Crypto Market Recap: Trump Signs First Crypto Bill, SEC Issues Crypto Guidance

Bitcoin and Ethereum price update

At the time of this writing, Bitcoin (BTC) was priced at US$83,823.99 and up 5.2 percent in 24 hours. The day's range has seen a low of US$81,675.28 and a high of U$83,968.58.

Markets recovered on Friday afternoon after a week of unprecedented volatility triggered by an ongoing trade war between the US and China. Stronger-than-expected producer price index data out of the US suggests inflation could be easing, igniting a recovery for the crypto and stock markets.

Ethereum (ETH) is priced at US$1,565, a 3 percent increase over the past 24 hours. The cryptocurrency reached an intraday low of US$1,549.00 and a high of US$1,582.64.

Altcoin price update

• Solana (SOL) is currently valued at US$120.57, up 8.4 percent over the past 24 hours. SOL experienced a low of US$118.23 and a high of US$121.52 on Friday.

• XRP is trading at US$2.05, reflecting a 4.2 percent increase over the past 24 hours. The cryptocurrency recorded an intraday low of US$1.99 and a high of US$2.06.

• Sui (SUI) is priced at US$2.22, showing an increase of 6.5 percent over the past 24 hours. It achieved a daily low of US$2.17 and a high of US$2.24.

• Cardano (ADA) is trading at US$0.6279, reflecting a 4.9 percent increase over the past 24 hours. Its lowest price on Friday was US$0.6175, with a high of US$0.6313.

Crypto news to know

Trump overturns IRS DeFi rule

US President Donald Trump has signed into law a bill nullifying an Internal Revenue Service (IRS) rule that controversially expanded the definition of “broker” to include decentralized finance (DeFi) platforms.

The regulation, finalized in the waning days of the Biden administration, would have required DeFi protocols — which operate without intermediaries — to report detailed user transaction data to the IRS, something crypto developers argued was both technically unfeasible and legally dubious.

With bipartisan support, both chambers of Congress passed the reversal using the Congressional Review Act. The decision is part of Trump’s broader pledge to position the US as a global crypto leader.

In his first week back in office, he created a federal working group on cryptocurrency regulation and signed an executive order to build a national Bitcoin reserve. The Trump administration has also repeatedly criticized the Biden-era IRS framework as stifling innovation and creating legal liabilities for developers.

SEC issues guidance on crypto securities disclosures

Intending to build on the US Securities and Exchange Commission's (SEC) Crypto Task Force, the commission's Division of Corporation Finance issued guidance on how federal securities laws should apply to crypto.

The commission said companies issuing or dealing with tokens that could be securities should give better details about their business. However, the statement didn’t provide clarity on what digital assets could be securities.

Crypto companies typically provide details about their operations, the function of their tokens, and their plans for generating revenue. They also address their future involvement with any launched crypto networks or apps, specifying who will take responsibility for them if the company itself does not.

The SEC has requested that cryptocurrency companies provide additional details about their technology. This includes specifying whether their product uses a proof-of-work or proof-of-stake blockchain, as well as information about its block size, transaction speed, reward mechanisms and the measures taken to ensure network security.

The SEC also asked whether the protocol is open-source or not.

It added that a company should share if a protocol’s code can be modified, and if so, who can make such changes and whether the smart contracts involved have been subjected to a third-party security audit.

Other disclosures the statement mentioned are whether the token’s supply is fixed and how it was or will be issued, along with identifying executives and “significant employees.”

New York moves to let state agencies accept crypto payments

New York could soon become one of the first US states to formally integrate cryptocurrency into government operations.

A newly filed bill, Assembly Bill A7788, introduced by Assemblymember Clyde Vanel, proposes to allow state agencies to accept crypto — including Bitcoin, Ethereum, Litecoin, and Bitcoin Cash — for a wide range of payments such as taxes, fees, rent, and fines.

The proposed legislation would authorize agencies to enter agreements with crypto payment providers, ensuring that final settlements are made in fiat currency to shield state budgets from crypto market volatility.

More importantly, the bill stipulates that debts would not be considered legally settled until the state receives full fiat payment, preserving the integrity of public finance processes.

Agencies may also charge service fees to offset transaction costs and volatility hedging. While this is not the first time such a proposal has emerged — similar bills were introduced in previous legislative sessions but failed to advance — the current climate of growing mainstream adoption and Trump-era pro-crypto sentiment may improve its chances.

SEC and Ripple seek abeyance in legal proceedings

The SEC and Ripple have filed a joint motion to put their appeals in abeyance, pausing proceedings in a sign that both entities anticipate a settlement will be reached when newly appointed SEC Chairman Paul Atkins takes over.

The Senate confirmed Atkins on April 9; however, no date has been set for his swearing-in.

“An abeyance would conserve judicial and party resources while the parties continue to pursue a negotiated resolution of this matter,” the parties jointly stated in an April 10 court filing. Ripple’s defense attorney, James Filan, said the new filing supersedes the April 16 deadline for Ripple to respond to the SEC’s brief filed in January.

In other developments, the SEC dismissed its lawsuit against Helium developer Nova Labs for allegedly issuing unregistered securities.

BlackRock reports digital asset inflows

BlackRock (NASDAQ:BLK) released its Q1 earnings report on Friday, reporting US$84 billion in total net inflows in the first quarter of 2025, marking a 3 percent annualized growth in assets under management (AUM).

Its performance was led in part by US$107 billion in net inflows to its iShares ETFs, roughly US$3 billion, or 2.8 percent, directed to digital asset products. Digital AUM amounted to US$50.3 billion at the end of Q1, roughly 0.5 percent of the firm’s US$11.6 trillion total AUM.