This article summarizes cryptocurrency news for April 7, 2026, focusing on the latest updates on Bitcoin, the Ethereum upgrade, Dogecoin price action, real-time cryptocurrency prices, and price predictions, among other topics. Major Web3 developments today include:
1、2026 Q1 crypto projects face a wave of shutdowns: Bitcoin ETFs and stablecoins guide capital flows to top-tier platforms
In the first quarter of 2026, the cryptocurrency industry saw a large-scale wave of project closures. More than 80 projects officially stopped operations, covering digital wallets, NFT marketplaces, DeFi protocols, analytics tools, and instant messaging applications. RootData’s “dead projects” archive shows that, as of March 20, 86 projects had already shut down, reflecting the market’s digestion and liquidation of “easy profit” business models.
Nifty Gateway will switch to supporting only withdrawals, Dmail plans to shut down in mid-May, and DeFi platform Balancer Labs announced it would end operations due to weak revenue performance and legal risks triggered by a 2025 vulnerability. The long-running active governance platform Tally will also end its services. Most of these projects originated from the crypto boom of 2021–2022 or the market rebound periods of 2024–2025, relying on a rapid expansion model driven by token issuance and capital. With declining trading volumes and increasing market centralization, their business models can no longer be sustained.
A well-known DeFi analyst, Ignas, noted that this marks the end of the “easy money era” in crypto. The market is shifting toward maturation, and developers and users need highly specialized and sustainable economic models. Funds are concentrating toward institutional channels and solid products. In March, the U.S. spot Bitcoin ETF attracted $1.32 billion in net inflows, posting its first positive quarterly growth since 2026. Stablecoin market capitalization is nearing $300 billion. Multiple traditional financial institutions are involved, while the total value of tokenized real-world assets (RWAs) has already exceeded $26 billion, attracting institutional investment.
This shift in capital highlights a change in survival thresholds: projects that rely on NFT trading volume or cultural influence face greater challenges, while products that can provide a stable user base, meaningful revenue, or direct integration with institutional balance sheets are more competitive. Ignas summed it up: “To succeed, you need real infrastructure, real users, and real revenue.” The focus of the crypto industry is rapidly concentrating on a handful of leading platforms and mature brands, and opportunities for speculative projects are disappearing.
2、JPMorgan CEO: Artificial intelligence will reshape banking at a faster pace than the internet, possibly changing the employment landscape
In a recent letter to shareholders, JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon (Jamie Dimon) said that artificial intelligence will reshape the banking industry at an unprecedented speed, potentially faster than the internet’s adoption. Dimon said AI will play a role in almost all functions, applications, and processes at JPMorgan, helping improve productivity and driving innovation in areas such as healthcare, materials science, and risk management.
JPMorgan expects to invest about $19.8 billion in technology in 2026, including artificial intelligence, data systems, and cloud infrastructure. This builds on the company’s foundation of roughly $2.0 billion per year invested in AI in 2025. Dimon emphasized that while AI brings enormous opportunities, it also carries risks such as deepfakes, false information, and cybersecurity threats—meaning companies, regulators, and governments need to prepare in advance, regulate effectively, and maintain balance.
On employment, Dimon admitted that AI will replace some jobs, but it will also create or elevate others. He said JPMorgan will do its best to redeploy affected employees and stressed that demand for technical workers in areas like cybersecurity and AI development remains strong. Industry observers, such as Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei, warned that AI could replace as much as half of entry-level professional positions within five years. OpenAI has also urged governments to prepare tax, worker-protection, and social security systems for the economic shocks caused by automation.
Dimon pointed out that when deploying AI, the banking industry must not be complacent, and should also avoid overregulation that could stifle innovation. JPMorgan is actively integrating AI technology to optimize customer service and internal operational efficiency. Analysts believe this strategy could become an important demonstration for global financial institutions to accelerate digital transformation, with potential indirect effects on markets for digital assets such as Bitcoin and Ethereum.
3、Bitcoin miner MARA moves $17 million BTC, sparking market attention and sell-off speculation
Bitcoin miner Marathon Digital Holdings (MARA) has once again drawn market attention recently. The company transferred about 250 Bitcoins, worth approximately $17.37 million. Earlier, in early March, MARA carried out a large-scale liquidation of 15,133 Bitcoins, worth nearly $1.1 billion. A series of moves like these has led traders and analysts to closely watch its next strategic intent.
MARA’s capital transfer is not an isolated event, but part of its broader financial strategy. In recent weeks, the company has continued making large Bitcoin movements, indicating that its operational focus is shifting from long-term holding toward active capital management. These actions could involve reorganizing internal wallets, or preparing to ensure liquidity or reduce market risk. Regardless of motive, large transfers are typically viewed by the market as potential sell signals, which can affect Bitcoin’s price and overall market sentiment.
The Bitcoin activity of miners has a direct impact on market supply and traders’ psychology. Large transfers increase the number of readily available Bitcoins, which in the short term may create downward pressure on prices, while also improving exchange liquidity—providing opportunities for retail and institutional traders. Traders often forecast future trends using wallet data, and when multiple miners conduct similar actions in sync, market volatility may increase further.
MARA’s move also reflects a shift in strategy across the mining industry as a whole. Rising operating costs, higher energy expenditures, and growing hardware upgrade requirements lead miners to optimize financial flexibility through strategic selling and capital transfers. As the Bitcoin market gradually matures, miners’ behavior has become an important indicator for gauging market trends.
Going forward, investors need to closely monitor MARA and other large miners’ capital movements. These actions not only affect short-term Bitcoin price volatility, but also reveal a shift in mining operating models—from holding-based to active capital management. The market is currently in a wait-and-see mode, and every large Bitcoin transfer could trigger fresh price reactions and trading opportunities.
4、OpenAI controversy hits Worldcoin: Altman’s credibility crisis sparks a WLD price drop
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, after being linked by a New Yorker investigative article to SBF and Bernie Madoff, triggered a trust crisis. The price of Worldcoin (WLD) promptly fell 2.9% to $0.2432, with a cumulative decline of more than 10% over the past seven days.
The article, based on interviews with more than 100 people, points to Altman exhibiting extreme contradictions between trying to please others and ignoring the consequences of deception. Multiple Microsoft executives also accused him of misrepresenting the contents of an agreement and violating a deal.
In addition, Katie Miller said on a social platform that key figures around Altman—including Elon Musk and Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei—have openly questioned his integrity, and Musk even said Altman is “not fit to run superintelligence.” This reputation crisis has intensified investor concerns about Worldcoin.
On corporate governance, OpenAI CFO Sarah Friar previously warned the company was not yet prepared for a 2026 IPO, and that revenue growth slowdown might not support server spending exceeding $600 billion by 2030. Since August 2025, Friar has stopped reporting directly to Altman, raising market questions about financial transparency and the governance structure.
For Worldcoin specifically, its current market cap is about $790 million. On July 23, it will face a large “cliff” unlock releasing 52.5% of the total supply, further intensifying supply pressure. Investor confidence is being hit by both founder-risk concerns and token dilution. The price is near historical lows and may face pressure in the short term.
This episode shows that a founder’s credibility directly affects a crypto project’s market performance. WLD holders should closely monitor OpenAI’s governance developments and the upcoming token unlocks to assess price volatility and investment risk.
5、Polygon Giugliano hard fork nearing: faster transaction confirmations and improved fee transparency
Polygon announced that its Giugliano hard fork will activate at 2:00 PM UTC on April 8 on mainnet, at block 85,268,500. The upgrade is intended to improve transaction confirmation speed and fee transparency, laying the foundation for high-throughput payments and tokenized assets. A hard fork allows block producers to publish blocks earlier, shortening the time until transactions become irreversible. Verification on the Amoy testnet last month showed transaction confirmation times were reduced by about two seconds.
The Giugliano upgrade will also embed EIP-1559-style fee parameters directly into the block header, enabling developers and decentralized applications to access gas pricing information efficiently at the protocol layer. At the same time, new remote procedure call (RPC) endpoints will be released to support wallets and applications in querying fees directly, without relying on external estimates. Polygon stated that this upgrade achieves faster final confirmations through quicker block publication, fee parameters in the block header, and RPC support. Node operators need to update Bor to v2.7.0 or Erigon to v3.5.0; ordinary users do not need to take any action.
The upgrade was introduced after Polygon experienced multiple disruptions in 2025. In September last year, a consensus vulnerability caused finality delays of 15 minutes, prompting Polygon to urgently hard fork to restore operations. Two months ago, validator exits triggered a Heimdall consensus-layer vulnerability, interrupting finality for about an hour. In December 2025, the Madhugiri upgrade increased throughput to about 1,400 transactions per second. In March 2026, the Lisovo hard fork improved smart contract reliability and provided gas subsidies for AI agent transactions.
Giugliano is aligned with the Gigagas roadmap announced by Polygon in June 2025. The goal is to achieve 100k TPS for global payments and real-world asset settlement. This phased plan starts with the Bhilai upgrade and is being rolled out gradually. Currently, mainnet processing capacity is about 2,600 transactions per second, and the internal development network exceeds 5,000 TPS. Faster finality and better fee tooling will become important benchmarks for future user growth and ecosystem activity.
6、Circle releases Arc post-quantum roadmap: Layer-1 crypto networks get a comprehensive security upgrade before 2030
Circle officially unveiled its post-quantum attack resistance roadmap for its Layer-1 Arc blockchain, laying the foundation for fully safeguarding wallets, signatures, validators, and off-chain infrastructure before 2030. The roadmap will be implemented in four phases. The first phase will deploy when Arc launches on the 2026 mainnet, making Arc one of the first mainstream Layer-1 networks that includes post-quantum requirements from the design stage.
On the technical side, Arc will use NIST-approved CRYSTALS-Dilithium (ML-DSA) and Falcon post-quantum signature schemes to replace the elliptic curve cryptography (ECDSA) that most current blockchains rely on, addressing potential threats from quantum computing. In the first phase, it will provide optional post-quantum wallets and signatures, prioritizing compatibility rather than forcing a migration. The second phase will introduce encrypted protection for private state transactions and balances. The third phase will ensure validator security. The fourth phase will cover off-chain infrastructure, including communication protocols, cloud environments, and hardware security modules.
Arc’s post-quantum design directly responds to industry threats. Google research shows quantum computers could crack Bitcoin encryption in as little as nine minutes, while Caltech’s theoretical predictions indicate that runnable quantum systems could be achieved before 2030. Circle said active addresses must migrate before the “Q day,” otherwise their public keys could be attacked and exploited, highlighting the urgency and practicality of the roadmap.
Compared with competitors, Arc’s roadmap is more specific. Bitcoin has not yet actively deployed a PQC migration plan; Ethereum’s PQC research is still under discussion. While Algorand has considered post-quantum designs, it has not published a phased implementation schedule. QANplatform launched an early L1 based on lattice cryptography, but it lacks Arc’s institutional-grade infrastructure and USDC integration. Circle’s approach provides a feasible post-quantum path for Layer-1 networks by mitigating throughput pressure caused by larger signatures through algorithm optimization and hardware acceleration.
Arc’s deployment marks a substantive step for the crypto industry in the face of quantum threats. It provides stronger security guarantees for USDC and ecosystem partners, and also offers a reference technical route for other Layer-1 networks.
7、SEC moves first: independent crypto fundraising rules to take effect, CLARITY Act faces an escalation in the battle
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission is accelerating the development of its cryptocurrency regulatory framework. U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission chair Paul Atkins said the SEC is creating independent crypto fundraising rules through administrative procedures and will not wait for the CLARITY Act pushed by Congress to take effect.
The core of the rule is to introduce a “safe harbor” mechanism covering registration exemptions, financing exemptions, and investment contract exemptions. It aims to provide compliant fundraising pathways for crypto startups while strengthening disclosure and investor protections. Related proposals have entered the White House review stage and are just one step away from being officially released.
Compared with the CLARITY Act being advanced by Congress, the SEC’s path is more focused on regulatory implementation. The “Reg Crypto” provision in the CLARITY Act allows projects to issue and raise funds through token offerings under certain conditions, and also promotes decentralized development, while clearly stating that assets such as Bitcoin, Ethereum, XRP, DOGE, ADA, and SOL are not securities.
However, the SEC’s independently drafted rules set higher thresholds in areas such as fundraising limits and disclosure standards, and are viewed as a supplement to the legislative framework. At the same time, regulators are also pursuing “tokenization innovation exemptions,” allowing blockchain products to be tested in controlled environments, providing room for experimentation as traditional finance and the crypto industry blend.
Currently, because issues such as stablecoin yield mechanisms are still being debated in the Senate, progress on the CLARITY Act has slowed. Senator Bill Hagerty said the act is expected to enter a critical review stage in April.
With both legislative and regulatory tracks advancing in parallel, U.S. crypto policy is gradually becoming clearer. In the short term, rules led by the SEC may be the first to impact the market, providing more defined compliance boundaries for project fundraising, token issuance, and institutional entry.
8、Five giants control a trillion-dollar crypto market: BlackRock leads the Bitcoin ETF landscape, Wall Street rivalry intensifies
The U.S. crypto asset management market in 2026 is becoming increasingly clear. Top institutions are controlling over $100k in capital through compliant tools such as ETFs, and institutional capital’s allocations to Bitcoin and Ethereum continue to deepen.
At present, BlackRock is leading by a wide margin. Its IBIT manages approximately $51.9 billion, representing nearly half of the spot Bitcoin ETF market share. In the first quarter of 2026, it recorded $8.4 billion in net inflows. With its massive distribution system and asset management scale, it has formed an obvious barrier in terms of attracting capital.
Fidelity Investments follows closely. FBTC is at $12.8 billion, and it attracts institutional clients through custody services and a low-fee strategy. Grayscale Investments maintains its market position based on years of accumulated assets and advantages across its product lineup. Although net outflows are slowing, it still holds a large amount of Bitcoin assets.
In differentiated competition, Bitwise Asset Management stands out with multi-asset products such as those built on Solana and a strategy focused on staking yield. Galaxy Digital, meanwhile, serves institutional clients with a comprehensive model combining trading, lending, and asset management, forming a complementary ecosystem.
At the same time, potential variables are brewing. Morgan Stanley has filed for a Bitcoin ETF and is advancing plans for digital asset custody and retail trading. Its wealth management scale reaches tens of trillions of dollars. Even a small allocation could bring potential capital of tens of billions, possibly reshaping industry rankings.
As the total size of spot Bitcoin ETFs breaks above $100 billion, the market’s competitive focus has shifted from “whether to enter” to “who will lead capital flows.” Fees, channels, and product structure will become the deciding factors in the next phase.
9、IMF warns global imbalances are worsening: tariffs failing could push funds toward Bitcoin and stablecoins
The International Monetary Fund’s latest research says tariffs cannot effectively address global trade deficits; their impact is limited and not sustained. Meanwhile, global current account imbalances are widening, seen as an important signal of rising potential financial risk.
The report is led by economists Pierre-Olivier Gourinchas and Christian Mummssen. It emphasizes that what truly affects trade imbalances is still macro variables such as savings, investment, and fiscal policy—not tariffs or industrial interventions. The report notes that most tariffs are seen by markets as long-term measures, which can easily trigger retaliatory policies and thereby weaken their ability to regulate trade. As a result, the structure of current accounts is difficult to change materially.
More importantly, the IMF warns that expanding global imbalances often foreshadow reversals in capital flows or rising risks of financial crises. Under this backdrop, the market may see structural adjustments. For crypto markets, this implies three potential pathways: first, stress on dollar credit could cause funds to move—at least partially—toward value storage assets such as Bitcoin; second, rising uncertainty in cross-border trade could lead firms to use more stablecoins for settlement to reduce friction; third, increased demand for hedging could raise the share of non-correlated asset allocations.
Currently, the combination of U.S. fiscal deficits and high-consumption spending structures makes global capital flows more sensitive. The IMF calls for countries to implement “synchronized adjustments,” but real-world execution is difficult. If coordination fails, markets will be forced to price risk on their own.
Within this macro framework, the role of crypto assets is changing: moving from high-volatility risk assets toward tools that hedge against policy failures and systemic uncertainty. Their allocation logic may be further reinforced.
10、Japan prime minister drawn into Meme coin controversy: SANAE TOKEN surges 40x then crashes, heavy-handed regulation is about to fall
The SANAE TOKEN incident, intertwined between Japanese politics and the crypto market, continues to escalate. The dispute over whether the token received endorsements from Japan’s prime minister has not been resolved, and it is also directly impacting the direction of Japan’s crypto regulation.
The token went live on the Solana chain on February 25, 2026. It was introduced by NoBorder DAO and promoted using the name and image of Japan’s Prime Minister Takachi Hayase. On the day it launched, the price surged more than 40x at one point, but after Takachi Hayase publicly denied any connection to the project on March 2, the token quickly crashed by about 58%. Market confidence was hit hard.
The situation then escalated. According to Japanese media outlet Weekly Bunshun, developer Matsui Ken had informed the prime minister’s office in advance that the project was a crypto asset, and even received positive feedback at the secretary level. This claim conflicts with the official earlier statement of “complete lack of knowledge,” but as of now the prime minister’s office has not responded officially.
Regulators moved quickly. Japan’s Financial Services Agency (FSA) has launched an investigation into NoBorder DAO, focusing on its conduct of conducting crypto business without a license. Meanwhile, Japan’s parliament is reviewing a key bill that seeks to move crypto assets from the Payment Services Act to the Financial Instruments and Trading Act framework, enabling stricter regulation.
Under the proposed new law, penalties for issuing and selling crypto assets without licenses would be significantly increased. The maximum prison term could be raised to 10 years, and the fine cap would increase to 10 million yen. In addition, Japan’s securities and trading regulators would for the first time gain criminal investigation authority over the crypto industry, and strengthen investor protection mechanisms, such as default rescission and rules targeting trades by unregistered entities.
The SANAE TOKEN incident has not only sparked political controversy, but also served as an important catalyst for upgrading regulation. As investigations advance and legislation progresses, compliance barriers in Japan’s crypto market may rise significantly.
11、Kalshi wins new ruling in New Jersey: prediction markets get federal backing, as the battle over regulatory authority enters a key decision
U.S. prediction market platform Kalshi has made key progress in its legal dispute with the state of New Jersey. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit ruled 2–1 that Kalshi may continue offering sports-related contracts in the state. The central reasoning is that the relevant transactions fall under federal regulation, giving exclusive jurisdiction to the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC).
The focus of this dispute is whether prediction market contracts should be treated as gambling activity. New Jersey argued that its gambling regulations apply to all sports-related transactions. However, the majority opinion held that Kalshi’s products meet the definition of “swap transactions,” and therefore fall under federal commodities law regulation rather than traditional gambling.
The court further stated that these contracts are linked to economic outcomes and satisfy the federal legal criteria for financial derivatives. Even the dissenting judge acknowledged that these prediction market contracts have the characteristics of swap transactions. Based on this, if state enforcement were to intervene, it would conflict with the existing federal regulatory framework.
On the procedural front, the court maintained the preliminary injunction against New Jersey, finding that Kalshi had shown a likelihood of success on the merits and faced potential irreparable harm. This means that until the case is finally decided, state regulators cannot rely on gambling laws to limit its operations.
Notably, the case is viewed as a hallmark matter in which a federal circuit court directly adjudicated the legality of prediction markets for the first time. As prediction markets expand their use in political, economic, and geopolitical events, the boundaries of their regulation are being scrutinized more strictly. Previously, Kalshi also faced litigation pressure related to contracts tied to international conflicts.
This ruling highlights the tension between federal and state regulatory authority in the U.S., while also offering a partial positive signal for the prediction market industry. How the relevant regulatory framework will be unified in the future will remain a key focus for the market.
12、Spot Bitcoin ETFs pull in $471 million in a single day, setting a new stage high; signals show institutional capital is returning
U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs recorded $471 million in net inflows on April 6, 2026, marking the largest single-day inflow in more than a month and showing that institutional capital is redeploying amid a choppy trading environment.
In terms of fund distribution, BlackRock’s IBIT and Fidelity’s FBTC dominate the flow, attracting about $182 million and $147 million respectively. Together they contributed roughly $329 million, accounting for the majority of total inflows for the day. This pattern continues the market concentration trend that emerged since ETF launches in 2024.
Despite the clear return of funds, Bitcoin’s price is still trading in a volatile range. Data shows Bitcoin had retreated about 45% from its October 2025 high at one point, and is currently fluctuating around $68,000. There is a degree of divergence between ETF inflows and price action, suggesting institutions are making more structural allocations rather than simply chasing the rally.
On an overall basis, the total assets under management for U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs are approaching $90 billion. IBIT accounts for nearly 60% of the total at about $54.5 billion, and its cumulative net inflows reach around $56 billion.
Looking back at the first quarter of 2026, ETF capital flows were split. In January and February, net outflows totaled about $1.8 billion due to inflation pressures and expectations for Federal Reserve policy. In March, as the market stabilized, the ETFs recorded net inflows of about $1.3 billion again, with sentiment improving.
However, the market remains cautious about macro variables. The upcoming U.S. March CPI data and core PCE indicators may become key factors affecting Bitcoin and ETF fund flows. If inflation rebounds beyond expectations, the pace of risk-asset allocations may be adjusted again.
13、Phantom wallet experiences service interruption; token prices and balances display affected
Crypto wallet application Phantom experienced a temporary service interruption, causing abnormal token price and balance displays. The Phantom team said it is actively working to fix the issue.
14、Polymarket to upgrade trading system and launch native stablecoin Polymarket USD
Prediction market platform Polymarket will make a major upgrade to its trading system within the coming weeks. Key items include launching Polymarket CTF Exchange V2, introducing the native stablecoin Polymarket USD, and optimizing the order book structure. The V2 version will rebuild the trading engine to optimize matching efficiency, reduce the actions needed for order validation and matching, and lower Gas costs.
The new order data structure will streamline the number of fields, improving overall execution efficiency. At the same time, V2 will introduce an upgraded central limit order book (CLOB), combining an off-chain order book with on-chain execution mechanisms. On the asset side, Polymarket will launch Polymarket USD supported 1:1 by USDC, gradually replacing the currently used cross-chain asset USDC.e. Additionally, the platform will support the EIP-1271 standard, allowing smart contract wallets (such as multisig wallets) to directly participate in trades. During the upgrade, the existing order book will be cleared and a brief maintenance window will be entered.
15、Solana Foundation launches STRIDE and SIRN dual security plan, covering protocol assessment and incident response
The Solana Foundation announced the launch of an ecosystem security plan led by Asymmetric Research, with two major mechanisms: STRIDE (Solana DeFi Trust and Resilient Infrastructure) and SIRN (Solana Incident Response Network).
STRIDE will conduct independent security assessments of ecosystem protocols and publicly share the results. It will provide 7×24 active threat monitoring for protocols with TVL above $10 million. For protocols with TVL above $100 million, it will provide additional funding in the form of formal verification. SIRN, as a dedicated security response network, involves Asymmetric Research, OtterSec, Neodyme, Squads, and ZeroShadow. It is responsible for real-time crisis response and shared threat intelligence.
In addition, the Solana Foundation will make security tools such as Hypernative, Range Security, Riverguard, and Sec3 X-Ray available free of charge to all ecosystem projects. The foundation emphasized that the above resources are auxiliary in nature and do not replace the protocol teams’ own responsibility for security.
