GateBlog

In recent years, sanctions against major oil-producing countries have continued to escalate, especially against the backdrop of geopolitical conflicts and shifts in alliances. These sanctions are no longer isolated policy tools; they have become routine mechanisms that directly affect global oil production, transportation, and pricing. As restrictions tighten or loosen, the flow of supply is redirected, giving rise to new trade channels that bypass traditional benchmarks. These changes bring about structural frictions that, although not immediately reflected in spot prices, gradually reshape price behavior, including that of USOR.
The importance of these changes lies in the fact that sanctions distort the transparency of the oil market. When sanctioned oil is routed through intermediaries or sold at discounts in the secondary market, official price benchmarks cannot fully reflect supply and demand dynamics. USOR is exposed through oil futures, so it is indirectly affected by these hidden pricing layers. The divergence between market reports and actual trading flows increases complexity, and this complexity will manifest in

The global market is entering a phase where macroeconomic signals are no longer synchronized. Inflation trends, interest rate cycles, and geopolitical tensions are increasingly developing on their own, resulting in a more fragmented risk environment. The measures recently taken by central banks around the world, including maintaining high interest rates for the long term and delaying rate cuts, have further intensified uncertainty about economic growth expectations. At the same time, supply disruptions in the energy market have made crude oil a key variable again in influencing the performance of major asset classes.
When traditional hedging tools fail, this shift is particularly evident. Fixed-income instruments were once considered stabilizers for assets, but they have shown volatility in the same direction as the stock market during inflation cycles. This change has prompted investors to pay renewed attention to commodities, especially crude oil, as alternative hedging tools. As a product reflecting crude oil market exposure, USOR has gradually attracted attention; its significance is no longer limited to speculative instruments, and it has become part of portfolio resilience.
Capital flows also release

On April 13, 2026, the U.S. Senate ended its two-week Easter recess and fully resumed its legislative agenda.
Meanwhile, a piece of legislation that had been dormant for months in the crypto industry was once again pushed into the spotlight—the "2025 Digital Asset Market Clarity Act" (CLARITY Act).
A week earlier, the U.S. Treasury Secretary, crypto industry leaders, and several active lawmakers issued a flurry of statements, pressuring Congress to accelerate the legislative process.
This marked the most critical window for Senate review of the bill since it was overwhelmingly passed by the House of Representatives in July 2025.
In this legislative battle, the profit distribution mechanism of stablecoins has become the central point of contention among all parties, and its direction may directly determine the final fate of the bill.
Legislative Sprint: Senate Reassembly and Multi-Party Pressure Situation
The U.S. Senate ended its Easter recess on April 13, 2026, local time.

On April 13, 2026, the U.S. officially took effect with the blockade of Iran's maritime traffic. Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps responded immediately, asserting control over the Strait of Hormuz and warning that any military vessels approaching would be considered a violation of the ceasefire agreement. This critical chokepoint, which accounts for about 20% of global oil trade, has since entered a state of "controlled and unstable."
Amid the turbulent waves of geopolitics, an unexpected phenomenon is emerging in the traditional financial world: systematic selling of safe-haven assets like gold and silver, while Bitcoin, only a decade old, is strengthening against the trend. Since the outbreak of this round of Iran conflict 32 days ago, Bitcoin has risen over 1%, while gold has fallen approximately 13%, and silver about 22%.
When Bridgewater founder Ray Dalio warned that "the world is entering a war cycle," sovereign nations have for the first time demanded to pay the Hormuz Strait transit fee in Bitcoin.

On April 13, 2026, Strategy filed an 8-K document with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission revealing a set of data that has garnered widespread market attention: the company purchased approximately 13,927 bitcoins between April 6 and April 12, at an average price of about $71,902. As a result, Strategy's total bitcoin holdings reached 780,897 coins, with a cumulative purchase cost of approximately $59.02 billion, and an average holding cost of about $75,577 per coin.
Meanwhile, the Cryptocurrency Fear and Greed Index hovers around 17, remaining in the "Extreme Fear" zone (0–25). During the previous downtrend, the index once dropped close to the low range of 10–15 and maintained an extremely pessimistic sentiment for an extended period, indicating a significant risk aversion in the market.

This week (April 13 to April 19, 2026), the crypto market will experience a new wave of large-scale token unlocks. According to Tokenomist data, projects with single large unlocks (unlock amounts exceeding $5 million) within the next 7 days include

On April 13, 2026, Foundry, the world’s largest Bitcoin mining pool operator, officially announced the launch of a new mining pool for the privacy cryptocurrency Zcash. This company, headquartered in the northern part of New York, has been long focused on operating Bitcoin mining pools since it was established in 2019. It currently controls about 31% of the global Bitcoin hashrate, making it an undisputed infrastructure-level player in the industry. With this move, Foundry has earmarked its second mining pool business for Zcash, marking the first time this mining giant has expanded its business footprint into the privacy track, drawing widespread attention across the industry.
In a statement, Foundry CEO Mike Colyer pointed out that this move is intended to respond to the increasingly growing demand for privacy coins from large institutions. The company expects that institutional miners, including several publicly listed companies, will allocate part of their hashrate to Zcash mining. This

In the current landscape where blockchain infrastructure is becoming increasingly homogeneous, innovation at the application layer and middleware often determines the ceiling of ecosystem activity. When market focus centers on transaction speed and Gas fee optimization, a more fundamental proposition gradually emerges: the cleaning, labeling, and value attribution of massive on-chain data. The Codatta protocol has entered the BSC ecosystem against this backdrop, and its native token XNY's recent price fluctuations reflect the market's deep exploration of the narrative "data as an asset" in low-circulation market cap assets.
Mild liquidity expansion and price recovery
According to Gate market data, as of April 14, 2026, the price of Codatta (XNY) is $0.005219, with a 24-hour intraday increase of 4.61%. Over the past week, XNY has gained approximately 28.43%.

The evolution of on-chain transaction infrastructure has always been one of the core drivers of structural change in the crypto industry. As user interaction habits shift from centralized platforms to on-chain, simplifying complex multi-chain environments, unifying liquidity gateways, and optimizing user experience have become urgent issues to solve. Against this backdrop, the Infinex project and its native token INX have attracted widespread market attention and discussion due to their unique narrative positioning. Recently, the INX token has experienced significant fluctuations, once again bringing this project, which aims to reshape on-chain trading experiences, to the forefront of public discourse.
The notable market fluctuations of the INX token and its ecosystem background
Recently, the native token INX of the Infinex ecosystem has undergone significant price swings, with trading volume increasing accordingly, indicating rising market participation and short-term capital speculation. According to Gate data, as of April 14, 2026

In 2026, the prediction market will become a popular track in the crypto industry, with Polymarket leading the sector. The Gate exchange has integrated with this platform to lower participation barriers, allowing users to trade seamlessly and simplify operations. You can participate in predictions on the Gate App in just three steps, covering events in politics, economics, sports, and more.

In 2026, Gate Exchange first integrated with the decentralized prediction market Polymarket, solving the barrier to entry issue and allowing users to participate in global event predictions with one click. This move marked a shift in the focus of the crypto industry toward "trading events," with prediction markets gradually gaining mainstream financial recognition and attracting over 51 million users to participate.

In 2026, Gate launched a digital Pre-IPOs mechanism using blockchain technology, enabling ordinary users to participate in early-stage unicorn investments with low barriers. Users can subscribe with USDT, including popular projects such as OpenAI and SpaceX, marking a major shift in how capital markets are accessed. However, Pre-IPO investments come with higher risks and volatility, so users should make decisions carefully.

Gate's digital Pre-IPO mechanism launched in 2026 breaks traditional early-stage investment barriers, allowing users worldwide to participate in investments with low thresholds. At the same time, by tokenizing equity and providing a transparent trading market, it improves price discovery and enhances market efficiency. This mechanism not only promotes the integration of the crypto industry with traditional finance but also fosters the democratization of investment participation, signaling a reshaping of the global capital markets.

On April 14, 2026, the international spot gold price rose to $4,770, driven by Middle East geopolitical risks, Federal Reserve rate cut expectations, and a global central bank gold-buying surge. The Gate TradFi platform offers advantages such as 24/7 trading, low thresholds, and adjustable leverage, helping investors efficiently capture the gold price rally.

In mid-April, the cryptocurrency market sentiment warmed up, and the stock token CRCLX performed outstandingly on the Gate platform, with a quote of $100.1, a 15.7% increase. Its surge was driven by improved regulatory expectations, increased circulation of USDC, and technological advancements. Investors should approach CRCLX's volatility rationally.

Gate's one-click BTC mining feature allows users to participate in mining without purchasing mining machines or worrying about electricity costs. Simply stake BTC to join, and automatically receive daily rewards. The minimum investment is as low as 0.001 BTC, with flexible redemption, transparent tracking, suitable for investors looking to increase the value of their BTC.

Bitcoin breaks through the $74,500 mark, with an intraday increase of over 5%.
This round of rally is driven by institutional capital inflows, improved macroeconomic conditions, and short liquidations.
Gate ETF's BTC3L token performs notably, with a theoretical net value increase of about three times that of the spot.
Although leverage can amplify gains, investors should be cautious of the risks brought by volatile market conditions.

On April 14, 2026, Brent crude oil prices fell below $100 again, mainly due to optimistic expectations from US-Iran negotiations causing risk premiums to decline. Traditional crude oil short-selling channels have high barriers, while Gate TradFi offers low-threshold, 24/7 trading tools, supporting USDT direct shorting of Brent crude oil, making it easier for investors to seize market opportunities.

USDD Flexible Wealth Management Second Wave Launch, with a maximum annualized return of 5%, and a minimum initial investment of only 1.5 USDD. Users can deposit and withdraw at any time and earn interest every hour. The product's flexibility and low threshold attract a large number of investors, suitable for both short-term and long-term fund management. The event runs from March 24, 2026, to April 27, 2026.