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Coinbase (COIN) wins initial OCC nod for trust charter, boosting custody push

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Coinbase, Fannie Mae bring crypto-backed mortgages to home buyers

Coinbase (COIN) said Thursday it had received initial approval for a national trust company charter from the U.S. Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, Bloomberg reported, marking a step toward it operating as a federally regulated crypto custodian.

The approval is not final. It is a conditional green light that sets out requirements Coinbase must meet before it can receive a full charter. These typically include building out compliance systems, hiring key personnel and undergoing regulatory reviews. The OCC also expects firms to show they can manage risk, protect client assets and follow anti-money laundering rules. Only after those steps are complete can the agency grant full approval.

“We still need final approval… our business will not operate under an OCC charter until we have that final approval,” Paul Grewal, chief legal officer at Coinbase told CoinDesk. “This next phase allows us to get into more detail on how we can extend our business in ways that are exciting and important for crypto’s development.”

If finalized, the charter would allow Coinbase to run a non-insured national trust company. That structure permits the firm to hold digital assets on behalf of clients but bars it from taking deposits or making loans.

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Coinbase first applied for the charter in October, alongside firms such as Ripple. More recently, Citadel-backed exchange EDX Markets said it had filed for a similar structure. The cluster of applications points to growing demand for regulated custody as large investors enter crypto markets.

For institutions, custody is less about trading and more about trust. A pension fund, for example, may want exposure to bitcoin but needs a regulated entity to hold the asset securely. A federal charter can provide that assurance in a way state licenses may not.

The move aligns with Coinbase’s effort to rely less on trading fees, which can swing with market cycles. Custody offers steadier revenue. The company already acts as custodian for several U.S. spot bitcoin exchange-traded funds, holding the underlying assets on behalf of fund managers.

“The big opportunity going forward would be payments… custody-adjacent but separate,” Grewal said. “We think we’ll be able to offer a much wider range of products and services to our customers than ever before.”

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UPDATE (April 2, 16:57 UTC): Adds comments from Coinbase chief legal officer Paul Grewal.

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Crypto World

$1B Ethereum Derivatives Sell-Off Follows Trump Remarks

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Brian Armstrong's Bold Prediction: AI Agents Will Soon Dominate Global Financial

TLDR

  • Ethereum derivatives recorded more than $1 billion in sell volume within one hour after Trump’s speech on Iran.
  • Ethereum’s price fell over 4% as traders increased short positions in the derivatives market.
  • Binance accounted for nearly $968 million of the total Ethereum derivatives sell activity.
  • The S&P 500 lost about $500 billion in market value shortly after the remarks.
  • Spot Ethereum ETFs reported more than $7 million in net outflows on April 1.

Global financial markets reacted sharply after President Donald Trump outlined potential military action against Iran within weeks. Ethereum followed the broader risk-off move as traders rushed to exit positions. Data from CryptoQuant showed heavy selling in derivatives within a single hour.

Ethereum Derivatives Record $1B in Rapid Sell Orders

Crypto markets shifted quickly after Trump addressed the nation and detailed plans for continued strikes on Iran. He said Operation Epic Fury had weakened Iran’s military and reduced missile capabilities. He also warned that stronger attacks would continue over the next two to three weeks.

As a result, traders moved rapidly across risk assets and pushed US Treasury prices higher. At the same time, the S&P 500 erased about $500 billion in market value within minutes. Ethereum derivatives then recorded more than $1 billion in sell volume within one hour, according to CryptoQuant.

CryptoQuant reported that about $968 million of that sell volume occurred on Binance. Binance currently handles the largest share of global crypto trading activity. The surge in orders increased short-term bearish pressure across futures markets.

Consequently, Ethereum’s price fell more than 4% during the same period. The sharp movement reflected aggressive positioning in leveraged products. CryptoQuant stated that markets now face “a period of extreme uncertainty and volatility.”

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The firm added that price action has become “increasingly erratic and unstable.” Traders reacted directly to geopolitical developments and shifting liquidity conditions. The derivatives spike marked one of the largest hourly sell waves this month.

ETF Outflows Add Pressure on Ethereum

Institutional flows also reflected weaker sentiment toward Ethereum products. Spot Ethereum ETFs posted eight consecutive days of net outflows before briefly reversing direction. During the following two sessions, these funds recorded short-lived inflows.

However, the rebound did not hold as outflows returned. On April 1, spot Ethereum ETFs registered more than $7 million in net withdrawals. The renewed selling aligned with rising geopolitical tension and reduced risk appetite.

Bitunix analysts described the current environment as a shift in market structure. They stated, “The market has entered a new phase dominated by ‘supply chain destruction.’” They added that energy, metals, and geopolitics now push inflation expectations higher without supporting growth.

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The analysts said this dynamic creates a mismatch between risk pricing and economic support. They explained that asset prices now respond mainly to liquidity conditions. They also stated that markets lack a clear policy anchor or exit path from conflict.

Ethereum’s derivatives data and ETF flows both reflected mounting strain across trading venues. Traders reduced exposure as headlines intensified across global markets. The latest ETF outflow data on April 1 marked the most recent confirmed movement in institutional positioning.

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Ether Risks $1.7K Retest As Traders Fail To Overcome Key Resistance Zone

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Cryptocurrencies, Ethereum, Bitcoin Price, Markets, Cryptocurrency Exchange, Derivatives, Financial Derivatives, Price Analysis, Market Analysis

Ether (ETH) price may be at risk of a correction to new year-to-date lows, especially if the bulls fail to secure daily candle closes above the $2,150 to $2,400 range.

Ether’s price action continues to be driven by US and global macroeconomic events, along with investors’ appetite for risk assets during the US and Israel-Iran war. As data shows more than $1 billion in futures-driven sell pressure, the chance of Ether falling below $1,800 rises.

Ether’s main challenge sits at $2,400

Repeat rejections near $2,150 continue to cap Ether rallies, and the level has acted as a strong resistance seven times over the past two months. The trend and its resistance dominate the price action, despite the pattern of higher-high and higher-low candles, which can be seen on the daily chart.

Cryptocurrencies, Ethereum, Bitcoin Price, Markets, Cryptocurrency Exchange, Derivatives, Financial Derivatives, Price Analysis, Market Analysis
ETH/USDT on a one-day chart. Source: Cointelegraph/TradingView

A break below the ascending trendline may shift traders’ focus to $1,900, where liquidity sits near the equal lows formed during the first week of March. Losing that level introduces a bearish break of structure, exposing the external liquidity pockets to Ether’s yearly low at $1,736. 

The short positioning has not increased significantly despite the recent decline. The liquidation heatmap shows an imbalance within a 10% range ($1,845–$2,255) from the current price, with approximately $2.4 billion in long liquidations clustered near the lower bound ($1,845) and $1.7 billion in short liquidations near the upper bound ($2,255).

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Cryptocurrencies, Ethereum, Bitcoin Price, Markets, Cryptocurrency Exchange, Derivatives, Financial Derivatives, Price Analysis, Market Analysis
ETH exchange liquidation heatmap. Source: CoinGlass

This skew indicates that downside liquidity is larger, but the short positioning still isn’t overcrowded, even as the price continues to weaken.

The absence of large short buildup points to a passive positioning stance rather than conviction-driven selling. The price continues to compress under resistance, with buyers unable to reclaim control above the key threshold of $2,150. 

Related: Ethereum bulls must hold $2K: Volatility metric hints at ‘strong’ move next

ETH derivatives spike after continued macro volatility

A surge in ETH futures selling followed comments by US President Donald Trump, which escalated tensions with Iran rather than calming markets. Trump signaled that military action will continue until late April and warned of potential strikes on Iran’s power plants.

Following the development, crypto analyst Darkfost noted that Ether futures sell volume on Binance increased by $1 billion within an hour.

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Cryptocurrencies, Ethereum, Bitcoin Price, Markets, Cryptocurrency Exchange, Derivatives, Financial Derivatives, Price Analysis, Market Analysis
Ether taker sell volume on Binance. Source: CryptoQuant

Despite the surge in selling, ETH continues to trade just below the $2,150 resistance level. A sustained move above $2,150 would open the way toward $2,400, where resistance is relatively thin.

If the price clears $2,400, the next expansion zone sits near $2,800, where little trading activity has occurred over the past six months.

Cryptocurrencies, Ethereum, Bitcoin Price, Markets, Cryptocurrency Exchange, Derivatives, Financial Derivatives, Price Analysis, Market Analysis
ETH/USDT on a one-day chart. Source: Cointelegraph/TradingView

For now, ETH remains range-bound, capped by repeated resistance near $2,150, with $1,900 acting as the nearest liquidity pivot, which may extend the bearish breakdown. 

Related: Ethereum’s EEZ and the attempt to rebuild one Ethereum