April witnessed a significant increase in DeFi and crypto infrastructure exploits, with 28 incidents totaling $635.2 million, marking a record monthly count. According to NS3.AI, this figure is approximately four times the $167 million stolen in the first quarter. DefiLlama noted that the previous monthly peak was 15 incidents recorded one month earlier. The Kelp DAO bridge exploit and the Drift Protocol drain were major contributors, accounting for $578 million, or 91%, of the monthly total. TRM Labs highlighted that infrastructure-level compromises were responsible for the largest losses, rather than smart contract bugs.

Odaily Planet Daily reports that US President Trump stated that Iran has made "significant progress" in reaching an agreement, but he is unsure whether "they will ultimately be able to reach an agreement." Regarding the possibility of a new round of face-to-face talks in Pakistan, Trump said the US has "great respect" for Pakistan and its leaders, but "the journey will be very long." He said that all negotiations are currently being conducted by telephone.

U.S. President Donald Trump has stated that once the ongoing war concludes, there will be a significant drop in the prices of oil, natural gas, and other commodities. According to Odaily, he also mentioned that the United States will not be withdrawing from the Strait of Hormuz at this time.

Odaily Planet Daily reports: US President Trump stated that when this war ends, oil, gas, and everything else will plummet. He also indicated that the US will not leave the Strait of Hormuz at this time.

Trump: (Regarding options with Iran) Either destroy it completely or make a deal. Earlier reports indicated that US President Trump expressed "dissatisfaction" with Iran's latest proposed negotiating terms. Earlier that day, Pakistani officials stated that Iran's latest negotiating terms had been forwarded to US officials. The specific details of this new proposal have not yet been released. It is understood that Iran submitted its latest negotiating terms to the US through Pakistan on April 30th. (CCTV News)

Kumbaya has come under scrutiny after liquidity providers accused the MegaETH decentralized exchange (DEX) of retaining 50% of LP trading fees during the MEGA launch without prior disclosure. According to NS3.AI, DeFiLlama data indicates that the DEX generated over $375,000 in protocol revenue between April 30 and May 1. Kumbaya announced that updated documentation regarding its fee structure will be released tomorrow. The company also assured users that the DEX remains secure following a recent site security alert.

Arthur Hayes is becoming more optimistic about risk assets, including cryptocurrencies, as he believes the global liquidity cycle is shifting. According to BeInCrypto, Hayes argues that the enhanced supplementary leverage ratio (eSLR), effective April 1, 2026, allows US banks to leverage their balance sheets more, potentially increasing dollar liquidity. This regulatory change could enable banks to hold more Treasuries, expanding balance sheets and releasing liquidity. Hayes downplays concerns about Kevin Warsh's potential impact on the Fed's balance sheet, emphasizing that eSLR relief is already in effect.

U.S. President Donald Trump has announced plans to raise tariffs on cars and trucks imported from the European Union to 25% next week. According to NS3.AI, Trump stated that the EU has failed to fulfill its obligations under the existing trade agreement. He emphasized that vehicles manufactured in U.S. factories will not be subject to these tariffs. Additionally, Trump highlighted that ongoing construction of auto and truck plants represents over $100 billion in investment.

Galaxy Research head Alex Thorn stated that the proposed merger of Twenty One Capital (XXI), Strike, and Elektron Energy would position XXI as the second most influential Bitcoin public company after MicroStrategy. According to BeInCrypto, Tether Investments, XXI's majority shareholder, plans to vote in favor of merging XXI with Bitcoin financial services firm Strike and mining operator Elektron Energy. XXI currently holds 43,514 BTC, making it the second-largest public corporate Bitcoin holder. The merger would enhance XXI's strategic significance, adding brokerage, custody, and Bitcoin-backed lending services from Strike, and approximately 50 EH/s of hashrate from Elektron Energy. Governance challenges are anticipated, with Jack Mallers serving as CEO of both XXI and Strike, and Tether holding majority stakes in both XXI and Elektron. Additionally, Elektron CEO Raphael Zagury faces litigation related to a mining joint venture with Swan Bitcoin.

Oobit has launched a new Visa-supported virtual card designed to enable AI agents to make online purchases using USDT for businesses. According to NS3.AI, the cards are funded by Tether's treasury and were initially launched to a select group of businesses on Thursday. The onboarding process is limited and will expand through June 30. Businesses are required to pass Know Your Business checks, although the timeline for broader access has not been disclosed.

On one hand, there is a flurry of releases of core PCE data from the Federal Reserve, the Bank of Japan, the European Central Bank, and the United States; on the other hand, there is a concentrated burst of industry narratives, causing the market to oscillate between "expectation" and "panic".

Payments, Cryptocurrency, Financial System, The "Last Mile" Problem of Cryptocurrency Payments (Jinse Finance): The "delivery" of cryptocurrency to fiat currency is far more complex than it seems.

The market won't remain ambiguous forever. Catalysts often appear unexpectedly.

For entrepreneurs aspiring to work in the Web3 field, it is recommended to rationally assess the potential risks of their startup projects and make prudent decisions after fully understanding domestic laws and market policies.

There is a well-known crypto KOL, whose online name is ThreadGuy. He rose to fame in 2021 for teaching people how to trade NFTs.

Pave a path for AI to move from its unregistered status in the sandbox to becoming a formal employee on the blockchain.

The assets truly adopted by DeFi are not the largest government bonds, but credit assets with more positive yield spreads.

Artificial intelligence, Apple, technology, Naval: Apple is dead, SaaS is the next big thing. Golden Finance: What does your company have that AI can't replicate?

While Aave, the leading DeFi lending platform, is mired in the Kelp DAO hack, another established protocol, Sky, has not only attracted the attention of whales with real money, with its TVL surging by more than 25% in the past two weeks, but has also taken advantage of the momentum to launch two major initiatives.

Last night, DeepSeek multimodal researcher Chen Xiaokang tweeted on X, announcing DeepSeek's new paper on multimodal technology, "Thinking with Visual Primitives," and saying "Excited to release."