Swift and Chainlink have completed a major interoperability trial designed to support tokenized bond transactions across multiple blockchain networks while remaining connected to existing financial infrastructure. The work aims to standardize digital-asset processing for institutional users through established messaging and data standards, including ISO 20022. The trial included several European banking participants, including BNP Paribas Securities Services, Intesa Sanpaolo, and Société Générale FORGE. Chainlink said the testing showed how Swift can coordinate tokenized bond flows across both blockchain environments and traditional enterprise systems. The project builds on earlier work involving UBS Asset Management and more than 12 global financial institutions. Participants including Citi and BNY Mellon tested cross-chain settlement using existing payment rails, allowing access to blockchain networks without replacing current systems. Institutions relied on Swift messaging standards alongside Chainlink infrastructure. On the data side, the initiative introduced a framework to standardize corporate actions information. During testing, Chainlink's Runtime Environment validated outputs from multiple AI models, converted the results into ISO 20022 messages, and sent them over the Swift network. In parallel, Chainlink's Cross-Chain Interoperability Protocol (CCIP) distributed the same data across blockchains. Designated data attestors and contributors verified and enriched records, delivering nearly 100% accuracy across the corporate actions tested. The setup also supported multilingual processing, including Spanish and Chinese disclosures. Chainlink also expanded into identity and compliance tooling. Through a partnership with the Global Legal Entity Identifier Foundation, the firms introduced verifiable identity capabilities for blockchain use, combining legal entity data with on-chain infrastructure to support compliant transactions, asset-origin verification, and programmatic enforcement of regulatory requirements. Swift and Chainlink additionally demonstrated CCIP-based cross-chain transfers with institutions including Euroclear, Clearstream, and Lloyds Banking Group, highlighting a path for tokenized assets to move across systems while keeping data, identity, and compliance standards consistent.

Odaily Planet Daily reported that 10x Research said on X that Ethereum has lagged over the past five years, with ETH still trading around the $2,000 area last seen in the prior cycle. The firm has kept a cautious view since November, citing soft onchain activity that has constrained demand and value capture for ETH. ETH has fallen 57% from its August 2025 peak, versus roughly a 42% drop for BTC over the same period, leaving ETH relatively undervalued in 10x Research's view. The note also pointed to large market-capitalization losses, including an $8 billion drawdown at ETH treasury companies such as Bitmine. Even so, 10x Research said capital formation continues. USDT issuance on Ethereum has recently surpassed Tron, fueling the argument that Ethereum could emerge as the main beneficiary of stablecoin growth and potentially become the financial backbone for Wall Street-led onchain infrastructure. The firm said it is reassessing whether ETH is approaching a turning point or if structural headwinds remain in place.

Charles Schwab, which serves 38.9 million active brokerage accounts and oversees $12.22 trillion in client assets, is moving from indirect crypto exposure to direct spot trading of Bitcoin and Ethereum. The firm said it will begin a phased rollout in the second quarter through Schwab Crypto, offered via its bank affiliate Charles Schwab Premier Bank, SSB. Eligible clients will be able to buy and sell Bitcoin and Ethereum directly. Availability will span all U.S. states except New York and Louisiana, with access starting with employees and a small initial group before expanding more broadly. The launch targets mainstream brokerage customers rather than crypto-native users, testing whether direct BTC and ETH ownership can fit inside a traditional investing workflow long dominated by stocks, bonds, and ETFs. Account structure and limits Schwab Crypto will operate as a dedicated account tied to the affiliated bank subsidiary, separate from clients' existing brokerage accounts. The crypto assets will not carry SIPC or FDIC protection. Schwab also said it will not accept crypto deposits and will not settle securities or futures transactions in crypto. The result is direct access, but on broker-defined rails with clear product boundaries. A distribution-based estimate highlights the potential scale: if direct-crypto adoption reaches 0.5% to 2% of Schwab's 38.9 million accounts, that would translate to roughly 194,500 to 778,000 direct holders. Regulatory calendar shaped the product calendar Schwab's timing into 2026 follows a rapid easing of major institutional frictions in early 2025: - January 2025: SAB 122 rescinded SAB 121, reducing a key accounting constraint that had made crypto custody economics unattractive for traditional banks. - March 2025: The OCC reaffirmed that crypto custody, certain stablecoin activities, and participation in distributed ledgers are permissible for national banks, and removed the supervisory nonobjection requirement. - April 2025: The Federal Reserve withdrew earlier crypto guidance and shifted oversight to standard supervisory processes. Schwab CEO Rick Wurster characterized the regulatory backdrop as "pretty green" for large firms to expand into crypto, underscoring how closely policy changes preceded the product rollout. Schwab's internal shift on Bitcoin In March 2026, Schwab published research arguing Bitcoin had matured into a mainstream asset and, by some measures, had become less volatile than certain "Magnificent 7" stocks. Reuters also reported Wurster sees the core user as an investor who already owns stocks and bonds and wants a small allocation to Bitcoin or Ethereum alongside traditional holdings. Competitive landscape Schwab enters a market where Fidelity already offers direct crypto buying, selling, and transfers alongside brokerage positions through its platform and app. E*TRADE has posted a "coming soon" page for direct trading in Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Solana, and reports have pointed to Morgan Stanley exploring a service via Zerohash in the first half of 2026. Schwab's role could be catalytic: its scale may help shift direct BTC and ETH ownership from a niche feature into a standard "asset sleeve" within diversified brokerage accounts. Two adoption paths A higher-adoption outcome would depend on Schwab expanding eligibility quickly and delivering a low-friction experience that encourages clients to consolidate holdings into the new account. In that scenario, broader brokerage distribution could accelerate retail adoption, aligning with bullish projections such as Citi's $165,000 bitcoin and $4,488 ether bull-case targets. A lower-adoption outcome would hinge on product friction: state exclusions, the bank-subsidiary structure, lack of crypto deposits, and transfer constraints may leave active users preferring crypto-native venues such as Coinbase and Kraken, or Fidelity's more integrated setup. The next key signal for the market will be how rapidly Schwab's initial second-quarter cohort converts and whether the company accelerates the rollout to general availability on schedule.

April 5 — HyperInsight data shows Huang Licheng has increased his 25x-leveraged ETH long position to 7,500 ETH, valued at about $15.24 million. The position carries an average entry price of $2,073.10 and a liquidation level of $1,988.30, with an unrealized loss currently standing at $306,000.

Elemental said it has resumed normal operations, according to ME News. In an update posted on April 5 (UTC+8), the DeFi protocol confirmed final figures showing an 87.51% write-down for its SOL 1 and SOL 2 vaults, and a 62.10% write-down for the USDC Lend vault. The platform said the impacted vaults have now been fully restored after the adjustments, enabling users to unstake, withdraw, and deposit funds without restrictions. Elemental also merged its Beta environment into the main platform and added a transaction history feature to improve transparency. (Source: PANews)

Over the past 72 hours, about 1.4 million Solana (SOL) tokens—valued at roughly US$110 million—were transferred to exchanges, a flow pattern often watched for potential selling pressure. The increase comes as SOL trades around key technical levels, with analysts flagging the risk of short-term downside momentum. Glassnode data shows exchange balances rising from 27.6 million SOL to 28.6 million SOL over the period. Ali Charts highlighted the move as a notable jump in exchange holdings, a typical precursor to liquidation activity even though inflows alone do not guarantee a price decline. At the time of writing, SOL was up 0.59% over 24 hours to US$80.93, reflecting mixed sentiment despite the elevated exchange inflows. On the technical side, Crypto_Scient pointed to a breakdown from a daily bear-flag pattern and a loss of a market-structure shift near US$85. SOL is now trading below a key supply zone, and repeated failed consolidation attempts are reinforcing bearish conditions. Analysts say a rebound into the US$84–US$89 area may function as a retest of the broken structure, potentially validating seller control rather than signaling renewed strength. Support is now being watched in the US$66–US$70 range. Until SOL reclaims US$90 with strong volume, the broader setup remains pressured, with exchange inflows and market structure likely to remain key short-term indicators. Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial advice. CoinCryptoNewz is not responsible for any losses incurred. Readers should do their own research before making financial decisions.

Several major US-listed altcoin spot ETFs recorded no daily inflows or outflows this week. The flat flows applied to spot products tracking $DOGE, $HBAR, $LTC, $AVAX and $DOT. With altcoin activity muted, market focus has gravitated toward larger assets such as $BTC and $ETH. That dynamic could shift at some point in 2026. Source: @SoSoValueCrypto

The on-chain market capitalization of real-world assets (RWA) has reached a new all-time high of $22.8 billion, with Tether maintaining the leading position.

Drift Protocol said in a post on X that its preliminary review of the April 1, 2026, attack points to UNC4736, a North Korean state-sponsored hacking group also tracked as AppleJeus or Citrine Sleet. According to Drift, the attackers spent roughly six months cultivating access starting in fall 2025, using in-person approaches through intermediaries at crypto conferences and setting up fake quantitative trading firms. The effort ultimately led contributors to download malicious code libraries or applications. Drift said it has frozen all protocol functions and removed compromised wallets from its multisignature configuration. Mandiant has been brought in to run an in-depth forensic investigation. The investigation also found that on-chain funds used to test the operation can be traced to the same actors behind the October 2024 Radiant Capital breach.