The Japanese government plans to promote the securitization of municipal bonds and will submit a related bill in 2026

The Trump administration will appeal a federal judge’s ruling blocking its ban on the government’s use of Anthropic technology on April 2. The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) filed a court notice Thursday indicating it will appeal last month’s ruling by U.S. District Judge Rita F. Lin of the Northern District of California (San Francisco). Lin had previously halted the government’s plan to sever ties with Anthropic to preserve the status quo amid ongoing litigation, but she stayed the ruling for one week to allow the government to appeal. Earlier, Anthropic sued the Department of Defense (DoD), challenging the agency’s claim that its technology threatened the U.S. supply chain. In her March 26 ruling, Lin sided with Anthropic, deeming the government’s national security justification for the ban questionable. She characterized the move as more of a “punishment” for Anthropic, noting the company had sought assurances its technology would not be used to monitor Americans or deploye

April 2 (Local Time) — Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Abadi stated that Iran is considering imposing passage fees on vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz. He added that the fee standards remain under review and no specific amount has been finalized yet. (CCTV News)

April 2nd — Per CoinDesk, crypto asset manager Grayscale says Middle East geopolitical tensions have pushed crypto investors into a wait-and-see stance, dimming the previously improving macro backdrop. “The Iran conflict nearly overshadowed all other market dynamics in March,” the report noted. Before tensions escalated, global economic growth had positive momentum and central banks were leaning toward rate cuts. But a sharp rise in oil prices stoked inflation concerns, lifted rate-hike expectations, and pressured risk assets. Since the Middle East conflict flared, the crypto market has seen sharp swings but remained range-bound, with trends closely tied to oil price headline volatility and risk sentiment. Bitcoin dropped to around $60,000 amid initial escalation, then rebounded to near the lower end of $70,000 before pulling back as tensions persisted and macro conditions tightened. The latest round of escalation saw Bitcoin shed roughly 10% from its March peak. Still, Bitcoin h

April 2 — Prediction market platform Pumpcade has closed a $1 million pre-seed funding round, with Pump.fun leading the round and participation from Foundation Capital and angel investor RadioSolace, per The Block. The funds will fuel the development of an arcade gaming experience integrated into Pump.fun’s real-time chat platform.

U.S. stocks opened lower on April 2: the Dow Jones Industrial Average (Dow) fell 1.01%, the S&P 500 dropped 0.93%, and the Nasdaq Composite declined 1.40%. Crypto-related stocks were broadly lower, with notable movers including Gemini (GEMI) down 6.78%, Sharplink Gaming (SBET) 6.04% lower, Bitmine (BMNR) off 5.92%, Bit Digital (BTBT) down 5.49%, Circle (CRCL) 5.30% lower, Robinhood (HOOD) off 4.66%, Coinbase (COIN) down 4.61%, and Bullish (BLSH) 4.11% lower.

Citi said on April 2 that global oil supply could face a shortfall of 440,000 barrels per day (bpd). If some Gulf states reject Iran’s so-called “transit fee,” the shortfall could widen to 800,000 bpd. (Golden Ten)