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TRX surged with transactions up 53.76% and active addresses rising 46.72%, supported by treasury buying and strong technical support levels
Bitcoin ETFs saw $14.76M inflows while crypto card usage surged 500%, highlighting growing institutional interest and real-world crypto adoption.
Carrot protocol lost 93% value post-exploit, while North Korea-linked hacks accounted for 76% of 2026
The crypto markets experienced mixed sentiments from network expansion, institutional investments, and security issues. The Tron network experienced increased activity while Bitcoin ETFs recorded inflows, but sentiment remained affected by Ripple's XRP unlocking and growing cryptocurrency hacking incidents.
Tron (TRX) hit a new yearly high six times in April, outperforming both Bitcoin and most altcoins in terms of growth.
The reason for TRX's rise was the activity on the Tron network. According to DeFiLama, the number of transactions grew by 53.76% last month, and active addresses rose by 46.72%.
The TRX trend correction in the latter half of April was triggered by a technical "double top" signal. However, when the price fell below $0.32, Tron Inc. stepped in, and the company has been steadily buying the altcoin on dips to hold in its treasury.
That move stabilized prices, and yesterday TRX bounced off a key Fibonacci retracement level (23.6%).
According to SoSoValue, the Bitcoin spot ETF saw a total net inflow of $14.76 million yesterday. The Bitcoin spot ETF with the highest net inflow yesterday was Fidelity's ETF FBTC, with a daily net inflow of $26.61 million.
The second highest was BlackRock's ETF IBIT, with a daily net inflow of $19.05 million. The Bitcoin spot ETF with the highest net outflow yesterday was Valkyrie's ETF BRRR, with a daily net outflow of $8.62 million.
The total net asset value of Bitcoin spot ETFs is $100.53 billion, with an ETF net asset ratio of 6.56%. The historical cumulative net inflow has reached $58.09 billion.
Also Read: Social Media Hypes Bitcoin at $90K: Is the Market Overheating?
On Thursday, Solana-based decentralized finance yield protocol Carrot said that it is shutting down permanently, becoming one of the first DeFi protocols to fall as a result of a Drift Protocol exploit in early April.
In an X post, Carrot said the Drift exploit was “catastrophic” for the protocol and had left it financially unable to continue operating. The platform set a May 14 deadline for users to withdraw remaining funds.
The Drift protocol exploit on April 1 was the second-largest in 2026. It was a highly coordinated attack by a group of hackers who gained admin control and drained over half the protocol's total value locked.
According to DeFiLlama, Carrot’s total value locked was around $28 million before the Drift hack, and is currently $1.99 million, marking a decrease of roughly 93%.
Ripple Labs has unlocked another 1 billion XRP from an escrow account on May 1, 2026. The blockchain payment company unlocked XRP tokens worth around $1.37 billion, according to on-chain data from XRPSCAN.
The largest single unlock was 400 million tokens valued at about $547 million. The other transactions involved 100 million, 300 million, and 200 million unlocks.
Following the unlock, Ripple’s escrow account held about 33.35 billion tokens, which is valued at about $45.69 billion.
Meanwhile, the company could relock 700 million XRP in the escrow account, as it has done over the past several months. The remaining 300 million tokens, currently worth around $411 million, could be deposited on crypto exchanges or over-the-counter (OTC) desks for potential liquidation.
Also Read: XRP Sees Massive 34.94M Outflow, Yet Price Keeps Falling: What’s Going On?
Crypto card spending volume has surged 500% since September 2024 to around $600 million per month. Visa processes 90% of those transactions.
The strategy mirrors its Bridge stablecoin card rollout, which expands to new regions through 2026.
Meanwhile, partner programs such as Wirex push stablecoin payouts to billions of cards via Visa Direct. Visa processed roughly 97% of crypto card volume in March.
Newer entrants are also stretching the cashback model. Among them is Jupiter’s Solana-based Visa card. The product returns 4% to 10% cashback by tier and posted 660% month-over-month volume growth in April.
Recent data from TRM Labs reveals that North Korean hacking groups accounted for 76% of all crypto attack losses in 2026.
The report highlights that just two massive attacks totaled $577 million: the Drift Protocol breach on April 1 and the KelpDAO bridge exploit on April 18.
The impact is not attributable to an increase in frequency, but to a level of surgical precision that utilizes AI tools and sophisticated social engineering.
While the Drift attack exploited vulnerabilities in Solana governance, the KelpDAO case took advantage of the fragility of a single verifier on its bridge.
1. Why is Tron (TRX) gaining so much attention?
Tron’s network activity surged significantly, with transactions up over 53% and active users rising nearly 47%. This reflects strong ecosystem usage, which often supports price growth and investor confidence.
2. What do Bitcoin ETF inflows indicate?
ETF inflows suggest continued institutional interest in Bitcoin. Even modest inflows like $14.76M signal steady demand, helping stabilize market sentiment despite broader volatility.
3. What impact does Ripple’s XRP unlock have?
Unlocking 1 billion XRP increases the circulating supply, which can create short-term selling pressure. However, Ripple often relocks a portion, helping manage market impact.
4. Why did the Carrot DeFi protocol collapse?
Carrot shut down after a major exploit linked to Drift Protocol, losing over 93% of its value. Such hacks highlight ongoing vulnerabilities in DeFi platforms.
5. How serious are crypto hacking risks in 2026?
Very significantly, North Korean groups alone accounted for 76% of total crypto hack losses. Attacks are becoming more advanced, using AI and sophisticated social engineering techniques.
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