Naoris Protocol said it officially launched its Layer 1 mainnet on April 1, 2026, positioning the network as post-quantum security infrastructure for blockchains and other critical digital systems. The mainnet uses decentralized Proof of Security (dPoSec) consensus and NIST-approved cryptography, and is currently operating in an invite-only phase for strategic partners and validators.

On April 1st, 2026, Australia passed legislation requiring cryptocurrency exchanges and custodians operating in the country to obtain financial services licenses. The framework aims to boost transparency and investor protection across a local crypto market valued at $16.5 billion (AUD 24 billion), including stricter KYC and anti-money laundering controls. Firms that do not comply may face major penalties, ranging from large fines to possible shutdowns.

OpenFX said on March 31, 2026, that it raised $94 million in a Series A round to broaden its real-time stablecoin settlement infrastructure for cross-border payments. The New York-based firm said it supports institutional liquidity across more than 40 trading pairs and has increased annualized payment volume from $4 billion to over $45 billion. The company plans to use the new funding to enter Southeast Asian markets and further develop Latin American corridors.

Bitgo Prime said it launched an integrated digital asset financing platform in New York on March 31, 2026, aiming to simplify collateralized borrowing and lending for institutional clients. The setup combines borrowing, lending, and collateral management in one workflow and supports liquid assets, locked tokens, and staked positions. It also enables crypto-backed loans against BTC, ETH, SOL, and various stablecoins through Bitgo's interface.

Interactive Brokers said it will roll out crypto-asset trading for eligible individual investors across the European Economic Area on March 31, 2026. Through Interactive Brokers Ireland Limited, clients can trade 11 major cryptocurrencies with commissions of 0.12% to 0.18% and no custody fees. The broker said the service runs 24/7 across its mobile and desktop platforms.

Mitsubishi Corporation is set to use JPMorgan Chase’s Blockchain Deposit Account (BDA) system to enable near-instant international fund transfers. The company aims to roll out full-scale global transfers by fiscal 2026 after completing test transactions. The setup is designed for 24/7 U.S. dollar movements across subsidiaries and may support transfers of up to $500 million each.

Metals.io said xU3O8 holders can now pledge the tokenized uranium asset as collateral to borrow stablecoins through an integration with Morpho, with the feature live as of March 30, 2026. The setup runs on the Oku interface and currently enables access to USDC liquidity without selling the underlying physical uranium exposure.

Nium said it launched a stablecoin-funded card issuance platform on March 30, 2026, letting businesses issue cards on both Visa and Mastercard via a single integration. The company said stablecoin balances can be converted into fiat at the point of sale across hundreds of millions of merchant locations, with compliant issuance supported across 190 countries.

Square, a subsidiary of Block, Inc., will begin automatically enabling bitcoin payments for millions of eligible U.S. merchants starting March 30, 2026. Block's Bitcoin Product Lead Miles Suter said qualifying domestic sellers will have BTC acceptance turned on by default, while settlements will be delivered in U.S. dollars to reduce volatility exposure.