Kraken Plans to Launch Prediction Markets in 2026, Doubling Down on Tokenized Stock Offerings

April 2: Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister said the country will charge a toll on ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz, per Financial Network.

April 2nd — Per a CoinDesk report, blockchain analytics firm Elliptic says DeFi platform Drift Protocol lost $285 million in a hack, with multiple signs linking the exploit to a North Korea-aligned DPRK hacking group. Elliptic’s analysis ties on-chain activity, money laundering tactics, and network-level indicators to prior state-sponsored attacks. If confirmed, this marks the 18th DPRK-linked hack Elliptic has tracked this year, totaling over $300 million in stolen funds so far. Technically, Elliptic characterized the hack as “premeditated and well-orchestrated” — featuring early test transactions and pre-positioned wallets ahead of the main exploit. Post-exploit, funds were quickly consolidated, moved via cross-chain transfers, and converted into more liquid assets — forming an organized, repeatable laundering process to hide fund origins while retaining control. The incident involved 10+ asset types, with funds flowing from Solana to Ethereum and other blockchains — underscori

April 2nd — Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Gharibabadi told the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) that Tehran is drafting a transit agreement for the Strait of Hormuz with Oman. Market moves per Bitget data: - Oil prices declined: WTI crude briefly fell below $107/bbl; Brent crude hit a low of $103.5/bbl. - Spot gold rose above $4700/oz at one point. - U.S. major stock indexes staged a full reversal: The Nasdaq recovered from an earlier 2% drop.

April 2nd, X Product Lead Nikita Bier addressed a crypto-related phishing incident on X, noting: “We’re rolling out an automatic lock-and-verify system that activates when a user posts crypto-related content for the first time on their account. This should cut 99% of the incentive—especially since Google hasn’t taken any steps to block phishing emails.”

April 2nd: Two newly created wallets tied to the same entity withdrew 6,328 ETH from Binance, valued at roughly $12.98 million, per Onchain Lens monitoring data.

April 2 — Iran’s Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) reports Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Gharibabadi said Iran is drafting a transit agreement for the Strait of Hormuz with Oman, per FX168.