April Crypto Recap

April 2025 Crypto Market Recap: Key Developments, Trends & Events

The cryptocurrency industry remained in focus throughout April 2025, marked by new regulations, significant market activity, institutional movements, and the highly anticipated Bitcoin halving. Below is a comprehensive overview of the most relevant events from the past month.

🪙 Market Performance Overview

• Bitcoin (BTC) began April trading around $80,000 and climbed steadily throughout the month. By late April, it had broken past the $90,000 mark, boosted by institutional accumulation and the halving event.

• Ethereum (ETH) experienced recovery after two months of outflows from institutional products. April brought a net inflow of $157 million into spot Ethereum ETFs, pushing ETH back above $1,800.

• Altcoins saw mixed results. While Solana (SOL) held stable around $170–$185, speculative assets like Wormhole (W) and Sui (SUI) faced volatility due to large token unlocks.

🛠️ Major On-Chain & Protocol Events

• Bitcoin Halving took place on April 15, cutting block rewards from 6.25 BTC to 3.125 BTC. The reduction in new supply may influence price movements in the coming months, particularly amid increased ETF demand.

• Token Unlocks included:

  • Sui Network (SUI): ~$150M in tokens unlocked on April 1.

  • Wormhole (W): ~$117M unlocked on April 3.

  • Solana (SOL): ~$66M unlocked on April 7.

• Uniswap introduced V4 governance discussions, aiming for modular architecture and reduced gas fees.

• Polygon (MATIC) initiated its AggLayer rollout, enhancing scalability across multiple L2 chains.

🏛️ Regulatory and Legal Developments

United States

• President Trump signed an executive order creating a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve, built using seized assets. This signals a shift toward sovereign-level adoption.

• The SEC dismissed lawsuits against Coinbase and Ripple. The move coincided with the rollback of SAB 121, a rule limiting how financial firms custody crypto assets.

United Kingdom

• The UK Treasury proposed legislation requiring licensing for crypto exchanges and custodians. The goal is to strengthen oversight and consumer protection.

European Union

• The MiCA regulation officially took effect, creating a harmonized framework for crypto asset service providers across all EU member states.

📉 Exchange and Infrastructure Developments

• Coinbase launched stealth address support for Ethereum, allowing greater transactional privacy for users while maintaining regulatory compliance.

• Binance continued to face international pressure but finalized a $2 billion partnership with World Liberty Financial, paid entirely in stablecoins.

• Kraken announced plans to integrate Bitcoin’s Lightning Network, expanding support for fast and low-fee BTC transfers.

🧠 Institutional and Corporate Adoption

• Metaplanet (Japan) issued bonds worth 3.6 billion yen to purchase more Bitcoin, following a MicroStrategy-style accumulation strategy.

• Strategy (U.S.) disclosed plans to raise $21 billion in capital to double down on Bitcoin and blockchain infrastructure.

• BlackRock reported over $18 billion in assets under management (AUM) across its Bitcoin ETF offerings as of late April.

🧩 Web3 & DeFi Ecosystem Updates

• Aave launched its GHO stablecoin on Base, expanding the reach of its ecosystem into Coinbase’s Layer 2 chain.

• Frax Finance unveiled Fraxchain, a modular L2 focused on native yield and MEV recapture.

• Ethereum restaking continued to trend, with EigenLayer TVL exceeding $13B as protocols build on restaked ETH security.

🌐 Conferences and Events

• Paris Blockchain Week (April 8–10) gathered policymakers and builders to discuss Web3 scalability and regulation.

• Cornell Blockchain Conference (April 25) featured speakers from Avalanche, Coinbase, and regulatory bodies discussing U.S. crypto direction.

🔍 Security & Exploits

• Hundred Finance suffered a $7.4 million hack due to oracle manipulation on Optimism.

• Sonne Finance lost $20 million in an exploit involving reentrancy vulnerabilities, prompting temporary halts in lending activity.

📊 April in Numbers

MetricValue (Approx.)BTC Price Range$80,000 – $92,000ETH ETF Inflows$157 millionBTC ETF AUM (Top 3 U.S. Firms)$25 billion+TVL in DeFi (April-end)$105 billionStablecoin Market Cap (Global)$137 billion

📎 Summary

April 2025 was characterized by bullish institutional movement, regulatory softening in the U.S., and ecosystem expansion in DeFi and infrastructure. The Bitcoin halving introduced a new dynamic that could affect market structure moving forward. Ethereum’s rebound, ETF inflows, and innovations in Layer 2 technology suggest the next few months may see renewed momentum—particularly if macroeconomic conditions remain stable.