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, Decentralized finance protocols unite to restore rsETH tied to the $293 million Kelp DAO exploit, global retail crypto activity fell 11% in Q1 amid macro pressures, though Turkey and emerging economies showed resilience, while US-listed spot Bitcoin ETFs recorded a seven-day inflow streak totaling $1.9 billion, surpassing their March run.
Crypto protocols pledge 43K ETH to restore rsETH backing
Decentralized finance protocols have banded together in an attempt to restore the backing of rsETH following the $293 million exploit of the Kelp restaking platform on Saturday, which has triggered a liquidity shock.
The amount pledged has now exceeded 43,500 Ether, worth over $101 million, which decentralized lending platform Aave has called the “DeFi United” relief effort. Crypto protocols involved include Lido DAO and the Golem Foundation, with the largest pledges coming from the EtherFi Foundation and Mantle at the time of writing.
“We believe ecosystem collaboration matters most in moments like this, and our priority is achieving the strongest possible available outcome for users, said Aave on Thursday.
“Multiple strong indicative commitments are now in place to join this effort toward restoring the backing of rsETH.”
Hackers stole 116,500 Kelp DAO Restaked ETH tokens on April 18 from Kelp DAO’s LayerZero-powered bridge, then used them as collateral on Aave v3 to borrow wrapped Ether, resulting in about $195 million in bad debt on Aave, which has impacted the interconnected crypto lending market.
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