The crypto market was broadly flat on April 15, with total capitalization at $2.60 trillion and no meaningful change over the past 24 hours. Total trading volume came in at $129.6 billion. Bitcoin kept a firm grip on the market with 57.4% dominance, while Ethereum accounted for 10.8%. Price action was sharply uneven. ARIA plunged 85.0% in 24 hours, LAB fell 22.65%, while a handful of tokens such as DeXe and edgeX posted double-digit gains.
Bitcoin Holds Up While Ethereum Slips
According to CoinMarketCap data, Bitcoin traded at $74,640, up 0.37% over 24 hours, with $52 billion in trading volume and a market cap of $1.45 trillion. Ethereum stood at $2,340.18, down 1.25%, with volume of $24 billion and capitalization of $282 billion. In the trending coins list, BTC was quoted at $74,546.80, ARIA at $0.1196, XRP at $1.36, ETH at $2,333.36, and LAB at $0.4624.
Selective Winners, Weakness in DeFi Activity
The day’s top percentage gainers included DeXe at $11.42, up 15.24%; edgeX at $0.9962, up 12.26%; and MemeCore at $2.87, up 5.92%. Stablecoins rose 0.3% over the last day, reaching a market cap of $313 billion with $115 billion in volume. DeFi moved the other way. The sector declined 1.4%, with capitalization at $53.3 billion, trading volume of $4.66 billion, and global dominance of 2%. Activity stayed concentrated rather than broad-based.
Fear Index Improves Slightly but Stays in Extreme Fear
Data from Alternative.me put the Fear and Greed Index at 23. That was higher than 21 a day earlier and 17 a week ago, while matching last month’s reading. The move showed a mild improvement in sentiment, but the market remained in the “extreme fear” zone. Traders were still positioned cautiously.
Binance, 21Shares, Russia and XCE Group in Focus
On the corporate and product side, Binance said it will end Spot Convert DCA referral rebates on May 1, 2026. Existing plans will stop generating rewards, and users active in April are set to receive their final rebate in May. UK-based XCE Group said Spencer Riley received 0.516 BTC in service fees, and the company added that amount to treasury holdings, bringing its Bitcoin balance to 52.941 BTC.
James Seyffart said the latest SEC prospectus from 21Shares shows its Hyperliquid ETF may trade on Nasdaq under the ticker THYP, tracking HYPE without leverage or derivatives. In Russia, the central bank is preparing tighter crypto rules that would include identity verification, exchange KYC, disclosure of overseas holdings, and transfer limits, with implementation expected in July.
Rakuten Expands XRP Use, Scroll DAO Plans Governance Shift
Adoption and protocol governance also drew attention. Rakuten has added XRP to Rakuten Pay, allowing 44 million users to spend it across 5 million merchants, trade XRP, use reward points, and store assets. Scroll DAO, on the other hand, plans to dissolve its security committee, move control to internal accounts, and reduce costs after fee changes earlier this month triggered criticism.
The day’s data pointed to a mixed market: Bitcoin stayed relatively stable, Ethereum weakened, and sentiment remained fragile. At the same time, regulatory plans, ETF filings, payments integration, and DAO governance changes kept traders focused on very different parts of the market.