The Department of Justice ended its investigation into Jerome Powell over the Fed's $2.5 billion headquarters renovation, removing a barrier to Senate action on Kevin Warsh's nomination. Kalshi traders priced an 84% chance of Warsh's confirmation before Powell's May 15 departure after Friday's decision. Warsh has disclosed holdings in Solana and other crypto ventures, and Warsh told senators that digital assets are already part of U.S. financial services while opposing a Fed-issued CBDC.

Bitcoin held near $78,000 on Friday as Brent crude climbed to about $107 a barrel after President Donald Trump escalated rhetoric over the Strait of Hormuz. Bitcoin rose to $78,300 after briefly trading above $79,000 and extended its April recovery by roughly 15%. CryptoQuant data showed Thursday’s jump from $76,351 to $79,447 was driven mainly by futures activity, with open interest rising from about $24.88 billion to nearly $28 billion. Across Bitcoin and Ether, short liquidations totaled nearly $1.19 billion.

Ethereum Foundation sold 10,000 ETH to BitMine in an OTC deal worth about $23.9 million. The trade settled at an average price of $2,387. Ethereum Foundation said the proceeds will fund core operations, including research, grants, and community programs.

Luck.io said it is shutting down after paying crypto influencers up to $500,000 per month in 2025. The Solana-based casino asked players to withdraw funds, and its homepage said it handled $1.2 billion in wagers across 286 million lifetime bets.

AWS adopted Chainlink data standards for AWS Marketplace, bringing Chainlink's oracle tools onto the marketplace.

Spark reported $31.5 million in gross protocol returns in Q1 2026. Spark also posted $6.91 million in net returns and $3.46 million in net surplus. Distribution rewards overtook the Spark Liquidity Layer as the main net return driver for the first time.

U.S. authorities froze about $344 million in Iran-linked USDT. Tether said the freeze covered two addresses. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Friday that the Treasury Department was sanctioning multiple wallets tied to Iran. A U.S. official said the government traced the funds to Iranian exchanges and wallets associated with the Central Bank of Iran.

AWS added Chainlink's data feeds, data streams, and proof-of-reserve services to AWS Marketplace, extending access to an oracle network that Chainlink said has secured $29 trillion in transaction value since 2019. AWS also published reference architectures for proof-of-reserve monitoring and real-time prediction market trading. Chainlink said its oracle networks connect smart contracts across more than 80 public and private blockchains.

The U.S. sanctioned multiple Iran-linked crypto wallets after Tether froze $344 million in USDT in coordination with OFAC and U.S. law enforcement. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the move is part of continued economic pressure on Iran. The frozen balances sat in two wallets that held about $213 million and $131 million in USDT. Tether blacklisted both addresses at the smart contract level.

The Department of Justice ended its criminal probe into Jerome Powell over alleged cost overruns on the Fed’s $2.5 billion headquarters renovation, clearing a major obstacle to Kevin Warsh’s confirmation as the next Fed chair. Senator Thom Tillis had said he would block Warsh until the probe ended, and Senate leadership now expects a committee vote and floor confirmation before Powell’s term expires on May 15. Warsh told senators he would keep rate decisions independent from the White House, but he has also criticized the Fed’s post-pandemic rate response. Bitcoin has traded in the $70,000–$92,000 range this year as traders watched signals from the central bank.

U.S. officials said the United States froze about $344 million in cryptocurrency tied to Iran. Tether assisted in freezing wallet addresses linked to the funds. U.S. officials said the assets had on-chain links to Iranian entities and were part of efforts to increase economic pressure on Tehran.

A U.S. soldier who allegedly made more than $400,000 from 13 Polymarket bets on Nicolás Maduro's removal had earlier failed Kalshi's KYC checks. The DOJ alleged that Gannon Ken Van Dyke used a VPN from North Carolina to access Polymarket's international platform as a foreign user. Amanda Fischer of Better Markets questioned why the CFTC and DOJ did not charge Polymarket over U.S. bettors reaching the offshore venue.

Bitcoin held near $78,000 on Friday as traders linked rising oil prices and uncertainty around the US-Iran conflict to sideways trading in risk assets. WTI crude cooled to $95 after nearing $100, while Mosaic Asset Company said strong earnings would be needed to sustain the equities push. Material Indicators said lower-timeframe order flow was trending down and warned that support below spot price remained vulnerable.

Tether froze more than $344 million in USDT tied to Iran-linked addresses. The action was taken in cooperation with the U.S. government. Solid Intel linked the addresses to Iran.

Independent researcher Giancarlo Lelli broke a 15-bit ECC key on public quantum hardware and won a 1 BTC bounty. The demonstration was described as the largest public quantum attack demonstration to date. Estimates suggest breaking 256-bit ECC may require about 500,000 qubits and could leave around 6.9 million bitcoins exposed, highlighting the need for post-quantum upgrades.

The DOJ dropped its criminal investigation into Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell on Friday, and Kalshi odds of Kevin Warsh's confirmation before May 15 jumped from about 30% to more than 80%. Republican Senator Thom Tillis had said he would block Warsh while the probe remained open, so the Senate may now move faster on Trump's nominee. Attorney General Jeanine Pirro said the Fed inspector general will review the renovation matter, and the DOJ could reopen the case if facts warrant.

Tennessee signed a law banning crypto ATMs statewide, with violations carrying up to one year in prison and a $2,500 fine. The law takes effect July 1 and applies to both kiosk operators and businesses that host the machines. Tennessee is the second U.S. state to adopt a full ban after Indiana.

Morgan Stanley, which manages $9.3 trillion in assets, launched the Stablecoin Reserves Portfolio for issuers like Circle on Friday. Morgan Stanley said the money market fund was designed to comply with the GENIUS Act and is available on days when the New York Stock Exchange is open. Circle currently keeps the majority of USDC reserves in BlackRock's Circle Reserve Fund, which was valued at about $78 billion on Friday.

Tether froze more than $344 million in USDT held in two addresses after several U.S. law enforcement agencies identified fund flows linked to illicit activities. Tether said it acted immediately after the addresses were identified to stop any further transfer of the funds.

Iran's foreign minister is set to present a plan to end the war. Tasnim News Agency reported the upcoming proposal.