On April 2, 2026, U.S. markets finished modestly lower after President Donald Trump’s Wednesday-evening address warning Iran would be hit "extremely hard", helping drive oil sharply higher. WTI surged to $111.50 intraday before ending at $103.6, while bitcoin slipped about 1.6% to around $67,024 and gold futures fell nearly 3% to roughly $4,680 per ounce.

Stablecoin supply rose by about $8 billion to a record $315 billion in Q1, as stablecoins captured 75% of total crypto trading volume and transaction volume exceeded $28 trillion. Retail-sized transfers fell 16% while bots represented roughly 76% of stablecoin transaction volume. USDC supply increased by around $2 billion, whereas USDT supply declined by about $3 billion.

Crypto ETF flows reversed after two days of inflows, led by bitcoin products posting $173.73 million in net redemptions. Ether ETFs also slipped to a $7.10 million outflow even as several funds took in money, while XRP ETFs saw a $1.32 million exit and Solana ETFs again showed no activity.

The US Commodity Futures Trading Commission and the Department of Justice filed separate lawsuits on Thursday against Illinois, Connecticut and Arizona, challenging state actions targeting prediction market platforms. The CFTC argues that event-contract prediction markets fall under its exclusive jurisdiction as federally regulated designated contract markets, after the states sent cease-and-desist letters in 2025 citing gambling and licensing rules.

The IMF said on April 2, 2026 that the US Federal Reserve has limited room to cut interest rates in 2026, with inflation projected to return to the 2% target in the first half of 2027. It expects one rate reduction by end-2026, with the benchmark rate seen at 3.25% to 3.5% versus the current 3.5% to 3.75%.

By April 2, BlackRock held about $53.22 billion in Bitcoin, or roughly 782,290 BTC, up from 760,850 BTC valued at $51.26 billion on February 28. Over the same period, its Ethereum position fell from 3.15 million ETH ($6.37 billion) to 3.02 million ETH (around $6.35 billion), even as ETH's price increased. Across its crypto portfolio, total value rose by about $1.94 billion to $59.57 billion, with Bitcoin at 89% and Ethereum at 11%.

eToro plans to enable cryptocurrency trading for New York residents on April 1, 2026, marking its first full entry into the state after holding a BitLicense for nearly three years. The rollout is expected to include about 20 cryptocurrencies and will sit alongside the platform's stock, ETF, and options offering.

Russia has introduced crypto mining restrictions across 13 regions, a move expected to impact about 50,000 miners, after the activity was legalized in August 2024. The measures are tied to peak autumn-winter periods and run through 2031, while year-round bans in southern Buryatia and Zabaikalsky Krai are set to begin on January 1, 2026. The crackdown is framed around power supply stress, with Siberian shortfalls cited at nearly 3,000 MW.