UPDATE: Berkshire Hathaway, led by Warren Buffett, is holding $373 billion in cash and U.S. Treasury bills.

SoSoValue data shows spot Ethereum ETFs posted $120 million in net inflows on April 6. BlackRock's ETHA led with $60.82 million and reached $11.623 billion in cumulative inflows, followed by Fidelity's FETH with $40.0562 million and $2.332 billion. Total ETF net asset value was $12.281 billion and the net asset ratio was 4.74%.

HuoXing Finance cited Hyperinsight data showing that a whale wallet beginning with 0x61cee closed BTC and ETH long positions worth about $10 million over the past hour, exiting at breakeven. The address then opened a $3 million ETH short at an average entry price of $2,106.33, with a liquidation price of $5,203.73.

Odaily Planet Daily reported, citing SoSoValue data, that spot Bitcoin ETFs posted a combined net inflow of $471 million on April 6 (U.S. Eastern Time). BlackRock's IBIT led daily inflows with $182 million, bringing its cumulative net inflow to $63.297 billion. Fidelity's FBTC ranked second, attracting $147 million on the day and lifting its cumulative net inflow to $11.108 billion. As of publication, spot Bitcoin ETFs held $90.257 billion in total net assets. Their net asset ratio—ETF market cap as a share of Bitcoin's total market capitalization—stood at 6.46%, while cumulative net inflows since launch reached $56.429 billion.

ME News reported that MyToken data showed total liquidations across the crypto derivatives market reached $361 million in the past 24 hours as of April 7 (UTC+8). BTC liquidations were $13.4 million, ETH $11.1 million, SOL $12.86 million, and XRP $8.92 million. (Source: MyToken)

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission is nearing a proposal for a 'regulation crypto' framework that would spell out how the agency plans to oversee the crypto industry and clarify which transactions may fall under securities laws and which do not, SEC Chair Paul Atkins said Monday. Atkins said the draft is currently with the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, putting it one step away from publication. Speaking at an event hosted by Vanderbilt University and the Blockchain Association, he said the rulemaking centers on the Securities Act of 1933 and will cover issues including fundraising and exemptions for startups. After his question-and-answer session, Atkins told CoinDesk the SEC also expects to release its long-anticipated innovation exemption soon. 'We'd love to have reactions and everything else,' he said, adding that while it is not a formal rule, the agency wants feedback on how it works in practice and whether market participants encounter problems. He said the exemption is designed so it would not disadvantage incumbents or focus only on startups. 'We want people really to experiment within [that] framework,' he said. Atkins repeatedly pointed to Congress's role, arguing the SEC's rulemaking effort is already well underway regardless of what lawmakers may do. 'I think we have enough of a runway now, even notwithstanding what may happen in the midterms — although I really still want a friendly Congress obviously — they can throw tacks on the road in front of our tires but they're not going to really slow us down,' he said. He also urged the audience 'to be engaged in this upcoming election,' citing Sen. Bernie Moreno as an example. 'To have Congress really veer off track is not going to any of us any good, and it's going to put a lot more questions into the future because people then just have 'oh gosh, maybe this is again a passing phase,'' he said. 'We've got to make sure that your friends are in Congress. I think you saw how that really paid benefits in the last election.'

Iran will require all ultralarge crude carriers transiting the Strait of Hormuz to pay tolls to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), using settlement routes that explicitly avoid U.S. dollar payment channels, Deputy Foreign Minister Gharibabadi said at a regular press briefing in Tehran on April 2. The move turns Tehran's control of a key maritime chokepoint into a formalized revenue and payments system aimed at sidestepping dollar-based oversight. Bloomberg, citing internal documents from the IRGC Navy, said the technical rollout was completed by the end of March, faster than markets expected. Iran will accept toll payments only via RMB wire transfers or settlement in U.S. dollar stablecoins over a decentralized network. Iran's customs authority has set up a dedicated crypto-exchange counter on Qeshm Island to expedite conversion into rials or transfers to overseas accounts after receipt. The structure is designed to bypass the traditional shipping settlement rails of SWIFT and correspondent banking, where Iran-linked transactions can trigger U.S. Treasury secondary sanctions. By pairing the CrossBorder RMB Payment System with public blockchain networks, Iran is creating a parallel payment channel outside conventional dollar monitoring. London shipbroker Braemar said at least two oil tankers flying lesser-known flags completed RMB payments and transited the strait safely by the end of March. Domestically, Iran's Parliament's National Security Committee passed the "Hormuz Strait Transit Management Act" on March 30, providing legal backing for the mechanism. Fee levels will be tiered by vessel category and geopolitical alignment. Bloomberg, citing people familiar with the plan, reported that crude transit fees start at $0.50 per barrel and are split into five tiers based on relations with different countries: 1) Ally special rate: $0.5–$0.7 per barrel for China and Russia, plus a dedicated green channel allowing passage upon regular reporting. 2) Friendly partners: $0.80–$0.90 per barrel for countries such as India and Pakistan. 3) Neutral countries: $1 per barrel for Africa, Southeast Asia and Latin America, requiring declaration and post-inspection clearance to verify no hostile assets are present. 4) High-risk countries: $1.20–$1.50 per barrel for U.S.-aligned but non-hostile states such as Japan and South Korea, along with many EU nations, with full monitoring and longer review times. 5) United States, Israel and allies: prohibited. After payment, the IRGC will issue a license code and routing instructions. Vessels must fly the flag of a country that has negotiated a transit agreement with Iran and, in some cases, formally re-register under that flag. Approaching the Strait of Hormuz, ships must broadcast the transit code over VHF radio. A patrol boat then escorts the vessel through a route close to the coastline, passing between a group of islands referred to in the industry as the "Iranian toll booths." The development marks the first instance of a sovereign state integrating a stablecoin into strategic payment infrastructure at mandatory commercial scale. Unlike El Salvador's symbolic adoption of bitcoin as legal tender, Iran's system targets high-volume trade: the strait handles about 21% of global crude-oil seaborne shipments, with dozens of vessels transiting daily. If sustained, the arrangement could channel more than $20 billion a year in stablecoins into Iran-controlled digital wallets, forming a gray liquidity pool backed by sovereign enforcement. Industry spillovers are already emerging in marine insurance and trade finance. The International Group of P&I Clubs has circulated an internal alert warning that payments to the IRGC could trigger sanctions-compliance risks under EU and UK rules, potentially voiding cover. Shipowners face a stark trade-off: rerouting around the Cape of Good Hope adds roughly 15 days and tens of thousands of dollars in fuel costs, while paying crypto tolls risks sanctions-related account freezes. Some commodity traders are exploring workarounds through Pakistani intermediaries. Islamabad has recently said it will allow 20 international oil tankers to fly the Pakistani flag, effectively creating an offshore outsourcing channel for Iran's transit system. Iran is not alone in experimenting with tolling chokepoints through alternative payment rails. Russia has previously floated a similar fee framework for the Northern Sea Route and publicly discussed accepting cryptocurrency payments. The broader trend of converting geographic hubs into digital settlement nodes is reshaping the payments backbone of global energy trade. Risks remain. USDT and USDC are still pegged to the U.S. dollar and can be subject to OFAC-related tracking. A key question is whether IRGC-linked shadow entities can, at scale, "decentralize" conversion into physical assets or fiat currency such as the rial. Still, as long as Iran retains geographic leverage over the Strait of Hormuz, the crypto-mediated contest over payment infrastructure is likely to continue pushing new boundaries for global trade.

Blockchain data shows a transfer of 43,334 ETH, valued at $91,336,983, from an unidentified wallet to Liquid Stake.

Iran has moved to formalize a long-rumored toll regime for the Strait of Hormuz, requiring ultralarge crude carriers to pay fees to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) through settlement channels that exclude the U.S. dollar. Deputy Foreign Minister Gharibabadi confirmed the policy at a regular press briefing in Tehran on April 2. Bloomberg, citing internal documents from the IRGC Navy, said the system was technically deployed by the end of March. Under the arrangement, tolls can be paid only via renminbi wire transfer or in USD-pegged stablecoins through a decentralized network. Iranian customs has set up a dedicated cryptocurrency exchange window on Qeshm Island so receipts can be rapidly converted into rials or routed to overseas accounts. The design reflects Iran's efforts to bypass sanctions constraints embedded in traditional shipping settlement rails such as SWIFT and correspondent banking, where Iran-linked flows can trigger U.S. Treasury secondary sanctions. By pairing China's cross-border RMB payment infrastructure with public blockchains, Tehran is building a parallel settlement path outside dollar-centric monitoring. Braemar, a London-based shipping broker, said at least two oil tankers flying lesser-known flags completed renminbi payments and transited safely by the end of March. Domestically, the mechanism gained additional legal footing after Iran's Parliament's National Security Committee passed the "Hormuz Strait Transit Management Act" on March 30. Pricing is reported to be tiered by geopolitical alignment. Bloomberg, citing people familiar with the plan, said oil transit charges start at $0.50 per barrel and are divided into five tiers by country relationship: - Tier 1 (ally special rate): $0.5–$0.7 per barrel for China and Russia, with a dedicated "green channel" that can allow passage based on routine reporting. - Tier 2 (friendly partners): $0.80–$0.90 per barrel for countries such as India and Pakistan. - Tier 3 (neutral countries): $1 per barrel for Africa, Southeast Asia, and Latin America, requiring declaration and clearance after inspection confirms no hostile assets. - Tier 4 (high-risk countries): $1.2–$1.5 per barrel for U.S.-aligned but non-hostile countries such as Japan and South Korea, plus many EU nations, subject to full monitoring and potentially lengthy approval queues. - Tier 5: the United States, Israel, and their allies are barred. After payment, the IRGC is said to issue a license code and routing instructions. Vessels must fly the flag of a country that has negotiated a transit agreement with Iran and may be required to re-register under that flag. Approaching Hormuz, ships must broadcast the transit code over VHF radio, after which a patrol craft intercepts and escorts them along the coastline past a cluster of islands described by industry sources as "Iranian toll booths." The move marks a rare attempt by a sovereign state to embed stablecoin settlement into strategic payment infrastructure at commercial scale. The Strait of Hormuz carries about 21% of global crude oil seaborne flows, with dozens of vessels transiting daily. If sustained, the arrangement could channel more than $20 billion a year in stablecoins into Iran-controlled digital wallets, creating a sovereign-protected gray liquidity pool. Market participants are also watching spillovers into marine insurance and trade finance. The International Group of P&I Clubs has circulated an internal alert warning that payments linked to the IRGC may create sanctions-compliance exposure under EU and UK rules and could jeopardize coverage validity. Shipowners face a cost-risk tradeoff: rerouting around the Cape of Good Hope can add 15 days and tens of thousands of dollars in fuel, while paying crypto-linked tolls raises the risk of account freezes. Some commodity traders are reportedly exploring Pakistani intermediaries. Islamabad has recently said it would allow 20 international tankers to fly the Pakistani flag, potentially offering an offshore channel compatible with the Iranian framework. Iran is not alone in testing geography-driven tolling with alternative settlement. Russia has previously floated similar fee concepts for the Northern Sea Route and has publicly discussed accepting cryptocurrency payments. Risks remain. Major stablecoins such as USDT and USDC are still pegged to the U.S. dollar and remain exposed to OFAC tracking. A key challenge is whether IRGC-linked entities can scale the conversion of on-chain receipts into physical assets or fiat currency (rial) while limiting enforcement exposure. Still, as long as Iran retains its geographic leverage over Hormuz, the experiment is poised to keep pressuring the established playbook for global energy trade settlement.