Polymarket has launched a review of third-party startups participating in its Builders Program, amid growing concerns that some products are encouraging insider-like trading behavior, according to Huo Xing Cai Jing. The Builders Program, introduced in November, lets outside developers build trading apps on Polymarket's infrastructure. About 200 developers have joined, with participants eligible for as much as $2.5 million in funding plus weekly rewards. The review comes as several of the program's highest-volume developers have converged on the same business model: copy-trading apps. These tools surface accounts showing unusually high win rates or highlight suspicious timing and abnormal trade sizes, then let users replicate those trades with a single click. Some apps market the approach explicitly. Kreo promotes helping users "find insider traders before anyone else." Polycool publishes a page titled "Polymarket Insider Trading Guide," arguing, "This isn't the stock market—using nonpublic information to place bets won't land you in jail; the rules of decentralized prediction markets are entirely different." Activity tied to the Builders Program has grown sharply. Trading volume generated by the program rose from $100 million in November to more than $600 million in March, representing 16% of Polymarket's total monthly volume. PolyGun, another copy-trading app, has claimed that at one point its weekly volume reached 11% of Polymarket's entire platform. Security issues have also surfaced. In February, PolyGun was hacked through a code vulnerability, with about $70,000 in user funds stolen. Another copy-trading app, Polycule, was previously compromised for roughly $230,000. Many of these copy-trading products are run by anonymous teams reachable only via Telegram. PolyGun's press release lists three executives under pseudonyms, and operations are said to be largely handled by a single individual. Insider-trading worries are not limited to copy-trading apps. On April 7, four accounts reportedly earned $663,000 by betting on a ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran. Blockchain analytics firm Lookonchain said the accounts were created and funded on the same day and had no prior transaction history. Polymarket has taken steps to bolster oversight. Last month it partnered with data analytics firm Palantir to strengthen compliance monitoring for sports betting and updated its rules to ban trades based on "stolen confidential information." Still, Polymarket does not require identity verification, and many traders use VPNs to mask their locations and rotate accounts—factors that can make enforcement harder than at rivals such as Kalshi, which mandates KYC. Polymarket's trading volume reached about $23 billion in March, up roughly tenfold from a year earlier. The platform is currently raising capital at a $20 billion valuation, compared with $9 billion in October. Kalshi closed a funding round last month at a $22 billion valuation. Both platforms are facing heightened scrutiny from lawmakers in multiple U.S. states, who contend that prediction markets function as illegal gambling operations that sidestep state law.

April 15 — Onchain Lens data show three wallets linked to Matrixport have fully unwound long positions totaling 1,150 BTC and 95,000 ETH, booking $48.19 million in profit. One of the wallets still carries a 25,000 ETH long at 20x leverage, with unrealized gains of about $8.1 million.

Gold futures posted their strongest single-session gain of April on Tuesday, climbing nearly $100 as investors re-evaluated the likely path of the Iran-U.S. confrontation around the Strait of #Hormuz amid discussion of a blockade strategy. The contract opened at $4,769.00 and advanced steadily with little intraday pullback, settling near the session high at $4,870.00. The move marked gold's highest close in almost 30 days, wiping out the prior session's decline and reinforcing bullish momentum. Full commentary from @garyswagner at Kitco.

Huo Xing Finance reports that on April 15, former U.S. President Donald Trump said the conflict with Iran is "nearly over," triggering a selloff in oil. WTI crude fell as much as 4% during Wednesday's Asian session. According to Xinhua News Agency, Trump made the remarks in an April 14 interview with U.S. media. In a Fox News interview, when asked why he had repeatedly said "the war is over," Trump responded: "I think it's nearly over. Yes, I mean, I believe it's very close to being over." Fox News also quoted Trump on the outlook for U.S.-Iran ties: "We'll see what happens next. I believe Iran is very eager to reach an agreement." The New York Post reported that Trump said the next round of talks could restart in Pakistan "within the next two days," following lengthy but inconclusive discussions in Islamabad last Saturday. Trump did not say who would represent the United States in a potential second round, but confirmed he would not attend. Sources familiar with the matter told CNN that if a new face-to-face round can be arranged before the current ceasefire agreement expires next week, Vice President J.D. Vance is expected to lead the U.S. delegation. Vance said he would continue pursuing what he described as the "big deal" Trump wants to reach with Iran.

President Trump said today that he believes the war with Iran is "close to over."

April 15 — CoW DAO said the COW[.]FI domain has been locked and is currently unreachable. The team is working with security specialists to regain control, and does not expect service to be restored tonight. For regular CoW Swap users, CoW DAO has temporarily launched a new, secure version of the interface at swap.cow.finance. Users are urged to stay alert when engaging with any website or social media account claiming to represent CoW Swap, including the new link. CoW DAO said users should rely only on official status updates published via this channel or its Discord.

Crypto.com has signed a definitive agreement with online casino operator High Roller Technologies, marking its formal move into the prediction markets business, Cointelegraph reported. The deal will allow Crypto.com to provide event-based prediction market products to U.S. customers via its CFTC-registered CDNA exchange. High Roller said the partnership creates a solid platform for both companies to compete in prediction markets. Analysts project the sector could grow to $1 trillion by 2030, supported by rising demand for contracts tied to economic, corporate and political outcomes. After the announcement, High Roller's shares (ROLR) surged on the New York Stock Exchange, doubling to $10.77. Prediction markets remain under regulatory scrutiny across multiple jurisdictions, as authorities continue to push compliance efforts.

ChainCatcher reports that Onchain Lens tracking shows three wallets tied to Matrixport have fully closed long positions in 1,150 BTC and 95,000 ETH, securing $48.19 million in profit. One wallet still maintains a 25,000 ETH long position at 20x leverage, with an unrealized gain of about $8.1 million.

ME News reported that on April 15 (UTC+8), Nikita Bier, X's Head of Product, said the platform has introduced Cashtags on its iPhone app in the United States and Canada. When users search for or post content that includes Cashtags or contract addresses, they can now pull up real-time market data and price charts for the related stocks or crypto assets. X is also piloting a partnership with Canadian brokerage Wealthsimple, enabling users in Canada to open a trading interface and execute trades directly from Cashtags. The feature is expected to expand to the web, Android, and additional markets at a later date. (Source: ODAILY)