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Polygon Labs is in early talks to raise up to $100 million to scale a regulated stablecoin payments business, shifting its focus from generic blockchain support to real‑world money movement that boosts on‑chain transaction volume. The push builds on its recent acquisitions of licensed U.S. payment and wallet firms Coinme and Sequence, aiming to integrate fiat on‑ and off‑ramps, wallets, and settlement infrastructure into a full payments stack. This strategy positions Polygon to compete with traditional players like Stripe and expand blockchain use for everyday payments.

Iran is proposing a plan to charge about $1 per barrel in cryptocurrency or other digital assets like stablecoins and yuan for oil tankers to pass through the Strait of Hormuz during a two‑week ceasefire deal with the United States, according to reports. Fully loaded tankers must submit cargo and vessel details before payment, while empty ships may be exempt. Officials say the measure is intended to allow Iran to monitor ship movements and prevent weapons transfers, marking an unusual use of crypto in global oil transit.

A long-running dispute between OKX founder Star Xu and Binance’s Changpeng Zhao has resurfaced following Zhao’s memoir release. Xu claims that in 2014, while Zhao was CTO at OKCoin, he altered a contract tied to a deal with Roger Ver by adding a termination clause. Xu shared past chat records as proof and accused Zhao of dishonesty. Zhao previously denied the claim, citing a hacked account, and addressed it in his book without new details.

Jiang Zhuoer, once a top Bitcoin mining leader in China, says he has shorted Ethereum, expecting prices to fall in the coming weeks and months. Based on on-chain metrics and broader market patterns, he believes the crypto bear cycle is still intact, and any sharp rallies are shorting opportunities rather than trend reversals. Zhuoer also warned that rising geopolitical tensions could trigger fresh uncertainty in markets, calling this period “America’s Suez Canal moment.”

On April 7, major crypto ETFs saw uneven investor activity. Bitcoin spot ETFs recorded a $159 million net outflow, and Ethereum spot ETFs shed $64.67 million, reflecting short-term selling pressure. Solana (SOL) spot ETFs also saw a $15.40 million outflow, while XRP spot ETFs bucked the trend with a $3.32 million net inflow, showing selective interest in certain altcoin products. These flows highlight a cautious ETF market with varied demand across crypto assets.

SEC Chair Paul Atkins announced that the proposed Reg Crypto framework is now under final review at the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs. The plan would give crypto startups a four-year exemption to raise capital without immediate registration requirements. It also aims to provide clearer rules on how digital assets are classified under securities laws. Atkins added that a separate innovation exemption focused on tokenization is expected to be introduced within weeks.

Bitcoin mining company MARA transferred 250 BTC worth about $17.37 million to an external address, according to on-chain data. This latest move follows the firm’s large sale of 15,133 BTC valued at roughly $1.1 billion between March 4 and March 25, which was part of its broader balance-sheet strategy. The continued transfers have drawn market attention as investors watch how public miners manage their Bitcoin reserves amid changing conditions in the crypto sector.

Strategy Inc., the Bitcoin-focused company led by Michael Saylor, posted an approximately $14.46 billion unrealized loss in the first quarter of 2026 as the value of its Bitcoin holdings declined sharply. This drop reflects weaker market prices, with Bitcoin falling around 23% and marking its worst first-quarter performance since 2018. The company also recorded a deferred tax benefit of about $2.42 billion, which partly offset the paper loss. Despite this, Strategy continued buying Bitcoin even as it held roughly $51.65 billion in digital assets at quarter-end.

The U.S. Treasury has appointed BNY Mellon as the financial agent and Robinhood as the technology partner for Trump Accounts, a tax-advantaged investment program for children under 18. Eligible children born between 2025 and 2028 receive a $1,000 Treasury seed invested in low-cost U.S. stock index funds, with families allowed to contribute up to $5,000 annually. Scheduled to launch on July 4, 2026, the program already has 4 million accounts and aims to foster long-term wealth creation and expand stock market participation across American households.

BlackRock has filed with the SEC to launch the iShares Nasdaq-100 ETF, ticker IQQ, designed to track the 100 largest non-financial companies listed on Nasdaq, dominated by tech leaders. The move directly challenges Invesco’s QQQ and QQQM, which together manage nearly $446 billion in assets. Analysts predict BlackRock could ignite a fee war, with costs potentially dropping to 0.12 percent. The launch aims to enhance liquidity and reduce investor costs in the $13.7 trillion U.S. ETF market while leveraging the Nasdaq-100’s long-term outperformance over the S&P 500.