Textbook Lesson: This Leveraged ETF Plunged 73% Since Inception – A Warning For Crypto Investors?

Textbook Lesson: This Leveraged ETF Plunged 73% Since Inception – A Warning For Crypto Investors?

The Defiance Daily Target 2X Long RIOT ETF (NYSE:RIOX), launched to double the daily returns of Bitcoin mining company Riot Platforms Inc. (NASDAQ:RIOT), has lost its value by as much as 73% in the three months.

The fund only started trading on Jan. 2.

This sharp fall highlights the high risks involved with leveraged ETFs, especially those that deal with the highly volatile cryptocurrency market.

RIOX attempted to offer its investors double the percentage change in the stock price of crypto miner Riot Platforms.

The ETF has since suffered huge losses following a sudden drop in Riot’s stock price.

Also Read: Bitcoin Miners Ride The BTC Boom, But Costs Tell A Different Story: JPMorgan Analyst

What’s To Blame?

The ETF’s investment strategy, using a 2x daily leverage on Riot stock, is one of the key reasons for its sharp fall. Leverage increases not only daily …

Full story available on Benzinga.com

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VanEck Moves Closer To US Binance Coin ETF — But Will The SEC Play Ball?

VanEck Moves Closer To US Binance Coin ETF — But Will The SEC Play Ball?

VanEck has made a big move in bringing a Binance Coin (CRYPTO: BNB) ETF to the United States. The company recently registered for a BNB ETF trust in the state of Delaware, an important milestone for the crypto asset.

What This Means for BNB

This action positions Binance Coin with other giant cryptocurrencies—Bitcoin, Ethereum, Solana, and Avalanche—for which ETF filings have been submitted in the country. BNB may have global exchange-traded products (ETPs) such as the 21Shares Binance BNB ETP but has never had one based in the U.S. If approved, VanEck’s ETF will mirror the price of BNB, offering investors a more convenient means of acquiring exposure to the …

Full story available on Benzinga.com

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Cango sells legacy China business, goes all-in on Bitcoin mining: Report

Cango sells legacy China business, goes all-in on Bitcoin mining: Report

Cango, a publicly traded Chinese conglomerate, has agreed to sell its legacy China operations to an entity associated with peer Bitmain in a bid to go all-in on Bitcoin (BTC) mining, according to a report by The Miner Mag. 

Cango agreed to sell its legacy Chinese auto financing business to Ursalpha Digital Limited in a $352 million deal, according to the report.

 Additionally, Bitmain is reportedly transferring 32 exahashes per second (EH/s) to Cango. The deal effectively brings Bitmain’s mining assets to the public market, The Miner Mag said.

Exahashes measure a miner’s contribution to the Bitcoin network’s hashrate, the total computing power securing the network.

The Miner Mag said Ursalpha Digital Limited has the same corporate address and founding director as Antalpha, an entity ultimately controlled by the chairman of Bitcoin miner Bitmain. 

Cango sells legacy China business, goes all-in on Bitcoin mining: Report

Proxies for Cango’s shares on the NYSE are up 25% this month. Source: Google Finance

Related: Analysts eye Bitcoin miners’ AI, chip sales ahead of Q4 earnings

Trump-family connection

Bitmain has experienced US scrutiny after the country blacklisted its artificial intelligence affiliate Sopghgo, Bloomberg reported. 

According to Bloomberg, Bitmain has a working relationship with American Bitcoin, a Trump-family-affiliated mining entity created in March as part of a deal with Hut 8, a provider of power and computing infrastructure. 

On March 31, Hut 8 bought a majority ownership interest in American Bitcoin (formerly American Data Centers), whose founders include US President Donald Trump’s sons, Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump. 

Hut 8 has transferred its Bitcoin mining equipment to American Bitcoin, which is reportedly mulling an initial public offering (IPO), according to Bloomberg. 

The companies said that American Bitcoin will focus on crypto mining, while Hut 8 targets data center infrastructure for applications such as high-performance computing. 

In 2025, Bitcoin mining stocks have struggled amid declining cryptocurrency prices and pressure on business models caused by the Bitcoin network’s April halving, according to a JPMorgan research note shared with Cointelegraph.

Every four years, the amount of BTC mined per “block” — a bundle of transaction data stored on the chain — is cut in half. April’s halving slashed mining rewards from 6.25 BTC to 3.125 BTC per block.

Magazine: Elon Musk’s plan to run government on blockchain faces uphill battle

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Pre-seed crypto startup deals have grown 767% since 2021: Report

Pre-seed crypto startup deals have grown 767% since 2021: Report

The number of pre-seed funding rounds for Bitcoin (BTC) startup companies has grown by 767% since 2021, according to a report from venture capital firm Trammell Venture Partners (TVP).

Bitcoin pre-seed transactions increased 50% year-over-year in 2024, with a 27.5% year-over-year increase in the number of startup companies funded.

Christopher Calicott, TVP’s managing director, attributed the increased deals to the robust security of the BTC network:

“Many entrepreneurs across crypto are revisiting the Bitcoin stack as the long-term place to build their companies. It makes perfect sense: The objectively most secure, reliable, and decentralized blockchain is the obvious platform of choice.”

However, the capital raised in Bitcoin pre-seed funding rounds declined by over 22% in 2024, with the median funding round size and the median startup valuation steadily declining from 2021 to 2023.

Venture Capital, Bitcoin Adoption

Median valuations for pre-seed Bitcoin startups fail to reclaim 2021 levels. Source: Trammell Venture Partners

The value of funding rounds reclaimed some lost ground in 2024 but failed to reach highs established during the previous bull cycle in 2021, primarily due to unclear crypto regulations in the United States under the previous Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) leadership.

More recently, macroeconomic uncertainty due to fears of a prolonged trade war, relatively high interest rates, and the possibility of a recession in the United States have also eroded the risk appetite for speculative assets like crypto.

Venture Capital, Bitcoin Adoption

Total number of funding deals and unique Bitcoin startup companies has steadily risen since 2021. Source: Trammell Venture Partners

Related: VC Roundup: 8-figure funding deals suggest crypto bull market far from over

Crypto VCs don’t expect 2025 funding to reach 2021-2022 levels

In January, Deng Chao, CEO of institutional asset manager HashKey Capital, told Cointelegraph that pro-crypto regulations in the United States would increase VC investment in the sector in 2025.

However, the executive warned that macroeconomic uncertainty and geopolitical turmoil could increase price volatility and disrupt the trend brought on by positive regulatory tailwinds.

On April 2, US President Donald Trump signed a sweeping tariff order establishing a 10% baseline tariff on import goods from all countries and a regime of reciprocal trade tariffs on trading partners that sent financial markets tumbling.

Venture Capital, Bitcoin Adoption

Crypto markets took a nosedive amid trade war fears and macroeconomic uncertainty. Source: CoinMarketCap

Risk-on assets such as stocks and cryptocurrencies typically suffer during trade wars and macroeconomic uncertainty, as investors flee risk assets for safer alternatives such as cash, government securities, and durable commodities.

Venture capital firm Haun Ventures invested $1.5 billion into crypto firms in 2022 but recently announced it seeks to raise only $1 billion in the first half of 2025, citing changed market conditions.

Similarly, analysts at Galaxy Digital also predicted a 50% year-over-year rise in VC-led crypto investments in 2025 but said that VC funding will fail to reach highs established in 2021–2022.

Magazine: Financial nihilism in crypto is over — It’s time to dream big again

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Velora Rebrand Introduces Intents-Based Trading To Enhance DeFi Execution

Velora Rebrand Introduces Intents-Based Trading To Enhance DeFi Execution

Decentralized exchange aggregator ParaSwap has rebranded to Velora, unveiling a major technical shift toward intents-based trading—a model that departs from traditional single-block execution by allowing traders to express desired outcomes rather than fixed transaction paths.

The shift, announced Thursday, is built on the release of Velora’s Delta v2.5 infrastructure, introducing a competitive agent model where solvers and market makers vie to fulfill user-defined trading goals.

This marks a move away from the legacy aggregator model that has underpinned decentralized finance since its early growth.

At its core, intents-based trading enables users to specify conditions or outcomes—such as a desired price or action—without defining every technical step of the trade. …

Full story available on Benzinga.com

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US lawmakers vote to advance anti-CBDC bill

US lawmakers vote to advance anti-CBDC bill

The US House Financial Services Committee has advanced a bill aimed at preventing federal banks from using or issuing central bank digital currencies, or CBDCs, paving the way for a vote in the chamber.

In an April 2 committee session, lawmakers voted 27-22 in favor of passing the CBDC Anti-Surveillance State Act. The bill was one of five the committee considered in a markup hearing discussing possible amendments. Lawmakers also approved a bill regulating payment stablecoins, setting up the legislation for a full House vote.

“Last Congress, this bill passed out of the House of Representatives by a 216-192 vote,” said Minnesota Representative Tom Emmer, the anti-CBDC bill’s sponsor. “So far this Congress, this bill has 114 cosponsors and support from groups ranging from the Independent Community Bankers Association and the American Bankers Association to Club for Growth, Heritage Action, and the Blockchain Association.”

Many Republican lawmakers have targeted institutions like the Federal Reserve or Treasury Department from exploring CBDC development, often citing financial privacy concerns.

After reintroducing the bill in March, Rep. Emmer suggested it was an attempt to codify an executive order from US President Donald Trump into law. That order, signed on Jan. 23, prohibited “the establishment, issuance, circulation, and use” of a CBDC in the United States.

Related: Crypto regulation must go through Congress for lasting change — Wiley Nickel

This is a developing story, and further information will be added as it becomes available.

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Bitcoin drops 8%, US markets shed $2T in value — Should traders expect an oversold bounce?

Bitcoin drops 8%, US markets shed $2T in value — Should traders expect an oversold bounce?

Bitcoin (BTC) and US stock markets all sold off sharply after US President Donald Trump shook up financial markets by announcing a list of reciprocal tariffs on several countries.

On April 3, the S&P 500 saw a 4.2% drop at market open, its most significant single-day decline since June 2020. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 3.41%, to 40,785.41 from 42,225.32, while the Nasdaq Composite dropped 5.23%. Overall, $1.6 trillion in value was wiped out from US stock at the market open.

Bitcoin’s value dropped by 8%, but a positive is bulls seem capable of defending the $80,000 support level. These steep declines essentially stem from uncertainty surrounding the new tariffs and amplify investors’ concerns about impending recession.

Bitcoin Price, Markets, Stocks, Price Analysis, Market Analysis

Source: X

Data from CoinGecko suggests that the total crypto market has dropped 6.8% over the past 24 hours and it seems unlikely that a relief rally is viable in the short-term.

Related: Bitcoin price risks drop to $71K as Trump tariffs hurt US business outlook

Crypto liquidations soar to $573M

According to CoinGlass, in the past 24 hours, more than 200,000 traders were liquidated, with the total amount exceeding $573.4 million. The largest liquidation occurred on Binance, with an ETH/USDT position worth $11.97 million being force closed.

Bitcoin drops 8%, US markets shed $2T in value — Should traders expect an oversold bounce?

Total crypto liquidation chart. Source: CoinGlass

Meanwhile, Bitcoin’s open interest dropped below $50 billion, reducing market leverage. Joao Wedson, CEO of Alphractal, mentioned that the liquidation heatmaps indicate heavy leverage around $80,000, raising the potential for a potential drop to $64K-$65K if Bitcoin breaks this level with high trading volume.

Bitcoin Price, Markets, Stocks, Price Analysis, Market Analysis

Bitcoin liquidation maps. Source: X

Related: Trump ‘Liberation Day’ tariffs create chaos in markets, recession concerns

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.

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Bitcoin, Ethereum, XRP Down Since The Start Of 2025: Would A President Harris Have Been Better For Crypto?

Bitcoin, Ethereum, XRP Down Since The Start Of 2025: Would A President Harris Have Been Better For Crypto?

Cryptocurrency traders on social media are debating whether a hypothetical Harris presidency may have been a better long-term outcome for the sector, given the poor performance of cryptocurrencies since President Trump took office.

What Happened: Pseudonymous trader Pickle outlined a “what-if” scenario in a post on X on Thursday, comparing how cryptocurrencies would have performed if Kamala Harris had won the presidency.

He posits that regulatory pressures would have remained high, likely driving Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC) down to the high $50,000s from $70,000 before a gradual recovery.

With softer monetary policy, markets …

Full story available on Benzinga.com

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Best Trusted FREE Bitcoin Cloud Mining Sites, Providing New Options For Crypto Enthusiasts To Invest in Cryptocurrencies

Best Trusted FREE Bitcoin Cloud Mining Sites, Providing New Options For Crypto Enthusiasts To Invest in Cryptocurrencies

London, April 03, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) —

As Bitcoin mining and Dogecoin mining markets recover, the cloud mining industry is seeing unprecedented growth. Leading cloud mining platform ICOminer is attracting global investors, with users earning over $10,000 per day, marking a golden era for individual investors in cryptocurrency mining.

Cloud Mining Profits Soar – Accessible Investment for All

Bitcoin and Dogecoin prices have risen steadily, boosting cloud mining profits. Platforms like ICOminer allow investors to mine crypto without costly rigs, providing a stable passive income.

As a leading cloud mining provider, ICOminer offers flexible cloud mining contracts starting at $50, supporting Bitcoin, Dogecoin, Litecoin mining, and other cryptocurrency investments. With advanced hardware and green energy solutions, the platform ensures high computing power and consistent returns.

ICOminer Empowers Investors – High Returns Drive Wealth Growth

According to ICOminer, some high-investment users have achieved daily mining earnings exceeding $10,000. This highlights the profitability potential of the cloud mining model. The platform employs top-tier security protocols from Norton™ and Cloudflare® to safeguard user funds and data. Additionally, it offers daily sign-in rewards, allowing users to earn passive income even without additional investment.

Click to register and get $50 for free

ICOminer Latest Mining Contract Plans

Available Investment Plans

Investment Plan Contract Price Contract Term Daily Rebate Recoverable Funds
Newbie $200.00

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