The cryptocurrency market fell sharply after the Iran crisis in Israel: suddenly the drop was 8%.

Bitcoin fell about 8% after Iran's unprecedented drone and missile attack on Israel. The pandemic's decline marked the biggest setback since March 2023, according to a recent Bloomberg report.

At this stage, Iran was responding to a deadly attack in Europe, which resulted in Iran's top military officers in Europe. With the recent recognition, the protracted regional war has entered another dangerous phase. Iran reportedly launched 170 drones, 30+ cruise missiles and 120+ ballistic missiles at Israel. The resulting decline fell below $62k, marking a sharp 7.7% decline. Not only the consequences but other major cryptocurrencies were also affected by the Iran-Israel war. While Ethereum fell 7%, Binance Coin fell 9%. Meanwhile, Solana saw a drop of 12% in 24 hours and more than 22% in 7 days.

 

Hong Kong approved the first spot ETFs for BTC and ETH.

Hong Kong approved several applications for spot exchange-traded funds based on bitcoin and ether on Monday as the region continues its push to become a regional cryptocurrency hub.

China Asset Management, a major Chinese asset manager, said its Hong Kong unit has received in-principle approval from the Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission to offer retail asset management services related to spot crypto ETFs. They plan to launch Bitcoin and Ether spot ETFs in collaboration with OSL and BOCI International. OSL said it will act as China Asset Management's "first virtual asset trading partner and sub-custodian" for future ETFs.

 

The minimum price of the Bored Ape NFT has reached its lowest point in more than two and a half years.

The floor price of Bored Ape Yacht Club (BAYC) non-fungible tokens has fallen more than 90% from its peak to 11.1 ether (ETH), the lowest level since August 2021. According to the NFT Price Floor, BAYC is currently approaching its minimum NFT price below 10 after falling 50% just since March 1st. The NFT project, supported by Yuga Labs, launched in April 2021. This means that its minimum NFT price is now at the same level four months after launch. The NFT collection's decline from a peak of 128 ether (ETH) set on May 1, 2022, is part of an industry-wide decline in the popularity of digital art NFTs.

 

TON integration into Telegram is gaining momentum.

In the process of monetizing the messenger, blockchain will play a key role. Telegram’s transition to paying for advertising using TON coins and the introduction of the Open League rewards program have significantly increased the popularity of cryptocurrency in the application. TON Foundation Chief Investment Officer Justin Huynh explains the recent rise in Toncoin's value compared to the broader development of the digital economy in the messenger. The coin has risen 15% this month, reaching records above $7, while other major assets are in decline.

 

Worldcoin will launch its own L2 blockchain, World Chain.

Sam Altman's Worldcoin project announced the launch of the second-level World Chain blockchain based on Optimism's OP Stack.

The team clarified that the solution will be open source and ultimately managed by the community. Already, more than 10 million people in 160 countries have created a World ID and a compatible wallet, which has been used to make 75 million transactions. In this regard, there was a need for an effective blockchain solution to maintain growth rates, the developers noted.

According to them, Worldcoin users now account for approximately 44% of total OP Mainnet activity. The peak rate reaches 80%. All users will be able to send transactions on the public network, but those who have passed the World ID verification will have priority. The latter will also receive “some free gas” to lower the barriers to entry for using the blockchain. The native token will remain ETH, but fees can also be paid using WLD.

The World Chain network is expected to launch in the summer.

 

Statement by Pavel Durov regarding the use of TON.

  The main thing from the joint speech of Pavel Durov and Tether head Paolo Ardoino:

- Soon it will be possible to buy digital goods with cryptocurrency on Telegram.

- Telegram will make it possible to send tips in cryptocurrency based on TON for content authors starting next week.

- Tether is officially integrated into the TON blockchain, the first $10 million USDT has already been printed. You can pay transaction fees in USDT itself.

- Stickers and emojis in NFT format that will allow designers to earn income from their work.

- Tether CEO said that Telegram is an excellent platform for further implementation of the crypt and launching various applications.