- 1. Fear & Greed Index drops to 12 on Hormuz fears.
- 2. Gulf funds hedge 5% of portfolios to gold, Treasuries.
- 3. Bitcoin falls 5% to $74,622 USD intra-day.
Hormuz tensions crypto dip struck April 13, 2026. President Donald Trump announced Strait of Hormuz shipping restrictions. Bitcoin plunged 5% to $74,622 USD. Ethereum fell to $2,350 USD. Dubai DIFC traders reported panic selling.
Oil futures spiked 8% with Brent crude at $92 USD per barrel. Gulf sovereign funds launched hedges. The Crypto Fear & Greed Index fell to 12, per Alternative.me.
GCC Traders Face Extreme Fear
Fear & Greed Index at 12 signaled extreme fear, lowest since March 2025. XRP rose 3.7% to $1.37 USD. Dogecoin dropped 4.2%. Binance volumes jumped 25%.
Genesis Trading's Noelle Acheson said, "Geopolitical shocks hit liquid assets first, especially crypto."
Riyadh's SAMA exchanges saw high activity. Dubai's VARA issued volatility alerts.
Trump Deploys Navy Near Hormuz
Trump blamed Iranian drones and sent two U.S. carrier groups to Hormuz, per Reuters. The strait carries 20% of global oil.
Saudi Aramco cut exports. UAE ADNOC boosted storage. Saxo Bank's Hussein Sayed told Gulf N News, "Gulf funds hold 5-7% crypto. They hedge now."
Glassnode showed 15,000 BTC outflows. Whales shifted $1.2 billion USD to cold storage.
PIF, ADIA Rebalance Portfolios
Saudi PIF cut crypto 4%, moving to gold ETFs. UAE's Mubadala sold 5.2% risk assets, sources said.
Qatar's QIA bought $500 million USD Treasuries. These protect $300 billion USD GCC crypto holdings.
Macroeconomist Lyn Alden stated, "Gulf investors see Bitcoin as tech-oil hybrid, vulnerable in Hormuz tensions crypto dip."
DeFi saw $2.5 billion USD USDT inflows. Ethereum L2s handled 40% more hedges.
Altcoins Suffer Amid Disruptions
XRP fell 5.1% on Gulf Ripple ties. Dubai banks halted XRP remittances. Bahrain fintech watched flows.
Dogecoin dropped 4.8%. BNB gained 3.9% to $615.89 USD on Binance bets.
Riyadh and Manama assessed risks. Hormuz threats raise mining costs via LNG disruptions.
ADGM, VARA Guide Hedging
ADGM FSRA advised crypto hedges for funds. VARA called for stress tests.
ADIA trimmed Ethereum 3.8%, shifting to ADGM tokenized real estate. PIF paused NEOM crypto payments.
Gulf fintech funding stalled after $150 million USD. Sayed forecasts 10% more drops if Hormuz closes. Oil at $100 USD aids budgets.
Glassnode noted 8,200 ETH dumps from Gulf IPs.
Mining Hit by Energy Risks
Bitcoin mining needs Gulf gas. Hormuz blockade hikes LNG 15%, cutting UAE-Saudi hashrates.
Ethereum staking yields hit 6.2%.
Dubai's DFSA tests XRP pilots, sharia stablecoins.
Sovereign Funds Adapt Strategies
PIF's Vision 2030 requires balance. Mubadala eyes AI risk models. QIA targets tokenized assets.
ADIA favors tech but cautions on risks. Saudi CMA reviews listings.
Bitcoin Tests $74,622 Support
Trump schedules Hormuz talks April 15, 2026. Iran threatens retaliation. Bitcoin holds $74,622 USD in Hormuz tensions crypto dip.
Breakdown eyes $70,000 USD. Rise above $75,000 USD targets $80,000 USD. Gulf funds track oil-crypto links.
