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The Zcash core development team Zcash Open Development Lab (ZODL) founder Josh Swihart released the latest progress on Zcash, proposing a strategic direction centered on "post-quantum security, scalability, and user experience," and using the Artemis II lunar mission as a metaphor to emphasize achieving seemingly impossible goals through technological breakthroughs. The ZODL team stated that Zcash is entering the "Zcash IV" phase, which will build infrastructure similar to a "lunar base" to support the protocol and application security scaling to billions of users, while promoting the vision of privacy transactions without large-scale financial surveillance.On the product and technology front, ZODL continues to iterate, with its 3.3.x version now launched on iOS and Android, adding hardware wallet connection management, SDK upgrades, and multiple experience optimizations, while advancing key developments such as Keystone wallet functionality and address system upgrades (ZIP 316, UIVK/UFVK). Meanwhile, the Zcash core team has fixed multiple system issues and is advancing the development of the Zallet alpha version, while strengthening unified address standards and wallet interaction experiences, laying the groundwork for future scalability and performance improvements.In addition, ZODL disclosed that its application data continues to grow and participated in a stablecoin privacy summit to strengthen industry collaboration. However, due to upgrades in regulation and network restrictions, ZODL has temporarily removed its app from the Russian app store. The team emphasized that privacy is not an option but a fundamental need in the digital age, and will continue to accelerate delivery pace to promote the popularization of ZEC and ecological development in the future.

According to official news, Circle has released its vision for the development of the internet financial system in 2026, proposing to focus on building cross-chain interoperability infrastructure, liquidity orchestration capabilities, and an institutional-grade asset issuance system to promote the efficient flow of value in a multi-chain ecosystem.In terms of cross-chain infrastructure, Circle stated that it will launch features such as "Fast Transfer" in the future, achieving second-level settlement without waiting for final confirmation from the source chain, thus improving the efficiency of fund utilization. In the asset expansion layer, the CCTP plans to extend to more assets beyond USDC, including EURC, USYC, and cirBTC, and support the issuance and circulation of real-world assets (RWA) across multiple chains.In addition, Circle is advancing cross-chain process coordination, simplifying multi-chain operational processes through tools such as Bridge Kit, Deposit Kit, Fee Service, and Workflows, achieving "one-click" cross-chain interaction, reducing development complexity, and enhancing user experience.

The Ethereum Foundation stated on the X platform that today it will exchange 5,000 ETH for stablecoins through CoWSwap's TWAP feature, as part of ongoing funding for research and development, grants, and donations.

According to CoinDesk, SBI Ripple Asia has completed the development of a token issuance platform based on the XRP Ledger and has registered as a prepaid payment tool issuer in Japan. Corporate users can now issue tokenized payment tools through this platform.

According to the National Price Bureau, starting from April 8, 2026, the domestic prices of gasoline and diesel (standard products) will be increased by 420 yuan and 400 yuan per ton, respectively. This adjustment is made to respond to the significant fluctuations in international crude oil prices and to mitigate their impact on the domestic market. The adjustment amount is lower than the amount that should have been increased according to the mechanism calculation (gasoline 800 yuan/ton, diesel 770 yuan/ton).PetroChina, Sinopec, CNOOC, and other crude oil processing enterprises will be responsible for organizing production and transportation to ensure stable market supply and strictly implement national price policies. At the same time, relevant departments in various regions will strengthen market supervision and severely crack down on price violations. Consumers can report price violations through the 12315 platform.

As AI transitions from "the capabilities of a few" to "a widely used basic tool," the old models that rely on information asymmetry and poor execution are being dismantled. Projects with data barriers and closed-loop scenarios are beginning to emerge. On April 7th at 8 PM, a Space live discussion on "the new stage of the AI industry" will take place, focusing on the core changes in the industry after the popularization of AI tools, which tracks are being disproven, which can transcend cycles, and where future value ultimately lies—whether in tools, models, or scenario integration.

EY announced the launch of the Blockchain Privacy Sandbox, a web-based development environment designed to help businesses and developers experiment with privacy-preserving smart contracts on public chains compatible with the Ethereum Virtual Machine. It is reported that this sandbox environment is based on the open-source technology Starlight, allowing developers to convert standard Solidity smart contracts into applications with privacy protection features while retaining the original contract logic, and providing exploratory, replicable, and modifiable sample projects to accelerate proof of concept development.Currently, the Blockchain Privacy Sandbox is mainly used for experimentation and validation, supporting businesses in assessing the feasibility of privacy smart contracts, testing functionalities, and validating application scenarios before officially integrating Starlight. EY stated that this tool lowers the technical barrier for conducting privacy experiments on public chains by providing an easy-to-use web environment. Starlight, as the underlying ZKP compiler, has been open-sourced, allowing developers to integrate privacy features through its GitHub repository. As businesses' demand for data privacy protection on public chains increases, the attention on zero-knowledge proof technology continues to rise. Relevant reports indicate that the global ZKP market is expected to reach approximately $7.6 billion by 2033.

Cointelegraph Research's latest report shows that the United Nations Development Programme is applying blockchain technology to the construction of public digital infrastructure, focusing on addressing issues of transparency, collaborative efficiency, and trustworthy data sharing in government systems.The report "New Tech, New Partners" outlines 42 practical cases covering areas such as digital payments, financial inclusion, climate funding, data governance, and community investment, among which 7 focus on digital identity and data systems, primarily distributed in developing economies in Africa, Latin America, Asia, and Eastern Europe. The research points out that UNDP adopts a "pilot---validate---scale" approach, collaborating with governments, developers, and local businesses to first implement small-scale projects and then gradually promote them based on actual results. It also emphasizes a "platform-agnostic" architecture to maintain system openness and interoperability. Furthermore, the report highlights the importance of governance and risk control, stating that the application of blockchain in public systems requires accompanying privacy protection, regulatory frameworks, and audit mechanisms to prevent data misuse and smart contract risks. Overall, blockchain is extending from financial scenarios to public governance infrastructure, becoming one of the important technological options for digital transformation in various countries.

According to CoinDesk, Brett Guynn, a legal official at the Federal Reserve, stated that there are currently no ongoing central bank digital currency (CBDC) development plans.

According to market news, the Solana core development team Anza has launched the Constellation protocol, a multi-concurrent proposer protocol that shortens Solana's block cycle to 50 milliseconds, making it the fastest blockchain in terms of economic rhythm at the protocol level.This protocol replaces the single leader model, eliminating exclusive control over transaction inclusion and ordering through concurrent proposers, enforcing fairness at the protocol level without relying on trusted third parties or modifying clients, while the validator economic model remains largely unchanged.

According to The Block, Brad Jones, Assistant Governor of the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA), stated in a speech that the advancement of asset tokenization has shifted from "whether" to "how" to implement it.Research from Project Acacia shows that tokenization technology can bring about AUD 16.7 billion in efficiency gains to the Australian economy each year. Jones pointed out that stablecoins and bank deposit tokens can play complementary roles—the former is suitable for small emerging tokenization markets, while the latter, with prudent regulation and central bank liquidity support, will play a more important role in larger markets. The RBA also announced the establishment of a digital financial market infrastructure sandbox, the formation of a regulatory-industry tokenization advisory group, and the expansion of the deposit token working group to promote interbank interoperability.

According to CoinDesk, Amy Oldenburg, the head of digital asset strategy at Morgan Stanley, stated at the New York Digital Assets Summit that the entry of large Wall Street banks into the cryptocurrency space is not driven by concerns over missed opportunities, but rather the result of years of advancing the modernization of financial infrastructure.Oldenburg pointed out that Morgan Stanley's digital asset strategy covers multiple aspects including trading, asset management, and infrastructure. The bank plans to launch support for tokenized stock trading on its alternative trading system in the second half of 2026, which currently handles stocks, ETFs, and American Depositary Receipts.Internally, the bank is overhauling its decades-old core systems to support faster settlement and continuous trading. Oldenburg emphasized that the complexity of financial institutions' systems far exceeds the expectations of startups, and no single institution can complete the modernization transformation alone; it requires the collaborative effort of the entire global financial network.

According to Jinshi reports, Fed's Daly stated that the economy has at least two potential development paths. Prolonged conflicts may exacerbate the trade-offs in monetary policy.

U.S. Republican Senator Cynthia Lummis stated that we have come too far to return to a state of regulatory uncertainty. Digital assets represent the future, and now is the time for the U.S. to provide the necessary development environment for them.