Bitcoin was trading near 66500 USD on Friday afternoon, recording a decline of approximately 1.8 percent in the last 24 hours. The cryptocurrency has been under pressure as investors move away from risk assets due to escalating developments in the Middle East. The total crypto market capitalization stands at roughly 2.3 trillion USD, reflecting modest losses across major tokens including Ethereum and Solana.

SoFi Technologies introduced its Big Business Banking platform, aiming to let institutions move and settle funds 24/7 using both fiat and digital assets, with Solana expected to be one of the supporting networks. Over the last 30 days, Solana DEX volume slid to $55.5 billion—its lowest level since September 2024—while network fees fell 42% and SOL dipped below $80 amid soft momentum signals.

On 3 April 2026 at 09:22, Vitalik Buterin outlined a plan to run a private, self-sovereign AI setup on his own hardware and warned that today's AI agents can be compromised by something as simple as visiting a malicious webpage. He also argued Ethereum's 2026 priorities are moving from payments toward privacy-by-default tools such as zero-knowledge proofs and stealth addresses, aiming for what he calls a "Private World Computer."

Ethereum fell nearly 5% over the past 24 hours after briefly reclaiming $2,150 and then sliding back near $2,000. Derivatives positioning shifted ahead of the move, with a 7.1% increase in ETH open interest on Wednesday. More than $94 million in ETH positions were liquidated over the past day, while Bitcoin saw $83.8 million.

Metaplanet said it bought 5,075 BTC in Q1 2026 for about $405.48 million, bringing its stash to 40,177 BTC as of March 31. The firm said the purchases averaged about $79,898 per coin and left it ranked third among public Bitcoin treasury holders behind Strategy and Twenty One Capital.

A Bloomberg report says dormant Bitcoin wallets linked to Satoshi Nakamoto could become targets if future quantum attackers can break current cryptography. Satoshi is estimated to control about 1.1 million BTC, and the report argues that access to long-inactive coins could create a severe market shock if they were moved and sold.

Franklin Templeton has launched Franklin Crypto, positioning it as an institutional-grade crypto investment management platform and outlining plans to use tokenized registered securities for settlement. The firm also plans to acquire 250 Digital and its liquid cryptocurrency strategies managed by CoinFund, with the deal expected to close by Q2 2026.

On April 2, 2026, the U.S. Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) issued Coinbase a conditional approval for a national bank trust charter, clearing the way for it to form Coinbase National Trust Company. The trust bank would be able to custody digital assets and serve institutional clients, but it would not be allowed to take retail deposits, make loans, or operate with FDIC insurance. The decision followed an OCC rule change that took effect on April 1, 2026, expanding what national trust banks can do with digital assets.