Central Bank: Support Western Region Development Strategy and the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor (NILSTC) Participating Provinces and Cities in Joining Multilateral Central Bank Digital Currency Bridge Project

On April 2, the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) and the Department of Justice (DOJ) filed a lawsuit against Illinois, its governor, and its attorney general. The suit alleges the state and officials attempted to regulate prediction markets beyond their authority, rendering the related actions invalid.

On April 2, Argus Media data shows Iranian crude oil traded at a premium to global benchmark Brent for the first time since May 2022—following the U.S. temporarily relaxing some Iran oil sanctions. As of March 26, Iran’s main export crude was priced at roughly $1 per barrel above Brent; earlier this year, under full sanctions, it had traded at a $10-per-barrel discount. This shift signals Tehran is capitalizing on its control of the Strait of Hormuz. With Brent holding around $107 per barrel and global supplies tight, buyers are willing to pay a premium for still-available Iranian oil. By blocking access for Gulf oil producers while allowing its own cargoes to transit, Iran has created a transport bottleneck—pushing up global oil prices and lifting the relative value of its light crude. Tanker tracking data confirms Iran-linked vessels continue transiting the strategic waterway and offloading from floating storage facilities.

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.”