Russia's State Duma passes crypto bill, Bitcoin demand may rise

Russia’s State Duma passed a crypto regulation bill in its first reading that recognizes crypto as property and permits cross-border use. Markets reacted quickly: prediction-market odds that Bitcoin (BTCUSD) will hit $80,000 in April rose to about 65–66% (up from ~44% a day earlier), signaling traders expect a bullish demand shock from legal recognition. The $80k market shows meaningful liquidity (roughly $105,235 in USDC traded daily) and it takes about $24,792 of activity to move the market five points, indicating institutional-sized orders influenced the spike. The article flags potential further upside if the law advances and exchanges respond, and recommends watching ETF flows (e.g., BlackRock activity) and macro cues for additional impact on Bitcoin demand.