BNP Paribas' crypto ETNs could significantly boost retail investor access to digital assets, potentially reshaping France's financial landscape.

The post France’s largest bank to debut Bitcoin, Ether ETNs for French retail clients tomorrow appeared first on Crypto Briefing.

The bankruptcy and legal fallout from Goliath Ventures' Ponzi scheme could erode trust in crypto investments and impact financial regulations.

The post Crypto firm Goliath Ventures files for bankruptcy after CEO arrested over alleged $328M Ponzi scheme appeared first on Crypto Briefing.

The partial lockup of WLD tokens may stabilize the market short-term, but long-term impacts on liquidity and investor confidence remain uncertain.

The post Sam Altman’s World sells 239 million WLD through OTC deals with partial lockup appeared first on Crypto Briefing.

Kalshi gets margin approval as its $22 billion valuation and booming event trading volumes push prediction markets further into Wall Street.

The post Kalshi moves toward margin trading with new regulatory approval appeared first on Crypto Briefing.

Codifying SEC-CFTC rules into law could prevent politically motivated crackdowns, fostering innovation and enhancing US crypto competitiveness.

The post Ripple CEO warns against another weaponized Gensler moment if SEC-CFTC rules aren’t codified into law appeared first on Crypto Briefing.

Bitcoin Magazine

Morgan Stanley Set to Undercut Bitcoin ETF Rivals With 0.14% Fee Ahead of Launch

Morgan Stanley is poised to shake up the spot bitcoin ETF market with a sharply lower fee structure, as new filing details show its upcoming Morgan Stanley Bitcoin Trust (MSBT) will charge just 0.14% annually — undercutting every existing U.S. competitor.

The fee, disclosed in updated trust documents shared by Bloomberg analyst Eric Balchunas, comes in 11 basis points below BlackRock’s flagship iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT), which currently charges around 0.25%. 

The aggressive pricing positions MSBT as the cheapest spot bitcoin ETF on the market at launch, signaling a deliberate push to capture both internal advisory flows and external investor capital.

The move carries particular weight within Morgan Stanley’s own ecosystem. With roughly $8 trillion in wealth management assets and a network of thousands of financial advisors, fee sensitivity has been one of the barriers to broader ETF adoption across advisory channels. 

A lower-cost in-house product could remove that friction, allowing advisors to allocate to bitcoin without facing conflicts tied to recommending higher-fee third-party funds.

Industry observers say that dynamic could materially shift flows.

Phong Le, CEO of Strategy, recently described the product as a potential “Monster Bitcoin” catalyst, estimating that even a modest 2% allocation across Morgan Stanley’s platform could translate into roughly $160 billion in demand. 

That figure would far exceed the size of any existing spot bitcoin ETF and underscores the importance of distribution, not just product design.

Morgan Stanley’s bitcoin ETF is coming

The fee disclosure arrives as MSBT moves closer to launch. The fund has already received a listing notice from the New York Stock Exchange, a step widely viewed as signaling that trading could begin imminently pending final regulatory clearance. If approved, the product would become the first spot bitcoin ETF issued directly by a major U.S. bank rather than an asset manager.

Structurally, MSBT mirrors existing spot bitcoin ETFs. The trust will hold bitcoin directly, with Coinbase serving as custodian and prime broker, while BNY Mellon will handle administration, transfer agency, and cash custody.

Since their debut in 2024, U.S.-listed spot bitcoin ETFs have easily attracted more than $50 billion in inflows, driven largely by retail and self-directed investors. Adoption within wealth management platforms has been slower, often constrained by internal policies, fee considerations, and portfolio construction guidelines.

At the time of writing, Bitcoin is trading near $66,000.

This post Morgan Stanley Set to Undercut Bitcoin ETF Rivals With 0.14% Fee Ahead of Launch first appeared on Bitcoin Magazine and is written by Micah Zimmerman.

Bitcoin Magazine

Bitcoin Fear and Greed Index Hits Extreme Fear at 13 Out of 100

As of March 27, 2026, the Bitcoin Fear and Greed Index reads 13, placing sentiment in Extreme Fear. The current price of bitcoin is near $66,000.

The index spans 0 to 100, with lower readings tied to fear-driven market conditions and higher readings tied to greed-driven conditions.

The metric compiles inputs across price volatility, market momentum, trading volume, Bitcoin dominance, social sentiment, and Google Trends activity. The combined dataset forms a sentiment gauge used to track emotional conditions across Bitcoin markets.

Readings in the Extreme Fear range have aligned with prior stress phases in BTC market cycles.

Bitcoin Magazine Pro data highlights these zones as periods marked by liquidity contraction, elevated volatility, and forced positioning in derivatives markets.

In prior reporting, deep fear readings have coincided with accumulation behavior among long-term holders, alongside reduced speculative activity across spot and derivatives venues.

Earlier market drawdowns examined in Bitcoin Magazine Pro research show similar sentiment conditions during deleveraging events, where sharp price declines matched rapid sentiment compression.

In those phases, volatility expansion and liquidity withdrawal appeared alongside increased Bitcoin dominance as risk appetite shifted away from altcoin exposure.

Bitcoin uncertainty

Earlier today, Bitcoin price fell to its lowest level in more than two weeks, dropping below roughly $66,000 as liquidations exceeded $300 million in long positions over the previous 24 hours.

Short liquidations were far lower, showing that leveraged bullish traders were primarily forced out of the market. The move followed a broader shift in global risk sentiment as equities weakened and macroeconomic pressure increased.

The decline in BTC coincided with a risk-off environment across traditional markets. Nasdaq 100 futures had fallen about 10% from prior highs, while oil prices rose toward $100 per barrel amid escalating geopolitical tensions involving Iran.

Military activity and missile exchanges between the two countries continued despite diplomatic efforts, and the United States delayed direct escalation while negotiations remained open.

Regional instability contributed to concerns over energy supply routes, including disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz.

BTC had briefly approached higher levels earlier in the week on hopes of diplomatic progress, but those gains reversed as uncertainty returned. Price action remained within a broader range between $60,000 and $75,000 that had persisted for several weeks, following a prior peak above $120,000 in late 2025.

Institutional flows showed mixed signals. Spot BTC exchange-traded funds recorded billions in inflows earlier in March, but more recent sessions saw outflows.

On-chain data showed continued withdrawals from exchanges, suggesting long-term holders moved assets into self-custody. Options markets showed about $14 billion in expirations, which influenced price stability near key strike levels around $75,000.

Editorial Disclaimer: We leverage AI as part of our editorial workflow, including to support research, image generation, and quality assurance processes. All content is directed, reviewed, and approved by our editorial team, who are accountable for accuracy and integrity. AI-generated images use only tools trained on properly license material. In Bitcoin, as in media: Don’t trust. Verify.

This post Bitcoin Fear and Greed Index Hits Extreme Fear at 13 Out of 100 first appeared on Bitcoin Magazine and is written by Micah Zimmerman.

Bitcoin Magazine

ICE Announces $600 Million Strategic Investment in Polymarket

Intercontinental Exchange, Inc. Intercontinental Exchange, the parent company of the New York Stock Exchange, has completed a $600 million direct cash investment in prediction market platform Polymarket as part of a broader equity fundraising round, according to a company announcement.

The new investment follows ICE’s previously disclosed $1 billion commitment made in October 2025. With the latest infusion, ICE says it has now fulfilled its obligations under the investment agreement, which also includes plans to purchase up to $40 million in additional Polymarket securities from existing holders.

Polymarket, a blockchain-based prediction market platform that allows users to trade on the outcomes of real-world events, has drawn increasing attention from institutional investors amid growing interest in event-driven data markets and decentralized financial infrastructure.

Polymarket has support for bitcoin deposits, giving users a direct way to fund their accounts with BTC alongside other existing crypto options. 

ICE stated that the investment is not expected to materially impact its financial results or capital return plans. Final valuation details of the latest transaction are expected to be disclosed once the fundraising round is fully completed.

The move further signals traditional financial market infrastructure firms expanding into alternative data and crypto-adjacent platforms. ICE, which operates major exchanges including the NYSE, continues to diversify into digital markets, data services, and fintech infrastructure.

Polymarket has become one of the most prominent prediction market platforms globally, leveraging blockchain rails to facilitate trading on political, economic, and cultural outcomes.

The companies emphasized that the announcement does not constitute an offer to sell or solicit securities. Market observers say the scale of ICE’s investment underscores rising institutional interest in prediction markets as both a trading venue and a data source.

Polymarket’s embrace by TradFi

In the past year, the relationship between the crypto-native prediction market and traditional financial powerhouse Intercontinental Exchange (ICE) has become one of the most closely watched intersections of decentralized markets and institutional capital. 

Polymarket, launched in 2020 by founder Shayne Coplan, has grown into one of the largest blockchain-based prediction platforms, where users trade shares on the outcomes of future events — from elections to economic indicators and geopolitical developments — using cryptocurrency rails.

In late 2025, Polymarket re-entered the U.S. market under full Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) regulation after previously being blocked amid enforcement actions, marking a significant shift from its earlier status as an offshore, lightly regulated venue.

In December 2025, Polymarket launched its U.S.-focused app after the CFTC approval, restoring American access to its prediction markets and initially offering sports betting with plans to expand into other categories like propositions and elections.

Editorial Disclaimer: We leverage AI as part of our editorial workflow, including to support research, image generation, and quality assurance processes. All content is directed, reviewed, and approved by our editorial team, who are accountable for accuracy and integrity. AI-generated images use only tools trained on properly license material. In Bitcoin, as in media: Don’t trust. Verify.

This post ICE Announces $600 Million Strategic Investment in Polymarket first appeared on Bitcoin Magazine and is written by Micah Zimmerman.

Bitcoin Magazine

Bitcoin Price Slides to Two-Week Low as Liquidations Top $300 Million and Macro Pressure Builds

Bitcoin price fell below $66,500 on Friday, hitting its lowest level in more than two weeks as a wave of long liquidations and mounting macroeconomic stress weighed on the crypto market..

Data shows nearly $300 million in long positions were liquidated over the past 24 hours, according to Bitcoin Magazine Pro data, compared with roughly $50 million in short liquidations, pointing to an unwind of crowded bullish positioning in crypto futures. The imbalance reflects a market that had leaned heavily long and is now adjusting as sentiment shifts.

The bitcoin price selloff coincided with a broader risk-off move across global markets. Nasdaq 100 futures have fallen about 10% from their January highs, while oil prices climbed near $100 per barrel amid escalating geopolitical tensions tied to the ongoing conflict involving Iran. 

Earlier today, Israel said it will escalate strikes on Iran after renewed waves of Iranian missile attacks, while both sides continue exchanging fire despite ongoing diplomatic efforts. 

President Trump has paused U.S. strikes on Iranian energy infrastructure for 10 more days to allow negotiations, even as reports suggest the Pentagon is considering deploying up to 10,000 additional troops to the Middle East.

Meanwhile, the conflict is widening regionally, with shipping disruptions reported in the Strait of Hormuz, Gulf states on alert after strikes, and Iranian casualties reportedly nearing 2,000 as international talks continue in Europe.

The surge in crude has renewed inflation concerns and pressured risk assets, including cryptocurrencies.

Bitcoin price dynamics

Bitcoin price briefly approached $71,500 this week on optimism tied to a potential diplomatic breakthrough in the Middle East. Those gains reversed as uncertainty around negotiations resurfaced, pushing prices lower and reinforcing sensitive market conditions.

Despite the recent decline, bitcoin price continues to trade within a defined range between $60,000 and $75,000 that has held for several weeks, even months. The asset remains well below its October 2025 peak above $126,000 following a broader market correction.

Institutional flows present a mixed picture. U.S.-listed spot bitcoin exchange-traded funds recorded sustained inflows earlier in March, totaling about $2.5 billion over five weeks. That momentum has slowed in recent sessions, with net outflows emerging and signaling a pause in accumulation as investors respond to macro uncertainty.

At the same time, on-chain data indicates continued withdrawals of bitcoin from centralized exchanges over the past month. This trend suggests longer-term holders are moving assets into self-custody, a pattern often associated with accumulation rather than distribution.

Despite this, Morgan Stanley is a step closer to launching its spot Bitcoin ETF, MSBT, after the New York Stock Exchange posted a listing notice — signaling an imminent debut that could make it the first such product from a major U.S. bank, alongside offerings from BlackRock and Fidelity.

Options markets add another layer of complexity. Roughly $14 billion in bitcoin price options are set to expire, representing a significant share of open interest. 

Hedging activity tied to these contracts has contributed to subdued volatility, with price action gravitating toward key strike levels near $75,000.

As these contracts roll off, the stabilizing effect from derivatives positioning may fade, leaving bitcoin more exposed to external catalysts. 

With geopolitical risks elevated and macro conditions tightening, the market faces a period where price movements may become more reactive and less constrained by structural flows.

This post Bitcoin Price Slides to Two-Week Low as Liquidations Top $300 Million and Macro Pressure Builds first appeared on Bitcoin Magazine and is written by Micah Zimmerman.

Bitcoin Magazine

Simon Gerovich Confirmed As A Bitcoin 2026 Speaker

Simon Gerovich has been officially confirmed as a speaker at Bitcoin 2026. As Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Tokyo Stock Exchange-listed Metaplanet, he has helped transform the once struggling hospitality company into one of the largest corporate Bitcoin holders in the world. Now, Gerovich arrives in Las Vegas as one of the most closely watched figures in institutional Bitcoin adoption outside of the United States.

Metaplanet closed 2025 with 35,102 BTC, making it the fourth-largest public corporate Bitcoin holder globally. The company has outlined aggressive accumulation targets, aiming to reach 100,000 BTC by the end of 2026 and 210,000 BTC — approximately 1% of Bitcoin’s total supply — by the end of 2027. To fund that ambition, Metaplanet recently secured approximately $255 million from global institutional investors through a placement of new shares, with additional fixed-strike warrants that could lift total funding to roughly $531 million. The company is also expanding beyond treasury accumulation: Metaplanet’s board approved the creation of two subsidiaries — Metaplanet Ventures and Metaplanet Asset Management — targeting companies building Bitcoin financial infrastructure in Japan, including platforms focused on lending, payments, custody, derivatives, and compliance tools.

Gerovich began the company’s EGM in September 2025 by explaining how Metaplanet pivoted from operating as a struggling hotel company to a Bitcoin treasury company in early 2024. The turnaround has been significant. Revenue jumped 738% year-over-year to 8.91 billion yen, with operating profit surging 1,695%, driven primarily by premiums from Bitcoin option transactions, which accounted for about 95% of total revenue. Gerovich has consistently pointed to Bitcoin per share — the company’s primary KPI — rather than net profit as the appropriate metric for evaluating Metaplanet’s performance, noting that Bitcoin per share increased by more than 500% in 2025.

With Metaplanet’s accumulation targets for 2026 still in motion and its expansion into ventures and asset management underway, Gerovich takes the Bitcoin 2026 stage at a pivotal moment for the company and for corporate Bitcoin adoption in Asia.

Bitcoin 2026 is Returning to Las Vegas

Bitcoin 2026 will take place April 27–29 at The Venetian, Las Vegas, and is expected to be the biggest Bitcoin event of the year.

Focused on the future of money, Bitcoin 2026 will bring together Bitcoin builders, investors, miners, policymakers, technologists, and newcomers from around the world. The event will feature a wide range of pass types, including general admission passes designed specifically for those new to Bitcoin, alongside premium passes for professionals, enterprises, and institutions.

With multiple stages, immersive experiences, technical workshops, and headline keynotes, Bitcoin 2026 is designed to serve both first-time attendees and long-time Bitcoiners shaping the next era of global adoption.

Past Bitcoin Conferences in the U.S.

Bitcoin’s flagship conference has scaled dramatically over the past five years:

• 2021 – Miami: 11,000 attendees
• 2022 – Miami: 26,000 attendees
• 2023 – Miami: 15,000 attendees
• 2024 – Nashville: 22,000 attendees
• 2025 – Las Vegas: 35,000 attendees

Get Your Bitcoin 2026 Pass

Bitcoin Magazine readers can save 10% on Bitcoin 2026 tickets using code ‘ARTICLE10‘ at checkout.

Stay at The official hotel of Bitcoin 2026, The Venetian, and get a guaranteed low rate plus 15% off your pass. Be in the middle of where the fun is all happening, and where the networking never ends.

And don’t forget:

Volunteer at Bitcoin 2026 and get Pro Pass access plus exclusive perks.

All students ages 13+ can apply for a Student Pass and get free general admission access to Bitcoin 2026.

Location: The Venetian, Las Vegas
Dates: April 27–29, 2026

For more information and exclusive offers, visit the Bitcoin Conference on X here.

Why Attend Bitcoin 2026?

Bitcoin 2026 is the definitive gathering for anyone serious about the future of money. With 500+ speakers, multiple world-class stages, and programming spanning Bitcoin fundamentals, open-source development, enterprise adoption, mining, energy, AI, policy, and culture, the conference brings every corner of the Bitcoin ecosystem together under one roof.

From headline keynotes on the Nakamoto Stage to deep technical sessions for builders, institutional strategy discussions for enterprises, and beginner-friendly Bitcoin 101 education, Bitcoin 2026 is designed for everyone—from first-time attendees to the leaders shaping Bitcoin’s global adoption.

Whether you’re looking to learn, build, invest, network, or influence, Bitcoin 2026 is where Bitcoin’s next chapter is written.

Bitcoin 2026 Pass Types: Something for Everyone

Bitcoin 2026 offers a range of pass options designed to meet the needs of newcomers, professionals, enterprises, and high-net-worth Bitcoiners alike.

Bitcoin 2026 General Admission Pass

Ideal for newcomers and those looking to experience the heart of the conference.

• Limited access on Days 2 & 3
• Entry to Main Stage
• Access to Genesis Stage
• Full access to the Expo Hall

Bitcoin 2026 Pro Pass

Designed for professionals, operators, and serious Bitcoin participants.

Includes all General Admission features, plus:

• Full 3-day access, including Pro Day
• Entry to the Pro Pass Reception
• Access to Enterprise Hall, Enterprise Stage, and Networking Lounge
• Conference App networking features
• Access to the Bitcoin For Corporations Symposium
• Entry to Compute Village and Energy Stage
• Complimentary lunch, coffee, tea, and snacks
• Dedicated registration and check-in
• Reserved seating at Main Stage
• Huge savings when you bundle your hotel and Pro Pass

Bitcoin 2026 Whale Pass

The all-inclusive, premium Bitcoin 2026 experience.

Includes all Pro Pass features, plus:

• Reserved seating at Main Stage
• All-inclusive gourmet food and beverages
• Entry to Whale Night and Whale Reception
• Access to all official after-parties
• Networking app access to connect with other Whales
• Premium access to The Deep — an exclusive networking lounge with intimate speaker sessions
• Complimentary stay at The Venetian when you bundle your whale pass and hotel (use promo code ‘WHALEHOTEL’ here)

This is the most immersive way to experience Bitcoin 2026.

Bitcoin 2026 After Hours Pass

Your ticket to the night.

Most deals are done with a drink in your hand. Get exclusive access to 3 official Bitcoin 2026 after-parties across Las Vegas — each with a 2-hour open bar — where the real conversations happen and the best connections are made.

• Access to 3 official Bitcoin 2026 after-parties
• 2-hour open bar at each event
• Evening events across Las Vegas, April 27–29
• Network with Bitcoiners, builders, and industry leaders after hours

More headline speaker announcements are coming soon.

Don’t miss Bitcoin 2026.

This post Simon Gerovich Confirmed As A Bitcoin 2026 Speaker first appeared on Bitcoin Magazine and is written by Jenna Montgomery.

Marco Rubio sat down with G7 foreign ministers and told them privately that the war with Iran could continue another two to four weeks, handing Washington's closest allies and the market a countdown.

Reports noted that Rubio publicly said the operation should conclude in “weeks, not months,” and the gap between those two framings captures the window long enough to sustain macro strain where Bitcoin now trades.

Bitcoin reached an intraday low of $65,571.07 on Mar. 27, down roughly 4.4% on the day. Meanwhile, Brent crude was at $111.52, up 53% since the war began on Feb. 27.

The Nasdaq had entered correction territory, the 10-year Treasury yield stood at 4.44%, and Fed futures reflected essentially zero probability of a rate cut this year. That combination explains Bitcoin's session losses with precision.

The transmission chain

Oil above $100 pushes freight costs into every supply chain simultaneously.

EIA data shows tanker rates for VLCCs from the Middle East to Asia hit their highest level since at least November 2005 in March. Stickier inflation expectations follow, as University of Michigan consumer sentiment fell to 53.3, and one-year inflation expectations jumped from 3.4% to 3.8%.

Fed Governor Lisa Cook said the war in Iran has shifted the balance of risks toward inflation, cementing a rate-cut freeze that is the direct channel into Bitcoin.

Bitcoin has come to trade like a high-beta liquidity instrument. The IMF has documented that its correlation with equities is higher than its correlations with gold, bonds, or major currencies.

A 2024 study in Finance Research Letters found that Bitcoin returns and volatility tend to respond to political uncertainty shocks, particularly during periods of financial stress. Bitcoin trades lower now because a longer war keeps the oil shock alive, which keeps liquidity tight.

Rubio's two-to-four-week private estimate turns a sequence of daily military headlines into a timeboxed repricing: traders now price the duration of the shock, treating each military headline as a data point in a longer repricing cycle.

Duration is the key

Traders are now pricing the war's duration, treating each military or diplomatic headline as a data point in a longer repricing cycle.

ICE recorded its highest-ever crude trading and open interest through March, indicating persistent repricing.

When President Donald Trump delayed strikes on Iranian energy infrastructure and hopes of de-escalation rose, global equity funds took in $37.77 billion in the week through Mar. 25. When Iran denied talks and hopes of a ceasefire faded, equities fell again.

The market toggles based on how the duration of the energy shock looks, and Rubio's private timeline pushed the dial toward durable.

A Reuters analyst poll put Brent at $100 to $190 under sustained disruption, with an average of $134.62. At the same time, EIA's March outlook projects Brent above $95 for the next two months. Bitcoin's near-term range is currently within this gap.

Flows through the Strait of Hormuz averaged roughly 20 million barrels per day in 2024, approximately 20% of global petroleum liquids consumption, with about 84% of that crude going to Asia.

The first-order macro hit lands in the region most central to industrial demand, emerging-market foreign exchange, and the technology supply chain.

Foreign investors pulled roughly $25.28 billion from Taiwan, $13.5 billion from South Korea, and $10.17 billion from India this month. Bitcoin sits inside the same global growth and technology complex that foreign outflows are actively repricing, and those moves reflect the same liquidity logic driving crypto lower.

EIA notes that only about 2.6 million barrels per day of Saudi and UAE pipeline bypass capacity is readily available.

Physical Hormuz navigation controls the macro calculus more than any diplomatic statement, which is why a ceasefire that leaves shipping impaired delivers limited relief.

War risk insurance alone keeps freight costs elevated enough to extend the inflation pass-through even if military operations pause.

The countdown

For the potential scenarios in the coming weeks, the best option involves diplomacy to close the gap within roughly seven to ten days.

Shipping normalization begins, Brent retreats toward $95-$110, and the “no cuts in 2026” narrative softens as inflation expectations ease. Goldman Sachs has argued that a clear end to military action would quickly erode the oil risk premium.

On that path, Bitcoin's exposure to the macro squeeze reverses rapidly. The relief puts Bitcoin in the $69,000-$75,000 range, supported by the EIA's easing post-disruption base case and by the speed at which equity funds re-entered when de-escalation hopes climbed in late March.

The same liquidity sensitivity that drove the selloff drives the recovery.

In the worst-case scenario, the war runs to the outer edge of Rubio's four-week window. Hormuz friction persists, war-risk insurance stays elevated, and no convincing ceasefire emerges.

Brent holds in the $110–$135 range, consistent with Goldman's March-April expectation and the Reuters average under sustained disruption. Inflation stays uncomfortable, the Fed stays sidelined, and Bitcoin trades in a $58,000-$66,000 range as risk assets stay capped by the same liquidity ceiling in place since Feb. 27.

The academic literature reinforces this framing over any reflexive safe-haven narrative.

A 2025 quantile analysis paper found that gold, the US dollar, and oil hedge geopolitical risk more consistently than cryptocurrencies across varying risk levels. Another 2025 study found that Bitcoin's defensive properties activate under geopolitically driven crash conditions, a threshold the current oil-and-yield squeeze has not yet reached.

In the bear case, the squeeze persists long enough to validate that conditional framing: Bitcoin's haven behavior is regime-dependent, and a sustained oil-inflation-yield environment is the least favorable regime for those properties to activate.

Two to four more weeks of war means at least one more inflation print, one more Fed meeting, and one more month of elevated freight and energy costs before the macro backdrop begins to clear.

For Bitcoin, that window represents the duration during which oil stays high and rate cuts stay off the table, the two conditions that drive the liquidity ceiling on risk assets.

The bull case closes that window early and reverses the compression, and the bear case holds it open long enough to validate the liquidity-asset framing that has governed Bitcoin's price action since February.

Markets are already pricing the countdown without considering the optimistic version.

The post Bitcoin drops as Rubio privately signals Iran war may last weeks, locking in high oil prices appeared first on CryptoSlate.

Even the safest corners of the market can start to look uneasy when oil jumps, war drags on, and investors begin to wonder whether inflation is heading back in the wrong direction.

That was the message we got from Tuesday’s sale of 2-year US Treasuries. These are short-term government bonds, and they're widely watched because they reflect what investors think could happen over the next couple of years, especially with Federal Reserve interest rates.

When demand for these short-duration Treasurys is strong, it tells us professional and institutional investors believe inflation will ease and policy will eventually soften.

So when the demand weakens, the signal shifts as well. Investors are asking for better compensation, and they're preparing for a bumpier stretch ahead.

Tuesday’s auction landed in that second category. The Treasury sold $69 billion of 2-year notes at a 3.936% high yield, and demand came in weaker than the previous month. The bid-to-cover ratio fell to 2.44 from 2.63 in February, while primary dealers ended up taking a much larger share of the sale.

These numbers tell us investors showed less appetite than usual for lending money to the US government for just two years at a 3.9% interest rate.

The weak sale arrived at a moment when the Middle East conflict had pushed oil higher, and hopes for quick Federal Reserve rate cuts were starting to fade. US business activity slowed to an 11-month low in March even as costs and selling prices accelerated, a combination that left investors staring at a pretty uncomfortable economic picture.

The 2-year Treasury is one of the market’s best readings on where investors think interest rates are headed in the near future. A weak auction signals that traders aren't convinced the Fed will be able to ease policy soon. It can also signal that inflation fear is starting to outrun the usual instinct to rush into government debt during a geopolitical shock.

Why this simple auction became a warning sign

For the better part of the last year, investors were hoping for a light at the end of the tunnel. Inflation seemed to be coming down, and growth was cooling in an orderly way, which would enable the Fed to eventually have room to cut rates. Short-term Treasury bonds would fit neatly into this recovering market, as they offered a profitable way to position for easier policy ahead.

But all of this fell apart with the recent oil shock. As the conflict in Iran threatens to turn into a full-blown war in the Middle East, oil prices skyrocketed, feeding into gasoline and broader business costs. This essentially annulled all of the softening we've seen in business activity, leaving markets wrestling with the prospect that the economy could slow down while inflation goes up. That combination would prevent the Fed from offering any kind of easy relief in the next year or so.

Once we start considering this as a real possibility, the meaning of a “safe” asset changes.
While the relative safety of an asset still counts in these circumstances, inflation counts more.

Investors begin asking whether holding a 2-year Treasury at a given yield really offers enough protection when energy prices are climbing, and the path to lower rates looks less certain. That's why this week’s weak demand drew so much attention: it showed the market wanted more returns before stepping in.

Fed rhetoric has added to that unease. Fed Governor Michael Barr said policymakers may need to hold rates steady for some time because inflation remains above target and the Middle East conflict has added upside risk through energy.

Comments like that help explain why the 2-year Treasurys are so important: they're the part of the Treasury market most tightly linked to the next chapter of Fed policy. When it starts to wobble, investors are usually reacting to what they think the central bank may or may not be able to do next.

What the signal says about the economy from here

This month's auction was a warning flare for the next few months.

Investors are starting to test whether any of the old assumptions still hold: Can inflation keep easing if oil stays elevated? Can the Fed cut rates if energy costs start raising prices even more?

The answers to these questions will affect everyone, not just Treasury buyers.

Higher short-term yields can keep financial conditions tight, pressure valuations in other markets, and raise the hurdle for risk-taking across stocks and speculative assets. They can also change borrowing conditions, because expectations for the Fed's future policy spill into all kinds of pricing decisions.

That's why a weak auction at the front end of the curve can end up telling a larger story about confidence, fear, and how investors see the next phase of the economy taking shape.

There's still room for this signal to cool. Ceasefire hopes helped oil prices pull back a bit, and that kind of move can ease some of the pressure on inflation expectations.

Nonetheless, the market is still arguing with itself, and the argument is alive in every fresh oil headline, every Fed remark, and every new read on prices and growth.

For now, the message from the auction is clear: investors are looking at the next two years and seeing a rougher road than they saw a month ago. They're seeing war, oil, inflation, slower activity, and a Federal Reserve that has less room to ride to the rescue than markets had hoped. And we saw a glimpse of a market starting to price in a more difficult world.

The post Is anywhere safe as Bitcoin weakens? Why even the 2-year Treasury is starting to crack appeared first on CryptoSlate.

Bitcoin's price dropped below $67,000 this weekend, after a brutal slide that left it more than 40% below its October 2025 peak. In February, BTC had fallen about 47% from its high near $126,000.

In an earlier version of this market, that kind of drop would cause all kinds of ugly reactions that would spread way beyond the spot market. Fear would spread like wildfire, long-term holders would run, and the selling would feed on itself.

But this time, almost none of this happened.

Related Reading

Bitcoin price has never ended a year higher after a start this bad — is $88k the 2026 ceiling now?

Bitcoin’s worst opening stretches historically sets a $88k ceiling for this year, with no precedent for recovery into a full-year gain.

Mar 27, 2026 · Liam 'Akiba' Wright

The most interesting part of this pullback wasn't the price action itself, but the behavior around it.

Even through a drawdown as deep as this, the US spot bitcoin ETF complex held up far better than anybody expected. Eric Balchunas, the chief ETF analyst at Bloomberg, said in February that only about 6% of ETF assets had left during the decline.

The arrival of spot bitcoin ETFs was always framed as a gateway moment for crypto, but the larger shift may be showing up now, when the market is under immense pressure. Bitcoin has a new class of holders, and they appear to be less eager to bolt at the first sign of pain.

The SEC approved spot bitcoin exchange-traded products in January 2024, and trading began the next day. What followed was one of the biggest product launches in ETF history.

By March 27, Farside’s data showed about $56.1 billion in cumulative net inflows across US spot Bitcoin ETFs since launch. BlackRock’s IBIT alone accounted for about $63.3 billion, and Fidelity’s FBTC had brought in about $11.0 billion. Grayscale’s GBTC, in contrast, had lost around $26.0 billion.

There's been real selling inside this category, and some of it has been quite heavy. But as a whole, ETFs kept attracting money anyway.

So, when Bitcoin plunged, it didn't take ETFs down with it.

The daily flow picture is still volatile, but it's in line with everyone's expectations. Farside data shows $167.2 million of net inflows on March 23, then a $171.3 million net outflow on March 26. We probably won't get a perfect calm anytime soon, especially given the ongoing geopolitical turmoil, but we have relative resilience. A severe drawdown arrived, and the mass exodus many expected never actually happened.

The new Bitcoin holder

The ETF wrapper changed who could own Bitcoin and how they could own it. Instead of living on exchanges and in wallets, BTC moved into institutional products that sit inside a familiar investment structure.

Related Reading

Bitcoin price is heading for weekend collapse to $61k – will a social media post from Trump save it?

Bitcoin can test $61,700 this weekend unless Trump delivers another market-calming message.

Mar 27, 2026 · Liam 'Akiba' Wright

ETFs brought Bitcoin to institutions, but this adoption worked both ways: it also brought institutional trades to Bitcoin. Some of the first movers in Bitcoin ETFs might have been big Bitcoiners looking for regulated exposure, but the space soon became saturated with those looking to profit from its liquidity and volatility.

CF Benchmarks, looking at 13F filings, showed that a lot of hedge fund exposure to Bitcoin ETFs was tied to basis-style trades rather than long-term conviction. SEC rules also make clear that 13F filings arrive with a lag, so they show us snapshots of the past rather than real-time behavior. Still, they help show how broad the investor base has become.

That distinction is important. When we say that Wall Street barely blinked, it doesn't mean nobody sold as BTC lost half its value. What it means is that the ETF complex came through a punishing drop without the kind of mass exit that once felt inevitable.

A look at the individual funds makes that even clearer. IBIT remains the category’s giant winner, but FBTC has also built a large base, while GBTC continues to bleed assets. We've seen strong inflows into the leading funds, steady support for a few others, and continued outflows from the old incumbent.

A crash with a different rhythm

The best comparison to the effect Bitcoin's price had on ETFs may be gold.

In 2013, a sharp drop in the price of gold triggered a major rush out of gold-backed ETFs. The World Gold Council said 350 tonnes flowed out by the end of April that year, representing a 12.9% drop in holdings.

But Bitcoin's ETF base seems different. The price damage has been much more severe than what gold saw, but the big holder exit never happened.

Nonetheless, Bitcoin is anything but stable right now. March 26 alone brought a $171.3 million net outflow day to ETFs, and the price continues to swing hard on any news about the developments in Iran.

But the response from holders is changing, and that may be the most important change the ETF era brought.

There are two ways to read this. One is that ETFs brought in stronger hands, investors who are more willing to treat Bitcoin as part of a broader portfolio. The other is that the selling has simply slowed down, and a larger macro shock could still test that patience later. Both are possible, as the data hasn't settled the argument yet.

Whatever the future outcome might be, this change in ETF behavior revealed something new about how Bitcoin now behaves under stress. A 40% crash used to look like a full-blown bear market panic, but in this ETF-dominant market, it's your run-of-the-mill stress test. Price broke hard after a year of up only, and ETF holders, at least in aggregate, held up much better than anyone could have expected.

And that may be the clearest sign yet that Wall Street did much more than just buy Bitcoin: it changed the way it sells off.

The post The next Bitcoin shock could be where Wall Street finally loses faith and starts selling appeared first on CryptoSlate.

AI agents are moving beyond chatbot duty and into a bigger role across the internet. As software starts researching, buying, coordinating, and completing tasks with limited supervision, a new question arises: how does a non-human user pay, prove who it is, and operate within clear rules?

That question opens an unexpected lane for crypto, especially in stablecoins, digital wallets, and machine-friendly identity systems.

For years, crypto has searched for a role that feels native to the internet. Trading brought attention, and speculation brought traffic to it. But it felt incomplete, like its deeper promise pointed somewhere else: a financial system designed for digital life from the start.

AI agents could sharpen that promise.

The term might feel fuzzy, partly because it gets used for almost everything in AI. An AI agent is software that can take a goal, break it into steps, use tools, gather information, and carry out actions with some autonomy.

That shift essentially changes the way the internet works. A chatbot gives you answers to a question, but an agent can compare vendors, renew subscriptions, book services, monitor budgets, send instructions to other software, and complete tasks from start to finish.

But once software starts acting like a user, how does it participate in the economy?

The internet is getting a new kind of user: AI agents

Imagine a company using an AI agent to handle part of its daily operations. The system notices higher demand, buys extra compute, pays for a data service, renews a software tool, and logs each step for review.

At that point, the issue is no longer whether the software has the capacity to reason through a task. The biggest issue now is whether the internet has a financial system built for software that can act on its own.

That is where crypto has the potential to separate from the hype surrounding “AI tokens.”

Novelty coins attached to vague promises from AI projects aren't the best use case for crypto. Agents will need wallets, credentials, payment systems, and clear operating rules. They'll also have to hold value, spend within predetermined limits, and prove who they represent and leave records that can be checked later.

Traditional (fiat) payments can handle some of that. They were built around people and companies, though, with cardholders, bank accounts, and familiar liability rules at the center.

But AI agents need a different design. They may need to execute lots of small transactions, interact across services, follow pre-set budgets, and operate inside tightly defined permissions, and that calls for a much more programmable setup.

Luckily, crypto has spent years building products and infrastructure that fit those needs.

Wallets are the best example. In crypto, a wallet can be more than a storage tool, as spending caps, whitelists, approval requirements, and delegated access can all sit inside its design.

That makes it easier to create an AI agent with narrow authority: one that can pay approved vendors, stay inside a budget, and act only within a specific task.

Identity will also become very important. As agents spread, platforms will need better ways to answer basic questions, like what this agent is, who authorized it, and what it can do.

a16z is now calling this shift “Know Your Agent,” arguing that the bottleneck in the agent economy is moving from intelligence toward identity. According to the company's own estimates, non-human identities in financial services already outnumber human employees by 96 to 1.

However, crypto identity systems aren't completely ready to dominate. They do, however, match the shape of the challenge. Cryptographic credentials and portable attestations give software a way to prove origin, authority, and permissions in a form that other systems can verify.

Payments are the third piece, and probably the one that markets will grasp fastest.

If agents start doing economic work online, they'll need a way to move money that looks and feels native to the web.

Stablecoins stand out here more than almost anything else in crypto. They're dollar-linked digital assets that can move globally, around the clock, and with a level of programmability that fits software-driven activity especially well. Even BIS noted stablecoins have become increasingly appealing for cross-border payments and trade settlement, despite warning about their limits and policy risks.

Why crypto could benefit more than the “AI coin” crowd

All of this led large payment firms to lean into crypto.

Visa publicly described secure agent-driven transactions and says agentic commerce introduces new complexity and new forms of risk as agents enter payment flows. Stripe launched products aimed at stablecoins and what it calls “agentic commerce.” Mastercard said agentic commerce is expanding and launched a new crypto partner program built around programmability and real-world digital asset use.

That mainstream validation helps because the broader AI trend is already real. OECD data shows company adoption of AI rising from 8.7% in 2023 to 14.2% in 2024 and 20.2% in 2025. While these numbers don't show an overnight takeover, they do point to a growing wave of software systems taking on narrow, but meaningful work inside the economy.

When you look at it from that angle, the clearest opportunity for crypto in AI is pretty boring. Crypto will penetrate AI with stablecoin infrastructure, wallets, identity and credential layers, and audit and settlement systems for economic activity that's initiated by software.

That's also one of the reasons why so many AI-branded crypto tokens struggle to hold value. An AI narrative can attract attention for a while, but lasting value usually comes from the layers people actually use. In this case, that points far more toward digital dollars, machine wallets, and verifiable credentials than toward speculative “agent coins.”

Bitcoin fits into this story a bit more indirectly. It can still benefit from a stronger digital-asset environment and from broader acceptance of internet-native finance. But if an AI agent is paying for software, data, or cloud services, the most obvious fit is definitely not Bitcoin, but a stable, programmable unit of value.

There are still real obstacles here. Trust, security, fraud, and liability won't get solved instantly just because an agent gets a wallet. Businesses will want tighter oversight, platforms will want stronger authentication, and regulators will want accountability that holds up under pressure.

The more autonomy software gets, the greater the demand for systems that can express identity, permission, budget, and verification in a clear digital form. Crypto has been building those pieces for years, often without an obvious mainstream destination.

AI agents may finally give them one.

For a long time, crypto’s biggest problem was that many people couldn't see why ordinary users needed a separate financial system online.

The answer may come from a different direction, because we now see that the perfect user of programmable money is actually software. The strongest use case for machine-friendly identity may come from non-human users. And the most compelling role for crypto may emerge when agents need to buy, coordinate, and transact across the internet on their own.

If that happens, crypto’s long search for product-market fit could end in an unexpected place: as a financial layer for software that can act.

The post The crypto winners from AI are not be AI coins at all as agents start spending autonomously appeared first on CryptoSlate.

For decades, the oil market moved on a very familiar and very predictable schedule. The biggest signals came from legacy futures venues; traders knew where the deepest pools of liquidity were and when they'd come alive.

But, like almost everything else, oil too hasn't been immune to the modern market's hunger.

Its rhythm has started to break as war pushed energy onto a much different kind of schedule.

Headlines are now landing at unexpected hours, risk is building on weekends, and an announcement from Washington can send crude surging hours before exchanges are open for business.

As those gaps kept widening, crypto companies saw an opportunity that was too good to miss out on: 24/7 oil trading.

While this has been in the works for quite a while, it was Wintermute's new 24/7 WTF crude oil CFD offering that pushed it into the mainstream. On the surface, this might look like just another product launch, another massive company expanding its menu. But set against the past few months, it looks like a land grab.

Wintermute is the latest of many companies trying to capture a slice of the oil market, which has become far more valuable than it was just a few months ago. Geopolitical risk doesn't care for office hours, and traders want exposure to oil immediately. That's why its product will enable users to post both fiat and crypto as collateral and trade around the clock through OTC channels.

Legacy venues are too far and too slow to deal with the kind of demand that's coming from the market right now.

On March 24, traders placed more than $500 million in crude bets just before President Donald Trump announced that the US would delay attacks on Iran’s energy infrastructure. The market swung hard: Brent fell from about $112 to $99, while WTI dropped from roughly $99 to $86. But in spite of this drop, oil prices were still more than 40% above their pre-Iran levels, which gives a sense of how sharply the Middle East crisis has changed the market.

When price moves start arriving on that kind of schedule, traders will naturally go looking for a venue that's already open.

Where does oil risk go first?

That search has already produced one of the most interesting stories of the year.

Earlier in March, an oil-linked perpetual contract on Hyperliquid generated more than $1.2 billion in 24-hour volume, enough to become the platform’s second-most traded market. The surge came after a jump in oil futures during the escalation in Iran. Just a few days earlier, oil, gold, and silver contracts on Hyperliquid grew so much over the weekend that they started acting as a live signal for how those markets might respond once trading resumed on Monday.

Having an oil-linked perp on Hyperliquid turn $1.2 billion in 24 hours means this isn't a niche crypto experiment. We already have oil-linked products, so companies are now racing to be the first to quell this insatiable thirst for oil risk when traders in London, Singapore, Dubai, or New York want to react right away and refuse to wait for the next regular session.

Hyperliquid showed us what one model for that future might look like. Its product is very open, highly visible, and built around perpetuals that turn price discovery into a spectacle. The road Wintermute's taken is more tailored. It's dealer-led and more suited to clients who want customized access through OTC channels, rather than a public venue.

While the style might be different, the target is the same: both want the trader who now thinks of oil as a 24/7 macro asset.

That split deserves attention because it hints at where this market may be heading next. One version is crypto-native and public-facing, shaped by crowds, leverage, and speed. The other version is more institutional in tone, closer to the traditions of dealer markets, even as it relies on crypto’s always-on trading.

Both will most likely grow at the same time, with one becoming the loud front end of off-hours oil speculation, and the other becoming the smoother route for institutions that want exposure without the theater.

The bigger push toward all-hours markets

This is also why the Wintermute move fits into something broader than commodities.

The financial industry as a whole is moving toward longer trading days and tokenized formats across multiple asset classes.

Last week, the SEC approved a Nasdaq proposal allowing certain stocks to trade and settle in tokenized form. The New York Stock Exchange is working with Securitize on a tokenized securities platform. DTCC has said NSCC plans to shift to 24×5 operations in late June, if approved. Nasdaq has said it plans to introduce 24-hour trading on its primary US exchange in the second half of 2026. CME Group said in February that it would launch 24/7 cryptocurrency futures and options trading on May 29.

These are tectonic moves that will change the entire market. Investors are slowly being trained to expect access to trading at all times, and crypto companies have now turned that expectation into reality. Legacy financial companies are now rushing to catch up, each offering a similar product. The result of these efforts will be that trading during business hours stops being the norm and becomes a preference.

Oil gives that transition extra force because oil has always belonged to the heavyweight side of macro. It's an incredible asset because it carries inflation risk, war premium, shipping lanes, refinery economics, and sovereign budgets. It carries a seriousness that no crypto asset, not even Bitcoin, managed to capture.

So when an oil-linked contract becomes a breakout product on a crypto platform, the signal goes beyond just novelty. It tells us that crypto has found a way to insert itself into one of the most consequential conversations in global markets.

The path ahead is anything but smooth, though.

Extended-hour trading brings with it familiar concerns around thinner liquidity, wider spreads and early price moves that can overstate conviction. DTCC’s own materials on the move to 24×5 said there would be structural implications for everything from liquidity and resiliency to risk management. Banks have, of course, been raising concerns about investor protection, costs, volatility, and liquidity in near-continuous markets.

Even so, the direction is getting easier to see.

On March 18, S&P Dow Jones Indices said it licensed the S&P 500 to Trade[XYZ] for perpetual contracts on Hyperliquid, saying it was the first officially licensed S&P 500 perpetual built for 24/7 trading on a decentralized platform.

While the announcement focused on equities, it had much deeper significance. Benchmark owners, exchanges, clearing operators, and crypto venues are all starting to build for a market that stretches further into the night.

Which brings the story back to oil, and to the commercial prize now taking shape around it. In a year defined by the conflict in the Middle East, there's real value in becoming the first venue traders reach for when headlines hit after dinner in New York or before sunrise in London.

Hyperliquid got there early with a product that turned into a magnet for speculation and hedging. Wintermute is arriving with a different structure and a different client base. Others will almost certainly follow.

The race now is to turn off-hours demand into a durable franchise and become the place where traders do more than take a quick shot on price. All of these platforms want to start feeling, over time, like part of the “real” oil market, rather than a side arena for enthusiasts.

For a long time, oil opened and closed with the institutions that defined global finance. While that world is still dominant and still sets the benchmark, the first response to the next geopolitical shock most likely won't happen there. The fastest moves will most likely start coming from perpetuals on crypto venues, built by a market that has always seen business hours as a competitive weakness.

The post Crypto is winning the race to own oil trading after hours as Wintermute launches 24/7 trading appeared first on CryptoSlate.

What Is Happening to Markets Right Now?

Global financial markets are entering a phase that goes far beyond a typical correction. Over the past 24 hours, a combination of geopolitical escalation, energy supply disruptions, and tightening liquidity conditions has triggered a broad risk-off move across assets.

Oil prices have surged above $100 as tensions in the Middle East escalate, while disruptions to Russian energy infrastructure and export bans are tightening global supply. At the same time, trillions have been wiped from global equity markets.

Crypto has not been spared.

Bitcoin is holding near key levels but remains under pressure, while altcoins like $SOL and $DOGE are experiencing sharper declines. This synchronized weakness across asset classes signals something deeper than normal volatility.

👉 This is not just a dip — it may be a liquidity event.

What Is a Liquidity Crisis — and Why It Matters for Crypto

A liquidity crisis occurs when capital becomes scarce across financial markets. Investors begin pulling money out of risk assets, preferring cash or safer instruments.

This typically happens when:

• Global uncertainty spikes (war, geopolitical risks)
• Inflation expectations rise (oil shocks)
• Central banks are unable to ease monetary policy

In this environment, markets behave differently:

• Good news gets ignored
• Risk assets fall together
• Volatility increases across all sectors

Crypto, often viewed as an alternative system, is currently behaving like a high-risk asset — not a safe haven.

Why Crypto Is Falling Despite Bullish News

Under normal conditions, recent developments should have pushed crypto higher:

• President Donald Trump signaling strong support for Bitcoin and crypto adoption
• Institutional momentum growing, with major financial figures entering the market
• Increasing global interest in crypto as a payment and financial alternative

Yet, prices are declining.

This highlights a critical shift:

👉 Liquidity is dominating the market narrative.

When liquidity tightens, even the strongest bullish catalysts lose impact. Investors prioritize capital preservation over growth opportunities.

Oil Shock + War = Liquidity Drain

The current crisis is being driven by a powerful macro chain reaction:

• Escalating tensions involving Iran and the Strait of Hormuz
• Disruptions to Russian oil production and exports
• Saudi Arabia increasing pipeline output to stabilize supply
• Oil prices surging rapidly

This creates a feedback loop:

• Higher oil → higher inflation expectations
• Higher inflation → tighter monetary conditions
• Tighter conditions → less liquidity in markets
• Less liquidity → sell-off in risk assets (including crypto)

👉 Crypto is reacting to macro pressure, not internal weakness.

Is This the First Real Test for Crypto as a Global Asset?

Previous crypto downturns were mostly driven by internal events:

• Exchange collapses
• Regulatory crackdowns
• Market cycles

This time is different.

Crypto is now being tested within a global macroeconomic crisis, alongside traditional markets.

This raises an important question:

👉 Can crypto evolve from a speculative asset into a true macro hedge?

So far, the answer is mixed.

Bitcoin is holding relatively strong compared to altcoins, suggesting some resilience. However, it is still behaving more like a tech stock than digital gold in this phase.

What Happens Next?

Two scenarios are now unfolding:

Short-Term (High Risk)

• Continued volatility driven by war headlines
• Potential further downside if oil continues rising
• Liquidity remains tight

Mid-Term (Opportunity Phase)

• If geopolitical tensions stabilize → strong rebound potential
• Bullish fundamentals (institutional adoption, macro distrust) remain intact
• Crypto could regain its “alternative system” narrative

👉 Liquidity cycles, not narratives, will determine timing.

Final Take: A Defining Moment for Crypto

The current market environment may represent the first true global liquidity stress test for crypto.

For the first time, Bitcoin and altcoins are reacting primarily to:

• Energy markets
• Geopolitical risk
• Global liquidity conditions

Not crypto-native developments.

👉 This is a sign of maturity — but also vulnerability.

Whether crypto emerges stronger from this phase will define its role in the global financial system for years to come.

$BTC, $ETH, $SOL, $DOGE

The question of whether Ethereum (ETH) can really act as a store of value is coming up more and more as the network grows into a core part of the decentralized economy. That label used to belong almost entirely to Bitcoin, seen as “digital gold” because of its fixed supply. But since the Merge and the upgrades that followed, Ethereum has started to play by a different set of rules—and that’s starting to shift the conversation.

As of March 2026, Ethereum isn’t just for developers anymore. It’s become a global settlement layer. Still, with the price moving sideways lately, investors are asking the obvious question: is holding ETH actually a solid way to preserve value over time?

Is ETH a Store of Value?

$Ethereum is starting to be seen as a real store of value—but it works differently than $Bitcoin. Bitcoin’s story is all about scarcity. Ethereum, on the other hand, gets its value from how much the network is actually used, plus the fact that it can generate yield.

By staking ETH, holders can earn a native return—usually around 2.8% to 3.5%. That helps offset inflation and adds a compounding effect you simply don’t get with assets that don’t produce any yield.

What Makes an Asset a "Store of Value"?

A store of value is an asset that maintains its purchasing power over time without significant depreciation. To qualify, an asset typically requires:

• Scarcity: A controlled or diminishing supply.
• Security: A network resistant to attacks (Ethereum is secured by billions in staked capital).
• Liquidity: The ability to be traded easily for other goods or fiat.
• Demand: Consistent use cases that drive long-term interest.

Analyzing the 5-Year ETH Price History (2021–2026)

Looking at the technical data from the past five years, Ethereum has exhibited a distinct pattern of "high-velocity growth followed by structural consolidation."

The Consolidation Phase ($2,000 - $4,000)

Since the peak of the 2021 bull run and the subsequent market correction, ETH has largely spent the period between 2024 and early 2026 consolidating within a massive horizontal channel.

• The Floor: Strong support has formed around the $2,000 level. This psychological and technical barrier has held firm despite various macro headwinds and regulatory uncertainties.
• The Ceiling: Resistance remains heavy between $4,000 and $4,800. Every attempt to break into "price discovery" mode has been met with institutional profit-taking and rotation into newer ecosystem plays.

This prolonged consolidation is actually a healthy sign for a "store of value" thesis. It suggests that Ethereum is moving away from the "lottery ticket" volatility of its early years and toward a more stable, mature asset profile.

The "Ultrasound Money" Narrative: Is it Still Valid?

The term "ultrasound money," coined by Ethereum researcher Justin Drake, suggests that if Bitcoin is "sound" because its supply is capped, Ethereum is "ultrasound" because its supply can actually shrink.

How the Burn Mechanism Works

Under EIP-1559, a portion of every transaction fee is "burned" (destroyed). In 2026, we see a dual-track economic model:

• During High Activity: When DeFi and NFT volumes spike, more ETH is burned than issued to stakers, making the supply deflationary.
• During Low Activity (The L2 Shift): With the rise of Layer-2 solutions like Base and Arbitrum, some activity has moved off the mainnet. This has led to periods of slight inflation (approx. 0.7% annually), as seen in early 2026.

Despite this fluctuation, Ethereum's total supply remains significantly lower than it would have been under the old Proof-of-Work system, maintaining its competitive edge against fiat currencies.

Ethereum vs. Bitcoin: The Store of Value Showdown

While Bitcoin remains the king of "pure" scarcity, major institutions like BlackRock have highlighted Ethereum's role in the tokenization of real-world assets. This utility creates a "structural demand" for ETH that persists regardless of speculative market cycles.

Risks to the Ethereum Store of Value Thesis

No investment is without risk. For Ethereum to maintain its status, it must navigate:

• Regulatory Shifts: The classification of staked ETH by global regulators continues to be a point of contention.
• L2 Cannibalization: If too much activity moves to Layer-2s without enough value accruing back to the Layer-1, the "burn" mechanism may not be enough to sustain deflation.
• Technological Complexity: Unlike Bitcoin's "set in stone" code, Ethereum is constantly evolving, which introduces potential smart contract or upgrade risks.

Is Ethereum a Good Store of Value for the Future?

For investors seeking a balance between growth and preservation, Ethereum is a compelling store of value. It offers the security of a battle-tested blockchain combined with the unique advantage of native yield. While it may experience more volatility than Bitcoin, its role as the "Internet's Bond" makes it a foundational asset for any modern digital portfolio.

As we look toward the remainder of 2026, the current consolidation phase provides a strategic entry point for those who believe in the long-term "ultrasound" roadmap.

Seeing Bitcoin trade between $65,000 and $75,000 in March 2026—basically the same levels as the 2021 highs—has made a lot of retail investors think nothing’s really changed. But that takeaway misses the bigger picture. Price tends to lag behind what’s actually happening under the surface.

Even if the numbers look familiar, the market itself is very different now. Back in 2021, it was largely driven by retail hype and stimulus money. Today, it’s a different crowd—sovereign players and massive asset managers are setting the tone, and the overall risk and utility of crypto have shifted with it.

The "Same Price" Paradox

Yes, it is still worth investing in crypto, precisely because the market has successfully "absorbed" the speculative excesses of the past. If you bought $Bitcoin at $69,000 in 2021, you were buying a speculative experiment. Buying it at the same price in 2026 means buying a globally recognized digital commodity with settled regulatory status. The "long-term game" is no longer about hoping for a 10x in a week; it is about securing a position in the world's most efficient financial settlement layer.

Price vs. Infrastructure

To assess if crypto is "worth it," investors must distinguish between Price Action and Network Value.

• Price Action: The short-term fluctuation driven by liquidations and headlines.
• Network Value: The total economic activity settled on-chain, which has grown by over 400% since 2021, even while prices consolidated.

2021 vs. 2026: Why "No Progress" is an Illusion

A direct comparison of the 2021 peak and the current 2026 market reveals why the "sideways" movement is actually a massive bullish consolidation.

The 10-Year Horizon

According to recent data from BlackRock, Bitcoin ETFs now hold over 1.3 million BTC, nearly 6.5% of the total supply. In March 2026, the 20-millionth Bitcoin was officially mined. With fewer than 1 million coins left to be produced and the 2028 halving approaching, the scarcity narrative is transitionary from "theory" to "mathematical certainty."

Moving Beyond the Top Two

While Bitcoin is the "digital gold," the broader ecosystem offers different value propositions. If you are looking for yield or utility, platforms like Ethereum and Solana have transitioned from experimental testnets to hosting tokenized U.S. Treasuries and private credit.

Is it "Late" to the Party?

The feeling of being "late" usually stems from comparing current prices to $100 Bitcoin. However, if Bitcoin captures even 15% of the global gold market (currently $15 trillion), its valuation would exceed $500,000 per coin. In 2026, we are in the "Early Majority" phase of adoption. The "easy money" from 1,000x gains is gone for major assets, but the "safe money" for 15-20% annualized growth is just arriving.

Why the "Long-Term Game" Wins

• Supply Dynamics: The issuance rate is mechanically shrinking while institutional "buy-and-hold" demand is growing.
• Fiat Devaluation: As global debt levels rise, the appeal of a fixed-supply asset increases as a hedge against inflation.
• Integration: In 2026, crypto is no longer a separate "silo." It is the backend of modern fintech.

Is Crypto Still a Good Investment?

BTC at $70k in both 2021 and 2026—should not be viewed as a failure of growth, but as the successful establishment of a new floor. The volatility that characterized the early 2020s is dampening as deeper liquidity enters the market. If your timeframe is 5 to 10 years, 2026 represents one of the most de-risked entry points in history.

• Final Note: "In crypto, the price tells you what happened yesterday, but the infrastructure tells you what will happen tomorrow."

As tensions in the Middle East reached a boiling point, risk assets—including $Bitcoin and major altcoins—faced a sharp "risk-off" liquidation. However, as diplomatic channels begin to signal a potential de-escalation, savvy investors are looking at the "blood in the streets" as a generational entry point.

Historically, markets overreact to geopolitical shocks. If a resolution is reached in early April, the pent-up liquidity currently sitting in stablecoins is expected to flood back into high-conviction projects that were unfairly hammered during the panic.

Is April a Good Time to Buy Crypto?

Potentially, as April 2026 is shaping up to be a prime recovery month. With many tokens trading at 20-30% discounts from their Q1 highs, the current "oversold" conditions on the RSI (Relative Strength Index) suggest a relief rally is imminent.

1. Ethereum (ETH): The Race Back to $3,000

$Ethereum remains the backbone of the decentralized economy. During the recent March turbulence, ETH slipped below its psychological support, but the fundamentals remain unshaken.

• Recovery Catalyst: The successful implementation of the "Prague" upgrade earlier this year has further reduced Layer-2 costs.
• Price Target: Analysts expect a swift recovery to the $3,000 mark as institutional ETH ETFs see renewed inflows once the global macro outlook stabilizes.

Investors should monitor the ETH price closely, as its recovery usually leads the broader altcoin market.

2. PEPE: The Volatility King

For those with a higher risk appetite, $PEPE remains the go-to memecoin for catching rapid bounces. Memecoins often act as high-beta plays on market sentiment; when the market turns green, PEPE tends to move twice as fast as the majors.

• Current State: PEPE lost significant ground in March but has maintained a strong community floor.
• Why Buy: Its extreme volatility makes it an ideal candidate for a "relief rally" play. As retail investors return to the market in April, the low-unit bias of PEPE often attracts massive speculative volume.

3. XRP: Regulatory Clarity Meets Institutional Adoption

$XRP has faced a double-whammy of geopolitical pressure and a temporary "capital flight" toward safer havens. However, its role in cross-border payments, especially in the Middle East, makes it a unique asset to watch as regional stability returns.

• Market Position: Having secured full regulatory clarity in late 2025, XRP is no longer a "gamble" but a utility-driven asset.
• Outlook: It has lost nearly 15% in the last month, making the XRP price highly attractive for those betting on the continued expansion of RippleNet.

4. Cardano (ADA): The "Deep Value" Opportunity

$Cardano is currently one of the most oversold "blue-chip" altcoins. While critics point to its slower price action, the network's resilience and growing DeFi TVL (Total Value Locked) suggest it is undervalued.

• The Dip: ADA has hit multi-month lows, hovering near critical demand zones.
• The Play: Historically, ADA performs well in the second stage of a market recovery.

5. Solana (SOL): The Ecosystem Powerhouse

No "Top 5" list for 2026 is complete without $Solana. Despite the market-wide dip, Solana continues to lead in retail transaction volume and NFT activity.

• Technical Outlook: SOL has shown incredible strength in bouncing off the $80-$100 support range.
• Why April: With the Firedancer upgrade nearing full optimization, Solana's throughput is unmatched. Any return of "risk-on" sentiment will likely see SOL outperform Bitcoin in percentage gains. You can compare Solana's performance against other majors on our exchange comparison page.

Top 5 Cryptos to Buy in April 2026

Russia Bans Gasoline Exports — A New Energy Shock Begins

In a sudden policy move, Russia has announced a ban on gasoline exports starting April 1, tightening global fuel supply at a time of already elevated geopolitical risk.

According to reports from Russian state media, the decision follows high-level discussions between energy officials and major oil companies, signaling a coordinated effort to stabilize domestic supply — at the expense of global markets.

👉 The result: less fuel available globally, and rising pressure on oil prices.

Brent Crude Oil Expected to Rise Further

This development directly impacts Brent crude oil, the global benchmark, which is already reacting to:

• Ongoing geopolitical tensions in the Middle East
• Supply disruptions across key oil-producing regions
• Increasing demand resilience despite macro uncertainty

With Russia restricting gasoline exports, markets are now pricing in:

• Tighter refined fuel supply
• Higher refining margins
• Upward pressure on crude oil prices

👉 A move toward $115+ oil becomes increasingly realistic if supply constraints persist.

Why Higher Oil Prices Are Bearish for Crypto

At first glance, oil and crypto may seem unrelated — but in reality, they are deeply connected through global liquidity and macro risk sentiment.

When oil prices surge:

1. Inflation Expectations Rise

Higher energy costs ripple across the economy — from transport to manufacturing.

➡️ This increases inflation pressure globally.

2. Central Banks Stay Hawkish

Rising inflation reduces the likelihood of rate cuts.

➡️ Liquidity stays tight, hurting risk assets like crypto.

3. Risk-Off Sentiment Takes Over

Investors rotate capital into safer assets or commodities.

➡️ Bitcoin and altcoins face selling pressure.

👉 This is the same pattern seen in previous oil shocks: crypto drops as energy rises.

Bitcoin and Altcoins Already Feeling the Pressure

The market reaction has already begun:

• Bitcoin struggling to hold key support levels
• Ethereum and altcoins moving lower in tandem
• Increased correlation with equities and macro indicators

Despite recent bullish news (ETF flows, institutional demand), macro forces are currently dominating price action.

👉 Crypto is no longer trading in isolation — it’s reacting to global energy shocks.

The Bigger Picture: A Macro-Driven Crypto Market

This gasoline export ban is not just a regional policy — it’s part of a broader shift:

• Energy is becoming a geopolitical weapon
• Supply chains are fragmenting
• Inflation risks are returning

For crypto markets, this means one thing:

👉 Macro is back in control.

Until oil stabilizes and liquidity conditions improve, crypto markets may remain under pressure.

Outlook: What Should Crypto Investors Watch Next?

Key signals to monitor:

• Brent crude oil price trajectory ($90 → $100+)
• Developments in Middle East tensions
• Central bank policy expectations
• Bitcoin’s ability to hold major support levels

If oil continues rising, expect:

➡️ Continued downside or sideways movement in crypto
➡️ Increased volatility
➡️ Delayed bullish momentum

Ethereum has rolled out a steady stream of upgrades since 2022. Here’s how those changes fit together—and what’s still ahead.

Xiaomi's MiMo V2 family arrives quietly but lands hard—a trillion-parameter AI challenger that nobody in the West saw coming.

GameStop has pledged nearly all of its Bitcoin to a covered call strategy on Coinbase Prime to generate some yield.

Anthropic's next-generation model, dubbed Claude Mythos, is seen as a "step change" for AI—and potentially bad news for cybersecurity.

Intercontinental Exchange, the firm behind the New York Stock Exchange, invested a total of $1.6 billion into prediction market Polymarket.

Canadian billionaire and mining magnate Frank Giustra has mocked Wall Street strategist Tom Lee over his highly optimistic market forecasts.

Bitcoin and XRP face a volatile week as Jerome Powell's speech and the Friday jobs report loom. Explore six critical U.S. macro events that could define crypto market trends this week.

Michael Saylor has compared STRC to the S&P 500 and major indices, noting its superior stability during Bitcoin's recent attempt to close the week above $67,000.

Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse has highlighted a massive untapped opportunity as crypto gains utility in treasury operations.

This morning on the crypto market: XRP hits an eight-year Q1 low, OKX moves 32 billion SHIB offline, and Michael Saylor signals a billion-dollar Bitcoin push with "laser eyes.".

TLDR:

• Bitcoin, XRP, Ethereum, and Solana each fell 6–8% this week, wiping over $80 billion from the crypto market.

• A $14.16B Bitcoin options expiry on March 27 liquidated 122,000 traders and triggered $451M in total losses.

• Iran’s threat to block a second oil chokepoint pushed crude above $103, accelerating the crypto selloff sharply.

• Stablecoin supply near a record $316B signals parked capital ready to return once market conditions stabilize.

Crypto markets are facing one of their roughest stretches of 2026. Bitcoin, XRP, Ethereum, and Solana have each dropped between 6% and 8% over the past seven days.

The selloff has erased more than $80 billion in total market value since March 24. A record-breaking options expiry, rising geopolitical tension, and heavy ETF outflows all hit at once. The Fear & Greed Index now sits at 23, deep in extreme fear territory.

Three Reasons Crypto Is Crashing This Week

The single biggest catalyst was the March 27 Bitcoin options expiry on Deribit. It was the largest quarterly expiry of 2026, settling $14.16 billion in contracts.

The max pain level sat at $75,000, far above where Bitcoin was actually trading. That gap triggered forced selling across the board, liquidating over 122,000 traders. Total liquidation losses reached $451 million within 24 hours.

Iran’s threat to block the Bab el-Mandeb Strait made things significantly worse. That strait carries 12% of global seaborne oil and sits alongside the already-closed Strait of Hormuz.

Oil crossed $103 per barrel on the news, pushing investors away from risk assets. The gold-to-crypto rotation that had helped Bitcoin recover in early March reversed sharply. Crypto sold off alongside equities as fear spread through financial markets.

ETF outflows added further weight to an already struggling market. Bitcoin ETFs bled $171 million on March 26, while Ethereum ETFs shed $92.5 million the same day.

That marked Ethereum’s seventh consecutive session of net outflows. It was also the first time in 2026 that Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Solana spot ETFs all posted outflows on the same day. Institutional selling pressure is now visible across all three major ETF categories.

The macro environment was already working against crypto before this week. The Federal Reserve revised its 2026 PCE inflation forecast upward from 2.4% to 2.7% at its March 18 meeting.

That pushed rate cut expectations further out into the year. The 10-year Treasury yield climbed near 4.5%, and the dollar index gained 0.57% in seven days. When yields rise and the dollar strengthens, capital tends to rotate out of crypto and into bonds.

A 15% global tariff overhang has been adding pressure to risk assets since early 2026. That backdrop gave investors little reason to buy the dip when options mechanics and geopolitical risk hit simultaneously.

There was no cushion underneath the market when the selling accelerated. Each external factor compounded the next, making the crash broader and faster than it might have been otherwise.

Where Prices Stand and What a Recovery Requires

Bitcoin dropped from $71,000 at the start of the week to $66,457 as of March 28. That puts it 47% below its October 2025 all-time high of $126,080.

The $66,000 level is now the key support to watch. A daily close below it would be the first time Bitcoin has lost that floor since February’s crash. If that happens, analysts warn a move toward $50,000 could follow.

Ethereum broke below $2,000 for the first time since mid-2024, falling 7.24% on the week. It is now 60% below its August 2025 peak of $4,953. XRP dropped to $1.33, down 7.03%, despite the SEC recently classifying it as a digital commodity.

Solana fell the hardest of the four, losing 7.62% to trade at $83.10. SOL is now 72% below its cycle high, with on-chain activity also declining alongside price.

A ceasefire or de-escalation in the Iran-Israel conflict remains the fastest path to a recovery. When ceasefire reports emerged in early March, Bitcoin gained 16% in just five days.

Oil falling back below $90 would ease inflation pressure and bring risk appetite back to markets. The CLARITY Act is also moving toward a Senate Banking Committee markup in late April. If passed, it would give institutions the legal framework they need to increase crypto exposure.

Stablecoin supply is sitting near a record $316 billion, showing that capital has not fully left the crypto ecosystem. That liquidity could flow back into Bitcoin, Ethereum, XRP, and Solana once conditions improve.

Consecutive days of positive ETF inflows across multiple assets would signal that a recovery is beginning. Until then, the $66,000 Bitcoin level remains the market’s clearest indicator of what comes next.

The post Bitcoin Slides to $66K as XRP, Ethereum, and Solana Crash: Here Is What Triggered the Drop appeared first on Blockonomi.

A crypto team recently apologized for betting on their own fundraiser, a reminder that insider information moves first while retail traders find out last. This isn’t a theory; it’s the market’s default state.

DeepSnitch AI (DSNT) was built to flip this script. While teams front-run their own raises, DSNT’s five AI agents intercept malicious contracts and flag honeypots in real-time, protecting your wallet before it takes a hit.

With over $2.6 million raised and a confirmed March 31st Uniswap listing, the $0.04669 entry price is nearly history. Secure the tools to beat the insiders before the crowd arrives, and the DeepSnitch AI price prediction will take care of the rest.

P2P.me’s prediction market scandal highlights crypto’s insider trading problem

The P2P.me team recently apologized for betting on its own $6 million fundraiser on Polymarket ten days before launch. Despite only having a verbal commitment from Multicoin Capital, they wagered on their own success. The raise ultimately fell short at $5.2 million, with “insider” profits now being redirected to the DAO treasury.

This lapse coincides with a major U.S. regulatory crackdown. This week, lawmakers introduced the PREDICT Act and the Public Integrity in Financial Prediction Markets Act, targeting insider trading by government officials.

While teams and institutions exploit information gaps, DeepSnitch AI (DSNT) levels the playing field. Its five live AI agents identify malicious contracts and honeypots in real-time. Secure your $0.04669 entry before the March 31st Uniswap listing permanently closes the door on this advantage.

Top 3 cryptos to own this year

DeepSnitch AI

The P2P.me scandal is a reminder of how crypto’s information game works. Insiders and institutions move first, leaving retail to absorb the consequences. Whether it’s coordinated ETF exits or teams front-running their own raises, retail traders are consistently the last to know and the first to get hurt.

DeepSnitch AI (DSNT) exists to close this asymmetry. Its five live AI agents intercept malicious contracts, flag honeypots, and audit risks in real-time.

This utility is exactly why DSNT raised over $2.6 million during a hostile market. At $0.04669, the project is backed by a functional product that traders are already using to protect their capital, which in turn pushed the DeepSnitch AI price prediction into the sky.

Compare this to “wait-and-see” setups: Bitcoin Cash (BCH) needs a $500 breakout to confirm, and Solana (SOL),  despite owning 98% of on-chain equity volume, is still waiting for a monthly bullish confirmation.

DSNT doesn’t ask you to wait. The March 31st Uniswap listing is the hard deadline. This is your final opportunity to secure presale bonuses and ground-floor pricing before open-market discovery takes over. Insiders have always had the edge; now, you have the counter, and that’s why the DeepSnitch AI price prediction looks at 200x returns from now.

Bitcoin Cash

BCH started coiling at $476 on March 27, building massive pressure beneath the $500 resistance level. This zone holds the market’s heaviest short liquidation cluster; a breach here would ignite a violent squeeze toward $560+.

While BCH builds this powerful technical floor, DeepSnitch AI (DSNT) is already in full motion. Raising $2.6 million through extreme market fear, DSNT is heading straight for its March 31st Uniswap listing.

While other assets wait for macro confirmation, DSNT delivers immediate price discovery. Secure your $0.04669 entry before the window shuts in two days;  the edge belongs to those who move now.

Solana

Solana is flashing a 4-hour TD Sequential buy signal, indicating potential exhaustion of its recent downtrend. Dominating 98% of tokenized spot equity volume and processing 826 million weekly transactions, SOL’s infrastructure lead is undeniable.

A monthly bullish engulfing candle is currently developing, historically the precursor to every major Solana rally. While SOL awaits monthly confirmation to target $120, DeepSnitch AI (DSNT) is moving now.

With its March 31st Uniswap listing only two days away, DSNT offers immediate price discovery. Secure your $0.04669 entry before the window shuts and the open market reprices this utility permanently.

The bottom line

P2P.me’s team betting on their own fundraising confirms that information asymmetry is the real game.

Most retail traders play blind against insiders who move weeks earlier. While BCH shows textbook compression and SOL commands 98% of on-chain equity volume, both require waiting for confirmation. They don’t bridge the information gap that insiders exploit.

DeepSnitch AI (DSNT) does. Its five live AI agents flag malicious contracts and honeypots in real-time – no institutional connections required. Having raised $2.6 million during a hostile market, DSNT proves its utility is essential.

The March 31st Uniswap listing is the definitive cutoff. This is your final opportunity to secure the $0.04669 entry before the 200x DeepSnitch AI price prediction comes true.

Visit the official website for more information, and join X and Telegram for community updates.

FAQs

What is the DeepSnitch AI price forecast heading into its Uniswap listing?

The DeepSnitch AI price prediction looks promising, with the token still at $0.04669, over $2.6M raised, and bonuses disappearing at listing as the March 31st presale close approaches.

What is the DeepSnitch AI price target for investors buying during the presale?

The DeepSnitch AI price prediction points to significant multiples, with utility-driven adoption rather than market sentiment powering its value through real-time contract auditing and threat detection that functions regardless of market direction.

What is the DeepSnitch AI prediction for 2026 based on its fundamentals?

The DeepSnitch AI prediction for 2026 is strongly bullish, with institutional-grade tools now accessible to retail traders, honeypot detection, and contract scanning creating sustained demand that extends well beyond the initial listing day.

The post DeepSnitch AI Price Prediction: DSNT Surges 210% as Investors Choose AI Tech Over Washed-Up Altcoins Like BCH and SOL appeared first on Blockonomi.

TLDR:

• Chainlink Economics 2.0 is built to support mass adoption from banks, asset managers, and millions of developers.

• Nazarov’s universal payment model lets developers pay in any token, which then converts into LINK for security.

• Lower payment friction means more fees flow into Chainlink, directly strengthening the network’s overall security layer.

• Chainlink’s universal billing system may become a standalone product, reducing payment friction across other blockchain protocols.
  

Chainlink economics is undergoing a structural shift as the protocol prepares for mass institutional and developer adoption.

Sergey Nazarov, Chainlink’s co-founder, recently outlined how the network’s next economic phase is being designed.

The model centers on creating a self-reinforcing loop. More security drives adoption, adoption generates fees, and fees fund greater security. This cycle forms the foundation of what Nazarov calls Economics 2.0.

A Universal Payment System to Reduce Developer Friction

The core of Economics 2.0 is a flexible, universal billing infrastructure. Nazarov explained that developers should be able to pay into the system however they prefer. That includes native tokens, their own project tokens, or even cash payments.

Once received, those payments get converted into Chainlink’s native token. This conversion ensures the system maintains consistent security funding regardless of how fees arrive. The process removes unnecessary barriers for developers integrating Chainlink services.

Nazarov described the payment model directly, stating that the goal is to have “an efficient payment system that allows users, developers of the protocol to pay into the system however they like, in whatever form they like, their own token, native tokens, some other form of payment, cash payments, whatever payments.” He added that this would then be “converted into the token of the system to create the necessary security.”

Reducing payment friction matters because lower friction means higher participation. When developers pay more easily, more fees flow into the network. Those fees then strengthen the system’s overall security layer.

Targeting a Market That Does Not Yet Fully Exist

Chainlink’s current market is not yet operating at the scale Economics 2.0 is designed for. Nazarov noted that millions of developers, global banks, and asset managers are not yet fully on-chain. That transition remains ahead.

Economics 2.0 is being built in anticipation of that larger market. The protocol is preparing its infrastructure now so it can handle that volume when it arrives.

Nazarov was direct about the current state, saying the market adoption “is not in the millions of developers” and “not in the world of all the banks, and all the asset managers.” That is precisely the world Economics 2.0 is being built for.

As the market grows, the value placed on security is expected to grow with it. Greater security should then attract more adoption across institutional and Web2 participants.

Nazarov summarized the broader ambition by stating, “the goal is to get as many fees into the system as possible so those fees feed back into the security of the system.”

Chainlink’s ability to provide reliable price data positions it uniquely for this role. Nazarov suggested the universal billing system could eventually become a standalone product for other protocols.

He noted that “a universal billing system, payment system will even become a product of a kind for other protocols because you do want to lower the friction that people have to go through to pay for anything.” The model is designed to scale alongside the market it serves.

The post Sergey Nazarov Details How Chainlink Economics 2.0 Builds a Virtuous Cycle of Security and Fees appeared first on Blockonomi.

TLDR:

• Tokenized stocks crossed the $1 billion mark in Q1 2026, reflecting rapid growth in onchain equity markets. 
• Total RWA onchain value surpassed $10 billion, showing broad momentum across multiple tokenized asset classes. 
• AI-driven asset intelligence shifted from an optional tool to a core infrastructure requirement for onchain managers. 
• Liquidity fragmentation in tokenization remains the most critical and valuable unsolved problem entering Q2 2026.

Tokenized stocks have crossed the $1 billion mark, according to data from blockchain analytics platform rwa.xyz. The milestone arrives as the broader RWA onchain market surpasses $10 billion in total value.

These figures come at the close of Q1 2026, a quarter that saw institutional participation grow at a faster rate than many had expected.

Infrastructure builders are now preparing for what many expect to be a more active second quarter across tokenized asset markets.

Tokenized Stocks Hitting $1B Signals a Broader Market Shift

Tokenized stocks crossing the $1 billion threshold marks a clear turning point in onchain equity markets. Block Street shared the figures on X, sourcing the data directly from rwa.xyz.

The account noted that while the market is “still early,” the pace of growth is clearly accelerating. It also pointed out that the current period represents a foundation-building phase, with real expansion still to come.

The $1 billion figure for tokenized stocks did not arrive in isolation. It came alongside the broader RWA onchain market, surpassing $10 billion in the same reporting window.

Together, these numbers reflect a market that is maturing steadily across multiple asset classes. Allocators who were previously watching from the sidelines are now deploying capital in a more structured and recurring manner.

The speed at which tokenized equities reached this milestone has drawn attention from both institutional and retail corners of the market. Just a few quarters ago, tokenized stocks were still considered an experimental layer within onchain finance.

That perception has shifted noticeably through Q1 2026. The $1 billion mark now serves as a reference point for how quickly this segment can scale when the right infrastructure is in place.

RWA Infrastructure Gaps and AI Tools Take Center Stage in Q2

Orca Prime published a Q1 2026 review at the close of March, identifying three clear patterns from the quarter. Institutional RWA adoption continued to accelerate rather than plateau throughout the period.

AI-driven asset intelligence also moved from a supplementary tool to a core operational requirement for onchain managers.

The account stated that a liquidity infrastructure gap in tokenization remains the most valuable problem currently unsolved in the market.

Each of those three patterns gained further clarity as tokenized stock volumes climbed through the quarter. As more institutional capital entered the space, the need for reliable, automated intelligence around onchain assets became more direct.

Orca Prime described this transition as a structural shift rather than a passing trend. The firm noted that all data points from Q1 pointed consistently in the same direction.

Orca Prime stated it spent Q1 building infrastructure aligned specifically with the liquidity gap it identified. The firm views this problem as the most consequential challenge facing the tokenization market right now.

With tokenized stocks now past the $1 billion level and total RWA on-chain above $10 billion, the pressure to solve liquidity fragmentation is growing.

The account closed its review by framing Q2 as the period where the groundwork laid in Q1 would begin to produce visible results.

The post Onchain RWA Tops $10 Billion and Tokenized Stocks Hit $1B as Institutional Adoption Grows appeared first on Blockonomi.

TLDR:

• Bitcoin lacks a central body to coordinate a quantum-proof upgrade, making the transition socially and technically difficult.

• Around 1.7 million inaccessible BTC face quantum theft risk, forcing miners to choose between freezing or losing those coins.

• Bitcoin’s declining block subsidy raises long-term security concerns, as transaction fees are unlikely to fill the funding gap.

• Ethereum’s proof-of-stake model and Foundation coordination give it structural advantages over Bitcoin in security and adaptability.

Bitcoin’s long-term viability is under scrutiny as three structural problems emerge around quantum resistance, inaccessible coins, and economic security.

These concerns have resurfaced in crypto discussions, with analysts comparing the two largest networks. While Bitcoin remains the dominant digital asset by market cap, some observers believe Ethereum’s design choices may position it more favorably over time.

The debate has reignited questions about governance, adaptability, and the future balance of power between the two networks.

Bitcoin’s Quantum and Governance Problems Draw Fresh Attention

Bitcoin’s decentralized structure, often praised as a strength, may complicate its quantum upgrade. Unlike Ethereum, Bitcoin lacks a central coordinating body to manage such a technical shift. Its conservative culture makes large-scale protocol changes socially difficult to push through.

Crypto analyst John Galt raised this concern directly on X, noting that “Bitcoin has no central entity to coordinate the quantum upgrade.” He added that Bitcoin’s culture makes big changes “socially very difficult.” This cultural resistance could slow necessary adaptations.

The inaccessible coin problem adds another layer of complexity. Around 1.7 million BTC are presumed lost or inaccessible, making them vulnerable once quantum computing matures. Moving these coins to quantum-proof addresses requires owner action, which is impossible for lost holdings.

This creates a binary dilemma: miners could freeze those coins, or quantum hackers could eventually claim them. Either outcome risks fracturing the Bitcoin community. Galt compared the potential fallout to the block size war, which split the network years ago.

Ethereum’s Design Offers Structural Solutions, Analysts Argue

Ethereum’s approach to quantum readiness differs significantly from Bitcoin’s. The Ethereum Foundation can coordinate protocol upgrades more efficiently. Additionally, far fewer ETH are presumed inaccessible, reducing the quantum vulnerability gap.

On the economic security front, Bitcoin’s block subsidy will continue declining over successive halving cycles. Transaction fees alone are not expected to replace that subsidy reliably. This raises long-term questions about miner incentives and network security.

Ethereum, meanwhile, transitioned to proof-of-stake, which removes dependence on mining subsidies entirely. Galt noted that “the economic security problem is solved with PoS and effective tail emissions.” This structural difference could matter more as both networks age.

Culturally, the two ecosystems are also shifting in opposite directions, according to Galt. He pointed to Michael Saylor’s growing influence as a force reshaping Bitcoin’s culture toward institutional conservatism. By contrast, the recent Ethereum Foundation manifesto signaled a more cypherpunk direction.

Galt concluded that these combined factors could drive ETH to gain ground against BTC in the coming years. He framed the current ETH valuation as comparable to buying BTC at $12,200, citing relative market caps. Whether that comparison holds will depend on how each network navigates these structural pressures.

The post Bitcoin’s Three Unsolved Problems Could Hand Ethereum a Long-Term Structural Advantage appeared first on Blockonomi.

The current hash price environment is squeezing Bitcoin miners’ profitability. CoinShares estimates that 15-20% of the global mining fleet is operating at a loss at the current hash price of $28-30 per PH/day.

In Q4 2025, Bitcoin fell nearly 31%, from an early-October all-time high of almost $126,000 to around $86,000 by late December, while network hash rate remained near record levels, driving hash prices to post-halving lows.

Mining at a Loss

According to the latest findings by CoinShares, miners operating mid-generation hardware, including models below the S19 XP, faced negative cash flow unless they had access to ultra-cheap electricity, typically under $0.05/kWh. These conditions put roughly one-sixth to one-fifth of the global mining capacity below breakeven, which is a clear signal of pressure on older and less efficient operators.

The report found that the weighted average cost of production for publicly listed miners reached $79,995 per Bitcoin in Q4 2025, as a result of higher electricity costs, increased depreciation from new AI and HPC infrastructure, and rising network difficulty. With hash prices compressed, the report identifies three consecutive negative difficulty adjustments in late 2025. This is a rare occurrence not seen since July 2022, and indicates miner capitulation.

Operators running legacy S19-series equipment were particularly impacted, as winter energy costs and ERCOT grid curtailments further increased uneconomic mining hours. CoinShares pointed out that the sector’s margin compression has forced some miners to diversify. A growing number pivoted toward AI and HPC workloads that promise higher and more stable returns compared to cyclical Bitcoin mining.

Despite the sector-wide strain, CoinShares stated that the network hash rate has shown resilience. The global network hash rate peaked at around 1,160 EH/s in October 2025 before dipping roughly 10% by December and early 2026 due to uneconomic operations and regulatory inspections in Xinjiang, China.

Miners Reduce BTC Holdings

By early March 2026, the network had stabilized near 1,020 EH/s, which indicates that strategic miners with access to low-cost energy, state-backed operations, or next-generation ASICs continue to operate profitably even as mid-generation fleets struggle. The report further detailed that publicly listed miners have reduced their BTC holdings in response to tight margins, while Core Scientific, Bitdeer, and Riot have all liquidated significant amounts from their treasuries.

Meanwhile, recovery in hash prices is closely tied to BTC price movements. At current levels of around $30/PH/day, only the most efficient miners remain cash-positive, while older and less efficient fleets face losses. A steady BTC price above $70,000 could alleviate pressure, whereas prolonged weakness would likely trigger additional miner capitulation.

The post Legacy Bitcoin Miners Face Cash Crunch: 15-20% of the Global Fleet Running in the Red appeared first on CryptoPotato.

Bitcoin (BTC) continues in a broad consolidation phase following the steep declines earlier this year. The asset remains confined in a horizontal range that signals short-term indecision among market participants. While attempts to retest higher resistance levels around $75k have been met with selling pressure, BTC’s support near $60k has so far held, defining the lower boundary of the current range.

Bitcoin Price Analysis: The Daily Chart

On the daily timeframe, BTC shows clear lower highs and lows following the peak above $125k. The trend remains bearish in the broader context, as the 100-day (~$78k) and 200-day moving averages (~$90k) are both trending downward above current prices, adding overhead resistance.

The recent bounce toward the $75k supply zone has been rejected, and the asset even failed to reach the higher boundary of the large descending channel and the 100-day moving average nearby. This indicates that sellers remain active at higher levels and consistently sell into short-term rallies. The RSI also shows moderate recovery over the past couple of months, but is currently below 50, reflecting that bullish pressure is still limited.

BTC/USDT 4-Hour Chart

Dropping into the 4-hour chart, BTC recently formed a bearish market shift after a rejection at the key $75k level and the upper boundary of the flag pattern. The short-term trend shows lower highs and lows, and the market is breaking below the lower trendline of the pattern at the moment.

Short-term RSI also indicates near oversold conditions after the recent sell-off, suggesting a minor relief rally or consolidation could occur. However, the continuation of the descending trendline and the several bearish imbalances formed overhead indicate that any upward moves could face strong resistance. Therefore, short-term traders are likely positioning themselves for a revisit of the $60k zone in the coming days.

On-Chain Analysis

The BTC spot-to-derivative trading volume ratio has recently declined. This indicates that trading activity has shifted toward derivatives rather than spot BTC. It suggests that most participants are using leverage instead of buying or selling actual BTC, which typically increases short-term volatility.

With more traders relying on leveraged positions, small price moves can trigger amplified reactions, potentially resulting in sharp swings if key support or resistance levels are tested. This setup highlights a fragile short-term market structure despite consolidation in price, and could lead to liquidation cascades to either side, but still, a bearish move and long liquidation cascade is the most likely scenario.

The post Bitcoin Price Prediction: Is $60K Inevitable for BTC Amid Market Weakness? appeared first on CryptoPotato.

Although the rest of the cryptocurrency market has remained essentially flatlined over the past 24 hours or so, Bitcoin Cash just plunged by over 5% in minutes.

The move drove the popular altcoin from over $482 to $457 before it found some support and now trades close to $459.

This sudden and rather unexpected drop came amid reports that an unknown whale had disposed of a big chunk of BCH tokens.

Data shared by well-known analyst CW suggested that this entity sold off over 60,000 BCH in minutes, which led to an instant and violent uptick in the selling volume.

Someone caused a drop by selling over 60,000 $BCH in a short period of time. pic.twitter.com/q6j8FvUrjR

— CW (@CW8900) March 29, 2026

CoinGlass shows that almost $2.5 million worth of leveraged BCH positions have been wiped out in the past 24 hours. Expectedly, the majority ($2.4 million) was wrecked in the past few hours when the price calamity unfolded.

This means that 10% of the total liquidations in the past 4 hours came from BCH’s drop, which is quite logical given the fact that the rest of the market has shown little to no moves in the same timeframe.

Moreover, most of it was from a single position, which became the largest liquidation today. $2.15 million was liquidated on Binance involving the BCH/USDT trading pair.

The post Bitcoin Cash Suddenly Dumps 5% as Whale Reportedly Dumps 60,000 BCH appeared first on CryptoPotato.

A very “ideal situation” for XRP has developed over the past few months, claimed a popular market observer, indicating that large whales have become the dominant buying force behind the asset.

Their comments come as the price of Ripple’s cross-border token has struggled over the past seven days, posting a 5% decline and losing the fourth spot in terms of market cap to BNB.

Whales Stepping Up

Over its more than a decade of existence, XRP has become a fan favorite among retail investors, with a growing, highly vocal community. However, CW noted that the latest ecosystem moves have not been initiated by such investors. Just the opposite; the analyst said they have “lost interest in XRP.”

The silver lining in their post on X shows that whales have stepped up by adding both spot and futures XRP positions. The analyst indicated that this is a “very ideal situation” for the underlying asset.

Retail investors have lost interest in $XRP.

However, whales are accumulating spot and futures $XRP.

This is a very ideal situation.

Retail investors’ interest has cooled, and whales are quietly accumulating. pic.twitter.com/CYslEW4N0L

— CW (@CW8900) March 28, 2026

In a separate post, CW doubled down on this narrative, indicating that Ripple whales have been “continuing their accumulation for over a year.” What’s even more promising is that they “accumulate only at the bottom before an uptrend begins.”

CW explained that whales went on a massive buying spree when the asset traded between $0.30 and $1.30, and have now turned their focus on the $1.20 and $3.00 cluster.

“They have not yet sold their holding to retail investors. They are only buying,” CW concluded.

30% Move Next for XRP?

Fellow analyst Ali Martinez noted that XRP is breaking out of a symmetrical triangle on the 4-hour chart. He predicted a 30% move next, but unfortunately for the bulls, the breakout appears to be on the downside at least for now.

$XRP is breaking out of a symmetrical triangle.

A 30% move could follow! pic.twitter.com/vBtmnhx0Hi

— Ali Charts (@alicharts) March 28, 2026

CryptoWZRD also weighed in on XRP’s recent performance, outlining the significance of the $1.34 support, which is currently being tested. The 5% weekly decline has driven the asset to just under that level now, but the analyst said XRP could bounce toward $1.43 if it maintains that line.

The post Retail Investors Abandoned XRP but Ripple Whales Have Stepped Up: Analyst appeared first on CryptoPotato.

As the bear market stretches out, institutions that aggressively bought bitcoin (BTC) while the bulls dominated have gone quiet, except one: Michael Saylor’s business intelligence firm, Strategy.

A report from CryptoQuant says Strategy is now the sole driver of Bitcoin treasury demand, leading to a “one buyer market.” While the other companies are facing a period of inactivity, Strategy has accelerated its BTC accumulation, even putting up structures to ensure consistent purchases.

Strategy Drives Bitcoin Treasury Demand

According to CryptoQuant, Strategy has acquired approximately 45,000 BTC over the last 30 days. The acquisitions are the highest 30-day purchase the company has seen since April 2025, indicating that Strategy’s accumulation is growing at the fastest pace in almost a year.

Despite Strategy’s consistency, BTC purchases from other treasury companies have remained low, if not non-existent. This cohort has bought a total of 1,000 BTC in the last 30 days, a 99% plunge from the high of 69,000 BTC in August 2025. Their share of acquisitions has also fallen from 95% in October last year to 2% currently. Their share of total holdings has declined from 26% in November 2025 to 24% today.

These companies have made just 13 BTC purchases in the last 30 days, 76% less than the 54 recorded in August 2025. August was considered the “Bitcoin Treasury Summer,” as treasury companies’ activity peaked then.

“Activity and participation remain structurally weak outside Strategy. The number of purchases by other companies has declined significantly (13 vs 54 at peak), indicating that both capital deployment and participation breadth have deteriorated and are failing to support broader market demand,” CryptoQuant explained.

Demand Concentration Issues

With Strategy’s buying activity holding stable at 4-5 each 30-day period, the firm’s holdings have reached record highs, while those of other companies have stalled. The total holdings of Saylor’s business intelligence firm have grown by 90,000 BTC this year, while those of other treasury companies have risen by a mere 4,000 BTC.

Currently, Strategy accounts for a high concentration of the Bitcoin treasury industry. The firm holds roughly 76% of all BTC held by Bitcoin treasury companies, followed by the next two largest holders, XXI and Metaplanet, accounting for 4.3% and 3.5%, respectively.

While other companies fail to sustain demand, Strategy intends to keep buying and has unveiled new stock offerings to fuel additional purchases. This industry concentration reinforces the lack of diversified demand and raises concerns about the very centralization issues Bitcoin aims to combat.

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