Here's a quick recap of the crypto landscape for Wednesday (April 29) as of 10:00 a.m. UTC.
Get the latest insights on Bitcoin, Ether and altcoins, along with a round-up of key cryptocurrencymarket news
Bitcoin (BTC) was priced at US$77,629.87, up by 1.5 percent over the last 24 hours.
Chart via TradingView
Bitcoin price performance, April 29, 2026.
Ether (ETH) was priced at US$2,339.68, up by 2.1 percent over the last 24 hours.
Altcoin price update
- XRP (XRP) was priced at US$1.40, up by 0.4 percent over 24 hours.
- Solana (SOL) was trading at US$85.27, trading 1.2 percent higher over the past 24 hours.
Today's crypto news to know
White House teases update on US$25 billion Bitcoin stockpile
The crypto market is on edge following hints of a massive update regarding the US Strategic Bitcoin Reserve.
Speaking at the Bitcoin 2026 conference in Las Vegas, White House digital asset adviser Patrick Witt revealed that the Trump administration has cleared a major legal hurdle regarding the national stockpile. The government is reportedly gearing up to share a landmark announcement even before any formal legislation makes its way through Congress.
Currently, the US federal government sits on a massive war chest of roughly 328,372 Bitcoin, valued at around US$25 billion and representing 1.6 percent of the global circulating supply.
The vast majority of this digital wealth accumulated through high-profile law enforcement seizures and asset forfeitures over the years.
Last March, an executive order officially barred the Treasury from liquidating these holdings, centralizing them into a single reserve. However, Witt emphasized that permanent Congressional legislation is still required to properly protect taxpayers and permanently codify the reserve.
Mastercard bridges AI agents, crypto wallets
Mastercard (NYSE:MA) is aggressively expanding its footprint beyond traditional card swipes by rolling out new payment rails designed specifically for autonomous artificial intelligence and digital assets.
The financial giant is introducing "Agent Pay" and "Verifiable Intent" features to securely authorize and oversee transactions initiated by AI agents. By integrating with open platforms like Lobster.cash and OpenClaw, the company aims to embed its robust fraud controls and dispute frameworks into experimental AI commerce before these transactions migrate to off-network alternatives.
Meanwhile, down under in Australia, Mastercard has forged a new partnership with the crypto exchange KuCoin to enable seamless, direct crypto spending for everyday purchases.
This collaboration allows users to instantly convert their USDC balances into spendable fiat at any participating merchant, effectively linking digital asset wallets to real-world checkout counters.
CFTC sues Wisconsin to defend crypto prediction markets
The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) has launched a federal lawsuit against Wisconsin.
This legal counter-strike comes just days after Wisconsin's attorney general filed suits against major platforms like Polymarket, Kalshi, and Coinbase, accusing them of running unregistered sports betting operations.
Wisconsin is now the fifth state to be targeted by the federal regulator in recent weeks, following similar CFTC lawsuits against Illinois, Arizona, Connecticut, and New York.
The core of the conflict revolves around exactly how to classify wagers on elections, sports, and pop culture events. A bipartisan coalition of state regulators argues that these platforms are essentially operating illegal, unregulated gambling rings that violate local laws.
Conversely, the CFTC—led by Trump appointee Mike Selig—maintains that these wagers are strictly "event contracts" that fall exclusively under federal oversight. Selig has issued a blunt warning to state authorities, declaring that the federal government will ruthlessly sue anyone who attempts to interfere with its mandate to regulate financial markets.
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Securities Disclosure: I, Meagen Seatter, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.
Securities Disclosure: I, Giann Liguid, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.
The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.
