The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission sued New York on Friday in its latest action to shield what the agency has argued is its unassailable nationwide regulatory authority over prediction market firms.

Earlier this week, New York sued Coinbase and Gemini, arguing that their prediction market contracts violated state gambling laws. And last year, the state had similarly targeted Kalshi, demanding it cease its sports wagering platform.

The CFTC, in its role as the federal derivatives regulator, has staked out a position that the states have no business interfering with those firms. The agency’s suit in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York argues that federal law “designates the CFTC as the federal agency with ‘exclusive jurisdiction’ over the regulation of commodity futures, options, and swaps traded on federally regulated exchanges,” and that includes these CFTC-registered designated contract markets. State law is effectively preempted, according to the synchronized positions of the regulator and the growing industry it’s seeking to protect.

But also on Friday, 37 state attorneys general — including New York Attorney General Letitia James — signed onto a legal brief in one of the Kalshi legal fights in Massachusetts to argue that “Kalshi’s aggressive theory of preemption threatens the States’ longstanding ability to protect their citizens in this area.”

CFTC Chairman Mike Selig has made this one of his most prominent initiatives since taking over the agency four months ago, and his agency has similarly sued Arizona, Connecticut and Illinois, claiming event contracts are derivatives instruments within federal jurisdiction.

“CFTC-registered exchanges have faced an onslaught of state lawsuits seeking to limit Americans’ access to event contracts and undermine the CFTC’s sole regulatory jurisdiction over prediction markets,” he said in a statement.

In their own statement later Friday, James and New York Governor Kathy Hochul said they were enforcing state laws on gambling.

“Once again, this administration is prioritizing big corporations over consumers and New Yorkers’ best interests. New York’s gambling laws are designed to protect consumers, whether they are placing bets in a prediction market or a casino. When gambling platforms, including prediction markets, violate our laws, we will not hesitate to hold them accountable. We look forward to continuing to defend our laws in court.”

UPDATE (April 25, 2026, 01:20 UTC): Adds James and Hochul statement.

PSG travel to Northwestern France this Saturday to face Angers SCO at Stade Raymond-Kopa for Ligue 1’s Matchday 31. The Ligue 1 leaders have the opportunity to go six points clear at the top after Lens’ 3-3 away draw to Stade Brestois 29 on Friday. Luis Enrique is expected to rotate his squad considering Les Parisiens will host Bayern Munich in the Champions League semi-finals on Tuesday.

A crop of key players who have featured on Wednesday against FC Nantes in a rescheduled Ligue 1 game are expected to be rested against Les Scoïstes. L’Equipe understands that Nuno Mendes, Achraf Hakimi, João Neves, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia will all be given a breather. Portugal international midfielder Vitinha won’t make the trip to Angers after sustaning a minor knock against Nantes.

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PSG likely line-up v Angers

Matvey Safonov; Lucas Hernandez, Willian Pacho, Illya Zabarnyi, Warren Zaïre-Emery; Fabian Ruiz, Lucas Beraldo, Senny Mayulu; Bradley Barcola, Gonçalo Ramos, Kang-in Lee. (L’Eq)

GFFN | Bastien Cheval

Upcoming film Bail has revealed its first look for the project, starring Shiva Rajkumar in the lead role. While not much is known about the movie so far, the makers have promised an ‘intense, atmospheric, and visually arresting’ release. An ambitious venture by Venkata K Narayana under the banner of KVN Productions. It will be directed by Pavan Wadeyar, known for his hit films like Govindayamanaha, Googly, Ranavikrama, and Natasaarvabhowma Raymo, among others. 

Bail first look out

On the occasion of the eve of the birth anniversary of the legendary Dr. Rajkumar, the first look for the film Bail was released. In the image, Shivanna can be seen standing under an umbrella over a red backdrop as rain pours around him. A city has been painted in the background, showcasing the setting for the film. Further details are awaited as of right now.

Check out the first look poster below:

Talking about the project, Director Pavan Wadeyar shared, “This one is going to be a movie that is extremely special to both me and the production house. We’ve got a lot in store for you and will announce the teaser very soon. Working with Shivanna is a dream come true. He has been an icon for decades and to be presenting him in a way that hasn’t been done before is something I am very excited.”

Meanwhile, KVN Productions, which will bankroll the film, said, “Bail is a very special project for us that balances strong storytelling with a distinctive cinematic vision. Collaborating with a proven storyteller like Pavan Wadeyar and working alongside an icon like Shivanna is an absolute honour and aligns perfectly with our intent to deliver meaningful cinema. We are particularly looking forward to presenting Shivanna in a fresh perspective that audiences haven’t seen before.”

A release date has not been shared for Bail so far.

ALSO READ: Shiva Rajkumar RECOUNTS 1st time he met Dulquer Salmaan; ‘The way he spoke to me was just…’

XRP is stuck just below resistance, but the price action is starting to lean one way. Every push higher gets sold, but each pullback is getting shallower. That tells you sellers are still active, but they’re losing control bit by bit. When that balance shifts, the move that follows is usually quick and decisive.

Price is grinding sideways at the top of the range, which is where markets typically resolve after absorbing supply. Add rising participation and steady positioning underneath, and this starts to look less like indecision and more like a setup waiting for a trigger.

News Background

• Spot XRP ETFs saw fresh inflows, extending last week’s strong demand and pushing total institutional positioning above $2.6 billion. This keeps a steady bid under the market even as price stalls.

• Exchange outflows hit one of the largest daily readings this year, with nearly 35 million XRP leaving trading platforms. That typically reduces immediate sell pressure and supports tighter supply conditions.

Price Action Summary

• XRP moved around $1.43-$1.45 after a high-volume push earlier in the session.
• The breakout attempt above $1.44 held briefly but failed to extend, leading to sideways consolidation.
• Price is now compressing into a narrower range, holding support without reclaiming higher levels.

Technical Analysis

• The dominant structure is a multi-week symmetrical triangle, with lower highs and higher lows squeezing price toward a decision point.
• Volume spiked during the initial breakout attempt, but faded into consolidation, suggesting absorption rather than conviction.
• Buyers continue defending higher lows, which keeps downside limited for now.
• The market is effectively coiling, with neither bulls nor bears in full control.

What traders should watch

• $1.50 is the key breakout level. Clearing it would shift momentum more decisively higher.
• $1.39 remains the critical support. Losing it would break the structure and open downside.
• The tighter the range gets, the more likely a sharp move follows. Direction will depend on which side breaks first.

Concerning Browns’ KC Concepcion shows Cleveland might have made the wrong decision originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

Wide receiver help has been a big priority for the Cleveland Browns during the 2026 NFL Draft, something that had to be solved for an offense that was one of the worst in the NFL a season ago.

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There are still plenty of questions about what the Browns’ offense will look like due to their quarterback situation, but that shouldn’t be as much of a problem any longer at the wide receiver position with KC Concepcion and Denzel Boston both being selected in the first two rounds of this draft.

Concepcion seems like someone who could be a very good player for Cleveland in the future, but some concerning questions and stats suggest he might not be as good as it is hoping for.

“Why they picked him: The Browns needed to upgrade the wide receiver room, which has been the NFL’s least productive since the 2025 season. Cleveland’s receivers accounted for the fewest receptions, yards and touchdowns last season.

“KC Concepcion was one of the most dynamic wide receivers in college football and also a threat as a returner. Biggest question: Can Concepcion fix his issues with drops? His 6.7% drop rate ranked 285th out of qualifying pass catchers,” Daniel Oyefusi of ESPN wrote.

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Dropping passes in college football and coming to the NFL is certainly a red flag, as catching the football in the NFL is a lot more difficult.

However, I don’t want to put too much emphasis on this just yet, as numbers like this can be skewed at times due to offensive schemes and quarterback situations.

More NFL news:

Hollywood film Michael has opened well at the Indian box office, collecting Rs. 6 crore (USD 650K) approx. This includes Rs. 1.60 crore approx from the previews on Thursday. The opening is somewhat surprising because until now, no Hollywood musical biopic has done well in India. Bohemian Rhapsody, which was a global blockbuster in 2018, grossed just Rs. 7 crore in India. Michael has almost matched that on its very first day.

The film heavily overindexed in South India, with almost two-thirds of its opening day box office coming from the three South Indian circuits. The biggest of them was Tamil Nadu – Kerala, followed by the Telugu states and Karnataka. Among the Hindi circuits, the Mumbai-Pune belt did well; other places were low. This is down to a lack of popularity of English music in the Hindi belt, which was mostly a niche urban Indian phenomenon, while the local music dominated the market. In India, Michael Jackson was probably more popular for his dance and traditionally dance films have done better in Mumbai and South India, underperforming severly in the North.

The film was quite a bit pre-sales heavy, as more than half of its first day business came from advance booking itself. The advances for Saturday are good; there will be a growth, albeit not a lot. Sunday could see a drop in business as metros generally ease off on Sunday. The weekend is expected to be around Rs. 17 crore (USD 1.75 million). How it holds on Monday will tell where the film could go in its full run. 

Michael has opened strongly worldwide. In North America, it is said to have grossed around USD 40 million on its opening day, on track to reach USD 90 million opening weekend. The overseas business till Thursday was USD 32 million, the weekend should be USD 100 million plus, possibly closer to USD 125 million. The worldwide weekend will be north of USD 200 million; in the long run, it could aim for USD 1 billion. 

ALSO READ: Bhooth Bangla Box Office Collections: Akshay Kumar starrer emerges a HIT with solid 2nd Friday hold

Metaplanet said it will issue ¥8 billion ($50 million) in zero-interest bonds to expand its Bitcoin holdings, according to a Friday statement, extending a financing strategy that has defined its balance sheet shift toward digital assets.

The issuance marks the firm’s 20th series of ordinary bonds and will mature in April 2027. The bonds are unsecured and carry no interest, giving the company access to capital without added debt servicing costs. Proceeds are earmarked for additional Bitcoin purchases, with repayment due at par upon maturity.

The bonds were allocated to EVO FUND, a Cayman-based investor tied to Evolution Financial Group that has backed several of the company’s prior raises. Under the terms, the fund can request early redemption with five business days’ notice, while Metaplanet retains the option to redeem part or all of the issuance if it completes further financing with the same counterparty.

At current Bitcoin prices near $78,000, the raise could allow Metaplanet to acquire between 640 and 700 BTC. The company holds 40,177 BTC, valued at about $3.1 billion, making it the largest corporate Bitcoin holder in Japan and the third largest among public firms.

Metaplanet has set a target of 100,000 BTC by the end of 2026 and 210,000 BTC by the end of 2027. The latest raise follows a first quarter in which the firm added 5,075 BTC and reported a BTC Yield of 2.8%.

Metaplanet reported a ¥95 billion net loss for fiscal year 2025, driven by unrealized valuation declines tied to Bitcoin price movements. Its average acquisition cost stands at $104,106 per coin, above current market levels.

Strategy’s massive buy

The strategy mirrors a model seen in the United States, where public firms use capital markets to accumulate Bitcoin as a treasury reserve asset. The most famous of this type of company is Strategy.

Earlier this week, Strategy disclosed it bought 34,164 bitcoin for about $2.54 billion, one of its largest purchases ever. The acquisition raised its total holdings to 815,061 BTC, surpassing BlackRock and bringing its cumulative spend to roughly $61.56 billion at an average cost near current market prices. 

The purchase was funded through equity sales and its STRC preferred stock offering, which has become a key financing tool. 

Despite its expanding position — now over 3.8% of bitcoin’s supply — shares slipped in pre-market trading as investors weighed the firm’s aggressive capital strategy.

Editorial Disclaimer: We leverage AI as part of our editorial workflow, including to support research, image generation, and quality assurance processes. All content is directed, reviewed, and approved by our editorial team, who are accountable for accuracy and integrity. AI-generated images use only tools trained on properly license material. In Bitcoin, as in media: Don’t trust. Verify.

Other than the ones involving the major league team which we’ve covered elsewhere:

Right-hander Jace Beck was promoted from Double-A Knoxville to Triple-A Iowa.

Right-hander Ben Johnson was promoted to Knoxville from Low-A Myrtle Beach.

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Iowa Cubs

The Iowa Cubs got spooked by the Louisville Bats (Reds), 5-4 in 11 innings.

Trent Thornton was activated off the injured list and made his season and Iowa debut tonight. He pitched two scoreless innings, allowing just two hits. Thornton struck out two and walked one.

The I-Cubs went into the ninth with a 3-1 lead, but Ryan Jensen couldn’t hold it. Jensen allowed two runs on three hits and four walks over 1.2 innings. Jensen struck out two.

With Iowa out of pitchers, Casey Opitz had to pitch the tenth and eleventh innings. He acquitted himself well, allowing only the automatic runner to score in both innings. But Iowa was unable to score the tying run in the eleventh when automatic runner Kevin Alcántara was thrown out at the plate on a single. So Opitz got the loss.

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First baseman Jonathon Long was 4 for 5 with a double and a game-tying RBI single in the tenth. Long scored once.

DH Owen Miller was 2 for 5.

Here’s Long’s game-tying single in the tenth.

Knoxville Smokies

The Knoxville Smokies blinded the Chattanooga Lookouts (Reds), 11—9

Jake Knapp pitched the first 2.1 innings and allowed three runs, two earned, on two hits. However, Knapp walked six batters and struck out just two.

Ben Johnson gave up three runs in his Double-A debut, but he ended up getting the win anyways. Johnson’s final line was three runs on three hits over three innings. All three of the runs came on a home run in the eighth inning. Johnson struck out five and walked just one.

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First baseman Ethan Hearn hit a two-run home run in the second inning, his first of the season. He was 1 for 4.

Catcher Owen Ayers hit his first Double-A home run in the third inning with the bases empty. Ayers was a perfect 2 for 2 with a double, the home run and three walks. He scored twice.

Later in the third inning, center fielder Alex Ramírez hit a two-run home run, his first on the year. Ramírez went 1 for 5.

The Smokies saved the best for last as their fourth and final home run was a grand slam by right fielder Andy Garriola. It was his fourth of the year and third in two games. Garriola was 1 for 2 with three walks and two runs scored.

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Left fielder Carter Trice was 2 for 4 with a double and two runs scored.

Here’s Ayers’ home run.

South Bend Cubs

The South Bend Cubs were burned by the Dayton Dragons (Reds), 6-4 in a game that ended in the seventh inning because of rain.

Koen Moreno started and took the loss after he allowed five runs, three earned, on four hits over three innings. Moreno had trouble finding the plate as he walked five and struck out just one.

Left fielder Kane Kepley was 1 for 2 with a double and a walk. He scored twice.

Center fielder Kade Snell was 1 for 3 with an RBI double and a walk. He scored one run.

DH Cameron Sisneros was 1 for 1 with a double, a walk and a sacrifice fly. He drove in two and scored once.

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Here are Snell and Sisneros’ doubles, which both came in the third inning.

Myrtle Beach Pelicans

The Myrtle Beach Pelicans lost to the Fayetteville Woodpeckers (Astros), 5-2.

Victor Zarraga started and took the loss. Zarraga gave up two runs on three hits over 2.1 innings. He walked four and struck out three.

Edwardo Melendez relieved Zarraga and gave up one run on two hits over 3.2 innings. But most impressively, Melendez struck out eight and walked no one.

The Pelicans only had three hits tonight and their two runs were both scored by Jose Escobar on a passed ball and a wild pitch. Escobar was 1 for 3 with a walk.

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Right fielder Eli Lovich was 1 for 1 with three walks.

Here are Melendez’s eight Ks.

Bhooth Bangla kicked off its second week, collecting Rs. 5.75 crore nett approx on Friday. That marks a 10 per cent increase over the previous day. The week-on-week hold was pretty good at just over 50 per cent decline. The eight-day running total stands at Rs. 86 crore nett approx.

With this, the Akshay Kumar starrer has now emerged as a HIT film. It was almost certain to be a HIT with the hold it had on Wednesday, the confirmation came yesterday with the 2nd Friday hold. It is the third HIT film of the year for the Hindi film industry after Border 2 and Dhurandhar 2. This is the first HIT for the actor since OMG 2 in 2023, and notably, his first non-franchise HIT since Good Newwz in 2019. 

Akshay Kumar has gone through a rough phase at the box office post-pandemic, with a string of underperformers. Last year was somewhat better, as although his films weren’t a HIT, they weren’t duds either, and now there is finally a HIT film as well. The industry tends to have a good time when Akshay Kumar is having a good time. He may not give the big Rs. 500 crore grossers, but if one can get two or three HITs or successful films a year, it is equally important, as that keeps the box office ticking. This is something where Akshay Kumar stands out, as others in the industry, except Ajay Devgn, have significantly lower output, with some of them taking two or three years for one film instead. The box office in India is star-driven; it cannot be in good shape if leading stars are not bringing films regularly.

Coming back to Bhooth Bangla, the film is expected to collect around Rs. 25 crore nett over its second weekend, which will take it over Rs. 105 crore nett by Sunday. This will put it on track to Rs. 140 crore plus full run, with a somewhat stronger trend, possibly even Rs. 150 crore nett. 

The Box Office Collections for Bhooth Bangla in India are as follows:

ALSO READ: Dhurandhar The Revenge vs Pathaan vs Jawan Overseas Box Office Comparison: Ranveer Singh starrer Third BUT…

Nakamoto Inc. has launched an actively managed Bitcoin derivatives program aimed at generating income from market volatility while reducing downside exposure, according to a company statement released Friday.

The program, in operation since the first quarter of 2026, is structured as a complement to Nakamoto’s core strategy of holding Bitcoin as a treasury asset. It uses a portion of the company’s Bitcoin holdings as collateral in a derivatives strategy managed by Bitwise Asset Management through a separately managed account. Custody services are provided by Kraken Institutional.

The initiative centers on two primary components: an income sleeve and a hedging sleeve. The income sleeve involves writing covered calls and call spreads against a defined share of Nakamoto’s Bitcoin holdings. This approach seeks to capture premiums from options markets, where implied volatility in Bitcoin pricing often exceeds realized volatility.

The hedging sleeve focuses on purchasing protective puts and put spreads. These positions are designed to offset potential losses during periods of price decline, providing a buffer against adverse market moves. According to the company, premiums generated from the income sleeve may help fund the cost of these protective positions.

Bitcoin’s volatility as opportunity 

Tyler Evans, chief investment officer of Nakamoto and UTXO Management, said the firm views Bitcoin’s implied volatility as a consistent source of opportunity. He described the program as a structured effort to convert that volatility into shareholder value while maintaining exposure to the underlying asset.

Bitcoin used as collateral within the program remains under Nakamoto’s ownership and continues to be counted toward its reported holdings. The company emphasized that derivatives positions supplement its spot Bitcoin exposure rather than replace it.

Premiums collected through the program may be received in either Bitcoin or U.S. dollars, depending on the structure of each trade. Nakamoto said these proceeds can be allocated toward hedging costs, additional Bitcoin purchases, or general corporate needs in line with its capital allocation strategy.

The program operates under a unified investment mandate that defines limits on notional exposure, eligible instruments, counterparties, and custody requirements. It also accounts for the tradeoff between income generation and potential limits on upside participation due to call option positions.

Nakamoto framed the strategy as part of a broader effort to generate yield from its Bitcoin treasury while maintaining long-term accumulation goals. The company said the hedging component is intended to support balance sheet stability and reduce the risk of forced asset sales during periods of market stress.

Performance details from the program’s first quarter of operation are expected to be disclosed in Nakamoto’s upcoming Form 10-Q filing.

Bitcoin Magazine is published by BTC Inc, a subsidiary of Nakamoto Inc. (NASDAQ: NAKA)