In the first quarter of 2026, total cryptocurrency market trading volume reached $2.057 trillion, with derivatives dominating trading volume at approximately $1.863 trillion; spot trading volume was about $205.7k. Competition among the top five exchanges was fragmented. The decentralized platform Hyperliquid emerged as the standout, with quarterly derivatives trading volume of approximately $492.7 billion.

Gate News message: On April 3, the decentralized derivatives trading platform ApeX Protocol completed the distribution of March deposit and trading activity rewards, and the next round of activities is about to begin.

Grayscale Investments has filed a revised S-1 form, planning to convert the Bittensor trust into an ETF, involving the TAO token. If approved, it would be listed on the New York Stock Exchange, boosting liquidity and transparency and attracting more institutional investors. This move reflects growing interest in the decentralized AI space, and it also means institutional capital is looking for new investment opportunities.

On April 3, U.S. stock market closed: the Dow Jones fell slightly by 0.13%, while the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq rose by 0.11% and 0.18%, respectively. Crypto sector performance was mixed: Solana rose 9.41%, while most other digital assets fell. msx.com launched hundreds of decentralized RWA tokens, involving multiple well-known U.S. listed companies.

As of April 3, DRIFT’s price is up 24.16%, now trading at $0.0561, with a market cap of approximately $32.62 million. Drift Protocol, as a decentralized exchange, has performed well in terms of security and liquidity, but trading has been restricted due to recent security incidents and risk management measures by South Korean exchanges, which has increased market volatility.

The Cardano Foundation has partnered with Flowdesk to launch a multi-million-dollar liquidity enhancement initiative aimed at strengthening the trading depth and stability of decentralized exchanges and advancing DeFi capabilities. By injecting ADA tokens and optimizing liquidity management, the program will improve market conditions, attract institutional investors, and support the ongoing growth of the Cardano ecosystem.

Alabama has officially granted decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs) legal standing, becoming the second state to recognize DAOs as legal entities. The newly passed DUNA Act provides DAOs with limited liability protection, reducing operational risk, increasing trust, enabling interaction with traditional businesses, and driving innovations in blockchain governance. This move marks a new stage in which decentralized finance gains legal recognition in the real economy.

Pi Network is advancing upgrades to its cross-chain bridge technology to enable interoperability with other blockchains and improve the flexibility of Ji Coin’s applications. It has also introduced a KYB verification mechanism to support Web2 and Web3 enterprise onboarding. Smart contract development is underway as well; in the future, it may enable the construction of decentralized applications. If the rollout proceeds smoothly, Pi could expand into new growth opportunities in the Web3 market.

On April 2, U.S. stocks closed higher: the Dow rose 0.48%, the S&P 500 gained 0.72%, and the Nasdaq rose 1.16%. The crypto market was sluggish; Circle fell 4.89% and Solana dropped 1.73%. Meanwhile, SharpLink edged up 0.16%. msx.com is a decentralized RWA trading platform.

Grayscale research head Zach Pandl said that the current tokenization market is about $27 billion, and is expected to grow to nearly $190 trillion by 2033. Development will be rolled out in phases: early on, institution-led permissioned networks will lead, while in the long term, Ethereum will become the primary platform for decentralized finance.