Central banks recorded net purchases of 19 metric tons of gold in February, a rebound from January's net 5 tons and still below the 2025 monthly average of 26 tons. Poland led buying with 20 tons, while Turkey and Russia posted the largest reported reductions at 8 tons and 6 tons. China also extended its run of additions, with official data showing reserves rising to 74.22 million fine troy ounces.

On April 3, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission published a notice that a Nasdaq-proposed rule change to its transaction fee schedule was immediately effective. The filing updates the reference month for a non-displayed liquidity credit tier to February 2026 and extends the tier's expiration from March 2026 to August 2026. Nasdaq designated April 1, 2026 as the operative date, and the SEC is soliciting public comments.

BlackRock reduced crypto exposure over the past week as its spot Bitcoin and Ethereum ETFs saw about $320 million in combined outflows. Bitcoin-related withdrawals led the move at roughly $185.1 million across five trading sessions, while the ETHA Ethereum fund recorded about $134.9 million over the same span.

Charles Schwab, which manages nearly $12 trillion in client assets, says it plans to launch spot Bitcoin and Ethereum trading this quarter while offering early access via a "Schwab Crypto" waitlist. The move is framed as a step toward bringing crypto into the same brokerage workflow used for stocks and ETFs, potentially amplifying institutional participation. Meanwhile, stablecoin growth continues to underpin DeFi liquidity, with total stablecoin market cap up 3.3% year-to-date and more than $1 billion added this week.

Crypto entered Q2 after a weak Q1, with total market cap down nearly 21% and about $1.5 trillion erased over the past six months. Trump’s weekend post warning of a potentially severe attack on Iran’s infrastructure, alongside oil’s Q1 surge of nearly 70%, is being framed as a catalyst that could amplify volatility and liquidation risk when markets reopen Monday.

On April 1, Sen. Richard Blumenthal sent a follow-up letter to Binance co-CEO Richard Teng, asking the exchange to address alleged inconsistencies between its Senate testimony and later reporting about Iran-linked activity. He requested supporting documents, wallet details, and a year-by-year breakdown of transactions, while warning that Binance's prior responses may have been misleading. Blumenthal set an April 14 deadline for Binance to provide the requested records.

Crypto Banter host Sheldon says April could offer a quiet "boring bottom" period to build positions in what he views as higher-conviction assets, while accepting the risk of another leg down first. He highlights Bitcoin accumulation around $55,000–$65,000 and outlines upside scenarios across Bitcoin, Ether and Solana, alongside selected altcoins. In parallel, he expects another equity-market flush in April, including a projected 10–12% drop in the S&P 500 before a late-spring-to-summer recovery.

Gold ($2.15B) and silver ($1.98B) futures on Binance climbed to the No. 4 and No. 5 spots by trading volume, behind Bitcoin ($21.5B), Ethereum ($18.1B), and Solana ($3.0B). Cumulative trading in the two metal perpetual contracts exceeded $130 billion by early March 2026, after Binance launched them in January. Over the past year, gold rose 50.17% to $4,676/ounce and silver gained 117.01% to $73.02/ounce, while Bitcoin fell about 19% to $66,863 at press time.