Strategy’s New Product Grew Faster Than The iPhone And Google Ads Combined – Strategy (NASDAQ:MSTR)

The Seven-Month Sprint

Strategy launched Stretch at the end of July 2025. From that point to mid-March 2026, the product grew to $5 billion. 

Apple’s iPhone took about a year to reach $5 billion in cumulative revenue. Google Ads took about four years.

“From a pure product perspective, you could argue that Stretch is the fastest growing product in the history of the world,” said Fong Lee, CEO of Strategy.

Compared to ETFs, the gold ETF launched in the early 2000s took four to five years to reach $5 billion in assets under management. 

How It Works

Stretch is a perpetual preferred stock that pays an 11.5% annual yield in monthly distributions. 

The payments qualify as return of capital,…

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NYT Names Adam Back As Bitcoin’s Creator. Back Says No

The New York Times published an investigation Tuesday arguing that Adam Back, a British cryptographer and longtime figure in the Bitcoin community, is the most credible candidate yet for Satoshi Nakamoto — the pseudonymous inventor of Bitcoin. 

Back denied the claim before the story ran, denied it inside the story, and denied it again in a public post on X after publication.

“I’m not satoshi, but I was early in laser focus on the positive societal implications of cryptography, online privacy and electronic cash, hence my ~1992 onwards active interest in applied research on ecash, privacy tech on cypherpunks list which led to hashcash and other ideas,” Back wrote on… Read more on BitcoinMagazine

Bitcoin At $71,000, But On-Chain Data Screams ‘Be Careful’

Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC) moved above $71,000 following improved geopolitical sentiment, but on-chain data suggests the market remains cautious rather than fully bullish.

Defensive, Not Panicked

Data from CryptoQuant shows that exchange reserves on major platforms such as Binance and Coinbase remain well below their early 2025 levels — a continued trend of Bitcoin being withdrawn from exchanges rather than positioned for sale.

Coinbase is often viewed as a proxy for U.S. institutional activity and has seen reserves decline from around 980,000 BTC to the mid-860,000 range.

Binance reserves have been more cyclical but also remain below prior highs, with no meaningful rebuild despite recent…

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Stablecoin Yield Ban Hurts Consumers More Than Banks

The federal government’s own economists at the White House have thrown cold water on one of the central justifications for restricting stablecoin returns — and their findings run counter to a provision already written into law.

The GENIUS Act, signed in July 2025, established the first comprehensive federal framework for stablecoins. The law requires issuers to hold reserves on a one-to-one basis — meaning every dollar in circulation is backed by a real dollar in safe assets like Treasury bills, cash, or money-market funds. It also contains a blunt prohibition: issuers cannot pay holders any form of yield or interest on their coins.

The logic, at least as its advocates have…

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Iran Demands Bitcoin Payments At Hormuz As Trump Says Strait Must Open ‘Immediately And Completely’

The Bitcoin Toll System

Hamid Hosseini, spokesperson for Iran’s Oil, Gas and Petrochemical Products Exporters’ Union, told the Financial Times that Iran wants to collect tolling fees from any tanker passing and assess each ship.

“Iran needs to monitor what goes in and out of the strait to ensure these two weeks aren’t used for transferring weapons,” Hosseini said. 

His industry association works closely with the state.

Each tanker must email authorities about its cargo. Iran will then inform them of the toll in digital currencies.

The tariff is $1 per barrel of oil, while empty tankers can pass freely.

“Once the email arrives and Iran completes its assessment, vessels are given a…

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Morgan Stanley Becomes Official First US Bank To Launch A Spot Bitcoin ETF

Banking giant Morgan Stanley launched its spot bitcoin exchange-traded fund today, opening a new front in the battle for dominance in the growing U.S. crypto ETF market and setting up a direct challenge to BlackRock’s flagship iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT).

The new fund, trading under the ticker MSBT, began trading April 8 on NYSE Arca with an expense ratio of 0.14%, the lowest among spot bitcoin ETFs. The pricing undercuts IBIT’s 0.25% fee and signals a shift toward cost competition in a market where products offer near-identical exposure to bitcoin’s price.

Spot bitcoin ETFs hold bitcoin directly and track its market value, leaving fees, liquidity, and distribution as the main…

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Iran To Accept Bitcoin For Strait Of Hormuz Transit

Iran plans to require shipping companies to pay transit tolls in Bitcoin for vessels passing through the Strait of Hormuz, according to a Financial Times report. This links bitcoin to one of the world’s most critical energy corridors and current events.

The policy would apply to oil tankers seeking passage during a two-week ceasefire between Iran and the United States, announced after a shift in posture from Donald Trump. The arrangement aims to reopen a route that handles a large share of global oil flows while allowing Tehran to maintain control over access.

According to statements attributed to Iranian officials, shipping firms would receive a payment request prior to…

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Coinbase Wins Australian Derivatives License As COIN Targets Trend Reversal – Coinbase Global (NASDAQ:COI

Coinbase Global Inc. (NASDAQ:COIN) received an Australian Financial Services License to offer retail derivatives trading as COIN tests $170 support zone for the second time since February’s $143 low.

The Australian License

Coinbase announced Tuesday it received the AFSL through its local entity, authorizing the company to offer retail derivatives trading in Australia. 

The license is the first of its kind granted to a crypto exchange in the region.

Coinbase Australia will offer crypto and equity perpetuals to Australian investors, followed by futures and options. 

“We’re going to compete with traditional financial services on stock trading, payments, and other TradFi products with the…

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Bitcoin Surges 5% But ETFs Bled $159M: Is This A Bull Trap?

Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC) surged 5% after the White House announced a two-week U.S.-Iran ceasefire, yet ETFs bled $159 million on April 7.

The Ceasefire Rally

Bitcoin briefly rose to $71,700 on Wednesday morning, marking its highest point since March 18. 

The price surge coincided with President Trump’s announcement that the U.S. and Iran agreed to a “double-sided ceasefire” for two weeks. 

Trump previously warned of “complete demolition” of Iran’s power plants and bridges if Iran didn’t reopen the Strait of Hormuz by Tuesday.

“The reason for [ceasefire] is that we have already met and exceeded all military objectives, and are very far along with a definitive agreement…

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Bitcoin Reclaims $71,000 As Ethereum, XRP, Dogecoin Rise 5% On Iran Ceasefire – Grayscale Bitcoin Mini Tr

Bitcoin is up 5% to reclaim the $71,000 level after President Trump overnight announced a two-week ceasefire with Iran.

Bitcoin ETFs saw $159 million in net outflows on Tuesday, while Ethereum ETFs reported $64.7 million in net outflows.  

Meme coin market capitalization jumped 4% to $34.7 billion over the past 24 hours.

Trader Commentary: 

Trader Lennaert Snyder maintained a bullish outlook, identifying $74,800 as the next key liquidity target. He added that short trades remain possible but should be treated as countertrend given the broader bullish bias.

Ted Pillows said Ethereum has broken above the $2,150 to $2,200 resistance zone, signaling near-term strength. A sustained move above…

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