jobless Claims, reported every Thursday, adds to the list of US economic indicators. This data measures weekly unemployment filings. Claims are a high-frequency indicator, offering real-time labor market insights, and crypto markets often react swiftly to surprises.
For the week ending April 18, 222,000 claims indicated a steady labor market despite tariff chaos. Accordingly, claims below 222,000 could signal growing employment, fostering risk-on sentiment, and lifting Bitcoin.
However, higher claims above 222,000 could spark concerns of economic softening, driving investors to stablecoins or Bitcoin for safety. With the Fed closely monitoring labor data, an unexpected spike might fuel rate-cut speculation.
Non-farm Payrolls
The Non-farm Payrolls (NFP) report will be released on Friday. March 2025’s 228,000-job gain exceeded expectations, with unemployment at 4.2%.
A strong NFP could drive bullish momentum, as job growth signals consumer spending power. A weak report below the median forecast of 130,000 might trigger recession fears, pushing capital to Bitcoin as a hedge or stablecoins for stability.
NFP’s broad scope, covering 80% of GDP-contributing workers, makes it a market mover. Key interest will also be on wage growth, as 0.3% monthly increases suggest inflation pressures, potentially capping crypto gains.
With markets pricing in Fed policy, surprises could spark sharp volatility.
