Written byCointelegraph,Staff Writer
Reviewed byBryan O'Shea,Staff EditorHere’s what happened in crypto today
Need to know what happened in crypto today? Here is the latest news on daily trends and events impacting Bitcoin price, blockchain, DeFi, NFTs, Web3 and crypto regulation.
Today in crypto, Global retail crypto activity fell 11% in Q1 amid macro pressures, though Turkey and emerging economies showed resilience, according to TRM Labs data. Meanwhile, US-listed spot Bitcoin ETFs recorded a seven-day inflow streak totaling $1.9 billion, surpassing their March run and CertiK warned of four attack vectors that will likely drive the lion’s share of crypto hacks this year.
Global crypto adoption slumps amid macro pressures, Turkey defies downtrend
Global crypto adoption declined in the first quarter as retail activity weakened under mounting macroeconomic and geopolitical pressures, underscoring the sector’s continued sensitivity to broader market conditions.
TRM Labs’ Q1 Global Crypto Adoption Index showed an 11% year-over-year drop in retail crypto volumes, to $979 billion. The decline marked a second consecutive quarterly contraction and the sharpest pullback since the 2022 bear market.
The downturn was largely driven by a stronger US dollar, higher interest rates and a broader risk-off environment, all of which weighed on retail participation, TRM said. The softer demand coincided with a 22% drop in the price of Bitcoin (BTC) during the quarter.
Bitcoin’s correction followed a late-2025 peak above $126,000, with prices trending lower through the first quarter alongside a broader decline in digital asset markets.
Bitcoin’s quarterly returns between Q4 2022 and Q1 2026. Source: TRM Labs
BlackRock drives 7-day Bitcoin ETF inflow streak as BTC nears $80,000
US-listed spot Bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs) have been gaining momentum amid Bitcoin’s price recovery, showing steady inflows since mid-April.
Spot Bitcoin (BTC) ETFs logged $335.8 million in inflows on Wednesday, marking the seventh consecutive day of inflows, according to Farside data.
During the inflow streak, the ETFs drew around $1.9 billion in total inflows, surpassing the previous seven-day inflow streak in March, which totaled $1.2 billion.
According to Wallet Pilot data, Bitcoin ETFs hold a combined 1.3 million Bitcoin in assets under management, worth around $103 billion.
The steady inflows to Bitcoin ETFs were accompanied by a rising BTC price, which has surged 11% over the past 30 days. BTC briefly rose above $79,000 on Wednesday, its first time reaching that level since late January, according to CoinGecko.
Out of $1.9 billion in the latest inflow streak, BlackRock’s iShares Bitcoin Trust ETF (IBIT) accounted for more than 73% of all the inflows at $1.4 billion. The fund holds 809,870 Bitcoin, accounting for 62% of total AUM in US-listed spot Bitcoin ETFs.
Daily spot Bitcoin ETF inflows since April 14. Source: Farside.co.uk
Phishing, deepfakes, others to fuel 2026's biggest crypto hacks: CertiK
Real-time deepfakes, phishing attacks, supply chain compromises and cross-chain vulnerabilities will likely be the root of some of the biggest hacks in 2026, according to CertiK senior blockchain investigator Natalie Newson.
The industry has already lost over $600 million to hacks in 2026, due largely to two North Korea-linked crypto thefts in April, including the $293 million Kelp DAO exploit on Saturday involving a single point-of-trust failure in cross-chain messaging protocol LayerZero’s infrastructure, and the $280 million exploit of the Drift Protocol.
The average size of crypto hacks rose to $19.5 million in 2025. Source: TRM Labs
Another DPRK-linked attack involved the use of AI for social engineering. Crypto wallet Zerion revealed on April 15 that North Korean-affiliated hackers used AI in a long-term social engineering attack to steal about $100,000 from the company’s hot wallets.
Newson warned that, in “some aspects,” the acceleration of AI will only worsen crypto attacks.