Drift Protocol, a Solana-based decentralized derivatives exchange, plans to relaunch as a USDT-based perpetual futures exchange after a $270 million exploit, securing up to $147.5 million in funding from Tether and partners for recovery and operations.

Educator Jiang Xueqin claimed Bitcoin might be linked to U.S. intelligence agencies due to its anonymous creator and technical complexity. Critics countered that Bitcoin's decentralized and open-source nature prevents centralized control.

Sky, the decentralized finance protocol formerly known as MakerDAO, launched its stablecoin USDS and yield-bearing sUSDS on Avalanche via Skylink, a unique crosschain bridge. The bridge began with a 5 million daily transfer cap, expected to increase by April 27.

Decentralized finance (DeFi) is under pressure as lending yields drop to levels similar to traditional bonds, blockchain activity declines, and a significant hack raises security concerns, challenging claims of institutional-grade safety.

Gate News update: On April 16, according to Gate market data, as of the time of publication, OORT (Oort) is trading at $0.01195. Over the past 24 hours, it is up 49.67%, with a high of $0.015 and a low of $0.00792. Its current market cap is about $8.8926 million. OORT is a decentralized AI infrastructure that protects data privacy and saves costs. By integrating global computing and storage resources, OORT can support trusted AI applications. OORT DataHub is a decentralized cloud platform where users can collect and preprocess data, including images, audio, or video, to improve AI and machine learning models. Users can earn OORT tokens by completing micro-tasks, verifying data, and inviting friends, among other ways.

Aave Labs has launched Aave Checkpoint, an AI-driven governance security system aimed at enhancing Aave's decentralized autonomous organization by ensuring rigorous review of proposals through automated analysis and mandatory human verification.

Pi Network will launch its V23 upgrade next month, featuring smart contracts, a DApp ecosystem, and a decentralized exchange. With over 18 million KYC-verified users, this upgrade moves Pi towards practical applications and utility in its ecosystem.

Gate News message. On April 16, according to Gate market data, as of the time of publication, BARD (Lombard) is trading at $0.32. Over the past 24 hours, it is up 4.53%, with a high of $0.33 and a low of $0.30. The 24-hour trading volume reached $2.5407 million. The current market cap is approximately $71.82 million. Lombard is a decentralized finance project that aims to change the use of BTC through liquid-staking Bitcoin tokens (such as LBTC), promoting yield generation and DeFi participation. Lombard is committed to bringing BTC on-chain to create value for individuals, protocols, and platforms. The project has introduced a series of products, including the LBTC liquid-staking token, the Bitcoin Earn automated yield product, and a DeFi trading marketplace, among others.

Gate News message: On April 16, according to Gate market data, as of the time of writing, BIO (BIO Protocol) is trading at $0.03789. It is up 91.66% over the past 24 hours, with a high of $0.0395 and a low of $0.01964. The 24-hour trading volume reached $2.1M. Its current market cap is approximately $80.4297 million. BIO is a decentralized science (DeSci) governance and liquidity protocol. It aims to accelerate the development of biotechnology by providing the ability to collectively fund global patients, scientists, and biotechnology professionals, and to establish, own, and manage tokenized biotechnology projects and intellectual property (IP). As a new financial layer in the DeSci space, Bio Protocol is committed to commercializing the best faster

0G Labs launched the 0G App, a no-code platform enabling users to create AI applications through natural language. It combines decentralized computing and AI capabilities, addressing centralization issues while enhancing privacy. This launch aims to boost AI Agent adoption and integrates with 0G's broader AI economy.