In the final week of April, the cryptocurrency market sees major issues erupt at once, including a strong Bitcoin rebound, the U.S. Clarity Act stalling in the Senate, quantum computers posing a security threat to cryptocurrencies, an extreme price dispute surrounding XRP, and regulatory moves on stablecoins and in Russia. It is a week in which regulation, technology and markets all swing at the same time.

Global digital-asset firms are visiting South Korea one after another and signalling their willingness to enter the market, but concerns are growing inside and outside the industry as the Digital Asset Basic Act (second-stage digital-asset legislation) is delayed after failing to clear the National Assembly.

• Global digital-asset firms swarm in...South Korea's institutionalisation hits snags

As the global digital-asset market is rapidly reshaped around institutional investor entry and artificial intelligence-based payment ecosystems, criticism is emerging that a regulatory vacuum in South Korea could lead to the domestic industry falling behind. Calls are growing to quickly resume discussions at the National Assembly's Political Affairs Committee and establish clear regulatory standards that meet global standards, in order to formalise digital-asset infrastructure and foster the industry.

• Bitcoin rises 13.6 percent in April...best monthly performance in 1 year • Bitcoin to plunge to $40,000? Experts answered..."Statistically impossible" • Long-term investors' holdings up 69 percent despite Bitcoin decline...on-chain indicators strong

Bitcoin rises 13.6 percent in April, posting its highest monthly gain in 1 year. Even during a short-term correction phase, on-chain data points to solid demand. Bitcoin holdings by long-term holders rise 69 percent, showing selling pressure is not large even as prices fall.

On claims in parts of the market that Bitcoin could plunge to $40,000, experts dismiss them as close to statistically impossible given the current supply-demand structure. Continued inflows into spot ETFs by Wall Street institutions lower the plausibility of an extreme downside scenario, the analysis says. Still, the supply structure is changing. This year, 290,000 BTC has left personal wallets, and a shift toward institution-centred ownership is becoming clearer. The pace at which Bitcoin, once a symbol of decentralisation, is turning into an institutional asset appears to be accelerating.

Meanwhile, as U.S.-China rivalry spreads into the cryptocurrency sphere, strategic interpretations around Bitcoin also diverge.

• U.S.-China rivalry spreads to crypto...conflicting strategies over Bitcoin • U.S. military officially confirms it operates Bitcoin nodes...'national security asset' faces first test

As the United States accelerates moves to bring Bitcoin into the category of national security assets, China appears to be sticking to a strategy of digitising the traditional financial system. It is also confirmed for the first time that the U.S. military officially operates Bitcoin nodes.

• U.S. Clarity bill fails to be handled in April...at a 'crossroads' of passage or scrapping • U.S. banking industry calls for delay in GENIUS Act implementation...stablecoin rule overhaul hits brakes

The Clarity Act, a key piece of legislation to institutionalise the U.S. crypto market, fails to clear the Senate in April and again stands at a crossroads. About 120 crypto industry groups urge the Senate in a joint letter to begin deliberations immediately, but a clash between Coinbase and the banking sector over a provision banning interest on stablecoins blocks even a vote.

The Clarity Act is a bill expected to become the legal foundation for the U.S. crypto industry. It lays out standards for classifying cryptocurrencies as securities or commodities and includes developer protection provisions. But a clause banning interest payments on stablecoin balances draws opposition from Circle and Coinbase, and an assessment emerges that the chance of passage is stuck at about one-third within the year.

Banks also call for a delay in implementing the GENIUS Act, which directly targets stablecoins, putting the brakes on it. They cite inadequate rules and lack of preparedness, but an analysis is dominant that in practical terms it is a move driven by concerns that stablecoins will encroach on the bank deposit market.

• Quantum computer cracks 15-bit encryption...researchers receive 1 BTC bounty • Ransomware group Kaiver first confirmed using quantum-resistant cryptography...seen as psychological warfare

The most watched technology issue this week is the security threat that quantum computing poses to cryptocurrencies. Alarm rises across the industry after reports that researchers succeed in cracking 15-bit encryption using a quantum computer and receive a bounty of 1 BTC. It is not yet at a level that threatens actual Bitcoin keys, but concerns are growing that the pace of technological progress is steeper than expected.

More shocking is the first confirmation that the ransomware group Kaiver uses quantum-resistant cryptography in an actual cyberattack. The security industry analyses it as a showy tactic with a strong psychological-warfare character, while placing weight on the fact that quantum security threats have become a current issue rather than a future one.

Against this backdrop, interest in related assets is growing, with the token price of the quantum-resistant cryptocurrency QRL (Quantum Resistant Ledger) jumping sharply from the previous week.

• The age of money streaming is coming...XRP 'game changer' scenario for global finance • Financial expert: "Buy XRP instead of morning coffee...you will be in the top 1 percent by 2030"

XRP is again at the centre of attention this week as an asset where extreme optimism and sober realism collide. Its price is stuck around $1.44 and is nearing a decision point within a triangle consolidation pattern. Analyses say it is technically at a crossroads between a breakout and another decline.

Long-term price forecasts, however, are a hot topic of debate among investors. Arguments within the community are fierce, ranging from optimism that "XRP will create top 1 percent wealth by 2030" to criticism that "$1,000 and $500 targets are unrealistic hype". A pragmatic view is also gaining traction that staged selling and exit strategies matter more than the size of holdings.

• Justin Sun: "Stablecoins already have winners...only Washington still doesn't know" • Euro stablecoins surge 1200 percent after MiCA takes effect...money shifts to regulated assets • SpaceX, OpenAI, Anthropic push a string of mega IPOs...could they drain Bitcoin liquidity?

The global stablecoin market shows notable moves on the regulatory front this week. After Europe’s MiCA (Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation) takes effect, issuance of euro-pegged stablecoins jumps more than 1,200 percent. It draws attention as a case where regulatory clarity instead leads market growth.

Justin Sun (저스틴 선), the founder of Tron, raises his voice, saying, "Stablecoins have already secured winner status in the market, but only Washington’s political circles do not recognise this reality." He warns that U.S. legislative delays could accelerate the stablecoin industry’s move overseas.

Concerns are also raised that a series of IPO pushes by large technology companies such as SpaceX, OpenAI and Anthropic could absorb liquidity from the cryptocurrency market. Competition for funds between traditional stock markets and the crypto market is emerging as a variable in the second half of the year.