SnapShot 256

Hello SnapShotters,

The Federal Reserve (Fed) held rates at 3.50% to 3.75% as expected, while Chairman Jerome Powell prepares to hand the gavel to Kevin Warsh, a former Fed governor. Four members had dissented, with three pushing for a hawkish stance; the fractured consensus behind the scenes cooled expectations for near-future rate cuts, leading to BTC’s retreat to the $75,000 to $76,000 range and ETH’s dip below $2,300.

This coincided with a 'Super Wednesday' for equity markets; Meta, Microsoft, Alphabet, and Amazon reported Q1 results and confirmed that the $650 billion AI infrastructure race is still on track.

For the crypto sector, this spending spree may be creating a vital buffer for the Bitcoin network’s profitability as the market remains in limbo. The rising demand for AI compute brought about a pivot from pure-play hashing to hosting high-performance computing for AI firms, as miners look to secure revenue that’s less dependent on the price of BTC. 

One of the biggest institutional moves made in the past week is Metaplanet’s raising of $50 million to expand its BTC treasury, just days after Strategy (MSTR) executed its own $2.5 billion acquisition. 

The arrival of May has sparked discussions of the month’s historical trend, in which seasonal exit pressures have tended to plague traders. However, with billions in tech spending on the horizon and corporate treasuries actively absorbing the supply, could May 2026 be the outlier?

Let’s dive into the week’s top stories.

News Snaps

☁️ Chainlink Feeds Hit AWS Marketplace
Amazon Web Services has integrated Chainlink’s data feeds and Proof of Reserve solutions directly into the AWS Marketplace.

🦅 Solana Developers Align on 'Falcon' Signature Defence
Two of Solana’s primary developer teams, Anza and Jump Crypto’s Firedancer, have independently identified the Falcon digital signature as the network's lead defense against future quantum threats.

🛠️ Litecoin Patches Bug After 'Time Travel' Fix
Litecoin mining pools were hit by a 'zero-day' bug, which allowed attackers to create invalid transactions and attempt double-spends. The network underwent a 13-block reorganisation and rewrote three hours of history to erase the fraudulent activity.

🏦 Western Union to Launch Solana-Based USDPT in May

Initially targeting back-end operations, the 175-year-old firm will use USDPT, a US dollar stablecoin, as an alternative to the SWIFT network to enable real-time, 24/7 settlements with its global agent network.

🎰 Bitcoin 2026 Conference Redefines the Network as a 'Strategic National Pillar'
Held at The Venetian Resort Las Vegas from 27 to 29 April, the conference saw the White House hinting at finalising the legal framework for a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve, SEC Chair Paul Atkins speaking about 'innovation exemptions' for tokenised assets, and the Czech central bank governor’s case for a BTC reserve.

What’s Ahead

🗓️ 15 May: Fed Leadership Transition 

Former Fed Governor Kevin Warsh is positioned to assume the chairmanship as Jerome Powell’s term expires, following the removal of a key Senate roadblock.

Number of the Week

Source: Decrypt

Chart of the Week

US Spot ETFs Weather the Volatility

US spot BTC and ETH ETFs maintained consistent positive momentum through late April, as the broader market moved from 'extreme fear' to 'fear'. Following more than $660 million in inflows on 17 April, Bitcoin ETFs saw continued daily strength, extending a nine-day consecutive inflow streak from 14 to 24 April — their longest since October.  

ETH ETFs also showed strength of their own with a nine-day positive run, posting nearly $100 million in fresh capital on 22 April.

As of Apr 24, 2026

Sources: Farside Investors, Crypto.com Research

Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future results.

Crypto Trivia

After about 17 years, the Bitcoin network reached a supply milestone as the 20 millionth BTC was minted in March 2026. 

Given Bitcoin's programmatic halving schedule, how many more years is it projected to take to mine the final 1 million tokens?

A) 24 years
B) 78 years
C) 114 years

Find the correct answer at the end of this newsletter.

Product Updates

Introducing Delphi in the Crypto.com App

Ask questions and gain real-time insights about the market and your portfolio. Every search helps you explore information and access relevant features. Simply tap the search bar in the Crypto.com App to experience a smarter way to navigate crypto.

This is informational content only and should not be considered as an investment recommendation. Some Crypto.com products may not be available in some jurisdictions.

Byte Sized

How much do you know about the original cryptocurrency, Bitcoin? Take a look here.

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Security Tips

US Charges Two Over Myanmar Crypto Scam Hub

The US Department of Justice (DOJ) charged two Chinese nationals for operating a Myanmar crypto scam hub that targeted Americans through 'pig butchering' schemes.

Prosecutors allege the pair oversaw operations at Shunda Park, where trafficked workers were forced to build online relationships with victims before steering them into fraudulent crypto investments. These scams rely on trust built over time, making them harder to spot than typical phishing links or rushed investment pitches.

How to Keep Funds Safe:

• Be cautious of online relationships that quickly shift toward crypto investing
• Never send funds based on advice from someone unfamiliar online
• Verify investment opportunities independently before committing money

Source: The Edge

Crypto Trivia Answer

C) 114 years ✅

The Bitcoin issuance rate halves approximately every four years. Although 95% of the total supply was created in the network's first two decades, the final 5% (1 million BTC) is distributed in diminishing amounts until the year 2140.

That's it for this week's SnapShot. Want more? Find out what’s trending in the crypto world.