Investors who bid on the REAL (REAL) token promoted by former UFC champion Conor McGregor will receive a full refund after the project failed to raise above its $1 million minimum requirement.
“We need to be real. We didn’t hit our minimum raise,” the developers of the Real (REAL) token, Real World Gaming said in an April 6 X post, adding that “All bids will be refunded in full.”
“This is not the end,” RWG said.
The team only managed to raise $392,315 in USDC (USDC) over a 28-hour presale on April 5 and 6 — less than half of the minimum required and approximately 11% of the $3.6 million target, which was conducted via a sealed-bid auction.
The public sale of 60 million REAL tokens (3% of the total 2 billion REAL supply) initially targeted a fully diluted value of $120 million, with the sealed bid auction starting at $0.06 per token.
McGregor, a UFC fighter turned entrepreneur and Ireland political candidate, initially claimed that his token would be more legitimate than other celebrity-endorsed tokens, which have frequently resulted in rug pulls:
“This isn’t some celebrity-endorsed bullshit token, it’s a REAL game changer that will improve the crypto ecosystem as well as make REAL change in the world,” McGregor said in a statement shared with Cointelegraph.
Jameson Lopp, the chief security officer at Bitcoin (BTC) custody company Casa, sounded the alarm on Bitcoin address poisoning attacks, a social engineering scam that uses similar addresses from a victim’s transaction history to fool them into sending funds to the malicious address.
According to Lopp’s Feb 6 article, the threat actors generate BTC addresses that match the first and last digits of addresses from the victim’s transaction history. Lopp analyzed the Bitcoin blockchain history for this type of attack and found:
“The first such transactions did not appear until block 797570, July 7, 2023, which had 36 such transactions. Then, all was quiet until block 819455, December 12, 2023, after which we can find regular bursts of these transactions up until block 881172, January 28, 2025, then there was a 2-month break before they started up again.”
“Over these 18 months, just shy of 48,000 transactions were sent that match this profile of potential address poisoning,” Lopp added.
Example of a poisoned address attack. Source: Jameson Lopp
The executive urged Bitcoin holders to thoroughly check addresses before sending funds and called for better wallet interfaces that fully display addresses. Lopp’s warning highlights the emerging cybersecurity exploits and fraudulent schemes plaguing the industry.
Address poisoning scams and exploits claim billions in stolen user funds
According to cybersecurity firm Cyvers, over $1.2 million was stolen through address poisoning attacks in March 2025. Cyvers CEO Deddy Lavid said these types of attacks cost users $1.8 million in February.
Blockchain security firm PeckShield estimates the total amount lost to crypto hacks in Q1 2025 to be over $1.6 billion, with the Bybit hack accounting for the vast majority of the stolen funds.
Cybersecurity experts have tied the attacks to North Korean state-affiliated hackers that use complex and evolving social engineering schemes to steal cryptocurrencies and sensitive data from targets.
Common Lazarus Group social engineering scams include fraudulent job offers, zoom meetings with fake venture capitalists, and phishing scams on social media.
Last week, Bitcoin (BTC) began showing early signs of decoupling from the US stock markets. Bitcoin was relatively flat over the week, while the S&P 500 plunged by 9%. The sell-off was triggered following US President Donald Trump’s April 2 global tariff announcement, which escalated further on April 4 as China retaliated with new tariffs on US goods. Even gold was not spared and was down 1.9% for the week.
Alpine Fox founder Mike Alfred highlighted in a post on X that a gold bull market is bullish for Bitcoin. During previous cycles, gold led Bitcoin for a short while, but eventually, Bitcoin caught up and grew 10 times or more than gold. He added that it would not be any different this time.
Although the short-term outperformance of Bitcoin is an encouraging sign, traders should remain cautious until further clarity emerges on the macroeconomic front. If the US stock markets witness another round of selling, the cryptocurrency markets may also come under pressure.
A handful of altcoins are showing strength on the charts, but waiting for the overall sentiment to turn bullish before jumping could be a better strategy. If Bitcoin breaks above its immediate resistance, what are the top cryptocurrencies that may follow it higher?
Bitcoin price analysis
Bitcoin bulls have failed to push the price above the resistance line, but they have not ceded much ground to the bears. This suggests that the bulls have kept up the pressure.
The 20-day exponential moving average ($84,241) is flattening out, and the relative strength index (RSI) is just below the midpoint, signaling a balance between supply and demand.
This advantage will tilt in favor of the bulls on a break and close above the resistance line. There is resistance at $89,000, but if the level gets taken out, the BTC/USDT pair could ascend toward $100,000.
The $80,000 is the vital support to watch out for on the downside. If this level cracks, the pair could plummet to $76,606 and then to $73,777.
The pair has been consolidating between $81,000 and $88,500. The moving averages on the 4-hour chart are sloping down marginally, and the RSI is just below the midpoint, signaling the continuation of the range-bound action in the near term.
If buyers push the price above $85,000, the pair could rally to $88,500. This level could attract sellers, but the pair may jump to $95,000 if the bulls prevail.
The bears will be back in the driver’s seat if the price breaks below the $81,000 to $80,000 support zone. The pair may then dump to $76,606.
Pi Network price analysis
Pi Network (PI) has been in a strong downtrend since topping out at $3 on Feb. 26. The relief rally on April 5 shows the first signs of buying at lower levels.
Any recovery is expected to face selling at the 20-day EMA (0.85), which remains the key short-term level to watch out for. If the PI/USDT pair does not give up much ground from the 20-day EMA, it indicates that the bulls are holding on to their positions. That opens the doors for a rally above the 20-day EMA. The pair could then jump to the 50% Fibonacci retracement level of $1.10 and next to the 61.8% retracement level of $1.26.
The $0.40 level is the critical support on the downside. A break and close below $0.40 could sink the pair to $0.10.
The 4-hour chart shows that the bears are defending the 50-simple moving average, but a minor positive is that the bulls are trying to keep the pair above the 20-EMA. If the price rebounds off the 20-EMA, the bulls will attempt to kick the pair above $0.80. If they do that, the pair could travel to $1.20.
On the contrary, a break and close below the 20-EMA suggests that the bears have kept up the pressure. The negative momentum could pick up on a break below $0.54. The pair may then retest the vital support at $0.40.
OKB price analysis
OKB (OKB) turned up sharply on April 4 and closed above the moving averages, indicating that the bulls are attempting a comeback.
The up move continued, and the bulls pushed the price above the short-term resistance at $54 on April 6. The OKB/USDT pair could reach the resistance line of the descending channel, which is likely to attract sellers. If the price turns down sharply and breaks below $54, the pair may oscillate inside the channel for a few more days.
On the other hand, if buyers do not give up much ground from the resistance line, it increases the likelihood of a break above the channel. The pair could climb to $64 and then to $68.
The pair will complete an inverted head-and-shoulders pattern on a break and close above the neckline. The up move may face selling at the resistance line, but on the way down, if buyers flip the neckline into support, it increases the possibility of a break above the resistance line. If that happens, the pair could start its march toward the pattern target of $70.
Sellers will have to fiercely defend the neckline and quickly pull the price below the 20-EMA to prevent the rally. The pair may drop to the 50-SMA and thereafter to $45.
The flattish moving averages and the RSI just below the midpoint do not give a clear advantage either to the bulls or the bears. A break and close above $23.18 could push the price to $24. This remains the key overhead resistance for the bears to defend because a break above it could catapult the GT/USDT pair to $26.
This positive view will be invalidated in the short term if the price breaks and maintains below the 50-day SMA. The pair may sink to $21.28 and then to $20.79.
The pair turned down from the resistance line of the descending channel pattern, indicating selling on rallies. The break below the moving averages suggests the pair may remain inside the channel for some more time.
Buyers will gain the upper hand on a break and close above the resistance line. Such a move suggests that the corrective phase may be over. The pair could rally to $23.18 and then to $24.
Cosmos price analysis
Cosmos (ATOM) is trying to form a bottom but is facing selling at $5.15. A minor positive in favor of the bulls is that they have not allowed the price to break below the moving averages.
If the price rebounds off the moving averages with force, it signals buying on dips. That improves the prospects of a break above the $5.15 resistance. If that happens, the ATOM/USDT pair could surge toward $6.50 and then to $7.17.
Contrarily, a break and close below the moving averages suggests a possible range formation in the near term. The pair could swing between $5.15 and $4.15 for a while. Sellers will be back in command on a slide below $4.15.
The bulls and the bears are witnessing a tough battle at the 20-EMA on the 4-hour chart. If the price remains below the 20-EMA, the pair could tumble to the 50-day SMA and later to $4.15. Buyers are expected to fiercely defend the $4.15 level.
Instead, if the price stays above the 20-day EMA, it signals solid demand at lower levels. The bulls will then try to push the pair to $5.15. A break and close above this resistance could start a new up move.
This article does not contain investment advice or recommendations. Every investment and trading move involves risk, and readers should conduct their own research when making a decision.
Stablecoins are the single best tool for the United States government to maintain the US dollar’s hegemony in global financial markets, according to LayerZero Labs CEO and founder Bryan Pellegrino.
In an interview with Cointelegraph, the CEO of LayerZero Labs, which created the LayerZero interoperability protocol recently chosen by Wyoming to be the distribution partner for the Wyoming stablecoin, said that the cross-border accessibility of dollar-pegged tokens makes them an obvious choice to drive US dollar demand. Pellegrino added:
“Stablecoins for the US dollar are the single best tool — the last Trojan Horse or vampire attack on every single other currency in the world — whether it is Argentina, whether it is Venezuela, whether it is all of the countries that have massive inflation.”
The CEO said he expects support for stablecoins on both the federal and state levels to grow because of the obvious boost stablecoins give to the US dollar in foreign exchange markets and the financial moat stablecoin-driven demand will create around the US dollar’s global reserve currency status.
US government looks to stablecoins to protect US dollar
Pellegrino cited Tether’s emerging role as one of the largest buyers of US Treasury bills in the world as evidence of the demand for US debt instruments from stablecoin issuers.
Speaking at the White House Crypto Summit on March 7, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the Trump administration would leverage stablecoins to extend US dollar hegemony and indicated this would be a top priority for officials in 2025.
According to a 2023 report from Chainalysis, over 50% of all the digital asset value transferred to countries in the Latin American region, including Argentina, Brazil, Columbia, Mexico, and Venezuela was denominated in stablecoins.
The low transaction fees, relative stability, and near-instant settlement times for dollar-pegged stablecoins make these real-world tokenized assets ideal for remittances and stores of value for residents in developing countries suffering from high inflation and capital controls.
The days in between had seen several bouts of flash volatility as US trade tariffs and recession concerns stoked major losses across risk assets.
US stocks in particular recorded significant losses, with both the S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite Index finishing the April 4 trading session down nearly 6%.
“Trump’s tariff announcement this week has wiped out $8.2 TRILLION in stock market value — more than was lost during the worst week of the 2008 financial crisis,” author and financial commentator Holger Zchaepitz summarized in a response on X.
Bloomberg World Exchange Market Capitalization chart. Source: Holger Zschaepitz/X
The poor close caused some to wonder how the coming week would open, with comparisons to the “Black Monday” 1987 crash surfacing across social media.
“It’s tough to build a new, weaker, world order on the fly,” Jim Cramer, host of CNBC’s “Mad Money” segment, argued on X over the weekend.
“Frantically trying to do it but don’t see anything yet that takes the October 87 scenario off the table yet. Those who bottom-fished are sleeping with the fishes …so far.”
Cramer had previously warned over a 1987 scenario playing out live on air, but subsequently reasoned that control mechanisms in the form of market circuit breakers “could slow things down.”
Bitcoin circles also saw some daring predictions of how markets would behave in the short term. Max Keiser, the popular yet controversial Bitcoin supporter, even called for BTC/USD hitting a giant $220,000 before the end of the month.
“A 1987 style mega crash will push Bitcoin to $220,000 this month as trillions in wealth seek the ultimate safe haven: Bitcoin,” he wrote in part of an X response to Cramer.
Bitcoin resists copycat BTC price dive
Among traders, the diverging sentiment over Bitcoin and stocks was increasingly apparent.
“$BTC Volatility going lower and lower while the $VIX (Volatility Index) on Stocks has closed at the highest level since the Covid Crash in 2020,” popular trader Daan Crypto Trades acknowledged in his latest analysis.
“This is pretty unheard off and due to this compression I’m pretty confident a large move for crypto is going to occur next week as well. Whether it’s up or down comes down to whether stocks can find a bottom early in the week or not I’m assuming.”
BTC/USD vs. VIX volatility index chart. Source: Daan Crypto Trades/X
Fellow trader Cas Abbe suggested that recent $76,000 lows on BTC/USD may end up as a classic fake breakdown.
“This looks no different than the post-ETF dump and August 2024 crash,” he told X followers.
“I’m waiting for a weekly reclaim of $92,000 to confirm the uptrend.”
BTC/USDT 1-week chart. Source: Cas Abbe/X
This article does not contain investment advice or recommendations. Every investment and trading move involves risk, and readers should conduct their own research when making a decision.
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) will likely see a reduced role in crypto regulations as other federal agencies like the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and state-level regulators assume a bigger role in crypto policy, according to Ethan Ostroff, partner at the Troutman Pepper Locke law firm.
“I think with the current administration, my sense is, we are highly likely to see a significant pullback by the CFPB in the context of the activity by other regulators,” Ostroff told Cointelegraph in an interview.
State regulators also have the authority under the Consumer Financial Protection Act (CFPA) to assume some of the regulatory roles of the CFPB, the attorney said but also added that some regulatory functions will continue to fall within the purview of the CFPB as a matter of established law.
Ostroff cited the New York Department of Financial Services (NYDFS) and the California Department of Financial Protection and Innovation (DFPI) as regulators to keep an eye on as potential leaders of crypto regulations at the state level.
However, the attorney clarified that while the CFPB may see a diminished role during the Trump administration, the agency would not be outright dismantled during the current regime due to “statutorily mandated obligations and requirements” that require acts of Congress to change.
Russell Vought, the recently appointed head of the CFPB, announced major funding cuts to the agency and scaled back operations within days of assuming the helm at the CFPB in February 2025.
Warren characterized Musk as a “bank robber” and claimed that the Trump administration dismantled the CFPB to undo consumer protection rules and have greater control over the financial system.
In a February 12 interview with Mother Jones, the senator stressed that the Executive Branch of government does not have the statutory authority to fully dismantle the CFPB, which can only be done through Congressional approval.
Opinion by: Daryl Xu, co-founder and CEO, NPC Labs
While gaming has been on a steady decline since the end of COVID-19 lockdowns, 2024 hit the industry especially hard, with layoffs and studio closures hitting even the most prominent studios.
While unsustainable development costs and an innovation crisis seem to be the main culprits behind the collapse, Web3 gaming emerged as a potential solution promising to return power to developers — and it raised billions of dollars in investment to do so.
Yet, despite a continued rise in crypto adoption, Web3 gaming has failed to capture mainstream players’ attention or solve any of gaming’s fundamental problems. Why? Early blockchains were designed for financial applications. Game developers were forced to either build on blockchains that weren’t designed for their use or create their own chains that isolated themselves from the blockchain ecosystem. Either choice led to poor player experience and an overemphasis on tokenomics.
Many developers choose the latter, picking control over connectivity. Inadvertently, this resulted in walled gardens that were not dissimilar to the ones that contributed to traditional gaming’s collapse.
A solution that created more problems
A recent article in The New York Times revealed that over the last 30 or 40 years, video game industry executives have bet on better graphics to bring in players and profits rather than leaning on creativity. Traditional gaming development is costly, regularly exceeding $100 million per title. Indie developers often struggle to compete against large publishers who ultimately control funding and distribution.
Blockchain seemed to be a promising solution for indie studios, providing them with new avenues to raise funds and giving them control over distribution. Early Web3 gaming platforms, however, ended up recreating the same enclosed systems that blockchain was trying to fix. With high player acquisition costs and limited Web3 gamers, Web3 gaming platforms deepened their moats to prevent users from moving away. As it continued developing, Web3 gaming introduced its own problems.
An impossible choice for game developers
The technological infrastructures of layer-1 blockchains like Ethereum and Solana were created for finance and not aligned with gaming’s requirements. Beyond transaction speed, layer-2 solutions were not designed to handle gaming’s unique needs either.
Game developers — attracted to Web3’s funding model, promises of ownership and user engagement, are forced to either build on existing blockchains and compromise gameplay or launch their own chain — which diverts attention and resources away from what they want to do: make better games.
While crypto native players may feel this is a worthwhile tradeoff, mainstream gamers want engaging experiences. A January DappRadar report showed that Web3 gaming had reached 7.3 million unique active wallets, but in speaking with the community anecdotally, approximately 10,000 of those represent the actual gaming cohort who aren’t in games just to farm rewards. This number may be higher but is not more than 50,000 to 100,000 at the most.
A misalignment with gaming culture
The thing that converts mainstream users onchain isn’t non-fungible tokens (NFTs) or decentralized finance, its meaningful ownership of in-asset games. Mainstream gamers have spent decades on arcade games, Nintendo or mobile games. If combined with true ownership of in-game assets, that familiarity is powerful enough to create a compelling experience for developers and gamers.
While Web3 games claim to be revolutionizing gaming, most projects aren’t listening to actual gamers. In actuality, they end up competing for the same crypto-native users. Rather than focusing on fun and engaging gameplay, most Web3 games are led by crypto technology and tokenomics. Within this bubble, success in Web3 gaming meant taking crypto users from each other rather than bringing new players onchain.
With rare exceptions, the industry lost sight of what’s important: making fun games that people want to play.
This misalignment also extends to game developers who want to enter Web3 to create better player experiences and sustainable revenue models. Game studios understand the potentials of Web3 but are hesitant to navigate crypto’s complex systems, which require technical skills to build protocols with sufficient liquidity and user bases while delivering seamless gameplay simultaneously.
Make games fun again
As major studios continue to struggle, Web3 has a second chance to deliver on its promise. But this time, we must rethink how games interact. We must focus on creating access for creators and players instead of building new walled gardens. This requires Web3 gaming-specific infrastructure that provides both developer control and cross-ecosystem collaboration.
The path forward is clear. We need to restore economic freedom to creators and put control back in players’ hands. That means revenue models that reward collaboration instead of isolation. Most importantly, it means returning to gaming’s roots — making games fun again.
The future of gaming isn’t about better graphics or token incentives. It’s about creating an industry where creativity and collaboration can thrive. When developers can focus on making engaging experiences instead of building moats, everyone wins.
Opinion by: Daryl Xu, co-founder and CEO, NPC Labs.
This article is for general information purposes and is not intended to be and should not be taken as legal or investment advice. The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed here are the author’s alone and do not necessarily reflect or represent the views and opinions of Cointelegraph.
Cryptocurrency markets could be on track for recovery as investor sentiment begins to stabilize following US President Donald Trump’s sweeping tariff announcement — what some analysts are calling the peak of recent market uncertainty.
Trump announced his reciprocal import tariffs on April 2, which sent tremors across global markets. The S&P 500 lost more than $5 trillion, its largest drop on record, surpassing the pandemic-induced crash in March 2020, according to Reuters.
Still, some analysts see a silver lining to the tariff announcement.
“In my opinion, the tariffs are the representation of the uncertainty in the markets,” Michaël van de Poppe, founder of MN Consultancy, told Cointelegraph. “Liberation Day is basically the peak of that period, the climax of uncertainty. Now it’s out in the open. Everybody knows the new playing field.”
Van de Poppe added that he believes Trump is using tariffs as a strategic move to stimulate domestic growth and reduce yields. “Tariffs are literally the only way to do that,” he said. “I wouldn’t be surprised if they’re reversed within the next six to 12 months.”
Average tariff rate on US goods and imports. Source: JP Morgan, Ayesha Tariq
President Trump’s plan imposes a 10% baseline tariff on all US imports from April 5 and a higher “reciprocal tariff” of up to 54% on select countries with larger trade deficits from April 9.
Still, the end of the uncertainty could bring renewed investment into crypto markets, leading to a recovery, Van de Poppe said:
“We’ll start to see the rotation toward the crypto markets in the coming period where there’s more calm and peace in the markets where investors start to buy the dip and understand that some things have been undervalued.”
He noted that the economic impact of the tariffs may ultimately lead the US Federal Reserve to lower interest rates and begin a new round of quantitative easing (QE), a monetary policy that involves the Fed buying bonds to inject liquidity into the economy.
Arthur Hayes, co-founder of BitMEX and chief investment officer at Maelstrom, has predicted Bitcoin could climb to $250,000 if the Fed formally enters a QE cycle.
Trump tariff uncertainty still weighing on sentiment
On the downside, the tariff-related uncertainty may continue pressuring risk asset appetite for weeks, according to Noelle Acheson, author of the Crypto is Macro Now newsletter.
“We can count on President Trump changing his mind a few times within the first couple of weeks,” Acheson told Cointelegraph. She added:
“With heightened uncertainty a given in these markets, we can expect more risk-off behavior, even though some short-term bounces may bring some relief.”
“For crypto, BTC continues to act like a risk asset short-term while its analog counterpart gold breaks through one all-time high after another,” a development that may impact crypto investor sentiment in the short term, Acheson said.
Meanwhile, crypto intelligence firm Nansen estimated a 70% probability that the market could bottom by June, depending on how the tariff negotiations evolve.
