X is rolling out an "auto-locking and verification" policy that will temporarily lock accounts the first time they post about cryptocurrency and require identity checks before the post can proceed. The change, shared by X Head of Product Nikita Bier via Wu Blockchain on April 2, 2026, is aimed at reducing scams tied to hacked celebrity accounts and newly created scam profiles.

Drift Protocol said Friday it initiated onchain outreach to wallets holding Ether linked to an exploit that outside firms estimate at roughly $280 million to $286 million. The team said it sent messages from Ethereum address 0x0934faC to four wallets associated with the exploiter, asking them to contact Drift via Blockscan chat. The outreach followed Thursday onchain messages from an unknown ENS user demanding 1,000 ETH to withhold alleged identity information.

On April 2, 2026, Coinbase and the Linux Foundation launched the X402 Foundation to steward an open-source standard that uses HTTP status code 402 as a built-in payment trigger. The X402 flow lets servers quote a price and accepted tokens, while clients submit a signed payment payload (including stablecoins or other ERC-20 tokens) within normal web/API requests. Early tooling is tied to Base, with Cloudflare's Agents SDK supporting transactions on Base Sepolia using USDC.

On April 2, 2026, the Linux Foundation announced the x402 Foundation at the MCP Dev Summit North America in New York. The effort includes Coinbase formally contributing the x402 protocol to the Linux Foundation to support open, internet-native payments over HTTP for AI agents, APIs, and apps. The foundation launched with backing from more than 20 companies, while the Solana Foundation was cited as an early adopter with nearly 65% of this year's x402 transaction volume.

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.

The International Monetary Fund said tokenization could reduce frictions and improve transparency in finance, while warning its overall impact on financial stability remains uncertain. The report said faster automation may intensify stress events and, in emerging markets, tokenization could aid cross-border payments and inclusion but may also amplify volatility and weaken monetary sovereignty.

Federal prosecutors in Connecticut recovered more than $600,000 in USDT tied to a phishing scheme that used a mailed letter to trick a Ledger hardware wallet user. Court records say the victim received the letter in September 2025, and the U.S. District Court entered a forfeiture decree on March 31, 2026. The seized stablecoin is set to be returned through the Justice Department’s asset management process.