Drift Protocol, a Solana-based decentralized exchange, said it is under an active attack and halted deposits and withdrawals, emphasizing it was not an April Fools' joke. On-chain watchers reported that more than $270 million in assets were suspiciously drained and routed to a single wallet. The incident is being handled with multiple security firms, bridges, and exchanges, the protocol said.

Solana recorded 10.1 billion transactions in the first quarter of 2026, marking the first time the network has crossed 10 billion in a single quarter. The figure was posted on April 1 by Artemis, and it implies roughly a 50% increase from Q4 2025.

Algorand (ALGO) rallied 29% after Google highlighted it as an example of a blockchain taking steps toward post-quantum cryptography. The move pushed ALGO from $0.088 to $0.1045 and marked a new monthly high, though it remains below the 3-month peak of $0.144.

Solana and Ethereum set new transaction records in Q1 2026, underscoring two different approaches to network activity. Solana processed 10.1 billion transactions, while Ethereum logged just over 200 million, pointing to scale-led throughput on one chain and value-focused settlement on the other.

US-based spot XRP ETFs recorded a 96.4% quarter-over-quarter drop in inflows in Q1 2026. The group opened on April 1 with $943.73 million in total net assets and logged $42.52 million of net inflows over the prior three months versus $1.166 billion in Q4 2025. Within the cohort, Canary's XRPC led inflows with $37.46 million, while 21Shares' TOXR saw about $53.2 million in net outflows.

On April 1, 2026 at 18:36, Franklin Templeton said it agreed to acquire 250 Digital, a liquid crypto investment manager spun out of CoinFund, and place it inside a new division named Franklin Crypto. The transaction is expected to close in Q2 2026 and will be partly paid in BENJI tokens, which represent shares in Franklin Templeton's on-chain U.S. Government Money Fund. After the announcement, Franklin Resources shares rose as much as 1.5% in pre-market trading.

XRP finished Q1 2026 down 27% versus its 2025 year-end level, after peaking at $2.40 on Jan. 6 and later trading mostly between $1.30 and $1.50 through March. Over the same period, its market capitalization fell from $112 billion on Jan. 1 to about $83 billion by March 31, putting it 55% below the July 18, 2025, high of $3.66.

XRP slid more than 55% to around $1.35 on April 1 after failing to clear resistance near $3.32, with one analyst arguing the move still fits an ascending-triangle structure on the monthly chart. He says the setup could allow for an additional ~30% decline before a stronger recovery, while longer-term expectations remain focused on a potential bullish leg into 2026.