Singapore, April 23, 2026, 16:44 (SGT)
BNB traded around $635 Thursday, with the token drawing renewed attention after BNB Chain rolled out a fresh software update. The move comes just ahead of a major network upgrade scheduled for April 28. BNB earlier peaked at $652.48 before retreating.
Timing is tight: operators need to get version 1.7.2 up and running before the Osaka/Mendel hard fork hits. The fork—essentially a network-wide upgrade—demands coordinated action across the chain. According to Binance News, this release packs in nine BNB Chain proposals, six from Ethereum, plus two BNB-only adjustments targeting improved execution, more stable performance, and quicker final confirmation. That’s when transactions become effectively locked in.
BNB serves as the native token for covering transaction fees and participating in governance throughout the BNB Chain ecosystem. With a market cap hovering around $85.7 billion, it holds its spot as the fifth-largest cryptocurrency. Bitcoin was changing hands close to $77,746 this day, while ether sat around $2,336.
BNB Chain rolled out v1.7.3 on Thursday, calling it a maintenance update that isn’t required. The patch tackles a glitch in the way old blocks get trimmed from storage, works to rein in unusual database growth, and tweaks timing and broadcast parameters so blocks land every 450 milliseconds.
This comes as the network pushes further into areas outside of just token trading. According to an April 21 blog post, BNB Chain reported that as of April 20, over 150,000 AI agents—those are the automated software programs—were running across blockchains, a huge jump from just 337 in January. One out of every three agents operates on BNB Chain, the post said. Daily transactions involving those agents nearly reached 523,000 on March 10.
Last month, The Defiant flagged BNB Chain moving ahead of both Ethereum and Base in the count of registered ERC-8004 agents. That ERC-8004 standard is what allows software agents to create digital identities on-chain and engage directly with smart contracts—no humans needed. “Most blockchains were designed with human users in mind,” BNB Chain executive director of growth Nina Rong told The Defiant, emphasizing that when it’s machines, speed and lower fees become crucial. The Defiant
Supply is still in focus. On April 15, the BNB Foundation reported its 35th quarterly burn — 1,569,307.34 BNB taken out of circulation, worth roughly $1.02 billion. That left the supply at 134,786,916.53 BNB, according to the announcement.
BNB’s gains landed amid a rougher patch for risk assets. Asian equities slipped, oil broke through $103 a barrel after shipping trouble flared up again in the Gulf, and bitcoin still hasn’t cracked $78,000. Ether also continued to struggle. “Markets look very on edge here,” Saxo’s chief investment strategist Charu Chanana told Reuters. Reuters
Execution looms as the immediate concern. Thursday’s patch doesn’t cover the mandatory upgrade for the live network, with BNB Chain reiterating that operators must have v1.7.2 in place before 0230 UTC on April 28. Last month, Rong flagged that AI agents still “have a long way to go in security,” underscoring the risk that increased automation could introduce new vulnerabilities. BNB Chain
BNB slipped around 1% on the day, according to CoinGecko, despite logging a 1.9% rise for the week. The token changed hands between $634.12 and $652.07 in the last 24 hours.
