The 200% Surprise Surge That Flipped the Crypto Narrative

Hello and welcome to Crypto Intel, the twice-weekly newsletter covering the latest updates, breaking news, and exciting opportunities in the crypto world.

Unexpected clarity is rippling through the noise. A regulatory retreat, long overdue. A technical upgrade with wide implications. And a comeback story that defies the downtrend.

Sometimes, the biggest moves aren't about price—they're about posture. And this week, the posture of power is shifting, from policymakers to protocol engineers to platforms clawing their way back to dominance.

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Three powerful forces are aligning in 2025: Bitcoin’s post-halving boom, Wall Street’s ETF-backed crypto surge, and the most favorable U.S. regulations in crypto history.

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📈 Market-Moving News

The headlines this week are deceptively quiet. But behind the scenes, the rails are being rebuilt—financial, technical, and cultural.

US regulators are stepping back just as Ethereum pushes forward. And while NFT volumes drop, the market's biggest player is surging ahead. In a space where timing is everything, these pivots may define what's next.

Regulation

🇺🇸 Fed Withdraws Crypto Guidance, Joining OCC and FDIC in Policy Reset

The US Federal Reserve has officially withdrawn its previous crypto guidance for banks, completing a coordinated policy shift alongside the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC). The move erases prior directives that required banks to seek regulatory sign-off before engaging in crypto-related activities. Four pieces of Fed-issued guidance from 2022 and 2023 have now been formally rescinded.

According to the Fed, this rollback is meant to "support innovation" and bring supervisory expectations in line with evolving risks. Rather than imposing blanket restrictions, the central bank will now oversee crypto exposure through its standard supervisory processes. This effectively hands more decision-making power to bank executives and compliance officers, allowing them to assess crypto involvement independently.

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The shift signals a growing desire within US regulatory institutions to avoid stifling blockchain-related financial innovation through outdated or overly cautious frameworks. However, it also raises questions about the current regulatory vacuum—especially since no federal legislation has yet clearly defined the rules of engagement for banks in the digital asset space. Without a legal framework from Congress, banks are navigating a high-risk environment with little clarity.

This pivot could be seen as a pragmatic response to mounting pressure from pro-crypto lawmakers and institutions alike. But while it opens the door for more bank-led experimentation, the lack of a unified policy still leaves firms exposed. Until Congress delivers clear digital asset laws, these withdrawn guidelines may offer short-term relief but little long-term certainty.

Ethereum

⛽ Ethereum Devs Propose 4x Gas Limit Increase for Fusaka Hard Fork

Ethereum developers are proposing a major upgrade to the network's performance by quadrupling the layer 1 gas limit from 30–36 million to 150 million. The increase is being positioned as a central feature of the upcoming Fusaka hard fork, which follows the Pectra upgrade slated for May. The change is detailed in Ethereum Improvement Proposal (EIP) 9678, introduced on April 23.

This proposal aims to scale layer 1 execution without adding entirely new features, making it a relatively lightweight but powerful enhancement. Core developers, including Tim Beiko, emphasized the need to align client defaults and coordinate testing well ahead of Fusaka's anticipated late-2025 rollout. Increasing the gas limit would effectively allow for more complex or higher-volume transactions per block.

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Still, the transition isn't expected to be seamless. Developers flagged the likelihood of bugs surfacing in Ethereum clients operating under higher gas limits. These bugs will need to be resolved before the new limit can safely go live. As such, the proposal includes extra provisions to help standardize how validators and clients prepare for the upgrade and avoid systemic issues.

The gas limit hike could significantly improve Ethereum's transaction throughput, benefiting users and dApps alike. But it's a balancing act—boosting scalability while managing technical debt. This shows Ethereum's commitment to improving performance on layer 1 even as layer 2 ecosystems continue to evolve.

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NFT Markets

🎨 OpenSea Regains NFT Crown Amid Platform Upgrades and Rivals' Decline

OpenSea has reclaimed its place as the top NFT marketplace, leading both in trading volume and active wallet engagement. According to NFTScan, OpenSea now captures over 40% of NFT trading volume, with Blur following at 23%. In the past month, nearly 70% of all wallets engaging with NFTs interacted with OpenSea, compared to just 17% across Magic Eden, Blur, and OKX combined.

Key to this resurgence was the rollout of OpenSea's OS2 platform. After a successful beta, the open version launched in February with plans to introduce the platform's native token, SEA. OS2 is more than a facelift—it's a strategic revamp that includes new trading tools, an upgraded user interface, and extended support for emerging ecosystems like Solana. The platform even skipped a closed beta for Solana token trading, opening access to all users instantly.

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OpenSea's comeback also aligns with its regulatory clearance. In February, the SEC dropped its investigation into the platform, lifting a cloud that had loomed for over a year. Despite a 61% year-over-year drop in NFT trading volume in Q1 2025, OpenSea's numbers are trending up in user activity, suggesting that market leadership still matters—even in a cooling space.

OpenSea's revival shows how product evolution and regulatory clarity can make or break platforms. Even amid declining volumes, users are gravitating toward reliable, feature-rich environments. While Blur and others still have a shot, OpenSea's recent moves suggest it's not giving up the throne without a fight.

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⏩ Future Forward

The gears are in motion—quiet launches, surprise updates, and subtle shifts are setting the stage. If you're watching closely, the next wave is already building.

Crypto Conferences:

💎 CRYPTOSPHERE 2025 (Apr 26, 2025)

💎 HBC25 Blockchain in Action (Apr 26, 2025 - Apr 27, 2025)

💎 Institutional and Stablecoin Night (Apr 26, 2025)

Upcoming Airdrops:

🎁 Quai Network (QUAI) Airdrop (May 4, 2025)

🎁 Beincom (BIC) Airdrop (May 15, 2025)

🎁 BADAI Airdrop (May 25, 2025)

Upcoming Token Launches:

🚀 Blink Game AI (BLINK) IDO on KingdomStarter (Apr 27, 2025)

🚀 FNT Crypto (FNTIO) IDO on BSCS (Apr 28, 2025)

🚀 Iceberg (ICEBERG) IDO on Spores (May 14, 2025)

Which event are you most excited for? Let us know!

🧠 Crypto Know-How: Utility Tokens

Utility tokens are a type of crypto token that give you access to a product or service within a blockchain ecosystem. Think of them like arcade tokens—you use them to play games, not as money in the real world.

For example, a utility token might let you vote on project decisions, pay for network fees, or unlock premium features in a dApp. They're built to be useful inside a specific project—not to function as money or an investment.

These tokens can be powerful if the platform grows and people actually want what it offers. But remember, not every utility token has long-term value—always check what you're really getting access to.

Everything Else

• SUI surged 73% over the past week—outpacing the entire market—on the back of a Grayscale trust launch, a Mastercard integration, and soaring DeFi activity.

• BNB Chain powered through Q1 with over $900M in token burns, surging DeFi participation, and mass stablecoin adoption, fueled by strategic builder incentives and gas-free transfers.

• The city of Vilonia, Arkansas, unanimously rejected a proposed crypto mining facility after intense community backlash over noise, energy use, and lack of local benefits.

• On-chain data shows Bitcoin whales are back in force, with entities holding over 10,000 BTC, driving a $94K price rebound amid the highest exchange outflows in two years.

• A North Korea-linked hacking group used fake crypto job interviews and shell companies to spread malware targeting devs' wallets, prompting FBI action to seize domains.