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According to CoinDesk, the U.S. Department of the Treasury announced it will extend its cybersecurity threat information-sharing service—which was previously available only to traditional financial institutions—to cryptocurrency firms. Eligible crypto companies may apply to join the program through the Treasury’s Office of Cybersecurity and Critical Infrastructure Protection and receive timely, actionable cybersecurity threat intelligence at no cost. Luke Pettit, Assistant Secretary for Financial Institutions at the Treasury Department, stated that this move aims to foster a safer and more responsible digital asset ecosystem. The policy responds to related recommendations outlined in a prior report issued by the President’s Working Group on Digital Asset Markets.
In response, Star, founder and CEO of OKX, pointed out that both OKX and Binance are regulated by multiple regulatory authorities. As the ultimate beneficial owner (UBO) of a regulated company, CZ’s public proposal of a $1 billion bet is “unprofessional,” and Star expressed curiosity as to whether Binance’s regulators endorse such an action.
Paul Atkins, Chairman of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), posted: “Project Crypto is designed so that, once Congress acts, the SEC and the CFTC will be ready to implement the CLARITY Act. Treasury Secretary Bessent is right: It’s time for Congress to future-proof against regulatory overreach and advance comprehensive market structure legislation to President Trump’s desk.”
According to an official announcement, Circle has officially launched CPN Managed Payments, a托管 payment service that enables banks, payment service providers (PSPs), fintech companies, and major technology firms to integrate fiat-to-fiat and fiat-to-stablecoin payment flows—without needing to build their own wallets or blockchain infrastructure. This service aims to address core challenges institutions face when adopting stablecoin payments—including digital asset custody, stablecoin minting and management, and the application for and maintenance of regulatory licenses. With CPN Managed Payments, Circle handles all these components centrally; financial institutions can integrate directly via API and operate on the CPN network without holding or managing digital assets themselves. Circle stated that this launch represents a significant expansion of its existing CPN services, leveraging over a decade of experience operating compliant cryptocurrency payment infrastructure to accelerate global financial institutions’ adoption of stablecoin-based payment solutions.
Securitize announced the appointment of Brett Redfearn as President and a member of its Board of Directors. Redfearn previously served as Chair of Securitize’s Advisory Board and has now been elevated to this senior leadership role. He brings extensive experience in regulatory and market structure matters from his prior roles at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), JPMorgan, and Coinbase. Securitize stated that Redfearn will lead the expansion of its regulated platform businesses—including compliant token issuance, trading, and fund management—and will focus on strengthening collaboration with regulators and institutional investors to support the development of a next-generation, tokenization-based financial infrastructure.
U.S. law firm Gibbs Mura has launched a class-action litigation investigation into the April 1, 2026, hack of Drift Protocol, reviewing potential investor claims against Circle Internet Financial. The attack resulted in the theft of approximately $280–285 million in assets. The attacker subsequently used Circle’s Cross-Chain Transfer Protocol (CCTP) to bridge over $230 million worth of USDC to Ethereum—Circle took no action to freeze the funds throughout the incident. Notably, just nine days prior, Circle had voluntarily frozen 16 business wallets in a separate civil dispute. Blockchain analytics firm Elliptic suspects the attack was carried out by a North Korea–backed hacking group. As a result of the breach, Drift Protocol’s total value locked (TVL) plummeted from $550 million to below $250 million, the DRIFT token price dropped more than 40%, and at least 20 DeFi protocols suffered indirect losses.
According to CoinDesk, S&P Global Market Intelligence released a report stating that although the stablecoin market has surpassed $31.6 billion, banks’ strategic planning around stablecoins remains largely in the early exploratory phase. S&P Global’s Q1 2026 survey found that among 100 surveyed banks, only 7% are developing related frameworks, and none have launched live pilots. Key concerns for banks include risks of deposit outflows, intensifying competition from non-bank institutions, and uncertain impacts on revenue. Regarding strategic divergence, the report forecasts that large banks will explore issuing tokenized deposits, while mid- and small-sized institutions are more likely to participate via fiat on-ramp and off-ramp services. Regardless of the chosen strategy, banks must undertake extensive upgrades to their existing systems to support real-time digital asset operations.
According to Crowdfundinsider, UK-based ClearBank has announced that it has received approval under the EU’s Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA) and obtained a Crypto-Asset Service Provider (CASP) license from the Netherlands Authority for the Financial Markets (AFM). The bank plans to launch digital asset services, including stablecoins, and stated it intends to support euro- and U.S. dollar–backed stablecoins—EURC and USDC—to enhance cross-border transfers and payments. Additionally, ClearBank said it will offer savings accounts through Coinbase and bring them under the protection of the UK’s Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS).
According to CoinDesk, as market sentiment improves, the Bitcoin options market is undergoing a notable shift: the $80,000 call option on Deribit has become the most actively traded, with open interest exceeding $1.6 billion—surpassing the previously dominant $60,000 put option (which held approximately $1.41 billion in open interest). Analysts suggest that the recent temporary ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran has driven oil prices lower, easing inflation expectations and potentially strengthening market anticipation of Federal Reserve rate cuts—thereby benefiting risk assets including Bitcoin. Additionally, asset management firm 21Shares stated that, against the backdrop of sustained ETF inflows and rising institutional holdings, Bitcoin could potentially reach $100,000 by the end of Q2—if geopolitical tensions ease further and the regulatory environment improves. However, risks remain: the current ceasefire is fragile, and any escalation in Middle Eastern conflict could trigger a rebound in oil prices, dampening market risk appetite and thereby capping Bitcoin’s upside potential.
According to Decrypt, Ben Delo, co-founder of BitMEX, revealed that he donated $5.4 million (approximately £4 million) to Reform UK, the political party led by Nigel Farage—prior to the UK’s introduction of a new £100,000 cap on donations from overseas residents. Delo pleaded guilty in the U.S. in 2022 to BitMEX’s violations of anti-money laundering compliance requirements and paid a $10 million fine; he was later pardoned by Donald Trump. Reform UK has previously received a £11.4 million donation from Christopher Harborne, a Thai national and investor in Tether. The party positions itself as the UK’s most crypto-friendly political party, though the UK government has imposed a suspension on cryptocurrency donations to political parties. Delo stated he plans to relocate to the UK, after which he would no longer be subject to the donation cap.
According to Cointelegraph, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent published an op-ed in The Wall Street Journal urging Congress to swiftly pass the Crypto Asset Market and Regulatory Clarity Act (CLARITY Act) to clarify regulatory rules for cryptocurrencies, tokenized assets, and decentralized exchanges. He warned that the global cryptocurrency market has reached $3 trillion, challenging America’s leadership in financial innovation, and stressed that with limited time remaining on the Senate’s legislative calendar, delaying action is not an option. The bill passed the House of Representatives in July 2025 but has remained stalled in the Senate over disagreements regarding how to regulate stablecoin yield. A report by the White House Council of Economic Advisers found that banning stablecoin yield would have a negligible impact on bank lending—increasing it by only about $2.1 billion—while costing users approximately $800 million annually in lost welfare. Additionally, under the GENIUS Act, the Treasury Department has proposed new rules requiring stablecoin issuers to establish anti-money laundering (AML) compliance programs and granting them authority to freeze or intercept specific transactions.
According to Politico, the U.S. Senate Banking Committee’s cryptocurrency bill—led by Chairman Tim Scott—has become mired in controversy over a provision designed to protect DeFi developers, making bipartisan consensus difficult to achieve. The contested provision would exempt non-custodial software developers who do not control users’ funds from registering as money transmitters or complying with anti-money laundering (AML) requirements. Law enforcement organizations—including the National Sheriffs’ Association and the National District Attorneys Association—have separately written to Congress warning that the provision would undermine efforts to combat financial crime; Senator Chuck Grassley, Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, has likewise expressed similar concerns. The crypto industry, however, views the provision as central to the bill: Amanda Tuminelli, Executive Director of the DeFi Education Fund, has explicitly stated that no textual modifications to the provision will be accepted. Democratic Senators Catherine Cortez Masto and Mark Warner are now pushing for revisions to the provision. If bipartisan agreement cannot be reached, the bill may advance without Democratic support—a scenario that could jeopardize its ability to secure the bipartisan majority required for passage on the Senate floor.
According to Cointelegraph, the Dubai Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (VARA) released its Virtual Asset Issuance Guidance on Thursday, establishing clear requirements for the structural design, disclosure, and distribution of stablecoins and tokenized real-world assets (RWAs). The guidance categorizes token issuances into three pathways: Category 1 covers fiat- and asset-backed virtual assets; Category 2 requires distribution through licensed intermediaries, which are responsible for conducting due diligence and ongoing compliance verification; and Category 3 comprises functionally limited exempt virtual assets. Ruben Bombardi, VARA’s General Counsel, stated that the framework enhances transparency through whitepapers and independent risk disclosure statements, providing issuers with “greater regulatory certainty” and market participants with a “single, dedicated reference point.” This guidance serves as an interpretive document clarifying VARA’s existing Virtual Asset Issuance Rules Handbook—not as newly enacted legislation.
According to Chainwire, Gobi Partners, a leading Asian venture capital firm, has announced its investment in Transak. Founded in 2019, Transak empowers financial institutions with bidirectional fiat-to-digital-asset conversion capabilities via a single API—unifying KYC, AML, risk monitoring, and local payment integrations. It operates across more than 64 countries worldwide, holds over 21 regulatory licenses, has been integrated into more than 600 applications, and has served over 10 million users to date. This investment aims to support Transak’s expansion across the Asian market. Transak has already established its Asia-Pacific headquarters in Hong Kong and plans to deepen integration with ASEAN-region payment networks and banking partners.
According to CoinDesk, the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) and the Department of Justice jointly filed an application with a federal court on Tuesday evening seeking to block Arizona from enforcing its state gambling laws against prediction market operator Kalshi. The two agencies argue that Kalshi’s contracts—tied to real-world events such as sporting events and elections—are, in substance, financial derivatives (swaps) subject to the Commodity Exchange Act and the federal regulatory framework, rather than state-level gambling regulations. Arizona had previously brought criminal charges against Kalshi, with a trial scheduled for April 13. Courts across the country have issued conflicting rulings: the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit (New Jersey) has leaned toward supporting the federal regulatory position, while other district courts have remained open to the state’s arguments.
According to Cointelegraph, blockchain analytics firm Chainalysis released a report stating that stablecoin-adjusted transaction volume is projected to reach $719 trillion by 2035—marking a substantial increase from $28 trillion in 2025. If two major macro catalysts align, this figure could double further to $15 trillion, surpassing the current annual global cross-border payment volume of approximately $10 trillion. The two catalysts are: (1) the transfer of over $100 trillion in wealth from the Baby Boomer generation to younger, crypto-native generations; and (2) stablecoins fully replacing traditional payment rails as the default payment infrastructure. Rachael Lucas, an analyst at Australian crypto exchange BTC Markets, noted that strategic moves—including Stripe’s acquisition of Bridge and Mastercard’s partnership with BVNK—are concrete steps forward. Coupled with regulatory clarity provided by the GENIUS Act, institutional participation is expected to expand significantly.
According to DigitalAsset, a South Korean court ruled in favor of Dunamu—the operator of Upbit—in an administrative lawsuit it filed against the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU), overturning the FIU’s administrative penalty ordering a three-month partial suspension of Dunamu’s operations. The court found that, in the absence of specific implementation guidelines from regulatory authorities, Dunamu had taken certain measures—including requesting written commitments from customers and conducting internal monitoring. Although the court acknowledged that whether these measures were sufficient to prevent transactions with unregistered operators remained debatable, it held that Dunamu had fulfilled its reasonable obligations given the lack of clear regulatory guidance. Previously, the FIU had imposed the three-month partial business suspension on Upbit for inadequacies in its controls over transactions with unregistered operators.
According to The Wall Street Journal, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent wrote on April 8 that the United States has long led in setting global financial market regulatory standards—but this leadership is not guaranteed. He urged Congress to promptly pass the Clarity Act to establish a clear regulatory framework for digital assets. Citing data, Bessent noted that global digital asset market capitalization fluctuated between $2 trillion and $3 trillion over the past year, and approximately one-sixth of Americans hold some form of digital asset. Applications of blockchain technology in payments, settlements, and physical asset exchange continue to expand. He emphasized that cryptocurrencies are no longer niche experiments but technologies undergoing broad global adoption—and the U.S. must take proactive steps to maintain its leadership in shaping rules for this domain.
According to Decrypt, Bitcoin ATM operator Bitcoin Depot filed a disclosure with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) revealing that it suffered a cybersecurity attack on March 23. Hackers infiltrated the company’s IT systems to obtain credentials for its digital asset settlement account and stole approximately 50.9 BTC—valued at roughly $3.665 million—from the company’s wallet. Following the incident, the company activated its incident response protocol, engaged external cybersecurity experts to conduct an investigation, and notified law enforcement authorities. Bitcoin Depot stated that its customer platform and user data remained unaffected. The company classified this event as a material matter, which may result in reputational damage and additional legal and regulatory costs.
The Federal Reserve’s March meeting minutes revealed that a majority of participants believe the process of inflation returning to 2% may be slower than previously anticipated, and the risk of persistently elevated inflation has increased. Rising oil prices stemming from tensions in the Middle East were viewed as potentially fueling inflation, heightening economic uncertainty, and posing downside risks. Regarding the policy path, an increasing number of participants see sufficient justification for adopting a “two-way” formulation—namely, raising rates remains possible if inflation does not clearly decline, while rate cuts may become necessary should the economy or labor market weaken. Some participants have further pushed back their expectations for the timing of rate cuts.