Animoca Brands invests in Ava Labs and partners to expand Avalanche across Asia and the Middle East, targeting RWAs, identity, and adoption.

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Google upgrades AI Studio with Antigravity agent, enabling developers to build full apps with backend, auth, and deployment from prompts.

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TRX/USDC trading pairs debut on Aerodrome, boosting TRON's cross-chain liquidity via LayerZero on Coinbase's Base network.

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Tight monetary policy and persistent inflation create a challenging environment for risk assets, impacting investor sentiment and strategy.

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Celo proposes a 160M CELO allocation to web browser Opera to deepen partnership and expand global stablecoin adoption.

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Bitcoin Magazine

Morgan Stanley Bitcoin Trust to Trade as MSBT on NYSE Arca

Morgan Stanley has confirmed that its proposed spot bitcoin exchange-traded fund will trade under the ticker MSBT on NYSE Arca, according to an updated filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

The filing outlines the structure of the Morgan Stanley Bitcoin Trust, a passive investment vehicle designed to track the spot price of bitcoin through direct holdings. 

Shares of the trust will reflect the value of bitcoin held in custody, offering exposure through brokerage accounts without requiring direct ownership of the asset.

The trust plans to seed the fund by issuing 50,000 shares, expected to raise about $1 million in initial proceeds.

The ticker MSBT places the product alongside other spot bitcoin ETFs that launched following regulatory approvals in 2024, a shift that opened the market to traditional financial institutions.

Morgan Stanley has also appointed Coinbase Custody Trust Company as the primary bitcoin custodian. The firm will safeguard the digital assets and facilitate transfers tied to share creation and redemption. Most of the bitcoin will be held in cold storage, where private keys remain offline.

BNY Mellon will serve multiple roles, including administrator, transfer agent, and cash custodian. The bank will handle accounting, shareholder records, and cash management for the trust.

The structure follows a model used across the spot bitcoin ETF market. A portion of the fund’s holdings may move into trading wallets during periods of share creation or redemption, when authorized participants exchange cash for bitcoin or redeem shares for the underlying asset.

The filing states that custody insurance is in place but shared across multiple clients and may not cover all losses. Similar disclosures appear in other ETF filings, reflecting standard industry practice as asset managers expand into direct bitcoin exposure.

Key details remain undisclosed, including the management fee and expense ratio. These figures often play a role in investor demand, particularly in a market where fee competition among issuers has intensified.

Morgan Stanley is embracing bitcoin

Morgan Stanley first filed for the bitcoin trust in January. The latest update confirms operational details and brings the product closer to launch, pending effectiveness of the registration statement and final regulatory approval.

The move marks a deeper push by the bank into digital assets. Morgan Stanley has signaled plans to expand beyond ETFs, with efforts underway to integrate crypto trading into its E*Trade platform. The firm has also explored custody, lending, and yield-related services tied to digital assets.

At Strategy World, digital asset strategy head Amy Oldenburg described further expansion as part of the firm’s roadmap, pointing to client demand for integrated crypto services.

She said the bank intends to develop a fully integrated custody and exchange platform.

“This is a natural progression,” the executive said. “We can’t just primarily rent the technology to do this. People expect Morgan Stanley – they trust our brand – to be no fail.

This post Morgan Stanley Bitcoin Trust to Trade as MSBT on NYSE Arca first appeared on Bitcoin Magazine and is written by Micah Zimmerman.

Bitcoin Magazine

Bitcoin’s Quantum Risk May Be Real, But the Network Is Preparing: Report

Galaxy Digital’s latest report says the risk that quantum computing could compromise Bitcoin is real, but so is the work underway to protect the network.

The firm’s research frames the issue as a long-term engineering and governance challenge rather than an imminent crisis, with developers already building tools that could reshape how the network secures trillions in value.

At the center of the concern is a simple premise. Bitcoin relies on cryptographic signatures to prove ownership of coins. Those signatures, based on elliptic curve cryptography, are considered secure against classical computers. 

How Quantum Computing could break Bitcoin

A sufficiently advanced quantum machine could break that assumption, allowing an attacker to derive a private key from a public one and spend funds without authorization.

The scenario has a name within the industry: “Q-day,” the moment a cryptographically relevant quantum computer becomes viable. The timeline remains uncertain. Estimates range from years to decades, and no consensus exists among experts. The report stresses that uncertainty itself is the problem. Bitcoin’s decentralized structure means upgrades take time, often measured in years, not months.

Still, the risk is uneven. Most Bitcoin is not exposed today. 

Wallets only reveal their public keys when funds are spent, meaning coins sitting untouched behind hashed addresses remain shielded. 

Vulnerability emerges in two main cases: coins whose public keys are already visible onchain, and coins in transit during a transaction.

Which Bitcoin is actually at risk

Galaxy cites estimates suggesting that millions of bitcoin could fall into the first category, including funds tied to early network activity and long-dormant wallets. 

These coins, often associated with early adopters and even the pseudonymous creator Satoshi Nakamoto, present a unique challenge. If quantum capabilities arrive before protective measures are deployed, such holdings could become prime targets.

The implications extend beyond individual losses. A sudden unlocking of dormant supply could ripple through markets, placing pressure on price and, by extension, on mining incentives that underpin Bitcoin’s security. The report frames this as a systemic risk, not just a technical flaw.

Yet the tone of the research is measured. Rather than signaling alarm, it points to a growing body of work aimed at preparing the network. Among the most prominent proposals is a new transaction structure known as Pay-to-Merkle-Root, outlined in Bitcoin Improvement Proposal 360. 

The design removes a key exposure point by eliminating always-visible public keys, reducing the attack surface for long-term threats.

Other ideas take a broader approach. One proposal, known as “Hourglass,” attempts to manage the fallout from vulnerable coins by limiting how quickly they can be spent in a worst-case scenario. The goal is not to prevent access, but to slow it, giving markets time to absorb potential shocks.

There is also movement toward new forms of cryptography. Hash-based signature schemes, such as SPHINCS+, have emerged as candidates for a post-quantum future. These systems rely on mathematical assumptions different from those used today and are viewed by some researchers as a more conservative foundation. 

Post-Quantum cryptography brings tradeoffs

The tradeoff is efficiency. Larger signatures could increase transaction sizes and strain network resources.

In parallel, developers are exploring contingency plans. One proposal introduces a commit-and-reveal process that could protect transactions even if a quantum breakthrough occurs before new cryptography is deployed. Another line of research looks at zero-knowledge proofs to allow users to verify ownership of funds without exposing sensitive data.

Taken together, these efforts suggest a layered defense. No single fix solves the problem. Instead, the strategy resembles a toolkit, with protections aimed at different stages of exposure and different levels of urgency.

The harder question may not be technical. Bitcoin has no central authority to mandate changes. Every upgrade requires coordination among developers, miners, exchanges, and users. Past changes, including major upgrades like SegWit and Taproot, took years to activate and often sparked intense debate.

Quantum preparedness could prove even more complex. Some proposals touch on sensitive issues, including whether coins that fail to migrate to safer formats should lose spendability. Such ideas raise philosophical questions about property rights and the social contract embedded in the network.

Even so, the report points to a key difference from past conflicts. Quantum risk is external. It does not divide the community along economic lines or competing visions for Bitcoin’s future. Instead, it presents a shared threat. 

Every participant, from long-term holders to infrastructure providers, has an incentive to maintain the network’s security.

In the end, the report suggests that the outcome will hinge less on whether quantum computers arrive and more on whether a decentralized network can coordinate in time. 

The answer, as with much of Bitcoin’s history, will emerge through slow consensus rather than sudden change.

This post Bitcoin’s Quantum Risk May Be Real, But the Network Is Preparing: Report first appeared on Bitcoin Magazine and is written by Micah Zimmerman.

Bitcoin Magazine

5 Ways the Fed’s Basel III Pivot Unlocks Institutional Bitcoin Custody

Today, the Federal Reserve Board released a trio of proposals to modernize the U.S. capital framework which, if adopted, could fundamentally alter the cost and accessibility of institutional Bitcoin services. While the 14-page Board memorandum focuses on the technicalities of the “Basel III Endgame” and “GSIB surcharges,” our analysis suggests the most significant development for corporate treasuries is hidden in the proposed recalibration of operational risk.

1. Shattering the “Toxic Asset” Capital Barrier

For years, the primary hurdle for corporations looking to hold Bitcoin through traditional banks has been the “advanced approaches” to capital requirements. These internal, model-based assessments often resulted in punitive capital hits for digital asset activities, effectively labeling them “toxic” on a bank’s balance sheet. Under previous interpretations of the Basel SCO60 standard, certain digital assets were hit with a 1,250% risk weight… This proposal seeks to move beyond those models by recommending the elimination of the advanced approaches entirely for Category I and II firms. In their place, the Fed proposes a single, “expanded risk-based approach” designed to be more consistent and risk-sensitive across all asset classes.

In practice, a 1,250% risk weight combined with an 8% minimum capital ratio creates a 100% capital requirement. This “dollar-for-dollar” mandate made bank intermediation uneconomic, functioning as a de facto prohibition rather than objective risk management. Today’s proposal recommends eliminating the advanced approaches entirely for Category I and II firms. In their place, the Fed is introducing a single, “expanded risk-based approach” designed to be more consistent and risk-sensitive.

2. The Massive “Custody Service” Win

Critically, the proposed framework for operational risk is designed to “appropriately reflect business activities,” specifically naming custody services as a key area for this recalibration. The Fed staff noted that certain elements of the previous framework resulted in “excessive requirements for traditional banking activities.”

If Bitcoin custody is treated under this broader service definition, it would allow Tier 1 banks to offer these services without the prohibitive capital overhead that has previously driven up fees for corporate clients. By ensuring that operational risk requirements for custody are better aligned with actual historical risk, the Fed is signaling a move away from using punitive weights as a normative judgment.

3. A 4.8% Liquidity Injection and G-SIB Indexing

Got it. Keeping your structure intact, here is the updated Section 3 with the technical refinements (G-SIB indexing and capital relief) and the original bullet formatting you preferred.

3. A 4.8% Liquidity Injection and G-SIB Indexing

Perhaps the most notable projection for institutional adoption is the estimated impact on bank balance sheets. According to the Board memo, the cumulative impact of these proposals—including revisions to stress testing—is projected by staff to decrease the aggregate common equity tier 1 (CET1) capital requirements for Category I and II firms by 4.8 percent.

This reduction provides the nation’s largest banks with the capital “breathing room” necessary to expand into new service lines. For a corporate treasurer, this means:

• Increased Competition: More Tier 1 banks will have the capacity to offer digital asset services without hitting capital ceilings.
• Lower Fees: Reduced capital burdens on banks typically translate to more competitive pricing for fee-based services like custody.
• G-SIB Indexing: By indexing surcharges to economic growth, the Fed prevents “bracket creep,” ensuring banks aren’t penalized simply because the market value of the Bitcoin they hold grows over time.
• Regulatory Predictability: Moving to a “single set of risk-based capital calculations” provides the standardized environment corporate boards require for long-term strategic allocations.

4. Streamlining Through a Single Standard

The proposal aims to “substantially simplify the framework” by subjecting firms to a single set of risk-based capital calculations. This is intended to reduce the “regulatory lottery” where different banks faced vastly different costs for the same custody service due to overlapping or conflicting rules. For a corporation, this could ensure that Bitcoin custody becomes a more transparent, standardized banking product that fits within existing Basel market-risk and operational-risk frameworks.

5. Reversing the “Non-Bank” Migration

The Fed staff explicitly noted that excessive capital requirements in previous years may have accelerated the migration of certain banking activities to unregulated “non-banks.” According to the memo, these proposed revisions are intended to “support on-balance sheet lending and services” by regulated banks, potentially reversing some of that migration.

By bringing activities like high-scale custody back into the regulated banking fold, the Fed appears to be providing the “safe and sound” institutional infrastructure that many corporations have sought. This shift suggests an acknowledgement that transparent and liquid assets—including Bitcoin—benefit from being housed within the oversight of the federal banking system.

Conclusion

The Fed’s proposal represents a significant step toward “increasing the efficiency of capital allocation” and “reducing burden” across the U.S. banking system. By modernizing the risk weights for custody and streamlining the overall capital framework, the Federal Reserve is proposing the removal of several structural barriers that have long separated Wall Street from the digital asset ecosystem. While the final impact will depend on the results of the 90-day public comment period, the path to institutional-grade, bank-provided Bitcoin services appears significantly clearer than it did yesterday.

Disclaimer: This content was prepared on behalf of Bitcoin For Corporations for informational purposes only. It reflects the author’s own analysis and opinion and should not be relied upon as investment advice. Nothing in this article constitutes an offer, invitation, or solicitation to purchase, sell, or subscribe for any security or financial product.

This post 5 Ways the Fed’s Basel III Pivot Unlocks Institutional Bitcoin Custody first appeared on Bitcoin Magazine and is written by Nick Ward.

Bitcoin Magazine

Strive (ASST) Accumulates 13,600 Bitcoin Despite $393 Million Loss in First Six Months as Public Company

Strive, Inc., the corporate treasury firm founded by Vivek Ramaswamy, reported that it amassed 13,628 bitcoin as of March 17, 2026, placing the company among the top 10 corporate holders globally. 

The accumulation came in the roughly six months following Strive’s September 2025 public listing, even as the company posted a GAAP net loss of $393.6 million for the period ending December 31, 2025.

The bulk of Strive’s bitcoin holdings came from multiple sources. Initial private investment proceeds and stock exchange activity contributed 5,886 bitcoin, while the acquisition of Semler Scientific, Inc. added approximately 5,048 bitcoin, the company said.

Semler Scientific had built its own digital asset reserve prior to the acquisition. An additional 2,694 bitcoin came from capital markets activity, including public offerings of Strive’s Variable Rate Series A Perpetual Preferred Stock (“SATA”), follow-on offerings, and at-the-market issuances.

Strive’s losses

Strive’s financial statements highlighted the tension between aggressive asset accumulation and market volatility. The firm’s GAAP net loss largely stemmed from non-cash items. Unrealized losses on bitcoin holdings accounted for $194.5 million, or nearly 50 percent of the total GAAP deficit. 

Impairment of goodwill and intangible assets tied to the Semler acquisition added $140.8 million, and transaction-related expenses contributed $12.4 million. Adjusted for these items, the company’s non-GAAP loss attributable to common shareholders narrowed to $208.2 million, or $4.73 per diluted share.

Management introduced a proprietary metric, “Bitcoin Yield,” to measure the performance of its digital asset portfolio. By that measure, Strive reported a 22.2 percent yield in Q4 2025 and 13.8 percent quarter-to-date through mid-March 2026, equating to bitcoin gains of 1,305 and 1,050 coins, respectively. In dollar terms, these gains translated to $114.3 million and $78.2 million over the same periods.

The company financed its bitcoin strategy largely through structured finance products. Strive raised $148.4 million in net proceeds from its initial SATA preferred stock offering in November 2025, priced at $80 per share. 

A follow-on offering in January 2026 generated $109.2 million at $90 per share. Proceeds were used to retire a $20 million loan from Coinbase Credit Inc., assumed as part of the Semler acquisition, and to exchange preferred shares for $90 million of Semler’s convertible debt.

Strive’s acquisition of Semler Scientific also included an operating business now held under a wholly-owned subsidiary, Clinivanta, focused on preventative healthcare. 

The company appointed Michelle Fox, formerly Chief Medical Officer of Teleflex, as CEO of Clinivanta in February 2026, signaling an intent to develop the business alongside its primary focus on bitcoin accumulation.

Chairman and CEO Matthew Cole framed the results as a validation of Strive’s structured finance approach. “The most important success in our first six months as a public company was cementing our foundation as a structured finance company laser-focused on digital credit,” 

Cole said. He emphasized that the SATA instrument provides a liquid, scalable solution for investors seeking double-digit yield with minimal volatility, aligning with Strive’s strategy of balancing bitcoin accumulation with broader financial operations.

As of March 17, 2026, Strive held $83.7 million in cash and $50.4 million in fair value of STRC preferred stock. 

This post Strive (ASST) Accumulates 13,600 Bitcoin Despite $393 Million Loss in First Six Months as Public Company first appeared on Bitcoin Magazine and is written by Micah Zimmerman.

Bitcoin Magazine

BTQ Deploys First Working BIP 360 Implementation on Bitcoin Quantum Testnet

BTQ Technologies has released the first working implementation of Bitcoin Improvement Proposal 360 (BIP 360), marking an early attempt to bring quantum-resistant transaction infrastructure into a live testing environment.

Announced Thursday, the upgrade is now running on the Bitcoin Quantum testnet v0.3.0, a separate blockchain designed to simulate how Bitcoin could function in a post-quantum world. The release moves BIP 360 beyond theory, offering developers, miners, and researchers a place to test quantum-resistant transactions in practice.

BIP 360 introduces a new transaction format known as Pay-to-Merkle-Root (P2MR), which restructures how transaction data is committed on-chain. 

The design removes the need to expose public keys during certain transaction paths, a feature that could become critical if quantum computers advance enough to break current cryptographic protections.

“BIP 360 represents the Bitcoin community’s most significant step toward quantum resistance and we’ve turned it from a proposal into running code,” said Olivier Roussy Newton, CEO of BTQ Technologies, in the company’s press release.

The implementation also preserves key functionality tied to Bitcoin’s scaling roadmap. According to BTQ, P2MR maintains compatibility with scripting features that underpin systems like Lightning and emerging frameworks such as BitVM and Ark, while eliminating the key-path spend mechanism introduced with Taproot that could expose public keys to quantum attacks.

Beyond the core transaction structure, the testnet includes full wallet tooling, allowing users to create, fund, sign, and broadcast P2MR transactions. 

BTQ said this end-to-end functionality makes the upgrade immediately testable, rather than remaining a purely academic proposal.

Bitcoin experimentation and quantum-resistance

The company’s broader goal is to accelerate experimentation around quantum-resistant infrastructure at a time when concern over future cryptographic risks is growing. The Bitcoin Quantum testnet currently includes more than 50 miners and has processed over 100,000 blocks, according to the release.

Still, the technical progress highlights a deeper challenge: adoption.

BTQ has effectively bypassed Bitcoin’s traditional governance process by launching its own testing network rather than waiting for consensus within the main ecosystem. That decision reflects longstanding friction around major protocol changes, which historically require broad agreement among developers, miners, and users.

Christopher Tam, BTQ’s head of innovation, framed the issue in human terms. “It’s a social problem,” he told Decrypt, pointing to the difficulty of coordinating change across a decentralized network with entrenched stakeholders.

The approach also raises questions about whether a parallel chain can meaningfully influence Bitcoin’s future. 

Bitcoin Quantum does not share Bitcoin’s ledger or balances, instead launching from a new genesis block with its own asset and ruleset. Users would need to opt in rather than automatically inherit the upgrade.

Even with a working implementation, BIP 360 addresses only part of the quantum threat. Tam noted that while the proposal can help secure future transactions, it does not retroactively protect older addresses that may already have exposed public keys.

The urgency, however, remains. Researchers widely expect that sufficiently advanced quantum computers could eventually break the elliptic-curve cryptography that secures Bitcoin, though the timeline is uncertain.

For now, BTQ’s testnet serves as an early proving ground. Whether its work translates into changes on Bitcoin itself may depend less on code—and more on consensus.

This post BTQ Deploys First Working BIP 360 Implementation on Bitcoin Quantum Testnet first appeared on Bitcoin Magazine and is written by Micah Zimmerman.

Metaverse land never recovered. The numbers now show how far it fell

The biggest metaverse land deals of the 2021 and 2022 boom now map to four- and five-digit values when priced against current collection floors, rather than the six- and seven-figure valuations buyers once paid.

The decline runs through the entire metaverse land trade. A CoinGecko study found that average metaverse land prices were already down 72% from their highs by June 2024, with Sandbox off 95%, Decentraland off 89%, and Otherdeed for Otherside off 85% from peak-cycle average floor levels.

The famous parcels that once stood in for scarcity and status now read like artifacts from a pricing regime that assumed virtual neighborhoods would become high-traffic digital cities.

The broader NFT market also failed to recover its old price structure. DappRadar said NFT trading reached $25.8 billion in 2021, and its January 2022 report said that month alone hit a record $16 billion in sales before wash-trading distortions were stripped out. Later data shows a market that kept moving while getting cheaper.

DappRadar’s Q2 2025 report said NFT trading volume fell 45% quarter over quarter to $867 million even as sales rose 78% to 14.9 million.

In Q3 2025, the same tracker said the market logged $1.6 billion in trading volume across 18.1 million sales. Trading activity persisted, while the premium attached to many collections collapsed.

The metaverse land unwind is best understood as a repricing because buyers treated digital land as if it would become a durable asset, with brands, traffic, and resale scarcity. The market now prices much of it as illiquid optionality.

The splashy land deals now look like relics

The clearest case studies are the deals that once stood in for the entire boom. In December 2021, a 3×3 Snoopverse estate next to Snoop Dogg’s property in The Sandbox sold for about $450,000, or about 71,000 SAND. That nine-parcel estate now screens at about $1,025 on a floor-equivalent basis. That is a drawdown of about 99.8% from the reported sale price.

The Decentraland Fashion District deal points the same way. Metaverse Group bought a 116-parcel estate in November 2021 for about $2.4 million. That estate is now not worth materially more than $8,929 on a floor-equivalent basis, down about 99.6% from the original purchase price.

In June 2021, Republic Realm bought 259 parcels for about $913,228. At the same current floor-equivalent value, that estate screens at about $19,935, down about 97.8%.

The Sandbox “city” deal is another clean marker because of its scale. Republic Realm’s 24×24 Sandbox estate, or 576 parcels, was purchased for $4.3 million in late 2021. Marked to the current floor-equivalent price, that estate screens at about $65,583, down about 98.5%.

Otherside’s trophy sales show the same baseline collapse. A May 2022 DappRadar report said Otherdeed #24 sold for 333 ETH, or close to $1 million, while the floor now sits around $167.

Even so, against the current Otherdeed floor, the category baseline has fallen so far that these headline purchases now imply floor-equivalent markdowns approaching 100%.

Floor-equivalent pricing is the fairest way to present these comparisons. It shows what happened to the market’s baseline. The market that once paid a premium for celebrity adjacency, branded districts, and virtual location now assigns only a thin residual value to the category as a whole.

NFTs kept trading, but the pricing model broke

The land collapse sits inside a broader NFT reset. The first quarter of 2022 was the strongest in NFT history at $12.46 billion in trading volume. By June 2022, monthly trading had fallen below $1 billion for the first time in a year. However, the bust did not totally erase the market.

DappRadar’s 2024 overview report said NFT trading volume fell 19% year over year in 2024 and sales fell 18%, making 2024 one of the weakest years since 2020. Then 2025 showed a split market, lower dollar volume, higher unit activity, and more trading in cheaper assets.

That split is visible in the quarterly numbers. In Q2 2025, DappRadar said volume fell to $867 million while sales rose to 14.9 million. In Q3 2025, DappRadar’s tracker said the market posted $1.6 billion in volume and 18.1 million sales.

October 2025 added another signal. DappRadar said the market reached $546 million in monthly volume and 10.1 million sales, the highest monthly sales count of the year. Traders were still buying NFTs. They were spending far less per item.

A blue-chip proxy shows how severe the repricing was outside land. CoinGecko’s BAYC page shows Bored Ape Yacht Club at about 5.22 ETH, or about $11,410, versus an all-time high floor of 153.7 ETH, or about $420,430. That leaves BAYC down about 96.6% in ETH terms and 97.3% in dollar terms. Even one of the category’s most recognizable collections never came close to reclaiming its old clearing level.

The financing layer also broke. DappRadar’s NFT lending data said lending volume fell 97% from its January 2024 peak of nearly $1 billion to just over $50 million in May 2025. Borrowers were down 90%, lenders were down 78%, and average loan sizes shrank from $22,000 at the 2022 peak to about $4,000.

NFT lending helped support high-end prices during the boom. Once traders could no longer borrow against expensive JPEGs and land deeds at scale, premium valuations lost another key support.

The broad NFT market kept operating, though its price ladder dropped sharply. Land was one of the boom’s purest narrative trades. It depended on the belief that digital location itself would become a durable asset class.

Other parts of the NFT market found cheaper pockets of demand. Land rarely did.

The market outlook is narrower, cheaper, and less forgiving

The current market does show signs of life. CoinGecko collection pages for Sandbox, Decentraland, Otherside, and Voxels show 60-day gains of 153.9%, 95.5%, 12.8%, and 41.8%, respectively.

Yet, those rebounds start from deeply depressed levels and leave the larger picture unchanged. The case studies still sit 98% to nearly 100% below their boom-era valuations on a floor-equivalent basis. That is what happens when a market loses both leverage and belief.

The category is also competing in a different NFT market than the one that existed in late 2021. In 2025, RWA NFTs grew 29% in volume and became the second-largest NFT category by volume during the quarter. Gaming-linked assets also gained ground.

Still, that shift does not prove metaverse land can recover soon. Traders moved on to RWAs when the old premise stopped working. They moved toward categories that looked more transactional, more utility-linked, or simply cheaper to own.

Corporate signals moved in the same direction. Meta changed its name in 2021 to emphasize the metaverse, and the company’s announcement now reads like a document from another market cycle.

Meta’s 2025 earnings filing said Reality Labs lost $19.2 billion in 2025 after years of multibillion-dollar losses. Virtual worlds remain active, though under a very different cost and growth calculus than the one that drove the land boom.

The market now trades digital assets with much lower ticket sizes, weaker financing, and a preference for narrower use cases. Metaverse land can still rally in short bursts, especially when crypto sentiment turns risk-on.

The last 60 days show that. The market still sits far below the assumptions embedded in the 2021 and 2022 trophy sales.

For land values to behave like property again, platforms would need more than token rebounds. Users who show up regularly, brands that stay, and a reason for virtual location to generate durable economic value instead of narrative premium are the only avenues to recovery.

The post RIP metaverse: Land values capitulate as $24M metaverse plot collapses to just $9,000 appeared first on CryptoSlate.

Trading begins on MEXC

Playnance’s G Coin has entered open-market trading, with the G Coin/USDT pair going live on MEXC after the project’s Token Generation Event on March 18.

MEXC’s official announcement said deposits were open and withdrawals would begin on March 19, while the exchange’s live G Coin page shows the pair as active. For Playnance, that shifts G Coin from an ecosystem-native utility token into a publicly traded asset with continuous price discovery.

The listing matters because Playnance is not presenting G Coin as a blank-slate token. In its white paper and product documentation, the company describes G Coin as a utility asset tied to gameplay, missions, rewards, loyalty features, and broader participation across its platforms, not as a governance or profit-sharing token.

That gives the MEXC debut more substance than a typical launch, because market access is arriving after utility has already been built into the ecosystem.

Staking becomes the first post-listing signal

The clearest early signal is staking participation. Playnance’s site highlighted a launch phase in which more than 250 million G Coin were locked within hours, and later launch coverage tied to the MEXC debut said staking had already moved above 1 billion G Coin shortly after going live. Playnance’s staking page shows four lockup periods, 6, 9, 12, and 18 months, with reward allocations weighted toward longer commitments.

That matters because lockups can do more than generate a headline number. They can reduce immediately available supply, encourage longer-term alignment, and give the market a measurable signal of confidence just as trading opens.

Playnance’s public G Coin Tracker adds another reference point. Indexed snippets from the tracker show a fixed 77 billion token supply and more than 3.15 billion G Coin in locked supply or treasury categories, alongside live fields for price and holder data.

Utility and token design now face the market

Playnance says its broader ecosystem runs on PlayBlock, a Layer-3 infrastructure built for gaming, trading, betting, and prediction markets, with gasless execution and sub-second finality. Within that framework, G Coin is meant to power gameplay interactions and fees, rewards and incentives, partner revenue distribution, and treasury flows.

That gives the token a clearer operational role than many newly listed assets that reach exchanges before their use cases are live.

Supply design is also central to the pitch. Playnance’s docs and white paper say G Coin has a fixed maximum supply of 77 billion tokens. Tokens lost through gameplay are locked for 12 months before returning to circulation, while unsold tokens at TGE are subject to a 12-month cliff followed by 24-month linear vesting. The white paper also says the token already provided access to an operational ecosystem before admission to trading.

The next test is simple, whether the exchange listing, staking participation, and underlying product activity reinforce each other over time. MEXC gives G Coin liquidity and visibility. Staking gives the market an early demand signal. The tracker gives users a public dashboard. What matters now is whether volume, user growth, and on-chain usage keep moving in the same direction after launch-day attention fades.

The post Playnance’s G Coin goes live on MEXC as staking momentum builds appeared first on CryptoSlate.

For decades, the benchmark for US risk lived on US time. S&P 500 opened at 9:30 a.m. Eastern and closed at 4:00 p.m., with premarket whispers and after-hours fragments filling the gaps.

On Mar. 18, that constraint began to crack. S&P Dow Jones Indices licensed the S&P 500 to Trade[XYZ] to launch the first officially sanctioned perpetual derivative based on the benchmark on Hyperliquid, available to eligible non-US investors using institutional-grade index data.

The ecosystem surrounding the S&P 500 already processes more than $1 trillion in daily trading volume across linked exposures. Now, a piece of that exposure can trade 24/7/365, including the 49-hour window from Friday's 5:00 p.m. close to Sunday's 6:00 p.m. CME futures reopening when traditional US infrastructure goes dark.

The move represents a structural bet that the first tradable reaction to global events may emerge on always-open rails before traditional venues fully reopen.

Trade[XYZ] created a perpetual derivative tied to licensed S&P benchmark data, not direct ownership of the underlying 500 stocks. By midday, the contract held approximately $3.4 million in open positions, a negligible figure relative to the trillions the benchmark represents.

Trade[XYZ] says its markets have processed more than $100 billion in volume since October 2025 and currently run at an annualized pace above $600 billion.

Hyperliquid's broader HIP-3 macro markets grew from roughly $260 million in open interest a month before Jan. 27 to approximately $1.43 billion recently.

The S&P contract enters a venue where non-crypto macro instruments have already gained traction.

Related Reading

Anyone can now create Hyperliquid perp contracts with $20M: Is DeFi about to break?

Listing anything is easy; risk and liquidity are hard, and here’s the model.Hyperliquid’s HIP-3 removes gatekeepers by letting anyone launch perpetuals if they stake $20 million. It’s either DeFi’s boldest safety experiment, or its next stress test.

Oct 15, 2025 · Gino Matos

The weekend gap and who fills it

CME already offers near-24-hour weekday access to S&P exposure through E-mini S&P 500 futures, which trade from Sunday 6:00 p.m. Eastern to Friday 5:00 p.m. Eastern with a daily one-hour maintenance break.

NYSE Arca and brokers provide premarket and after-hours equity trading windows.

Traditional infrastructure shuts down from Friday evening to Sunday evening, leaving a two-day gap during which a tariff announcement, military escalation, or a central bank leak can land without an official market response.

Kaiko documented this dynamic during the Feb. 27-28 US-Iran escalation. Weekend Bitcoin spot volume surged from a typical $1.5 billion per day to $2 billion, then to $8 billion, while traditional markets remained closed.

Kaiko noted that crypto printed the first move, but deeper institutional liquidity often arrived later when London and US hours resumed.

The pattern suggests crypto can capture initial reactions without yet commanding final pricing authority.

The S&P perpetual on Hyperliquid positions itself to serve that first-draft function with a more precise instrument than Bitcoin, which has historically absorbed weekend macro flow as a blunt proxy for global risk.

The infrastructure supporting this shift is evolving rapidly. Nasdaq is working toward 24/5 trading and has filed to extend equities hours to 23 hours a day, five days a week.

DTCC's NSCC targets 24×5 trade processing from Sunday 8:00 p.m. Eastern to Friday 8:00 p.m. Eastern, with implementation slated for June 28, 2026, subject to regulatory approval.

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Incumbents are moving toward continuous availability, but they have not arrived yet. Crypto arrived first.

Transparency as a competitive advantage

NYSE research shows that overnight US equity trading remains small, accounting for approximately 0.11% of total volume and 0.15% of year-to-date notional in 2025.

More telling, that activity is fragmented. NYSE notes that some prior-day trading does not appear in most public feeds, and Sunday evening matches are not publicly available through the Securities Information Processors.

Hyperliquid's HIP-3 system operates on-chain, enabling deployer actions to be independently analyzed. The emerging contest is over who produces the most legible first print when official infrastructure is offline or opaque.

New York Fed research found that US equity returns are meaningfully positive during the opening hours of European markets, suggesting that price discovery continues even when US venues are closed.

If a licensed S&P perpetual on public crypto rails consistently reflects weekend macro shocks before CME futures reopen, it becomes a signal market.

The bull case assumes the S&P perpetual grows from its current single-digit-million-dollar scale to a tens-of-millions- or hundreds-of-millions-dollar product.

Weekend liquidity deepens. Repeated on-chain moves closely align with Sunday CME reopening levels, leading macro desks to treat the on-chain read as the first serious price reference, and crypto precedes traditional venues in the price discovery sequence.

The bear case treats this as a high-leverage narrative product. Depth stays shallow, funding rates turn noisy, and serious size stays at CME, broker overnight books, or alternative trading systems.

In this scenario, Hyperliquid fails to provide durable price discovery, and the S&P contract becomes a sentiment telemetry tool.

A threshold model helps frame credibility. With under $25 million in S&P-specific open positions, the market remains symbolic. Between $25 million and $100 million, it becomes a credible weekend signal worth charting against Sunday CME reopening.

Above $100 million, it could serve as a reference-grade first-move indicator for macro narratives. Above $250 million, with tight spreads through weekend shocks, it enters a real fight over who prints the first trusted price for US risk.

The most serious risk is trust under stress. A geopolitical or policy shock during the weekend could expose thin liquidity or trigger oracle disputes.

HIP-3 assigns operational responsibility to the deployer, who defines the market and the oracle. Traditional US market guardrails are built around regular hours frameworks with circuit breakers, coordinated halts, and regulatory oversight calibrated to established venues.

A weekend gap or liquidation cascade on the S&P perpetual could damage credibility faster than consistent weekend prints could build it.

What the market is pricing in

The official opening and closing still belong to traditional markets.

However, with a US risk proxy trading 24/7, it remains to be seen if the first meaningful reaction to a Friday-night strike, a Saturday tariff leak, or a Sunday central bank surprise starts showing up on-chain before US futures reopen.

The advantage lies in time-plus-tape visibility, as crypto can trade the S&P on weekends with a public record before the US market infrastructure is fully operational.

The outcome depends on the S&P perpetual on Hyperliquid sustaining depth, maintaining tight spreads, and surviving its first weekend stress test without a credibility crisis.

The post Crypto just opened S&P 500 trading for the weekend while Wall Street shuts down appeared first on CryptoSlate.

The stablecoin debate in Washington is increasingly becoming a fight over a single question: who gets to keep deposit insurance on-chain?

FDIC Chair Travis Hill signaled that payment stablecoins under the GENIUS Act should not qualify for pass-through insurance, while tokenized deposits that meet the legal definition of a deposit would retain the same insurance treatment as traditional bank accounts.

That distinction may prove decisive.

If banks can offer on-chain dollars that preserve deposit insurance while stablecoins cannot, the competitive balance shifts. Stablecoins may still dominate open networks, but banks would retain the core advantage that has always anchored the financial system: insured money.

In that scenario, the stablecoin battle is no longer just about technology or distribution. Whether users prefer open, programmable dollars without insurance or bank-issued tokens that carry the full weight of the existing safety net will be the deciding factor.

In a Mar. 11 speech at the ABA Washington Summit, Hill said the agency plans to propose that payment stablecoins subject to the GENIUS Act are not eligible for pass-through insurance.

In the same section of the speech, he said the FDIC also plans to clarify that tokenized deposits that satisfy the statutory definition of a deposit should receive the same regulatory and deposit insurance treatment as non-tokenized deposits.

Hill also said the agency wants to comment on how existing pass-through rules should apply to tokenized deposit arrangements involving third parties.

The FDIC Chair's speech effectively sketches a two-tier map of on-chain dollars.

Under that map, payment stablecoins can be regulated and widely used, yet would lack federal insurance marketing rights and, if Hill's proposal sticks, would not get pass-through insurance.

On the other hand, tokenized deposits remain within the legal category of bank deposits when they qualify, which means they can retain the core advantage of bank money: access to the existing deposit-insurance regime.

This divide feeds into the broader legislative fight over the Clarity Act in Washington, where banks and crypto firms are clashing over whether stablecoins should be allowed to offer yield.

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Same blockchain rails, different legal reality

This is part of a broader regulatory thaw. In March 2025, the FDIC said FDIC-supervised institutions may engage in permissible crypto and digital asset activities without prior approval, provided the risks are appropriately managed.

In 2025, the FDIC also withdrew from several interagency crypto statements, including one that had suggested public distributed-ledger activity was likely inconsistent with safe and sound banking.

Then, in December 2025, the FDIC proposed an application framework for FDIC-supervised banks that want to issue payment stablecoins through subsidiaries under GENIUS.

In March 2026, the FDIC, the Fed, and the OCC also clarified that tokenized securities generally receive the same capital treatment as their non-tokenized counterparts.

Put together, those moves amount to a much clearer path back into blockchain-based finance for banks.

The US is now separating on-chain dollars into at least two buckets.

Payment stablecoins are designed for payment and settlement, can be issued by banks or nonbanks under GENIUS, and are attractive because they can run on open blockchain networks.

Hill is drawing a bright line around insurance.

Tokenized deposits fall under traditional deposit regulation when they meet the deposit definition, which gives them a different legal footing. The competition becomes stablecoins versus bank money made portable on-chain.

The banking industry's concern is concrete. A February 2026 New York Fed staff report argued that stablecoins can erode banks' deposit franchises and also transmit liquidity stress into the banking system, forcing partner banks to hold more reserves and potentially reducing lending.

Standard Chartered estimates said US banks could lose about $500 billion in deposits by the end of 2028 if stablecoin adoption accelerates.

Hill's distinction offers banks a way to answer stablecoins with a form of on-chain money that still counts as bank funding.

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What tokenized deposits look like today

On Jan. 9, BNY said it had taken the first step in a strategy to tokenize deposits by enabling an on-chain, mirror representation of client deposit balances on its Digital Assets platform.

BNY also made clear what kind of product this is: it runs on a private, permissioned blockchain, begins with collateral and margin-workflow use cases, and represents participating clients' existing demand-deposit claims against the bank.

The likely near-term winner for tokenized deposits is institutional settlement.

This development sits within a growing market for tokenized finance. McKinsey estimates tokenized market capitalization could reach around $2 trillion by 2030 in its base case, with a range of $1 trillion to $4 trillion, excluding stablecoins to avoid double-counting.

McKinsey also identifies cash and deposits among the likely front-runners.

At the same time, an IMF paper from March 2026 found that shocks to stablecoin demand can push down short-term Treasury yields, weaken the US dollar, and spill over into crypto and equity markets.

The form of digital dollars is becoming a macro-relevant market infrastructure.

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What stablecoins still have

New York Fed research argues that the real edge of stablecoins lies in their use on global, open-access, permissionless systems.

The same research says the stablecoin market capitalization recently exceeded $260 billion and that annual organic stablecoin transaction volume rose from $3.29 trillion in 2021 to $5.68 trillion in 2024.

Stablecoins still have distribution, reach, and composability advantages that bank tokens may struggle to match, especially if bank products launch first in private or permissioned environments.

A second New York Fed staff report, published in February 2026, provides a framework for understanding the endgame. It found that the optimal outcome depends on regulatory costs and bank incentives.

The bull case for banks and tokenized deposits assumes that Hill's proposal becomes final substantially as described.

More banks would launch tokenized-deposit products, and these tokenized deposits would become the preferred on-chain cash leg for regulated tokenized securities and funds by combining programmability with deposit status and existing compliance infrastructure.

That outcome is strengthened by the Mar. 5 capital-neutral treatment for tokenized securities and by recent bank product launches, such as BNY's.

The bull case for stablecoins assumes the insurance distinction weighs less than network effects.

Stablecoins keep winning where universal wallet access, composability, 24/7 transferability, and cross-border use dominate.

Banks still participate, but through stablecoin subsidiaries under GENIUS rather than through deposit-token products, especially if tokenized deposits stay mostly permissioned and institution-only.

The market segmentation ahead

If both stablecoins and tokenized deposits can move on-chain, with only one category keeping ordinary deposit treatment, the market may start segmenting by function.

Open, borderless, internet-native payments may lean toward stablecoin-heavy solutions. Institutional settlement, collateral movement, and regulated tokenized-asset markets may tilt toward tokenized deposits.

Hill described a forthcoming proposal and said the FDIC is interested in comments, especially on the stablecoin pass-through issue and on tokenized-deposit arrangements involving third parties.

Hill tied deposit treatment to whether the product actually satisfies the statutory definition of a deposit, and the FDIC still wants comment on third-party structures. The design risk is real.

Banks can compete by keeping deposit status on-chain. Stablecoins may dominate open networks, and tokenized deposits may dominate regulated settlement.

The outcome depends on whether the insurance advantage outweighs the network advantage, and whether banks can build deposit products that work across the same open systems that stablecoins already operate in.

The post Stablecoins just lost key battle as insurance protection to be reserved only for bank-issued tokens appeared first on CryptoSlate.

FTX's fourth round of distributing bankruptcy recoveries arrives at a different moment. The estate will begin sending roughly $2.2 billion to eligible creditors on Mar. 31, just as Bitcoin (BTC) pushed back above $70,000 into what Glassnode called a thin $72,000-$82,000 on-chain zone.

FTX announced on Mar. 18 that its fourth distribution will begin Mar. 31 and end Apr. 3, with eligible creditors expected to receive funds via BitGo, Kraken, or Payoneer within 1 to 3 business days.

Dotcom customer claims receive an incremental 18% to reach 96% cumulative recovery, US customer claims receive 5% to reach 100%, and general unsecured and digital asset loan claims each receive 15% to reach 100%. Convenience claims stay at 120% cumulative.

This is the largest FTX distribution since the more than $5 billion second round in May 2025 and is 37.5% larger than the $1.6 billion third distribution in September 2025.

The nominal size alone makes it a real liquidity event, even though it falls short of half the scale of the May round.

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Bitcoin's current structure

Bitcoin currently trades around $70,000 with an intraday low of $69,500, after yesterday's high of $74,603

Glassnode's Mar. 18 report said BTC had broken above $70,000 and entered a thinly accumulated $72,000 to $82,000 zone with limited on-chain resistance.

The market has probed into that zone but sits right on or just below the lower boundary, still working to hold the breakout cleanly.

Only about 60% of the supply is back in profit. Glassnode says a sustained move above 75% would be needed to confirm a genuine early bull transition.

The report still treated this as an early conviction rather than a fully validated bull regime.

As a result, the current setup is defined by absorption. Short-term holders realized profit spiked to $18.4 million per hour as BTC approached $74,000, echoing the same sell-into-strength behavior seen in February.

If the market can digest that selling and stay above $70,000, higher levels like the True Market Mean near $78,000 and the upper air-gap band near $82,000 become more plausible.

However, if absorption fails, the move still looks like a fragile bear market recovery rather than a durable trend change.

The current recovery looks more spot-led than leverage-led.

Glassnode says ETF allocations have rebounded, spot cumulative volume delta has turned higher, Coinbase spot activity has stabilized and turned positive, and CME futures positioning stays subdued.

CoinShares adds that digital asset investment products took in $1.06 billion last week, with Bitcoin accounting for $793 million, extending the three-week Bitcoin inflow run to $2.2 billion.

Derivatives present a constructive but restrained picture, as Glassnode sees the market emerging from negative funding and defensive hedging.

Deribit says BTC funding has moved back to roughly neutral, BTC futures-implied yields are flat at around 2% to 3% across tenors, and seven-day BTC implied volatility sits near 52%.

That profile fits a recovering market lacking aggressive speculative conviction.

Why FTX cash can have an impact now

CoinShares says Bitcoin investment products absorbed $2.2 billion over the last three weeks.

FTX is distributing $2.2 billion in cash. The two flows differ in nature: one represents direct Bitcoin fund inflows, while the other represents bankruptcy cash distributed to many creditors. Yet, their nominal size is identical.

The payout tests recycled liquidity, but it is unclear if even a small recycling ratio is enough to matter in a market trying to hold above $70,000 while absorbing $18.4 million per hour in short-term holder profit-taking.

Besides, Glassnode flagged that the FTX cash lands after the March options expiry tailwind. About $4.5 billion of negative dealer gamma sits around $75,000, with $3.9 billion expiring this month.

The report warns that once quarter-end expiry passes, the unwinding of dealer hedges could create headwinds or consolidation. FTX cash may hit just as a key supportive market mechanism fades.

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A recycling model

At a 5% recycle rate, $110 million represents about 13.9% of last week's Bitcoin fund inflows and roughly 6 hours at the current $18.4 million-per-hour short-term holder realized profit pace.

Important, though likely insufficient to drive direction alone.

At a 10% recycle rate, $220 million equals about 27.7% of last week's Bitcoin fund inflows and about 12 hours of current short-term holder profit realization. Large enough to affect the price action over a short window, especially if ETF flows stay positive.

At a 20% recycle rate, $440 million represents about 55.5% of last week's Bitcoin fund inflows and nearly 24 hours of current short-term holder profit realization. At that point, the payout becomes a meaningful marginal bid.

At a 30% recycle rate, $660 million equals about 83.2% of last week's Bitcoin fund inflows. This is the level at which an FTX-driven re-risking wave would become visible relative to recent institutional spot demand.

If the full $2.2 billion were spread evenly over three days, that would be $733 million per business day.

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Spread mechanically over 72 hours, it amounts to about $30.6 million per hour, versus the current $18.4 million per hour short-term holder realized profit rate. Even modest recycling rates become worth watching amid thin liquidity, where absorption capacity determines direction.

The bull case assumes a 10% to 20% recycling rate, combined with positive ETF demand and a continued spot-led bid. BTC reclaims and holds the lower air-gap boundary, digests short-term holder selling, and starts trading toward the $78,000 True Market Mean, then $82,000.

The key tell would be price strength without a big re-leveraging in futures, validating the healthier spot-led recovery narrative.

The bear case assumes most recipients de-risk, hold cash, or redeploy elsewhere. BTC loses the lower air-gap boundary and drifts back toward the prior $64,000-$72,000 accumulation cluster.

The market effectively votes that returned FTX cash cannot overpower existing profit-taking and post-expiry headwinds.

The late-March window becomes a test of recycled liquidity landing in a spot-led market before leverage has fully returned.

What dictates the outcome is how much of the returned FTX money becomes fresh crypto demand.

The post Over $2B in “lost” Bitcoin to hit markets this month creating sell pressure within fragile $67k–$74k range appeared first on CryptoSlate.

Bitcoin news today is dominated by a sudden reversal in market sentiment. After a spectacular rally that saw the $Bitcoin price push toward the $76,000 resistance level earlier this week, the primary cryptocurrency has experienced a sharp correction. On Thursday, March 19, 2026, Bitcoin slipped below the psychologically significant $70,000 mark, trading as low as $69,400 during the European session.

This downward move follows a period of intense optimism fueled by institutional ETF inflows and the SEC’s recent classification of 16 digital assets as commodities. However, the combination of a "hawkish hold" by the Federal Reserve and escalating geopolitical tensions in the Middle East has forced investors back into a defensive posture.

Why is Bitcoin Crashing?

The core reason for the Bitcoin price drop today is a "perfect storm" of macroeconomic factors. Specifically, the Federal Reserve’s decision to keep interest rates in the 3.50%–3.75% range, paired with a surge in global oil prices (Brent crude exceeding $114), has strengthened the US Dollar and dampened the appetite for "risk-on" assets like cryptocurrencies.

The "Hawkish Hold" and Risk Appetite

In financial terms, a "Hawkish Hold" occurs when a central bank keeps interest rates unchanged but uses rhetoric that suggests rates will stay higher for longer or could even rise.

For Bitcoin, this is a significant headwind. Because BTC is often viewed as a high-growth, speculative asset, its valuation is highly sensitive to liquidity. When the Fed signals that it is not ready to pivot to rate cuts, the "cost of carry" for holding Bitcoin remains high compared to "safe" yields like US Treasuries.

The Fed Effect: High Rates and Inflation Fears

The Federal Reserve's March meeting was the primary catalyst for the volatility seen in today's bitcoin news. While the market expected rates to remain steady, the updated "dot plot" and comments from Chair Paul Atkins (who took over the SEC and influenced broader policy) suggested that inflation remains a stubborn foe.

• Inflation Forecast: The Fed raised its 2026 PCE inflation outlook to 2.7%.
• Growth Outlook: Projected growth for 2026 was upgraded to 2.4%, giving the Fed more room to keep rates high without immediate fear of a recession.
• Market Reaction: The probability of an April rate cut has plummeted to near zero, with some traders now pricing in a 4% chance of a rate hike if energy costs continue to spiral.

Geopolitical Tensions: The Oil Factor

Beyond the Fed, the escalating conflict in the Middle East has sent shockwaves through the energy markets. Attacks on energy infrastructure have caused oil prices to spike, which historically leads to higher transport and production costs, further fueling inflation.

In previous cycles, Bitcoin was occasionally touted as "digital gold" or a safe haven. However, recent crypto news shows that in times of acute geopolitical stress, BTC often moves in lockstep with the Nasdaq-100, which also saw significant losses today. Investors are currently seeking the safety of the US Dollar and actual physical gold over digital assets.

Institutional Sentiment: ETF Inflows Turn to Outflows

A key pillar of the recent rally was the consistent demand from US-listed spot Bitcoin ETFs. According to data from CoinGlass, a seven-day streak of inflows—totaling over $1.1 billion—was snapped on Wednesday.

From a technical perspective, Bitcoin's failure to reclaim the $76,000 level is a bearish signal in the short term. The price is currently testing the 100-hourly simple moving average. If the $69,000 support level fails to hold, analysts warn of a potential slide toward the $66,500 zone, which acted as a floor earlier in March.

As of March 19, 2026, the global financial markets are witnessing a rare and counter-intuitive phenomenon. Despite an escalation in the Middle East conflict—including strikes on critical energy infrastructure—both Gold (XAU/USD) and Bitcoin (BTC/USD) are trading in the red. Traditionally, these assets serve as the world’s primary "disaster hedges," yet they have both succumbed to a broader market sell-off following the Federal Reserve’s hawkish stance on Wednesday.

This "double drop" is not a sign that the safe-haven narrative is dead. Instead, it is a textbook example of a liquidity squeeze driven by a resurgent US Dollar and rising bond yields. As oil prices surge above $110 per barrel, the market is pricing in "sticky" inflation, forcing the Fed to keep interest rates high, which historically creates a temporary headwind for non-yielding assets like Gold and high-beta assets like Bitcoin.

Why are Gold and Bitcoin Falling Today?

The primary reason Gold and Bitcoin are dropping today is the Federal Reserve’s decision to hold interest rates at 3.5%–3.75% while signaling fewer rate cuts for the remainder of 2026. This move strengthened the US Dollar Index (DXY), making dollar-denominated assets more expensive. Furthermore, investors are selling "winning" positions in Gold and Bitcoin to cover margin calls in the plummeting equity and energy markets.

Gold Price Analysis: XAU/USD Rejects the $5,000 Milestone

After flirting with the psychological resistance of $5,000 earlier this week, Gold has entered a sharp corrective phase. On the morning of March 19, spot gold slipped toward the $4,800 region, marking its most significant losing streak in over a year.

Critical Support and Resistance Levels

• Major Support: $4,840 – $4,750. This zone represents a historical "buy-the-dip" area for central banks.
• Major Resistance: $5,000. Reclaiming this level is essential for the bullish trend to resume.

The "Oil Shock" of 2026 has been a double-edged sword for Gold. While it fuels long-term inflation (bullish for Gold), it also increases the likelihood of a "higher-for-longer" interest rate environment (bearish for Gold). Currently, the market is prioritizing the interest rate risk over the inflation hedge.

Bitcoin Technical Analysis: Is $70,000 the New Floor?

Bitcoin has shown relative resilience compared to the broader "Risk-On" sector, yet it was unable to sustain its push toward $76,000. On Thursday, $BTC dropped below $71,000, tracking the general weakness in global liquidity.

The "Digital Gold" Decoupling

Interestingly, the 2026 correlation between Gold and Bitcoin has shifted. According to recent data from Investing.com, Bitcoin is increasingly behaving as a "Global Liquidity Sponge." It thrives when money is cheap. With the Fed’s hawkish tone, Bitcoin is facing a temporary outflow. However, institutional demand via Bitcoin ETFs remains a structural floor that prevented a crash below $66,000.

• BTC Immediate Support: $70,200.
• BTC Resistance: $74,500.

The 2026 Correlation: Safe Havens vs. Liquidity Hedges

Traders often mistake Bitcoin and Gold for the same type of asset. In 2026, the distinction has become clear:

• Gold: A geopolitical "bunker" asset. It drops when the Dollar is strong but rises when sovereign trust fails.
• Bitcoin: A "technological" hedge. It performs best when the financial system seeks an alternative rail for 24/7 global liquidity.

How to Navigate the Bitcoin and Gold Crash

For investors looking to capitalize on this volatility, diversification remains the key. While the short-term trend is downward, the macro fundamentals—high debt, war, and energy shortages—historically favor both assets.

• For Gold: Look for stability around the $4,800 mark.
• For Bitcoin: Utilize the best crypto exchanges to set limit orders near $68,500, which has acted as a strong institutional accumulation zone.
• Security: Ensure your assets are safe by using a hardware wallet during these high-volatility periods.

Bitcoin Future: The Path Ahead for March 2026

The "Great Decoupling" of 2026 is in full swing. Gold is fighting the weight of a high-interest-rate environment, while Bitcoin is consolidating its gains after a massive Q1 rally. Despite the current price drops, the geopolitical unrest in the Middle East suggests that the "safe haven" trade is merely resting, not retreating. Traders should keep a close eye on the US Dollar Index (DXY); a reversal there will likely trigger a massive "relief rally" for both XAU and BTC.

After a brief rally earlier this week, Ethereum ($ETH) is now testing the critical breakout-turned-support zone between $2,180 and $2,200.

This price action comes as a direct response to three simultaneous global shocks: a major military escalation in the Middle East, a hotter-than-expected US inflation report, and a stern warning from Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell. For ETH bulls, the mandate is clear: hold the $2,200 line or risk a deep correction toward the psychological support of $1,900.

Ethereum Analysis: Why Are Cryptos Crashing

The sudden reversal in risk appetite isn't just a technical correction; it is a fundamental shift driven by three massive catalysts.

1. Middle East Conflict Hits Global Energy

Geopolitical tensions reached a breaking point today following reports that Israel targeted Iran’s South Pars gas facility, the world’s largest gas field. In immediate retaliation, Iranian strikes reportedly caused extensive damage to Qatari LNG infrastructure at Ras Laffan.

This "energy war" sent crude oil prices soaring toward $99 per barrel almost instantly. For Ethereum and the broader crypto market, rising energy costs act as a double-edged sword: they increase the cost of living (reducing retail liquidity) and fuel long-term inflation fears.

2. PPI Data: The Inflation Pipeline is Refilling

Adding fuel to the fire, the Producer Price Index (PPI) for February 2026 came in significantly hotter than anticipated at 3.4% year-on-year. This suggests that wholesale inflation is accelerating even before the full impact of the recent oil price surge hits the data.

When "factory gate" prices rise, they inevitably trickle down to consumers, making the path to the Fed’s 2% target look increasingly impossible.

3. Powell’s Hawkish Pivot

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell held interest rates steady at 3.5%–3.75% today, but it was his tone that rattled the cages. For the first time in the Fed's history, the committee explicitly acknowledged the Middle East situation as a primary economic risk.

Powell’s refusal to commit to a timeline for rate cuts, combined with the acknowledgment of "uncertain" implications for the US economy, led markets to price out a summer pivot.

Ethereum Price Analysis: Will Ethereum Price Recover?

Despite the macro negativity, Ethereum's chart shows a technical battle that is currently being fought at the "Line in the Sand."

Critical Support at $2,180–$2,200

As seen in recent trading data, Ethereum has retraced to its previous breakout zone. This area was formerly a heavy resistance level throughout early 2026. In technical analysis, a successful "retest" of this zone as support would be a massive bullish signal.

• The Bull Case: If ETH closes the daily candle above $2,200, it confirms that buyers are still defending the trend despite the macro noise. This could lead to a relief rally back toward $2,320.
• The Bear Case: A breakdown below $2,180 would invalidate the recent recovery. Given the lack of intermediate liquidity, the next major "safety net" sits at $1,900.

Market Sentiment and Correlation

Ethereum’s correlation with the S&P 500 and Bitcoin remains high. With the US dollar index (DXY) strengthening on the back of safe-haven flows, ETH faces significant selling pressure. Investors looking to hedge against this volatility often turn to hardware wallets to secure their assets during periods of extreme exchange uncertainty.

Ethereum Prediction: What to Watch Next

The next 48 hours are crucial for the ETH/USD pair. Investors should monitor:

• Oil Price Stability: If oil breaks $105, expect further downside in equities and crypto.
• The $2,180 Closing Price: A daily close below this level often triggers stop-loss cascades.
• Strait of Hormuz Developments: Any further disruption to global trade will likely keep the crypto market in a defensive crouch.

Bitcoin Price Crash: Crypto Market Faces a Sudden Reversal

The cryptocurrency market has entered a period of intense volatility today, March 18, 2026, with Bitcoin ($BTC) tumbling from its recent highs near $76,000 to the $72,000 range. This sudden "sea of red" has caught many retail traders off guard, especially following the bullish momentum seen earlier this week.

While the digital asset space often moves independently, today’s crash is a direct result of a "perfect storm" involving geopolitical escalations, disappointing US inflation data, and a necessary technical cooling period.

1. Middle East Escalation: Energy Infrastructure Under Attack

The primary driver of the "risk-off" sentiment across global markets is the dramatic escalation in the Middle East. Following Israeli strikes on Iran’s South Pars gas field—the world’s largest natural gas reserve—Tehran has officially declared its intent to retaliate against Gulf energy sites.

Key Geopolitical Developments:

• Target List: Iran’s Revolutionary Guards have identified key infrastructure in Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Qatar as potential targets.
• Energy Disruption: Iraq has already reported a total halt of gas supplies from Iran, leading to a loss of approximately 3,100 megawatts of power.
• Oil Prices Surge: Brent crude has spiked toward $110 a barrel, fueling fears of global stagflation.

In times of war and energy insecurity, investors typically flee "risk assets" like cryptocurrencies in favor of "safe havens" like gold or the US Dollar. This flight to safety is putting massive downward pressure on the $Bitcoin price.

2. US Core PPI Hits 3.9%: Inflation Remains "Sticky"

Macroeconomic data released today has further dampened hopes for a dovish pivot from the Federal Reserve. The US Core Producer Price Index (PPI), which excludes volatile food and energy costs, came in at 3.9% year-over-year.

This figure significantly overshot market expectations of 3.7%. For crypto investors, this is a bearish signal because:

• Higher for Longer: Hotter-than-expected wholesale inflation suggests the Fed will keep interest rates elevated to cool the economy.
• Yield Pressure: Treasury yields have climbed following the report, making non-yielding assets like Bitcoin less attractive to institutional players.
• Liquidity Crunch: High interest rates reduce the "cheap money" that typically flows into speculative markets.

3. Technical Adjustment: The $76,000 Rejection

From a purely technical perspective, many analysts argue that a correction was overdue. Bitcoin recently hit a peak of $76,000, a level that acted as a psychological and technical glass ceiling.

The "Overheated" Market

Leading up to today’s drop, several on-chain indicators suggested the market was "overextended." Funding rates in the derivatives market had reached unsustainable levels, meaning long-positioned traders were paying high premiums to keep their bets open.

When the news of the Iranian retaliation broke, it triggered a "long squeeze," forcing leveraged traders to liquidate their positions. This mechanical selling accelerated the drop, pushing BTC toward its immediate support levels.

What’s Next for Bitcoin and Altcoins?

The market is currently looking for a floor. While the $72,000 level is providing some initial support, the upcoming Federal Reserve meeting will be the next major catalyst. If the Fed adopts a hawkish tone due to the PPI data and rising energy costs, we could see further testing of the $68,000–$70,000 zone.

The Bitcoin price is currently navigating a high-stakes consolidation phase, trading at approximately $74,272 during the March 18, 2026, session. After a period of bearish dominance that saw the asset retreat from its 2025 record highs, the market is now testing the resilience of the $74,000 resistance zone.

Bitcoin Price Analysis: Why is BTC Price UP?

Analyzing the BTC/USD 4-hour chart, we observe several key technical patterns that define the current trend.

Double Bottom Recovery

The chart highlights two significant "troughs" (marked with green circles) near the $63,000 level. This Double Bottom formation served as a powerful reversal signal in late February and early March, allowing Bitcoin to climb back above the psychological $70,000 mark.

Key Resistance and Support Levels

The price action is currently sandwiched between tightly defined horizontal levels:

• Immediate Resistance: $74,500 – $76,000. A decisive break above this yellow-lined zone is required to target the next major hurdle at $80,000.
• Critical Support: $72,000. If the price fails to hold the $74,000 level, the green support line at $72,000 will be the first line of defense.
• Deep Support: $68,500 and $65,000. These remain the "must-hold" zones to prevent a return to the bear market lows seen earlier this year.

RSI and Momentum

The Relative Strength Index (RSI) is currently hovering around 60.79. While this indicates bullish momentum, the RSI has flattened significantly as the price approaches resistance. This suggests a "cooling off" period or a potential bearish divergence if the price makes a higher high while the RSI fails to follow suit.

Bitcoin News and Macro Catalysts

The broader crypto market is currently characterized by a "Fear" rating on the Sentiment Index (sitting at 26), despite Bitcoin's recent price recovery.

• The FOMC Factor: Traders are bracing for Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell’s comments. While interest rates are expected to remain steady, any hawkish rhetoric regarding inflation—driven by $100+ oil prices—could trigger a "sell the news" event for $BTC.
• Institutional Inflows: According to data from Bloomberg, spot Bitcoin ETFs saw a resurgence in March, with nearly $2.8 billion in net inflows, providing a structural floor for the recent rally.
• The Gold vs. Bitcoin Debate: As gold continues to trade near record levels above $5,000, Bitcoin's role as "Digital Gold" is being tested. Many analysts, including those at Fidelity Digital Assets, suggest that capital may rotate back into BTC if gold's parabolic move stalls.

Conclusion: What to Expect Next?

Bitcoin is showing "Experience" and "Expertise" in its ability to hold the $74,000 handle despite a heavy macro environment. However, the information density on the 4-hour chart suggests that the current range is exhausting.

If Bitcoin can flip $76,000 into support, a run toward $80,000 is the most likely scenario. Conversely, a rejection here, coupled with a hawkish Fed, could see a swift retest of the $68,500 support.

• Technical Note: Watch the 4-hour candle close. A close below $73,800 would signal a short-term breakdown, while a close above $75,100 validates the bullish breakout attempt.

The World Gold Council, established in 1987, counts 29 members across the gold mining industry.

BlackRock's iShares Staked Ethereum Trust (ETHB) has hit $254 million in assets under management just one week after launch.

Major League Baseball named Polymarket its exclusive prediction markets partner while inking an "integrity framework" with the CFTC.

Coin mixers obfuscate the source and destination of crypto transactions—sparking conflict between regulators and privacy advocates.

The UK’s Companies House has moved to strike off Zedxion Exchange, a crypto firm accused of processing funds for Iran’s Revolutionary Guard.

Cardano intra-era hard fork to protocol 11 version, van Rossem, is now approaching, with a key node release expected in a matter of days.

Jim Cramer labels the market "very oversold" as Bitcoin (BTC) trades near $69,400 on March 19, 2026. But is the Mad Money host talking about cryptocurrency?

Crypto analyst links Binance's unusual $2.2 billion USDT inflow to reserve rebalancing.

New SEC S-4 filing reveals SBI Holdings paid $10/share as Ripple's Chris Larsen injects 261 million XRP into the $1 billion Evernorth (XRPN) Nasdaq treasury.

Shiba Inu price drop caught bulls unawares, with 15.99 billion SHIB long positions liquidated.

Bitcoin briefly peaked above $75,000 before immediately reversing, and experts linked the rally to derivatives rather than real buying. The blockdag news is even more telling. BDAG raised $452 million, launched, hit $0.17, and crashed 68% to $0.054 within ten days.

But while the blockdag news warns about what happens when presale hype meets no products, one early project keeps raising capital from investors who can see what is actually built. The chance to buy Pepeto at $0.000000186 gets smaller every day, and the Binance listing ends this presale entry for good.

Bitcoin’s push above $75,000 was driven by put closures, not fresh demand according to CoinDesk. BTC trades at $69,453 after the FOMC held rates at 3.50% to 3.75% according to CoinGecko.

The blockdag news shows that $452 million raised does not protect your investment when nothing is built underneath it. The whales are dumping to create fear, reloading at cheaper prices, and rotating into presales where the tools are built before the listing.

BlockDAG News and the Presale Where Products Came First and the Entry Is Still Open

The Chance to Buy Pepeto Gets Slimmer Every Day but the Presale Is Still Open and the Tools Are Already Live and Audited

The blockdag news is a lesson in what happens when you buy marketing instead of products. Pepeto is the opposite. It is an early meme coin presale where the tools were built before the presale opened. The risk scorer is a live system that checks every new token for scam patterns, exploit code, and honeypot traps before your money touches the contract.

The bridge moves capital between Ethereum, BNB Chain, and Solana at zero cost, so when opportunity shows up on a different chain your money gets there without losing a cent.

Built with a working ecosystem from day one, Pepeto gives presale buyers what the blockdag news proved BDAG never delivered: real tools underneath the entry. SolidProof audited the contract before the presale opened. The cofounder who built the original Pepe coin to $7 billion leads the project with a former Binance expert.

The chance to buy Pepeto early gets slimmer as the Binance listing approaches, but the presale is still open at $0.000000186 with more than $8.1 million raised. When the listing arrives, this is the entry the blockdag news crowd will wish they had taken.

BlockDAG News: BDAG Raised $452 Million and Lost 68% in Ten Days

BDAG launched at $0.05, hit $0.17, crashed to $0.054 by March 19 according to CoinMarketCap. Circulating supply still unavailable. The blockdag news proves the biggest raise in presale history means nothing without products and trust.

Bitcoin Reversed From $75,000 as Derivatives Led the Rally

BTC trades at $69,453 after the FOMC hold according to CoinMarketCap.

The rally was put closures, not conviction. The correction continues and the entries that survive have real tools underneath.

The BlockDAG News Is the Warning and the Pepeto Presale Is the Opportunity That Was Open at the Same Time

The blockdag news is the warning every presale investor needed. BDAG raised $452 million and lost 68% in ten days because there was nothing built underneath. But the wallets that read the blockdag news and understood are inside the Pepeto presale right now, because the founder who took Pepe to $7 billion is building again with real products, and every early holder from that first project carries the same regret: they did not buy enough.

The Pepeto official website is where those investors are acting on that lesson right now, and the blockdag news will still be a cautionary story long after Pepeto’s listing turns this presale entry into something the rest of the market talks about.

Click To Visit Pepeto Website To Enter The Presale

FAQs

What does the blockdag news say about BDAG after launch?

BDAG raised $452 million, launched, and crashed 68% to $0.054. The blockdag news shows hype without products gets sold on day one.

Why is Pepeto different from what the blockdag news shows?

Pepeto has three working tools built before the presale, SolidProof audit, original Pepe team. Products before listing.

Should blockdag news followers buy Pepeto?

Pepeto is in presale at $0.000000186 with $8.1 million raised and Binance listing approaching. Visit the Pepeto official website.

The post BlockDAG News Shows BDAG Lost 68% After Launch While the Chance to Buy Pepeto Gets Smaller Every Day appeared first on Blockonomi.

TLDR

• Kraken has paused its planned IPO after missing its Q1 2026 listing window.
• The company decided to delay the offering following a 44% drop in Bitcoin from its late 2025 peak.
• Secondary market data shows Kraken shares trading about 31% below their Series D valuation.
• Kraken has shifted focus to expanding its xStocks tokenized equities platform.
• The exchange has processed more than $25 billion in tokenized stock transactions since launch.

Kraken has suspended its planned initial public offering after missing its targeted Q1 2026 debut window. The exchange cited weaker crypto equity performance and pricing pressure in private markets. Instead, the company is expanding its tokenized equities business and infrastructure partnerships.

Kraken Halts IPO After Market Repricing

Kraken’s parent company, Payward, filed a confidential draft S-1 with the SEC in November 2025. The company had targeted a Q1 2026 listing, yet that timeline passed without a launch. Bankless reported that the board decided to pause the offering.

Bitcoin fell about 44% from its late-2025 peak near $126,000. As a result, crypto-linked stocks declined and reduced demand for new listings. Kraken’s advisers decided against pricing below its $20 billion private valuation floor.

BitGo became the only digital asset firm to list publicly in 2026. However, its shares dropped 44% since debut, according to market data. That performance influenced Kraken’s decision to delay its offering.

Secondary market trades now value Kraken about 31% below its Series D valuation. Citadel Securities led a $200 million strategic investment four months earlier. The discount reflects softer institutional demand in recent months.

Analysts described the move as calculated rather than distressed. One analyst said, “Only exchanges with scale and diversified revenue will access public markets in 2026.” Kraken has not provided a revised IPO timeline.

Kraken Expands Tokenized Equities Platform

While the IPO remains on hold, Kraken has accelerated its tokenized equities rollout. The company launched xStocks in June 2025 to offer blockchain-based versions of U.S. stocks and ETFs. The platform has processed more than $25 billion in total transaction volume.

Kraken acquired Backed Finance in December 2025. The Swiss-Jersey firm previously powered xStocks issuance and settlement services. The acquisition brought the issuance stack fully in-house.

The exchange expanded blockchain support beyond Solana and Ethereum. It added TON, Tron, Mantle, and BNB Chain to the network list. Kraken aims to list more than 500 tokenized equities by year-end.

In February 2026, Kraken launched regulated tokenized equity perpetual futures. The contracts cover indices such as the S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100. They also include individual stocks such as Nvidia and Apple.

In March 2026, Kraken introduced xChange for on-chain stock execution. The platform enables direct trading of tokenized equities through DeFi infrastructure. The company continues to restrict xStocks in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia.

On March 9, Kraken and Nasdaq announced the Equities Transformation Gateway. The companies plan to launch the framework in H1 2027. Nasdaq received SEC approval in March 2026 to support tokenized securities trading.

Kraken stated that issuer tokens will carry the same CUSIP as traditional shares. Smart contracts will automate dividend payments and proxy voting. Settlement will integrate with DTCC systems and support 24/7 trading.

The post Kraken Freezes IPO Plans, Expands Tokenized Stocks Push appeared first on Blockonomi.

TLDR

• Amundi has launched the Spiko Amundi Overnight Swap Fund with $100 million in committed assets under management.
• The fund operates as a sub-fund of SPIKO SICAV under French law and targets institutional treasury use.
• SAFO issues shares on Ethereum and Stellar to enable onchain transfers and settlement.
• The structure uses fully collateralized total return swaps with top-tier banks to generate yield.
• Chainlink publishes the fund’s net asset value onchain to support transparency.

Amundi has launched a new onchain investment vehicle for institutional cash management. The €2.3 trillion asset manager introduced the Spiko Amundi Overnight Swap Fund, known as SAFO. The product operates on Ethereum and Stellar and starts with $100 million in committed assets.

Amundi Introduces Tokenized Fund for Treasury Operations

Amundi structured SAFO as a sub-fund of SPIKO SICAV under French law. The firm designed the vehicle as a cash equivalent instrument for corporates and financial institutions. It offers around-the-clock transferability and near instant settlement.

SAFO uses fully collateralized total return swaps with top-tier banks. The structure targets yields above risk-free benchmarks while maintaining overnight liquidity. Amundi serves as delegated investment manager, while CACEIS acts as depositary bank and fund administrator.

Spiko manages transfer agency, tokenization infrastructure, and brokerage for fund shares. Shares are issued on Ethereum and Stellar blockchains. Chainlink publishes the fund’s net asset value onchain for transparency.

The fund supports euro, US dollar, pound sterling, and Swiss franc denominations. Subscriptions and redemptions start from one unit of each currency. The structure allows flexible custody and direct API and smart contract access.

SAFO Expands Amundi’s Digital Asset Strategy

Amundi expanded its digital asset operations with this launch. In December 2025, it introduced a tokenized share class for Amundi Funds Cash EUR. That earlier product also used Ethereum in partnership with CACEIS.

SAFO broadens the firm’s product range beyond traditional money market formats. The fund integrates tokenization directly into treasury and collateral workflows. It enables borderless transfers and programmable settlement features.

Spiko strengthened its position in Europe’s tokenized fund market through this collaboration. In February, the company reported $1.03 billion in assets under management. It also stated that more than 3,300 clients use its products.

Spiko said over 92% of its assets come from business users. The company stated that only BlackRock’s BUIDL and Circle’s USYC were larger at that time. “We have surpassed $1.03 billion in assets under management,” Spiko said in February.

Amundi manages more than €2.3 trillion in client assets across its global operations. The firm positions SAFO as infrastructure for institutional cash and collateral mobility. The launch follows its ongoing integration of blockchain-based fund structures.

The product records fund shares directly on public blockchains. Chainlink distributes the net asset value data onchain for market access. The fund begins operations with $100 million in committed assets under management.

The post Amundi Launches Tokenized Fund on Ethereum and Stellar appeared first on Blockonomi.

The SEC approved Nasdaq’s tokenized stock pilot, meaning that both traditional and blockchain-based shares will trade side by side on the same order book. These moves confirm the crypto industry’s rising status, moving it closer toward mainstream acceptance.

As the line between crypto and TradFi blurs, traders are interested in the Cardano price prediction, seeking affordable opportunities.

Yet, presale projects could provide a much better outlook in the short and long term. For instance, DeepSnitch AI is not only more affordable than ADA but also championed 100x-300x community projections, and is launching on March 31, so the returns will likely be more immediate.

Nasdaq pilot “takes off”

The US SEC approved Nasdaq’s proposal on Wednesday to allow tokenized versions of stocks and ETFs to trade alongside their traditional counterparts on the same exchange.

The pilot was filed in September and provides eligible participants the choice to trade both variants at the same price, ticker, ID number, and shareholder rights.

For the time being, eligible securities are limited to companies in the Russell 1000 Index plus ETFs tracking the S&P 500 and Nasdaq-100. The initiative runs through Depository Trust Company, a key market infrastructure firm, and addresses earlier concerns around market surveillance and price divergence through an amended filing.

The approval was one of the biggest signs of institutional endorsement for blockchain-based finances to date, with many expecting the shift to help the market recover. Retail traders keeping an eye on the shift are also looking for affordable assets, which put the latest Cardano price prediction back into focus.

Best altcoins in 2026

1. DeepSnitch AI: Early-stage project with 100x and 300x projections

With Nasdaq tokenizing stocks and crypto moving away from an experimental niche, the market is ripe with a capital T. While classic altcoins have potential to take off (the recent Cardano price prediction is solid), getting in on DeepSnitch AI could be a much better choice.

For starters, DeepSnitch AI is propped up by its utility. Providing a set of working AI tools for retail traders, the AI analytics project is far from a speculative play. The platform is powered by five AI agents operating in an analytics suite and can provide traders with actionable analytics, including tracking social sentiments and risk.

The most impressive thing?

It’s operational ahead of the March 31 Uniswap launch. In particular, early development sparked a massive level of hype relatively early in the project’s lifecycle, raising $2.2M and sparking 100x and 300x projections in the community.

DeepSnitch AI is priced at $0.04487, which is nothing short of affordable considering the upside potential and the project’s prospective position as a routine tool.

2. Cardano price prediction: Will the ADA future price turn up?

According to CoinMarketCap, ADA declined to $0.27 on March 18 as the wider market corrected.

Despite the short-term volatility, many traders believe that the Cardano market outlook remains solid, especially if ADA starts moving toward the downtrend line.

If a break does happen, the ADA forecast 2026 could go super bullish with a $0.37 target followed by a possible pump to $0.44.

Not all is rosy, though, as the Cardano price prediction could lose steam if the market rejects the pump to the downtrend line, keeping ADA range-bound for the foreseeable future.

3. Hyperliquid: How far can HYPE go?

According to CoinMarketCap, HYPE traded at $41.3 on March 18, showing serious resilience.

When compared to the Cardano price prediction, Hyperliquid is much more active. Because it remains stable, HYPE could use the current levels as a launching point for a push toward $83. If the momentum stays strong, the $50 line is the next realistic target.

In the bear case, if HYPE declines to the 50-day SMA at $31.5, the breakout will be invalid, and HYPE could end up trading around $29.

Final words: Start being bullish

With the SEC putting tokenized stocks on Nasdaq, crypto is finally taking a crack at the mainstream.

While this is good for the industry overall, retail traders can also capitalize on the development by finding favorable entries. Sure, the recent Cardano price prediction was solid, but DeepSnitch AI presents an entry at the ground floor.

With the March 31 launch in focus and massive bonuses (DSNTVIP300 code, for instance, unlocks 300% extra tokens on $30+ allocations), you won’t need to wait that long to see your returns.

Start being bullish on the DeepSnitch AI presale, and plug into X or Telegram to catch every community update.

FAQs

1. What is the Cardano price prediction, and what levels matter right now?

ADA has pushed above the 50-day SMA at $0.28 with bulls attempting a comeback. A clean break above the downtrend line targets $0.37, then $0.44. A rejection that pulls price back below the moving averages keeps ADA range-bound inside the channel.

2. What did the SEC approve for Nasdaq, and why does it matter for crypto?

The SEC approved Nasdaq’s pilot to trade tokenized versions of Russell 1000 stocks and major ETFs alongside their traditional counterparts on the same order book, at the same price, with the same rights.

3. Why are traders aping DeepSnitch AI?

DeepSnitch AI offers affordable entry, a clear launch date (March 31), projected 100x-300x gains, and, most importantly, access to a working analytics suite at launch.

The post Cardano Price Prediction: DeepSnitch AI’s Final Stretch Heats Up as March 31 Approaches, ADA Attempts Comeback, Hype Remains Stable appeared first on Blockonomi.

The crypto market is moving fast, are you paying attention or missing out? With volatility returning, traders are searching for the next breakout, and the best crypto to buy today is on everyone’s radar. Investors are rotating funds, chasing performance, and looking for early-stage opportunities that can outperform giants like Cardano and Solana.

Recent developments show Solana gaining traction with ecosystem growth, while Cardano continues expanding its smart contract capabilities. But here’s the twist, while these giants evolve, APEMARS ($APRZ) is quietly building explosive momentum through its presale. Early investors are spotting what others might overlook: a rare entry point before the crowd arrives, creating a perfect storm for FOMO-driven growth.

APEMARS: The Best Crypto To Buy Today?

When investors search for the best crypto to buy today, many focus on established coins. But the real gains often come from early-stage opportunities, and that’s exactly where APEMARS ($APRZ) stands out. Its innovative presale structure and deflationary mechanics are designed to reward those who enter early, creating a rare chance for significant upside.

The APEMARS presale is currently in Stage 12 (APETRON BURN), priced at $0.00012506, with a projected listing price of $0.0055. That represents a potential 4,200% ROI from this stage alone. With 1,434+ holders, $309K+ raised, and over 12.55 billion tokens sold, momentum is building quickly. Each presale stage tightens supply, and early participants are positioning themselves ahead of what could be a major surge in demand.

APEMARS Tokenomics: Scarcity and Rewards Designed for Early Investors

APEMARS features a scheduled burn system that removes unsold tokens at key presale stages, including Stage 12. By permanently reducing supply, this mechanism creates scarcity, driving potential price growth while rewarding early participants who secure their tokens before later stages.

On top of this, the APE Yield Station offers 63% APY staking, attracting long-term holders and encouraging investors to stay engaged. With a dedicated staking pool and structured rewards, APEMARS fosters sustained holding, giving early participants the advantage of both scarcity-driven growth and high-yield incentives.

How To Buy APEMARS

• Visit the official APEMARS platform.
• Connect a compatible crypto wallet.
• Choose your investment amount.
• Confirm the transaction using supported tokens.
• Secure your $APRZ tokens before the next stage price increase.

Turn $1,000 Into Life-Changing Gains? Here’s The APEMARS Scenario

This is why early-stage presales attract serious attention. While not guaranteed, the math shows the kind of upside that established coins rarely offer anymore. For investors tired of slow gains, APEMARS presents a high-risk, high-reward opportunity that’s hard to ignore.

Cardano’s Steady Growth And Ecosystem Expansion

Cardano continues to strengthen its ecosystem with ongoing upgrades and developer activity. Recent news highlights improvements in scalability and growing adoption in decentralized applications.

Cardano remains a solid long-term project known for its research-driven approach. However, its growth is gradual. For investors seeking exponential returns, the upside may not match early-stage opportunities like APEMARS, especially during a presale phase where entry prices are significantly lower.

Solana’s Surge And SOL Price Prediction Momentum

Solana has been making headlines with increased network activity and strong developer engagement. The latest SOL price prediction trends suggest continued bullish sentiment as adoption grows across DeFi and NFT sectors.

Solana’s speed and low fees make it a favorite among users, but its market maturity means gains are often more incremental. While SOL remains a strong contender, investors looking for explosive upside are increasingly exploring presale tokens like APEMARS.

Conclusion

The crypto market is shifting fast, and SOL price prediction trends show that even strong projects like Solana and Cardano are evolving in a competitive space. But history shows that the biggest gains often come from getting in early, before the hype peaks. APEMARS is still in its presale phase, offering a rare window where investors can enter at extremely low prices before broader market attention kicks in.

If you’re searching for the best crypto to buy now, the choice becomes clearer when you compare growth potential. While established coins provide stability, APEMARS offers explosive upside with its structured presale and tokenomics. Missing early entries is a common regret in crypto, don’t let this be one of them. Explore APEMARS now and secure your position before the next stage begins.

For More Information:

Website: Visit the Official APEMARS Website

Telegram: Join the APEMARS Telegram Channel

Twitter: Follow APEMARS ON X (Formerly Twitter)

Frequently Asked Questions About Best Crypto To Buy Today

What Is SOL Price Prediction For 2026?

SOL price prediction depends on adoption, network upgrades, and market trends. Analysts expect gradual growth, but returns may be smaller compared to early-stage presale projects like APEMARS.

Is APEMARS ($APRZ) A Good Investment?

APEMARS ($APRZ) offers high ROI potential due to its presale pricing and tokenomics. Early entry provides advantages, especially with features like burns and staking supporting long-term value.

Why Is Solana Popular Among Investors?

Solana is popular due to fast transactions and low fees. Its ecosystem growth supports steady demand, making it a strong choice, though not always the highest-return option.

How Does APEMARS Compare To Cardano?

While Cardano focuses on steady development, APEMARS targets rapid growth through presale momentum, scarcity mechanisms, and high-yield staking, appealing to investors seeking faster returns.

The post Secure This Best Crypto To Buy Today at $0.00012506 with 4,200% ROI as SOL Price Prediction Rises and Cardano Gains Momentum appeared first on Blockonomi.

Ethereum witnessed fresh losses on Thursday amidst the broader market pullback. The crypto asset shed almost 5%, pushing the price down toward $2,100.

New data suggest that ETH has entered a historically significant accumulation zone, and past data show strong upside following similar MVRV compression levels.

MVRV Drop

Ethereum has entered what analyst Ali Martinez describes as a generational “buy zone,” according to the latest on-chain data. The MVRV Ratio, a metric that compares market value to the average investor cost basis, has declined into the 0.8 to 1.0 range. This indicates a reset to fair value levels. In previous cases, similar conditions have led to major upward cycles for the asset.

Previous instances of this range were followed by gains of 150%, 5,390%, 130%, 280%, and 250%. The current positioning indicates that Ethereum may be nearing a long-term bottom, as accumulation trends are emerging across the network. Martinez’s tweet read,

“On-chain data suggests Ethereum is approaching a long-term bottom. For those with a 12-24 month horizon, the accumulation window is officially open!”

Crypto trader “EliZ” also observed that recent market conditions offered a clear short-term opportunity, where traders who entered positions at lower levels were able to take profits on altcoins. According to the investor, the market is now entering a critical phase defined by important technical levels.

As long as price holds within the $2,050 to $2,180 range on the daily timeframe, the medium-term uptrend remains intact, and continuation is likely. However, a breakdown below the $2,000 level would invalidate this structure.

In such a scenario, market conditions would change, thereby creating a favorable setup for aggressive short positions. This breakdown could open the door for a major downward move and transition from a bullish continuation phase to a bearish trading environment.

ETH ETFs Bleed

On the institutional front, spot US ETH exchange-traded products faced $55.70 million in outflows on March 18 after five consecutive days of inflows. Fidelity’s FETH faced the brunt of the macroeconomic turmoil and incurred the maximum losses with $37.11 million flowing out of it.

Grayscale’s ETHE followed suit with almost $9 million in outflows. VanEck and Bitwise’s ETHV and ETHW were next with losses of around $4.8 million each.

The post ETH Flashes Generational Bottom Signal With Crucial Metric Reset appeared first on CryptoPotato.

Ripple remains one of the most talked-about projects in the crypto space, driven by constant developments across its ecosystem.

Despite the ongoing market correction, XRP (the company’s native token) has posted weekly gains, whereas some key indicators suggest a more substantial rally could be on the horizon.

The Global Expansion and More

In the last several months, the American-based entity expanded its footprint in the Middle East, while earlier in March, it announced plans to secure an Australian Financial Services License. Such a permit would allow the firm to operate a fully licensed payments platform in Australia and offer services under a recognized regulatory framework.

Just a few days ago, Ripple widened its reach across Brazil by becoming “the only solution in the region capable of serving institutions across the full spectrum of financial needs – from cross-border payments and digital asset custody to prime brokerage and treasury management.” Additionally, the company applied for a Virtual Asset Service Provider (VASP) license with the nation’s central bank.

It also made strides in the North American market by teaming up with i-payout to help the latter enable fast, transparent cross-border payments.

Another major news related to Ripple is Evernorth’s step forward to listing on the Nasdaq. The venture that focuses on accumulating, managing, and providing institutional exposure to XRP filed a Form S-4 registration statement with the US SEC in connection with its planned merger with Armada Acquisition Corp. II. Last year, the entity revealed that it had raised over $1 billion in gross proceeds from major institutions such as Ripple Labs, Pantera Capital, Kraken, SBI Holdings, and others.

The ETF Front

2025 was pivotal for Ripple, not only because its long-running legal battle with the SEC finally ended, but also due to the launch of the first spot XRP ETF, which offered full exposure to the asset. This happened in November, and the company behind the product was Canary Capital.

Some renowned firms, including Bitwise, Franklin Templeton, 21Shares, and Grayscale, followed suit, and the investment vehicles have so far generated a cumulative total net inflow of more than $1.2 billion.

However, over the past week, outflows have dominated inflows, indicating that institutional appetite for Ripple’s native token has been declining. After several consecutive red days, the netflow finally flashed green on March 17, and we have yet to see whether the interest will pick up in the short term.

XRP Outlook

As of this writing, Ripple’s cross-border token trades at around $1.44 (per CoinGecko), representing a 4% weekly increase. This contrasts with the losses that many other altcoins have posted during that timeframe.

The broken negative streak on the ETF front, as well as the recent whale accumulation, suggest XRP may record additional gains in the near future. As CryptoPotato reported, large investors purchased 200 million coins in the past two weeks, showing strong confidence in the asset and setting the stage for a possible move north.

The USD equivalent of the stash is roughly $290 million, and this group of market participants now controls 11.1 billion tokens, or 19% of XRP’s circulating supply.

The post Ripple (XRP) News Today: March 19 appeared first on CryptoPotato.

Bitcoin’s price was heavily rejected at $76,000 a couple of days ago, and the correction accelerated today. The cryptocurrency is now trading below $70,000, sending the entire market sentiment to extreme fear.

Major altcoins like Ethereum and Ripple’s XRP are also on the downside, both losing important support levels.

Amid these dwindling market conditions, Playnance’s newly launched native token, GCOIN, is eyeing an impressive milestone.

Bitcoin’s Price Corrects Heavily

The leading cryptocurrency was trading at around $74,00 last Friday when the bears were able to intercept the movement and pushed it south toward $70,000 during the weekend. This happened after the most recent bombings that took place in the Middle East. The good news was that it was able to maintain this level, allowing for the buyers to return in force.

The retaliation took place on Tuesday morning, when the BTC price exploded to a price that we hadn’t seen in around six weeks at $76,000.

As you can see on the chart, though, the momentum was anything but sustained. Although the price remained near the local highs on Wednesday, more volatility occurred in the hours leading up to the highly anticipated FOMC meeting. The US Federal Reserve announced that it wouldn’t change the interest rates – an entirely expected outcome.

Unfortunately, the markets responded negatively, perhaps driven by rising geopolitical uncertainty, and BTC plunged to $71,000 almost immediately upon the announcement’s public release.

Today, the price fell further, and it’s currently trading in the mid $69,000s. Most altcoins also suffered, as it can be seen in the heatmap below.

The entire thing resulted in more than $500 million in liquidated positions, as well as the broader market returning to a state of extreme fear. But it’s these conditions that can also serve well for projects with solid foundations.

PlayNance’s GCOIN Eyes $100M FDV

Launched yesterday, GCOIN, the native cryptocurrency of the PlayNance ecosystem, is already turning heads. At the time of this writing, GCOIN boasts $80 million in fully diluted valuation, less than 24 hours since its token generation event.

Moreover, the locked supply currently stands at more than 3.2 billion tokens, while another 1.3 billion are staked, effectively removing more than 10% of the circulating supply from the market. This reduces selling pressure while also showing conviction in the project’s fundamentals.

The cryptocurrency boasts an impressive user base of more than 200,000 holders, trading on the popular MEXC exchange.

GCOIN is the native utility token that powers the entire PlayNance ecosystem. It’s designed for the Web3 gaming and entertainment infrastructure of the protocol, enabling real-time on-chain interactions through many platforms and digital experiences.

Already, the PlayNance ecosystem powers an average of 1.5 million on-chain transactions every single day, all executed using GCOIN as the settlement and utlity layer. The token might be trading for a day, but its ecosystem has been shaped and honed for the past five years, already catering to a plethora of users and developers.

Those who want to get in on the action early can find more information about GCOIN here.

The post Bitcoin’s Price Slips Below $70K, but GCOIN by Playnance Eyes $100M Milestone appeared first on CryptoPotato.

Bitcoin has continued to trade in a precarious zone after months of relentless selling pressure from the October 2025 highs above $125K. The asset is currently hovering below $70,000, attempting to stabilize after a dramatic downtrend, but several technical and on-chain signals suggest the battle between buyers and sellers is far from over.

Bitcoin Price Analysis: The Daily Chart

Looking at the daily timeframe, the broader picture remains firmly bearish. BTC has been trapped inside a descending channel since its peak above $125K, printing a consistent series of lower highs and lower lows. The asset is now trading well below both the 100-day and 200-day moving averages, which are acting as dynamic resistance overhead. The 200-day MA sits around $92K, and the 100-day near $80K, both far above the current price.

The daily RSI has recovered from deeply oversold territory, currently oscillating around the midline. A key horizontal support zone between $58K and $62K (highlighted in blue) held during the February capitulation wick, and that area remains the most critical floor to watch. For any meaningful reversal, however, the market would need to reclaim the $75K–$80K zone, which also aligns with the descending channel’s upper boundary.

BTC/USDT 4-Hour Chart

Zooming into the 4-hour chart, a more constructive short-term structure emerges. Since the early February lows near $60K, BTC has been forming an ascending channel pattern with higher lows, supported by a rising trendline. Yet, the price recently tagged the upper resistance near $75K before facing a decisive rejection and pulling back sharply toward $70k.

The area between $74K and $76K has acted as a stubborn supply zone, rejecting multiple attempts to break higher. The 4-hour RSI has also cooled off from overbought conditions and now sits below the 40 level, indicating a change in momentum to relatively bearish. A confirmed break below the rising trendline (~$66K) would likely accelerate selling toward $60K, while a push above $75K could trigger a squeeze toward $80K, and change the market outlook to bullish in the short-term.

On-Chain Analysis

The Exchange Whale Ratio, measuring the proportion of large transactions relative to total exchange inflows, has shown a notable spike in recent weeks. After months of relatively subdued whale activity during the prolonged downtrend, the ratio has jumped sharply from around 0.45 to above 0.6, signaling that large holders are becoming more active on exchanges.

Historically, sharp increases in this metric have coincided with periods of heightened volatility, as whales tend to move coins to exchanges either to sell or to reposition. The current uptick, combined with the price hovering near a technically sensitive zone, suggests that big players are preparing for a decisive move. Whether this translates into distribution (selling) or accumulation at these levels will likely determine BTC’s direction in the coming weeks.

The post Bitcoin Price Prediction: How Low Can BTC Fall If $70K Level Is Lost Decisively? appeared first on CryptoPotato.

XRP is trying to build a short-term recovery, but the broader trend still leans cautious. The recent bounce has improved momentum on both pairs, yet the price is still trading beneath major trend-defining resistance levels. In other words, sellers are no longer fully in control of the very short term, but buyers have not done enough to claim a real trend reversal either.

 XRP/USDT Analysis: The Daily Chart

On the XRP/USDT chart, the asset has pushed back toward the mid-$1.40s after defending the $1.10 to $1.20 demand zone earlier this month. That rebound matters because it keeps XRP off the lows and lifts RSI back into a healthier range, but the price is still stuck inside the descending structure and below the first major supply band around $1.75 to $1.80.

That leaves XRP in a tricky spot. The current move looks constructive, but it still resembles a relief rally inside a larger downtrend rather than a clean breakout. If buyers can force a reclaim of the $1.75 to $1.80 region, the door opens toward the much heavier $2.40 to $2.50 resistance area. But the price would also need to climb above both the 100-day and 200-day moving averages to reach this area. Until then, the bounce is not decisive.

XRP/BTC 4-Hour Chart

The XRP/BTC pair is telling a similar story. After repeatedly holding the 2,000 sats area, XRP has started to recover a bit and is now pressing back above that support zone. Momentum has improved, and the pair no longer looks as weak as it did during the recent dip, though it is still trading under both the 100-day and 200-day moving averages.

For the BTC pair, the first task is to turn this rebound into follow-through. A push through the 2,100 to 2,200 sats area would be a good start, and lead to a breakout above both key moving averages. But the real test remains higher at 2,400 to 2,500 sats, where layered resistance and the broader downtrend line converge. If XRP gets rejected before that, the market likely falls back into the same sideways-to-bearish range. However, if it breaks through, the tone shifts from simple stabilization to genuine recovery.

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