Bitcoin eyes $100K by June, Shaq to settle NFT lawsuit, and more: Hodler’s Digest, April 6 – 12

Top Stories of The WeekShaquille ONeal gets judges greenlight for $11M Astrals NFT settlementFormer NBA star Shaquille ONeal has been granted final court approval to settle a class-action lawsuit for $11 million with Astrals non-fungible token (NFT) buyers.Florida federal court judge Federico Moreno granted approval of the settlement between ONeal and the class group led by Daniel Harper in an April 1 order made available on April 8.The deal created a fund of up to $11 million for eligible class members and awarded $2.9 million in attorney fees and costs. All those who purchased Astrals NFTs from May 2022 to Jan. 15 and those who purchased the projects native GLXY tokens up until mid-January are eligible. The fee sought by lead class counsel has been reviewed and approved as fair and reasonable by plaintiffs, Morenos order read.New York bill proposes legalizing Bitcoin, crypto for state paymentsA New York lawmaker has introduced legislation that would allow state agencies to accept cryptocurrency payments, signaling growing political momentum for digital asset integration in public services.Assembly Bill A7788, introduced by Assemblyman Clyde Vanel, seeks to amend state financial law to allow New York state agencies to accept cryptocurrencies as a form of payment.It would permit state agencies to accept payments in Bitcoin, Ether, Litecoin, and Bitcoin Cash, according to the bills text.Synthetix USD stablecoin loses dollar peg, drops to 5-year low of $0.83The Synthetix protocols native stablecoin, Synthetix USD (sUSD), fell to its lowest value in five years, extending a months-long struggle to maintain its $1 peg.The asset has faced persistent instability since the start of 2025. On Jan. 1, sUSD dropped to $0.96 and only rebounded to $0.99 in early February. Prices continued to fluctuate through February before stabilizing in March.On April 10, sUSD fell to a five-year low of $0.83, according to data from CoinGecko.SUSD is a crypto-collateralized stablecoin. Users lock up SNX tokens to mint sUSD, making its stability highly dependent on the market value of SNX.SEC, Ripple file joint motion to pause appeals in XRP caseThe US Securities and Exchange Commission and blockchain payments firm Ripple agreed to pause their appeals in the ongoing XRP legal battle, signaling a potential move toward a final settlement.The SEC and Ripple agreed to put their appeals in abeyance, meaning the proceedings are now paused pending an anticipated settlement of the XRP case.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 CEO Brad Garlinghouse previously announced the end of the XRP case on March 19, and the new filing hints that the SEC is ready to settle once nominated and confirmed Chair Paul Atkins takes office, according to some community speculation.Crypto stocks see big gains alongside US stock market reboundCrypto stocks have surged as part of a broader recovery in the US stock market on April 9 following President Donald Trumps 90-day pause on sweeping global tariffs.The Wednesday, April 9, trading day closed with Michael Saylors Strategy up 24.76% to $296.86, while crypto exchange Coinbase (COIN) closed up 17% to $177.09, according to Google Finance data.Crypto mining companies also saw gains, with MARA Holdings (MARA) up 17%, Cipher Mining (CIFR) up 16.59%, and Riot Platforms (RIOT) rising 12.77%.Winners and LosersAt the end of the week, Bitcoin (BTC) is at $83,430, Ether (ETH) at $1,566 and XRP at $2.02. The total market cap is at $2.63 trillion, according to CoinMarketCap.Among the biggest 100 cryptocurrencies, the top three altcoin gainers of the week are Onyxcoin (XCN) at 129.71%, Fartcoin (FARTCOIN) at 77.87% and Hyperliquid (HYPE) at 30.17%.The top three altcoin losers of the week are EOS (EOS) at 20.78%, Tezos (XTZ) at 17.25% and NEAR Protocol (NEAR) at 15.91%. For more info on crypto prices, make sure to read Cointelegraphs market analysis.Most Memorable QuotationsIf we dont make Bitcoin more useful, we risk making it irrelevant.Eli Ben-Sasson, co-founder and CEO of StarkWarePerpetual swaps play a key role in price discovery for newly launched altcoins and are a strong sign of market sentiment as theyre often the first derivatives product to be launched.Stephan Lutz, CEO of BitMEXNo one from the MELANIA team has addressed this. Not the movements. Not the selling.Bubblemaps, blockchain analytics firmSo theres a real prospect of Bitcoin competing with gold and then starting to take some of the gold use cases, like as a geopolitical hedge, take some of that money into Bitcoin.Adam Back, CEO of BlockstreamIn the end, almost all the other tariff negotiations and rhetoric are all about getting China to agree a deal.Raoul Pal, founder of Global Macro InvestorI actually think the real question is, when does the bull market come? If you ask me, thats going to be Q3, Q4 of this year.Eric Turner, CEO of MessariTop Prediction of The WeekBitcoin $100K target back on table after Trump tariff pause supercharges market sentimentBitcoin staged a sharp rebound after US President Donald Trump announced a pause on tariffs for non-retaliating countries, reigniting bullish momentum and raising hopes for a potential surge toward the $100,000 mark.On April 9, surged by approximately 9%, reversing most of the losses it incurred earlier in the week, to retest $83,000. In doing so, the pair came closer to validating a falling wedge pattern that has been forming on its daily chart since December 2024.As of April 9, Bitcoins price was confined within the falling wedge range while eyeing a breakout above its upper trendline at around $83,000. If it is confirmed, BTCs main upside target by June could be around $100,000.Top FUD of The WeekFeds, SEC charge app maker with fraud, saying AI service was Philippine workersUS authorities have charged a tech app founder with fraud, alleging that his advertised artificial intelligence-powered e-commerce app actually relied on human workers in the Philippines.Albert Saniger of Barcelona, Spain, founder and former CEO of the company Nate, was charged with one count of securities fraud and wire fraud, the Justice Department said in an April 9 statement, while the Securities and Exchange Commission filed a parallel civil action. Read also AI Eye AI Eye: 25K traders bet on ChatGPT’s stock picks, AI sucks at dice throws, and more Asia Express Asia Express: Chinas NFT market, Moutai metaverse popular but buggy Court documents said Saniger founded Nate around 2018 and launched an app of the same name in July 2020, marketing it as an AI-powered universal shopping cart that offered users the ability to complete online retail transactions, including filling in shipping details and sizing, without human input.Democrats slam DOJs grave mistake in disbanding crypto crime unitCrypto-critical US Senator Elizabeth Warren has led six Senate Democrats in urging the Department of Justice to reverse its decision to terminate its crypto investigations and prosecutions division.In an April 10 letter to Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, the senators said the decision to disband the departments National Cryptocurrency Enforcement Team was a grave mistake that would support sanctions evasion, drug trafficking, scams, and child sexual exploitation.Senators Richard Durbin, Mazie Hirono, Sheldon Whitehouse, Christopher Coons and Richard Blumenthal signed the letter in addition to Warren.Jack Dorsey’s Block fined $40M for alleged crypto compliance, AML failuresDigital payments company Block, Inc. has reached a $40 million settlement with New York regulators over alleged compliance misconducts tied to its Cash App platform, Bloomberg reported on April 10. Read also Features How to bake your own DAO at home With just 5 ingredients! Features Why are crypto fans obsessed with micronations and seasteading? Block was fined by the New York Department of Financial Services following an investigation into Cash Apps Anti-Money Laundering and cryptocurrency compliance operations, Bloomberg said after reviewing the government agencys consent order. NYDFS determined that Block allegedly violated consumer protection laws and didnt conduct proper due diligence on its customers. The company was allegedly too slow in reporting suspicious transactions to regulators and failed to adequately screen so-called high-risk Bitcoin transactions. Top Magazine Stories of The WeekMemecoin degeneracy is funding groundbreaking anti-aging researchCrypto projects like Pump.science and VitaDAO are using crypto speculation to research longevity and anti-aging treatments.Illegal arcade disguised as a fake Bitcoin mine? Soldier scams in China: Asia ExpressFake Chinese soldiers door-to-door crypto scam, a Bitcoin mining firm serves as a legitimate front for illicit operations, and more!UKs Orwellian AI murder prediction system, will AI take your job? AI EyeTariffs on China to kickstart USA-based robot factories, creepy robot dogs given cute dragon makeovers, is your job at risk to AI? Subscribe The most engaging reads in blockchain. Delivered once a week. Email addressSUBSCRIBE