Core Scientific's financing boost signals a strategic pivot towards AI-driven data services, potentially reshaping its market positioning.

The post Core Scientific secures $500M financing from JPMorgan to enhance data center expansion appeared first on Crypto Briefing.

Strategy Inc.'s continued Bitcoin accumulation highlights its commitment to digital assets, despite market volatility and unrealized losses.

The post Strategy buys 1,031 Bitcoin; its stash now surpasses 762,000 BTC appeared first on Crypto Briefing.

The pause in military actions eases market tensions, but energy disruptions and inflationary pressures may persist, affecting global stability.

The post Bitcoin rises as Trump orders halt to strikes on Iran energy sites appeared first on Crypto Briefing.

The recent Bitcoin movement by Mt. Gox may influence creditor expectations and market dynamics as the repayment deadline approaches.

The post Mt. Gox moves Bitcoin after months of inactivity ahead of repayment deadline appeared first on Crypto Briefing.

The exploit undermines trust in decentralized finance, highlighting vulnerabilities in smart contracts and the need for robust security measures.

The post Resolv’s USR stablecoin depegs after $80M exploit hits supply appeared first on Crypto Briefing.

Bitcoin Magazine

Bitcoin Price Rockets to $71,000 as Trump Orders Pause on Iran Strikes

Bitcoin price surged to $71,000 on Monday, rebounding from weekend lows near $67,000, as markets reacted to a sudden shift in geopolitical risk after Donald Trump announced a pause on planned U.S. strikes against Iran.

The move, which followed what Trump described as “very good” and “productive” talks with Tehran, triggered a broad relief rally across risk assets. 

Bitcoin price rose roughly 5% into the start of the week, reclaiming key technical levels that traders had identified as critical to maintaining bullish momentum.

The announcement marked a sharp reversal from escalating rhetoric over the weekend, when Washington had threatened strikes on Iranian energy infrastructure if shipping lanes through the Strait of Hormuz were not fully reopened. That ultimatum had pushed global markets into a defensive posture, with oil spiking and equities sliding.

Instead, Trump said via social media that the U.S. would delay any military action for five days, citing ongoing discussions and the possibility of a broader de-escalation. “Very good talks” had taken place over the past 48 hours, he said, raising hopes for an end to hostilities that have destabilized the region for weeks.

Iran’s response cast doubt on that narrative. Officials in Tehran denied that any direct dialogue had occurred, describing Trump’s statement as a tactic aimed at lowering energy prices and buying time for potential military planning. 

The country has previously warned it would retaliate against energy infrastructure across the Middle East if attacked.

Bitcoin price and broader markets respond

Despite the conflicting accounts, markets focused on the immediate implication: a pause in escalation.

Oil prices dropped sharply on the news, reversing gains tied to fears of supply disruption. Hundreds of vessels remain stranded around the Strait of Hormuz, a chokepoint that handles a significant share of global energy flows, though some tankers have begun cautiously transiting the corridor. 

The reopening of the waterway remains a central condition for any sustained de-escalation.

The prospect of strikes on power plants had represented a potential inflection point in the conflict. Targeting electricity infrastructure could trigger cascading humanitarian and economic consequences, particularly in Gulf states reliant on desalination and cooling systems. Iranian threats to expand retaliation to similar targets across the region heightened those concerns, raising the risk of a wider war.

That scenario now appears temporarily delayed, though far from resolved.

On the ground, military activity continues. Israeli forces have expanded operations in both Iran and southern Lebanon, targeting infrastructure and supply routes tied to Hezbollah.

Meanwhile, nuclear safety concerns have resurfaced after reports of military activity near Iran’s Bushehr facility prompted discussions between international and Russian officials. The International Atomic Energy Agency reiterated warnings against any action that could compromise nuclear plant safety.

Gold crashes while Bitcoin price stays strong

Against this backdrop, Bitcoin price reflects a market recalibrating its view of geopolitical risk.

The asset had shown resilience throughout the conflict, holding a firm floor near $66,000 even as traditional safe havens faltered. 

Gold, which typically benefits from geopolitical stress, has declined in recent sessions, while equities faced sustained pressure from rising yields and energy volatility.

Bitcoin price’s response to the latest developments reinforces a shifting narrative. Rather than trading purely as a risk asset, it has begun to absorb flows during periods of macro uncertainty, particularly when confidence in traditional hedges weakens.

For now, it seems like the market hinges on a five-day window with peace talks to continue this coming week. 

Elsewhere, Strategy added 1,031 bitcoin for $76.6 million last week, slowing its recent aggressive accumulation despite holding one of the largest corporate bitcoin positions.

At the time of writing, the bitcoin price is slightly shy of $71,000.

This post Bitcoin Price Rockets to $71,000 as Trump Orders Pause on Iran Strikes first appeared on Bitcoin Magazine and is written by Micah Zimmerman.

Bitcoin Magazine

Strategy (MSTR) Buys $76.6 Million in Bitcoin, Slowing Recent Accumulation Pace

Strategy made a smaller-scale bitcoin purchase last week, adding to a balance sheet that has grown into one of the largest corporate holdings of the asset, even as market conditions shift and the firm sits on a sizable unrealized loss.

Led by executive chairman Michael Saylor, Strategy disclosed that it acquired 1,031 bitcoin for $76.6 million between March 16 and March 22, according to a regulatory filing. The purchases were made at an average price of $74,326 per coin and funded through the sale of common stock.

The pace marks a sharp slowdown from the prior two weeks, when the company deployed more than $1 billion into bitcoin through a mix of equity issuance and preferred share offerings. The shift suggests a more measured approach after a period of aggressive accumulation tied to capital market activity.

Strategy now holds 762,099 BTC, acquired for roughly $57.7 billion at an average cost of $75,694 per coin. 

With Bitcoin trading near $71,000, the position carries an unrealized loss estimated at several billion dollars. The gap between cost basis and market price underscores the firm’s continued exposure to bitcoin’s price swings, even as it maintains a long-term accumulation strategy.

Saylor signaled the purchase ahead of the official announcement, posting an update to the company’s bitcoin acquisition tracker with the message “The Orange March Continues.” The firm has already acquired 43,346 BTC this month for roughly $3.05 billion.

Strategy is racking in bitcoin

The company’s approach has centered on raising capital through equity markets and redirecting proceeds into bitcoin, a model that has drawn both support and scrutiny. 

Supporters view the strategy as a levered bet on bitcoin’s long-term appreciation, while critics point to dilution risk and balance sheet concentration.

Last week’s purchases were funded entirely through at-the-market sales of Class A shares. Strategy sold more than 500,000 shares to finance the latest acquisition and still retains billions of dollars in remaining capacity under its issuance program. 

In contrast, there was no issuance tied to its preferred stock offerings during the period, a departure from recent weeks when those instruments played a larger role.

Market conditions may also be shaping the firm’s cadence. Bitcoin has traded in a narrow range in recent sessions, reflecting a mix of macro pressure and cautious sentiment. Price action has remained below Strategy’s average acquisition cost, limiting the immediate impact of continued buying on its balance sheet.

At the same time, broader risk markets showed signs of stabilization. U.S. equities moved higher in premarket trading, and Strategy’s shares edged up alongside bitcoin’s rebound toward the $70,000 level. 

The move followed a pause in geopolitical escalation after the Trump administration delayed potential strikes tied to tensions in the Middle East, easing pressure on energy markets and risk assets.

At the time of writing, Bitcoin is trading slightly shy of $71,000 and MSTR is trading near $139 a share. 

This post Strategy (MSTR) Buys $76.6 Million in Bitcoin, Slowing Recent Accumulation Pace first appeared on Bitcoin Magazine and is written by Micah Zimmerman.

Bitcoin Magazine

White House Reaches Tentative Crypto Regulatory Agreement: Report

Key senators and the White House have reached a tentative agreement on cryptocurrency legislation aimed at resolving a dispute between banks and digital asset firms over stablecoin yields, according to Politico reporting.

The move could clear the way for a landmark crypto regulatory bill stalled in the Senate Banking Committee since January.

Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) and Sen. Angela Alsobrooks (D-Md.) said Friday they have an “agreement in principle” on language intended to balance innovation with financial stability. The legislation seeks to prevent stablecoin rewards programs from triggering widespread deposit withdrawals from traditional banks, a concern raised by Wall Street groups.

“The agreement allows us to protect innovation while giving us the opportunity to prevent widespread deposit flight,” Alsobrooks said. Tillis described the deal as a positive step but noted the need to consult with industry stakeholders before finalizing details.

While specifics of the agreement remain unclear, early indications suggest it could bar yield payments on passive stablecoin balances. The tentative deal signals progress toward an April vote on the crypto market-structure bill, potentially unlocking the first major federal regulatory framework for digital assets.

Crypto legislation background 

The fight over a U.S. crypto market‑structure bill stems from a broader effort to build on 2025’s landmark stablecoin legislation, the GENIUS Act, which established a federal framework for stablecoins — requiring full backing, transparency and reserve disclosures for digital dollars. 

That law was widely seen in the crypto industry as a breakthrough for regulatory clarity while attempting to align digital assets with traditional financial standards.

After the GENIUS Act’s passage, the Senate turned its attention to more expansive digital asset oversight through what’s often referred to as the CLARITY Act or the crypto market‑structure bill. 

This legislation aims to define how U.S. regulators would police and oversee trading platforms, tokens, custody services and other infrastructure — essentially the backbone of a regulated digital asset ecosystem.

However, negotiations bogged down over one central issue: whether regulated exchanges should be allowed to offer yield‑bearing rewards on stablecoin holdings. 

Banks and major financial institutions argue that these rewards resemble unregulated deposit‑like products that could siphon funds away from FDIC‑insured accounts, potentially threatening lending and financial stability. 

Crypto firms — including major issuers like Circle and Coinbase — counter that such incentives are crucial for competitive markets and for user adoption of digital money.

The current tentative deal being negotiated between senators and the White House seeks a middle ground — potentially allowing activity‑based rewards while restricting passive yield — in hopes of unlocking Senate committee action by April. Whether that compromise holds both bank and crypto support will be decisive for the future of U.S. digital asset regulation. 

This post White House Reaches Tentative Crypto Regulatory Agreement: Report first appeared on Bitcoin Magazine and is written by Micah Zimmerman.

Bitcoin Magazine

Phong Le Calls Morgan Stanley’s BTC ETF a “Monster Bitcoin” Bet With $160 Billion Potential

Phong Le, President and CEO of Strategy, the world’s first and largest Bitcoin treasury firm, said Morgan Stanley’s proposed bitcoin ETF could unlock as much as $160 billion in demand under a modest portfolio allocation scenario.

“Morgan Stanley Wealth Management oversees about $8 trillion in AUM and recommends 0–4% bitcoin allocation,” Le wrote on X. “A 2% allocation would represent $160 billion, about three times the size of IBIT. MSBT: Monster Bitcoin.”

In other words, Le is saying that even a modest 2% bitcoin allocation across Morgan Stanley’s $8 trillion wealth platform could drive about $160 billion into bitcoin, far exceeding the size of existing ETFs like BlackRock’s iShares Bitcoin Trust.

The comment landed as Morgan Stanley advanced plans for its own spot BTC ETF, revealing new details in a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund would trade under the ticker MSBT, a symbol that Le cast as shorthand for the potential scale of institutional demand.

Morgan Stanley’s amended S-1 outlines a structure familiar to the growing class of spot BTC ETFs. The trust is set to list on NYSE Arca with a 10,000-share creation unit and an initial seed basket of 50,000 shares, expected to raise about $1 million. The bank also disclosed it purchased two shares earlier this month for audit purposes.

Key service providers mirror those used across the ETF ecosystem. BNY Mellon will act as cash custodian, administrator, and transfer agent, while Coinbase is set to serve as prime broker and custodian for the fund’s bitcoin. 

The product would hold BTC directly, aligning with the structure that has defined the current wave of the U.S.-listed spot ETFs.

Capital managers are migrating to bitcoin 

Le’s framing points to a larger question that sits beyond the mechanics of the filing: how much capital wealth managers may allocate if BTC becomes a standard portfolio component. Morgan Stanley Wealth Management, with trillions in client assets, has signaled that bitcoin exposure can range from zero to four percent depending on client profile. 

Even a midpoint allocation, as Le noted, would imply flows that exceed the size of existing flagship products such as iShares Bitcoin Trust.

So far, adoption has moved in stages. Since spot BTC ETFs launched in 2024, the category has attracted more than $50 billion in inflows, driven in large part by self-directed investors. Within advisory channels, uptake remains uneven, shaped by internal policies, risk models, and client demand.

Morgan Stanley has already taken steps in that direction, allowing brokerage clients to access spot BTC ETFs and widening availability over time. The MSBT filing suggests a shift from distribution toward ownership of the product itself, a move that could deepen the bank’s role in the market if approval is granted.

The SEC has not provided a timeline for a decision, and approval is not assured. Still, the application marks a notable development: a major U.S. bank seeking to issue its own spot bitcoin ETF in a market it once approached with caution.

This post Phong Le Calls Morgan Stanley’s BTC ETF a “Monster Bitcoin” Bet With $160 Billion Potential first appeared on Bitcoin Magazine and is written by Micah Zimmerman.

Bitcoin Magazine

Bitcoin Price Holds $70,000 as War-Driven Inflation Fears Meet Defensive Market Positioning

Bitcoin price held near the $70,000 level today as geopolitical risks tied to the conflict involving Iran shifted and macro expectations weighed on broader risk markets, while derivatives data and on-chain metrics pointed to a market in consolidation rather than capitulation.

The bitcoin price hovered around $70,500 in early Friday trading, following a pullback from a recent high near $76,000. 

The move came as energy markets surged and inflation concerns returned to the forefront, limiting upside across risk assets. Despite the pressure, Bitcoin price has shown relative stability compared with commodities and equities during the same period.

Research from VanEck frames the current environment as a post-stress reset. The firm’s mid-March ChainCheck report notes that Bitcoin price’s 30-day average price declined 19%, yet spot prices stabilized as realized volatility fell from 80 to near 50. 

At the same time, futures funding rates dropped from 4.1% to 2.7%, signaling reduced leverage and lower speculative intensity.

Options markets reflect a defensive posture. VanEck data shows the put-to-call open interest ratio averaged 0.77, the highest level since mid-2021, placing current positioning in the 91st percentile of observations since 2019. 

Demand for downside protection remains elevated, with put premiums reaching record levels relative to spot trading volume. Investors continue to allocate capital toward hedging, even as volatility declines.

Future positive returns for Bitcoin price?

This pattern has historical significance. According to VanEck, similar levels of options skew have preceded positive forward returns. Periods with comparable readings have produced average gains of more than 13% over the following 90 days and more than 100% over a one-year horizon. 

The data suggests that extreme caution in derivatives markets has often coincided with late-stage drawdowns rather than the start of new declines.

Onchain activity presents a quieter picture. Transfer volume fell 31% over the past month, while daily fees dropped 27%. Active addresses declined modestly, indicating limited participation at the network level. 

This trend led to the growing role of offchain venues, including exchange-traded products and derivatives platforms, which now account for a larger share of trading activity.

Long-term holders appear to be reducing distribution. Transfer volume declined across all age cohorts, signaling that older coins remain largely inactive. This shift points to reduced selling pressure from experienced market participants, a factor often associated with price stabilization phases.

Miner behavior adds another layer. Revenues declined 11% in the past month, reflecting tighter economics. Yet selling pressure from miners has not surged. Onchain flows to exchanges rose only 1%, while aggregate miner balances declined at a gradual pace. Over the past year, miners have sold most newly issued supply but have not accelerated liquidation of existing reserves.

Institutional flows, however, have softened. 

Spot Bitcoin exchange-traded funds recorded net outflows in recent sessions, reversing a prior streak of inflows. The shift aligns with broader risk aversion as investors respond to macro uncertainty and rising energy costs.

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

At the time of writing, the bitcoin price is $70,371.

This post Bitcoin Price Holds $70,000 as War-Driven Inflation Fears Meet Defensive Market Positioning first appeared on Bitcoin Magazine and is written by Micah Zimmerman.

Bitcoin climbed back above $70,000 after President Donald Trump said the United States had held “productive conversations” with Iran and would postpone planned strikes on Iranian power plants and energy infrastructure for five days.

In a March 23 post on Truth Social, Trump wrote in capital letters:

“BASED ON THE TENOR AND TONE OF THESE IN DEPTH, DETAILED, AND CONSTRUCTIVE CONVERSATIONS, WHICH WILL CONTINUE THROUGHOUT THE WEEK, I HAVE INSTRUCTED THE DEPARTMENT OF WAR TO POSTPONE ANY AND ALL MILITARY STRIKES AGAINST IRANIAN POWER PLANTS AND ENERGY INFRASTRUCTURE FOR A FIVE DAY PERIOD, SUBJECT TO THE SUCCESS OF THE ONGOING MEETINGS AND DISCUSSIONS.”

Trump said the delay would depend on the outcome of talks that are set to continue through the week.

This eased some of the risk aversion that had spread across global markets earlier in the session.

Data from CryptoSlate showed that the move pushed Bitcoin up about 3.6% on the day to $70,968, after it traded as low as $67,436 intraday.

Other digital assets, including Ethereum, XRP, Solana, and the top 10 crypto assets by market capitalization, all registered gains of more than 4% as traders moved back into risk assets following the White House signal.

Following the uptick, short sellers who were betting against upward market momentum lost $271 million in the past hour, bringing their total losses to $364 million over the last 24 hours.

Trump's shifting position on Iran war

This marketwide rebound came after a volatile weekend in which Trump issued a series of shifting statements on the conflict.

Trump had previously threatened to destroy Iranian power infrastructure if the Strait of Hormuz was not reopened, while Iran warned it would retaliate against infrastructure linked to US interests and regional allies.

Those exchanges pushed markets toward a classic risk-off posture earlier on Monday, with oil surging, equities sliding, and investors reassessing the outlook for inflation and interest rates.

Once Trump announced the pause, the reaction spread quickly across asset classes. Oil prices fell sharply as traders reduced some of the geopolitical premium tied to fears of disruption in the Gulf.

Data from Oilprices show that West Texas Intermediate crude dropped 13% to $85.45 a barrel and Brent fell 12% to $98.66 after Trump’s post signaled a temporary opening for diplomacy.

At the same time, US stock futures rebounded more than 2%, reflecting a partial unwind of the defensive positioning that had dominated earlier in the day.

While, Europe’s STOXX 600 reversed losses of more than 2.2% to trade higher, and the dollar gave back earlier gains as investors responded to the prospect of a temporary de-escalation.

The post Bitcoin rockets to $70,000 as Trump announces shock pause on Iran strikes appeared first on CryptoSlate.

Bond markets, not oil alone, may decide Bitcoin’s fate this week

The market is still treating oil as the center of the current macro shock.

Market conditions after this weekend point somewhere else. Oil is the spark, bond markets are the channel, and Bitcoin is trading inside that channel as the week begins.

That is the setup now facing investors.

The geopolitical shock still carries weight. Crude can reshape inflation expectations, complicate central-bank decisions, and hit risk sentiment in a single move. The bigger issue, however, is what that energy shock is doing to sovereign debt markets at a moment when investors were already questioning how much inflation relief they could realistically expect in 2026.

That shift in focus takes the conversation from oil to yields, from yields to global bond pricing, and then directly to Bitcoin.

Bitcoin is operating in a market where the long end of the curve has become impossible to ignore.

Right now, the long end is under pressure.

The core thesis is straightforward: markets have already priced in war risk through energy, while the next repricing phase is centered on whether that energy shock becomes persistent enough to keep long-term yields elevated, delay policy relief, and tighten financial conditions across the board.

Every risk asset feels that process, and Bitcoin sits especially close to it because it still straddles two roles. In the short run, it behaves like a liquidity-sensitive macro asset. Over a longer horizon, it still carries the appeal of a hard-asset hedge.

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That tension sits at the center of the current setup.

The Kobeissi Letter moved closer to the right framework this weekend, arguing that oil prices are no longer the only threat to markets and that bond markets will play a major role in determining how long Washington can maintain pressure in the Iran conflict. The key takeaway from that argument lies in the market mechanics.

The U.S. 10-year yield climbed sharply after the war began on Feb. 28. Official Treasury data shows it moved from 3.97% on Feb. 27 to 4.39% by March 20, with live trading pushing it back toward the 4.4% area on Monday. That move is large enough to confirm that yields have risen quickly and that the bond market is applying real pressure on broader financial conditions.

Yield zone becomes the binding constraint for risk assets

The 4.50% to 4.60% zone on the 10-year deserves a more careful description. It reads best as a politically and financially sensitive range, rather than a fixed tripwire that forces an immediate response.

Markets rarely move with that kind of precision. Even so, recent experience suggests the White House pays close attention when the long end rises far enough to threaten broader risk conditions.

For Bitcoin, the implication is clear. The central question is no longer limited to whether oil moves higher. The more important issue is whether oil remains firm enough to keep inflation fears alive and lift yields into a range that pressures duration, equity multiples, and speculative positioning at the same time.

That is why the yield response deserves the bulk of investor attention.

The broader macro backdrop offers little relief.

The Federal Reserve held rates at 3.50% to 3.75% last week and signaled that the Middle East situation adds another layer of uncertainty to the policy outlook. The surrounding data reinforced that caution.

February CPI came in at 2.4% year over year, with core at 2.5%. February PPI ran hotter on a monthly basis. Payroll growth has cooled, and consumer sentiment has weakened. The University of Michigan’s preliminary March reading also showed inflation expectations rising, with gasoline prices standing out as a visible pressure point for households.

That combination leaves markets facing a difficult mix, softer growth signals arriving alongside renewed inflation anxiety.

Bitcoin tends to struggle when that mix starts feeding directly into the term premium.

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Japan now deserves a much bigger place in the conversation

One of the most underappreciated risks in the current environment is that this has expanded beyond a U.S. Treasury move. Japanese government bond yields have also moved higher since Friday, with the 10-year JGB rising from 2.264% on March 20 into roughly the 2.30% to 2.32% range on Monday.

Longer-dated yields moved higher as well, with the 30-year and 40-year both pressing upward.

At the same time, 10-year JGB futures remained pinned near recent lows after Friday’s selloff instead of staging a convincing rebound.

That development adds another layer to the macro pressure.

Japan matters in global duration markets because rising JGB yields can influence capital flows, relative-rate pricing, hedging decisions, and the broader cost of money worldwide.

When JGBs reprice higher while Treasuries and gilts remain under pressure, the market begins to treat the energy shock as a global bond-market event rather than a localized oil panic.

That shift creates another challenge for Bitcoin.

The Bank of Japan reinforced that theme last week when it acknowledged that crude prices had risen significantly and warned that higher oil would place upward pressure on consumer prices.

The BOJ did not signal panic, but it also did nothing to cool the sense that inflation risk is broadening. Markets had already been pricing meaningful odds of another BOJ hike, and reports that Japan is considering trimming buybacks of inflation-linked bonds have only added to the sense that local inflation expectations are stirring again.

That leaves Japan acting less like a stabilizer and more like an amplifier.

Bitcoin traders often want the asset treated as digital gold during geopolitical stress. Price action has so far pointed to a more complicated reality. When the oil shock hit, traders sold Bitcoin instead of moving into it as a traditional haven. That response does not invalidate the hard-asset case over a longer horizon. It does show that timing plays a crucial role.

Bitcoin can still attract a more defensive bid later, especially if the policy response to weaker growth becomes more aggressive or if investors begin focusing more intensely on fiat credibility and sovereign debt sustainability. In the first stage of a liquidity shock, rising yields still create a hostile backdrop.

The week ahead carries unusual weight

This week does not include the usual PCE inflation anchor, because February U.S. PCE has been pushed back to April 9.

As a result, markets will lean more heavily on secondary signals. That raises the importance of Treasury auctions, PMI data, jobless claims, and survey-based inflation expectations.

Those releases form the scoreboard for the week.

Tuesday’s flash PMIs will offer an early sense of whether business activity is absorbing the shock or beginning to wobble. The 2-year Treasury auction lands the same day, followed by the 5-year on Wednesday and the 7-year on Thursday. Friday brings the final University of Michigan sentiment reading and an updated look at inflation expectations.

If the auctions come in weak and inflation-expectations data stay firm, the 10-year could move toward the mid-4% range quickly. That environment would keep Bitcoin under pressure even if oil pauses. Under that scenario, BTC would likely remain inside the market’s liquidity bucket as investors reprice higher-for-longer conditions.

A different path is also possible. If auctions clear well, PMIs soften enough to cap the long end, and inflation expectations cool, yields could stabilize even without a dramatic collapse in crude. That would offer a more constructive opening for Bitcoin.

Markets could begin shifting away from immediate concern over sticky inflation and toward a broader view in which the growth hit from the shock eventually outweighs the energy spike itself.

That is the point where Bitcoin’s hard-asset appeal can start to re-enter the conversation more forcefully.

Bitcoin market structure still looks intact

Spot prices have pulled back from recent highs, yet institutional demand has continued to show through in pockets of the market. U.S. spot ETF flows for the week ending March 20 were still net positive overall (+$93 million), even though the final sessions weakened.

Futures basis also remained positive. That combination suggests a market that is still engaged and still highly sensitive to macro conditions, rather than one facing broad internal collapse.

Which brings the focus back to bonds.

Bitcoin’s next move may depend less on the next jump in crude and more on whether the bond market decides the inflation shock is temporary or persistent. Oil created the initial shock. Treasuries are shaping how tight financial conditions become, and Japan is increasingly reinforcing that repricing instead of easing it.

Bitcoin now faces a three-part macro test this week.

1. Can oil stabilize quickly enough to keep inflation fears from building further.
2. Can Treasury auctions prevent another sharp move higher in the long end.
3. Can Japan avoid turning a U.S. bond selloff into a broader global duration squeeze.

If those pressures keep building, Bitcoin is likely to stay under strain and trade like a high-beta macro asset. If those pressures begin to ease, even partially, BTC has room to recover as markets start separating immediate war-driven stress from the wider monetary path ahead.

The current setup therefore runs deeper than crude alone. Oil started the fire, bonds are determining how far it spreads, and Japan is adding evidence that the repricing in sovereign debt is global.

Until the rate market settles, Bitcoin remains caught in the middle.

[Update 11:23 GMT: Rates nearing 4.5% have coincided with President Trump issuing a statement declaring “THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, AND THE COUNTRY OF IRAN, HAVE HAD, OVER THE LAST TWO DAYS, VERY GOOD AND PRODUCTIVE CONVERSATIONS REGARDING A COMPLETE AND TOTAL RESOLUTION OF OUR HOSTILITIES IN THE MIDDLE EAST.” Bitcoin jumped 4.5% immediately.]

The post Bitcoin focus shifts from oil to bonds as US and Japan 10-year yields spike into a critical week appeared first on CryptoSlate.

The crypto industry finally got the clear lines it spent years demanding from Washington.

Six days after the SEC and CFTC unveiled their new crypto framework, the policy is now moving into the formal publication process through the Federal Register, giving the market a clearer sense of what this week's regulatory reset actually is and what it still is not.

On Mar. 17, the SEC and CFTC said most crypto assets are not securities, drew a formal taxonomy, and handed staking, airdrops, mining, and wrapped tokens more breathing room than the market has seen in years.

However, the new framework is an interpretive rule that creates no new legal obligations, takes effect without notice-and-comment, and comes with an explicit reservation: the Commission may refine, revise, or expand the interpretation once public comment concludes.

Chair Paul Atkins said the announcement was “a beginning, not an end.” He has also said that only Congress can genuinely future-proof the rulebook. Both things are true simultaneously, and the tension between them is the actual story of this week.

What the agencies actually did

The Mar. 17 release is a genuine break from the era of former chair Gary Gensler.

The SEC formally stated that most crypto assets are not securities, and only tokenized versions of traditional securities fall squarely within the securities bucket.

It also created a five-part taxonomy covering proof-of-work mining, staking, wrapping, covered airdrops, and the treatment of non-security assets that were once offered under investment contracts.

That last point carries real weight: the release states that a non-security crypto asset need not remain tied to an investment contract in perpetuity, and it describes how that separation can occur.

Secondary market trading is one of the most consequential developments in years.

Since the announcement, the framework has started moving into the formal publication process through the Federal Register, while the CFTC has followed with a no-action position for Phantom's self-custodial wallet software and a set of crypto and blockchain FAQs published on Mar. 20. That does not turn interpretation into statute, but it does show the agencies are trying to operationalize the new posture quickly.

The CFTC joined the release and said it would administer the Commodity Exchange Act in a manner consistent with the SEC's interpretation.

The two agencies signed a new MOU on Mar. 11 and created a Joint Harmonization Initiative. On paper, Washington's two main financial regulators are more aligned on crypto than at any point in the asset class's history.

The release also formally supersedes the SEC staff's 2019 Framework for Investment Contract Analysis of Digital Assets, which the industry has identified as the source of the greatest regulatory ambiguity.

Commission-level interpretation replacing staff guidance is a meaningful upgrade. This is not a speech. It is not a one-off no-action letter. It carries the weight of a Commission acting collectively.

Formal publication and follow-on staff guidance improve visibility and compliance planning, but they do not move the framework onto statutory ground. They make the policy easier to use today, not harder to reverse tomorrow.

Why the win has a ceiling

The durability ladder runs from most permanent to least, and most of this week's relief sits toward the bottom.

At the top is the statute and binding court doctrine. The Howey test still governs investment contract analysis, and the SEC explicitly preserved it.

The GENIUS Act stablecoin lane, enacted Jul. 18, sits on statutory ground. Those parts of this week's picture are genuinely hard for a future Commission to erase.

Below that is the Commission interpretation. Stronger than staff guidance, but the release itself says it is revisable. The taxonomy categories, the staking and airdrop and wrapping interpretations, and the investment-contract-separation concept are all Commission readings of existing law, not a congressional rewrite of it.

Below that is the inter-agency infrastructure. The SEC-CFTC MOU creates no legally binding obligations, and either party may terminate it with 30 days' written notice. Agencies aligned today are a political fact, not a legal one.

At the bottom is the staff relief. The Phantom no-action position and the Mar. 20 FAQs are the easiest layer to unwind. They are useful now but structurally fragile.

The gap between where investors feel relief and where legal permanence actually resides is the core vulnerability of this week's framework.

SEC commissioners serve staggered five-year terms, one ending each Jun. 5, with roughly 18 months of holdover eligibility if a replacement is not confirmed.

The CFTC operates on the same staggered structure. A future administration needs 12 to 24 months to reshape both commissions, but the chair can move faster without a full Commission vote on every decision.

Atkins acknowledged this directly in November 2025, saying there will always be a risk that a future Commission could reverse course. His February testimony to the House Financial Services Committee was sharper: no SEC action can future-proof the rulebook as effectively as market structure legislation.

He repeated the point on Mar. 17, the same day the release landed.

One of the architects of crypto's biggest regulatory win in years spent part of that day publicly explaining why the win is incomplete.

The European contrast

The bull case requires Congress. Senate market structure legislation introduced in January would convert today's interpretive bridge into a statutory framework, defining when tokens are securities or commodities and handing the CFTC spot market authority.

If that bill clears, exchange access, token classification, and the staking and airdrop treatments move from Commission interpretation onto ground that a future chair cannot revise with a memo.

Atkins' own promised safe-harbor-style rulemaking would be a meaningful intermediate step: formal rulemaking builds a thicker administrative record than an interpretive release, making any future rollback procedurally heavier even if not impossible.

The bear case requires only that Congress stay stuck. The Senate stablecoin bill stalled in February, despite recent signs of progress.

If market structure legislation follows the same path, the industry's new clarity rests entirely on the current Commission's willingness to hold the line.

Citi already priced that risk by cutting its 12-month Bitcoin target to $112,000 from $143,000, specifically because US legislation had stalled, with a recessionary bear case at $58,000.

Wall Street is already distinguishing between good guidance and durable law.

The contrast is becoming clearer in another way too. The SEC has also approved Nasdaq rule changes to support tokenized settlement for certain already-regulated securities, reinforcing the idea that Washington is increasingly comfortable with blockchain inside familiar market infrastructure even while much of crypto still rests on revisable interpretation rather than durable statute.

The EU's MiCA regime has been in force since December 2024, with stablecoin rules in place since mid-2024, creating a statutory bloc-wide framework for crypto-asset service providers.

America's core question is still permanence. Crypto won the agencies, but it has not yet won the law.

The post The SEC just gave crypto its clearest win in years, but much of it could still be reversed appeared first on CryptoSlate.

A crypto hack never ends when the wallet is drained. The theft lands first, fast and visible, and then a slower collapse starts to work through the rest of the project.

The token keeps sliding, the treasury shrinks with it, hiring plans get cut back, product deadlines move, partners pull away, and the company that was supposed to recover spends months fighting for credibility instead of building.

That's the picture Immunefi's new “State of Onchain Security 2026” report paints. Its argument is simple enough for any market, crypto or otherwise: the initial loss is only one part of the damage.

The much bigger problem comes from what the exploit does to a project's future. Immunefi says the average direct theft in its sample came to about $25 million, while hacked tokens saw a median six-month decline of 61%. In that window, 84% failed to recover to their hack-day price, and teams lost at least three months of progress to recovery work.

But those numbers come with caveats. Token prices fall for many reasons, and hacked projects are often fragile before an exploit hits. Some are illiquid, overvalued, or already losing momentum.

Immunefi acknowledged that it can't always fully separate hack damage from broader market weakness or project-specific troubles. Even so, the pattern it lays out deserves attention because it shows that hacks don't behave like isolated thefts anymore, and they now look like long-tail corporate crises.

That's what gives weight to the report: it shows how often the post-hack period keeps inflicting damage well after the headline fades.

The median hack might have gotten smaller, but the worst ones got more dangerous

Immunefi counted 191 hacks across 2024 and 2025, totaling $4.67 billion and bringing its five-year total to 425 hacks and $11.9 billion in losses.

The yearly count barely moved, with 94 known hacks in 2024 and 97 in 2025, almost identical to 2023. That tells us that the market didn't do a very good job of becoming safer. Hacks are now just part of everyday life in crypto, while the giant ones go on to define the year.

The main contradiction laid out in the report is in the averages.

The median theft in 2024-2025 was $2.2 million, down from $4.5 million in 2021-2023. On the surface, that might look like progress. However, the average theft still came to roughly $24.5 million, more than 11 times the median. In the earlier period, that gap was 6.8 times. The top five hacks accounted for 62% of all funds stolen, and the top 10 made up 73%.

This is a very dangerous kind of distribution. It makes the market look and feel safe and stable until one giant event rips through it. So, the typical exploit might be smaller than it used to be, but the danger sits in the tail. That's where a handful of huge failures absorb most of the damage and crash the market in a day.

Just look at Bybit. The exchange's $1.5 billion exploit became the defining hack of 2025 and, in Immunefi's accounting, represented 44% of all funds stolen that year.

It's easy to treat that kind of event as a spectacle. But it reveals a much deeper concentration problem. One failure at one major venue can distort the industry's annual loss profile and expose how much risk still sits in just a couple of critical chokepoints.

The longer decline is where projects start to break

While the report's data on theft is certainly interesting, the most eye-opening part is its price damage section.

In Immunefi's sample of 82 hacked tokens, the initial shock was essentially the same. The median two-day decline was about 10%, roughly in line with the earlier cycle. But the biggest effect was felt later, as the median six-month decline worsened to 61%, up from 53% in the 2021-2023 study.

At the six-month mark, 56.5% of hacked tokens were down more than half, and 14.5% were down more than 90%. Only about 16% traded above their hack-day price six months later.

To understand the full effect of a hack, we need to stop treating token prices as an isolated market feature. For most crypto companies, the token acts as a treasury, financing base, and often a public scorecard. A prolonged drawdown cuts directly into a company's runway, recruiting power, dealmaking leverage, and internal morale.

The report noted that hacked projects often lose security leadership within weeks and spend at least three months in recovery mode. Even if those timelines vary by project, the consequences are plain to see. A company with a damaged token and a damaged brand has fewer ways to buy time.

Plenty of markets can absorb a theft, or a bad quarter, or even a reputational hit. But crypto often compresses all three into the same event. The exploit drains funds, the token reprices the business in public, and counterparties react before the internal cleanup is finished. That's a hard environment in which to recover, especially for teams that were never overcapitalized in the first place.

Dependency risk makes it even worse. Immunefi argues that a more interconnected DeFi stack has created longer chains of vulnerability across bridges, stablecoins, liquid staking, restaking, and lending markets.

That point should be handled carefully, especially when the report uses case studies that deserve outside verification. Still, the broader direction is hard to dismiss. Crypto systems are more layered than they were a few years ago, and that means a hack can travel much farther than the protocol where it started.

Centralized venues still sit near the center of the blast zone.

The report says only 20 of the 191 hacks in 2024-2025 involved centralized exchanges, yet those incidents accounted for $2.55 billion, or 54.6% of all stolen funds.

That pushes the issue beyond just smart-contract bugs and back toward custody, key management, and infrastructure concentration. For a market that often sells decentralization as a cure for fragility, some of the largest losses still emerge from places where trust is concentrated.

But it doesn't mean every hacked project is doomed. The industry has now entered a phase where survival doesn't depend on whether a team can endure a hack, but whether it can endure the six months that come next.

The theft starts the crisis, but the slower damage decides whether the project still has a future once the market moves on.

The post Why crypto hacks don’t end and continue even when the money is gone appeared first on CryptoSlate.

The Pentagon has sent the White House a request for $200 billion in additional funding for the Iran war, a figure that would equal nearly 3 million Bitcoin at current market prices.

At Bitcoin’s current price of about $68,600, the request converts to 2,915,451 BTC.

That framing does not mean the government is financing the war with crypto or treating Bitcoin as a payment rail for military spending. Instead, it offers a way to translate a large federal war bill into a unit investors can compare against some of the world’s most closely watched stores of value.

Seen that way, the request moves beyond standard Washington budget language and into a scale that is easier to grasp in market terms. It also arrives before any formal submission to Congress, where the proposal is already facing resistance from lawmakers in both parties.

What nearly 3 million Bitcoin looks like

The clearest way to understand the size of the request is to compare it with the largest Bitcoin holdings already in existence.

Start with the US government’s own position. Data from BitcoinTreasuries show that US government-related entities hold 328,372 BTC. At current prices, a $200 billion war request would equal roughly 2.82 million BTC, or about 8.6 times that amount.

The same imbalance appears when the comparison shifts to the market’s largest corporate and institutional holders.

Strategy, the biggest public corporate Bitcoin holder, is listed with 761,068 BTC. BlackRock’s iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT), the largest Bitcoin fund, held about 785,629 BTC based on its March 19 share count and basket data. Satoshi Nakamoto, the pseudonymous founder of the blockchain network, is widely estimated to hold about 1.096 million BTC.

On that basis, the war request would equal about 3.7 times Strategy’s stash, 3.6 times IBIT’s holdings, and 2.6 times Satoshi’s estimated cache.

Meanwhile, the scale remains striking even when measured against broader pools of institutional ownership.

The 10 US spot Bitcoin ETFs, including IBIT, hold about 1.52 million BTC combined, meaning the request would still equal about 1.86 times that total. BitcoinTreasuries also lists the top 100 public Bitcoin treasury companies with a combined 1,176,615 BTC, which means the request would be about 2.4 times larger than the entire group.

The comparison does not stop there. Even Binance, the world’s largest crypto exchange by trading volume, holds far less than the Bitcoin equivalent implied by the request.

In its March proof-of-reserves update, Binance said it held more than 639,000 BTC in wallets backing user balances. That puts the $200 billion figure at about 4.4 times Binance’s Bitcoin pile.

The number looks even larger when set against Bitcoin’s remaining issuance.

Blockchain.com shows 20,003,043 BTC already in circulation, leaving 996,957 BTC still to be mined before the network reaches its 21 million cap. At current prices, the war request would equal about 2.83 times all of the Bitcoin left to be mined.

Why the math looks easier in dollars than in Bitcoin

That gap points to the deeper distinction between a fiat system and a scarce digital asset.

War requests of this size can be made in dollars because the US government operates within a monetary system built around debt issuance and expanding supply.

Washington can authorize spending and finance it through Treasury borrowing, without first accumulating a fixed pool of scarce units. Treasury data show total federal debt has already climbed past $39 trillion, illustrating how spending on this scale is absorbed through deficits and bond issuance.

Bitcoin does not work that way. Its maximum supply is fixed in code at 21 million, and new coins enter circulation only through mining, a process that requires time, energy, hardware, and block-by-block issuance.

That makes Bitcoin far harder to gather at scale than fiat liabilities created through sovereign borrowing.

In practical terms, the US government can ask for another $200 billion because the dollar system allows it to keep extending its balance sheet through debt. It cannot do the equivalent in Bitcoin, because no authority can decree millions of new BTC into existence.

That difference is central to the argument many Bitcoin advocates have been making for years. In their view, Bitcoin is not only a store of value but also a monetary benchmark that exposes the scale of government spending in a way fiat often obscures.

Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong captured it perfectly on X, saying:

”Bitcoin is a check and balance on inflation. When spending gets too far out of hand, capital moves to Bitcoin.”

That argument has already begun to shape policy language in Washington.

In March 2025, the Trump administration issued an order establishing a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve. The White House described Bitcoin as a reserve asset that should not be sold, while directing officials to study budget-neutral ways to acquire more.

For Bitcoin supporters, the broader point is straightforward: in a world where war costs, deficits, and debt continue to expand in fiat terms, a scarce asset with a fixed supply becomes more relevant as a reference point.

So, a $200 billion war request may be another line item in Washington. However, in Bitcoin terms, it looks like a claim on an amount of value that exceeds the holdings of governments, ETFs, exchanges, treasury firms, and even the supply still left to be mined.

The post White House faces Iran war bill that is worth nearly 3 million Bitcoin appeared first on CryptoSlate.

As of March 23, 2026, Solana ($SOL) is positioned at a critical technical juncture. Following a period of intense market-wide volatility triggered by geopolitical shifts in the Middle East and a hawkish "hold" from the Federal Reserve (FOMC), the asset is currently trading between $80 and $90. While the broader market remains cautious, Solana’s internal ecosystem is showing signs of decoupling, driven by massive institutional adoption and the imminent deployment of the Alpenglow consensus upgrade.

Is Solana a Good Buy Now?

Traders looking for a short-term direction should focus on the $92.34 resistance zone. A daily close above this level could catalyze a rally toward $98.65 by the end of March. Conversely, if SOL fails to defend the $86.66 support, a deeper correction toward the $80.00 psychological floor is highly probable.

What Should Driving Solana’s Value in 2026?

In the current 2026 landscape, Solana’s value is increasingly tied to its Network Finality and Institutional Liquidity. Unlike 2024, where retail "meme" activity dominated, the primary drivers now are:

• Spot Solana ETFs: Regulated vehicles providing direct exposure to institutional capital.
• Alpenglow Upgrade: A transition from Tower BFT to a new consensus mechanism aiming for 150ms finality.
• Digital Commodity Status: Confirmed regulatory taxonomy that has stabilized long-term investor sentiment.

Solna Price Analysis: Technical Chart Patterns

Analyzing the current SOL price action, we see a consolidation pattern forming after the mid-March dip.

• Moving Averages: SOL is currently hovering near its 20-day EMA ($88.93). Staying above this level is vital for maintaining a bullish "bias." The 50-day SMA at $87.23 serves as a secondary safety net.
• RSI (Relative Strength Index): At 51.63, the RSI is neutral. This suggests the market is "resetting," providing enough room for a significant move without being immediately overbought.
• MACD Signal: We observe a slight bearish divergence on the daily histogram. This indicates that while the price is stable, buying momentum is currently thinning, requiring a fresh catalyst to break overhead resistance.

Solana Price: Key Support & Resistance

Solana Upgrade: The Alpenglow and Firedancer Effect

The stagnant price action masks a massive technical shift. The Alpenglow upgrade is currently rolling out, which promises to reduce transaction finality from 12 seconds to under 150 milliseconds. This makes Solana faster than many centralized servers, a factor that major financial outlets cite as a reason for the record $1.45 billion in cumulative ETF inflows. Institutional players like Goldman Sachs and Electric Capital now hold significant SOL exposure via these ETFs, creating a "floor" of demand that was absent in previous cycles.

Will Solana Price go up? March 2026 Outlook

For the final week of March, the following three factors will dictate SOL's path:

• ETF Inflow Consistency: If net inflows exceed $20M daily, expect a test of $95.
• Geopolitical De-escalation: A reduction in energy-related inflation fears will allow capital to rotate back into "high-beta" assets like Solana.
• Bitcoin Stability: Solana's correlation with $Bitcoin remains high (0.84); a $BTC push past $72k would likely drag SOL above $100.

The XRP price is showing notable resilience despite ongoing volatility across the crypto market. While many altcoins struggle to maintain support levels, XRP is holding steady, suggesting that underlying demand remains strong.

As macro uncertainty continues to impact markets, traders are now asking: Is XRP preparing for its next breakout?

XRP price stabilizes near key levels

Currently, the XRP price is trading around the $1.38–$1.42 range, holding above an important short-term support zone.

This level has acted as a strong base in recent sessions, preventing further downside despite broader market pressure driven by macro news and geopolitical tensions.

Holding this zone is critical. If XRP maintains this support, it could build momentum for the next move higher.

Why XRP price is showing strength

Unlike many altcoins, XRP benefits from a unique narrative:

• Ongoing institutional interest
• Strong positioning in cross-border payments
• Continued relevance in regulatory discussions

This combination helps XRP remain relatively stable even when market sentiment shifts.

Additionally, XRP often reacts later than Bitcoin, meaning delayed but stronger moves can follow periods of consolidation.

Key levels to watch next

For the XRP price, traders should closely monitor:

• Support: $1.35 – $1.38
• Resistance: $1.45 – $1.50

👉 A break above $1.50 could trigger a stronger bullish move
👉 A drop below $1.35 may lead to a deeper correction

Right now, XRP is sitting at a decision point.

Conclusion — XRP price at a turning point

The XRP price is currently consolidating at a key level, showing resilience while the broader market remains uncertain.

This type of price action often precedes a larger move.

Whether XRP breaks upward or revisits lower levels will largely depend on overall market sentiment — but one thing is clear:

👉 XRP is not weak — it is waiting.

Stablecoins are rapidly moving from niche crypto tools to a central pillar of the global financial system. While much of the market focuses on Bitcoin volatility and geopolitical tensions, a quieter but far more structural shift is taking place.

From regulatory breakthroughs in the United States to global expansion by major payment companies, stablecoins are positioning themselves as the digital version of the dollar — faster, borderless, and increasingly integrated into everyday finance.

This raises a critical question: are stablecoins quietly becoming the new global dollar?

PayPal and Big Tech Are Accelerating Stablecoin Adoption

One of the clearest signals of this shift comes from PayPal, which has expanded its stablecoin services to over 70 countries. This move significantly lowers the barrier for millions of users to access digital dollars without relying on traditional banking systems.

Unlike earlier crypto adoption cycles driven by speculation, this wave is infrastructure-driven. Payment giants are embedding stablecoins directly into financial ecosystems, allowing users to send, receive, and store value globally in seconds.

This is not just innovation — it is a transformation of how money moves.

US Regulation Is Turning Bullish for Stablecoins

At the same time, regulatory clarity is beginning to emerge in the United States. Coordination between agencies like the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission is reducing uncertainty that has long slowed crypto adoption.

More importantly, recent discussions between lawmakers and the White House around stablecoin frameworks signal a shift toward integration rather than restriction.

This is a major turning point.

Instead of treating stablecoins as a threat, regulators are increasingly viewing them as an extension of the dollar’s global dominance — but in digital form.

Stablecoins Are Solving Real Global Problems

Stablecoins are gaining traction because they address real-world inefficiencies in traditional finance:

• Cross-border payments remain slow and expensive
• Banking access is limited in many regions
• Currency instability drives demand for dollar-based assets

Stablecoins offer:

• Instant transactions
• Lower fees
• Access to dollar liquidity anywhere in the world

In regions facing inflation or capital controls, stablecoins are already functioning as a practical alternative to local currencies.

A New Financial System Is Emerging

What makes this shift particularly important is its timing.

As geopolitical tensions rise and global trade faces increasing friction, the demand for neutral, digital, and liquid financial tools is growing.

Stablecoins are uniquely positioned at the center of this transformation:

• Backed by fiat currencies
• Integrated into crypto ecosystems
• Increasingly adopted by institutions

This creates a hybrid financial system where traditional and digital finance converge.

Risks and Challenges Still Remain

Despite their rapid growth, stablecoins are not without risks:

• Regulatory fragmentation across countries
• Dependence on underlying reserves
• Centralization concerns
• Potential competition from central bank digital currencies (CBDCs)

However, these challenges are being actively addressed as the market matures and institutions become more involved.

Conclusion — The Rise of the Digital Dollar

Stablecoins are no longer just a crypto niche — they are becoming a core layer of global finance.

With major companies expanding access, regulators moving toward clarity, and real-world demand increasing, stablecoins are quietly evolving into the digital equivalent of the dollar.

This transformation may not be as visible as Bitcoin price swings, but its long-term impact could be far greater.

Bitcoin Price Analysis: The Current Market State

The digital asset market is currently at a critical crossroads as we move through March 2026. After hitting local highs, the $Bitcoin price has retraced to stabilize around the $68,500 – $69,500 zone. While some retail investors view this sideways movement as a sign of weakness, professional traders recognize it as a high-probability "coiling" phase. This period of consolidation often precedes a massive directional breakout, offering a unique window for those looking to trade Bitcoin with a structured approach.

Bitcoin Price Prediction: Is $75,000 Next?

Current data suggests that the Bitcoin price prediction for the remainder of Q1 2026 hinges on the $70,000 psychological level. As of March 22, 2026, BTC is trading at approximately $68,625, showing a slight cooling off from the recent rally. For traders, this "easy period" refers to the clear technical boundaries currently in play on the BTC-USD chart, which allow for well-defined risk management and high-reward entries before the next volatility spike.

Defining the Bitcoin Price Action and Volatility

To capitalize on this movement, it is essential to understand the BTC/USD price action. Price action refers to the movement of a security's price plotted over time. In the current context, we are observing a "Bull Flag" on the daily chart. Trading this successfully involves identifying support (where buying pressure starts) and resistance (where selling pressure begins).

Technical Breakdown: Key Levels for the Bitcoin Price

Looking at the current market structure, we can see a distinct pattern emerging. After the "flash crash" of late 2025, the market spent months finding a floor.

The Technical Setup

• Support Zone: $65,000 - $68,000. This area has been defended vigorously by institutional "whales."
• Resistance Zone: $72,000 - $76,000. This is the ceiling that must be cracked for a move toward $100k.
• Correlation Factors: BTC currently shows an increasing correlation with the S&P 500. According to data from Bloomberg, this often precedes a period of heightened volatility in the Bitcoin price.

Pro Strategy to Trade Bitcoin During Consolidation

During this period, the most effective way to make money is not by guessing the direction, but by reacting to the levels. Here is a professional strategy to trade Bitcoin right now:

• The Range Play: Buy near the $67,500 support with a tight stop-loss at $66,000. Target the upper resistance at $72,000.
• The Breakout Entry: Set a "Buy Stop" order at $72,500. If the Bitcoin price breaks this level with high volume, it confirms a bullish reversal.
• The Hedge: Use hardware wallets for long-term holdings while keeping only trading capital on top-tier exchanges.

Fundamental Catalysts Driving the Bitcoin Price

While the charts look technical, fundamentals are driving the sentiment. The Federal Reserve’s stance in 2026 has kept "risk-on" assets under pressure. However, the increasing adoption of BTC as a reserve asset provides a long-term regulatory tailwind. This "flight to quality" is why the Bitcoin price is outperforming the broader market.

Bitcoin Price Metrics

• Summary for Traders: The current Bitcoin price prediction suggests we are in a "calm before the storm" phase. By utilizing a disciplined strategy to trade Bitcoin and keeping a close eye on the $70,000 pivot point, traders can position themselves for the next leg of the bull cycle.

The cryptocurrency market experienced a significant "risk-off" event over the past few days, triggered by escalating geopolitical tensions in the Middle East. Following statements from U.S. President Donald Trump suggesting an extension of military operations and potential strikes on Iranian oil infrastructure, investors have fled volatile assets. This shift has led to a noticeable correction across major digital assets, as seen in the latest market data.

Crypto Crash Reason: Trump and Wars

When global stability is threatened, speculative markets like cryptocurrencies often react with high volatility. The recent announcement that the U.S. might target Iranian oil facilities—specifically strategic hubs like Kharg Island—sent oil prices toward $120 per barrel, creating fears of a global inflationary shock.

Historically, while Bitcoin has been labeled "digital gold," it often trades in correlation with high-growth tech stocks during the initial phase of a geopolitical crisis. The current crash reflects a liquidity squeeze as traders move to safer havens like the U.S. Dollar and physical gold.

Crypto Price Analysis: Top 10 Performance

Based on recent exchange data, the market is overwhelmingly "in the red," with YTD (Year-to-Date) performances showing significant double-digit losses for the first time this quarter.

Bitcoin (BTC) Performance

The Bitcoin price has struggled to maintain the $70,000 psychological support level. Dropping 3.25% in 24 hours, $BTC is now down over 21% YTD. This suggests that even institutional inflows through ETFs are currently being outweighed by macro-driven sell pressure.

Ethereum and Altcoins

Ethereum ($ETH) has taken a harder hit than Bitcoin, sliding 4.07% today and sitting at a staggering -30.29% YTD. Other major players like Solana ($SOL) and $BNB follow a similar pattern, losing roughly 3-5% of their value as the market anticipates further military escalation.

Impact of Energy Prices on the Industry

The threat to hitting Iranian oil targets doesn't just affect investor sentiment; it has a direct impact on the crypto mining industry. Rising energy costs can make mining less profitable, potentially leading to a lower "hashprice" and increased selling pressure from miners who need to cover operational costs. According to reports from Bloomberg, the closure of the Strait of Hormuz remains the biggest tail risk for global energy markets in 2026.

Crypto ETFs shed $177M last week as Bitcoin pulled back from $75,000, though experts remain bullish on Q2's prospects.

Crypto is soaring on a major development in the Iran war, while A Senate deal could finally unlock the Clarity Act.

The price move came after Donald Trump touted "productive conversations" regarding a cessation of hostilities in the Middle East.

A compromised key enabled an attacker to illegally mint 80 million USR tokens, causing the stablecoin to lose its dollar peg.

One of India's largest crypto exchanges said the move is based on a coordinated fraud using fake CoinDCX identities.

This morning in crypto: XRP targets $2 on diplomatic shifts, Bitfinex whales load up on SHIB and experts explain the Bitcoin Cash quantum advantage.

XRP sees positivity on the futures market with volumes rising, but there is still more to be watched for price action.

Shiba Inu loses its tempo, which leads to a substantial growth of exchange outflows that create opportunities for bearish pressure.

Ethereum whale is selling amid growing volatility concerns on the market.

Infamous pioneer crypto exchange moves Bitcoin for the first time in more than four months.

Key Highlights

• Berkshire Hathaway’s National Indemnity subsidiary will purchase a 2.5% ownership position in Tokio Marine Holdings valued at $1.8 billion.
• Approximately 48 million treasury shares will be transferred directly from the Japanese insurance company.
• National Indemnity gains access to Tokio Marine’s reinsurance arrangements and will assume a portion of its risk portfolio.
• A 9.9% ownership ceiling has been established, preventing Berkshire from exceeding this threshold without board consent.
• The Japanese insurer intends to repurchase shares using transaction funds to offset shareholder dilution effects.

Warren Buffett’s investment conglomerate is expanding its Japanese presence with a significant new insurance sector play. Berkshire Hathaway has disclosed intentions to purchase a 2.5% ownership interest in Tokio Marine Holdings for approximately $1.8 billion, establishing a strategic alliance with a leading Japanese insurance provider.

The transaction will be conducted via Berkshire’s National Indemnity subsidiary, which specializes in reinsurance operations. Rather than acquiring shares through public market transactions, National Indemnity will purchase approximately 48 million treasury shares directly from Tokio Marine.

Beyond the equity investment, both parties have structured a reinsurance cooperation arrangement. National Indemnity will become part of Tokio Marine’s reinsurance provider network and absorb a segment of its insurance obligations through a quota share structure.

Berkshire Hathaway Inc., BRK-B

According to Tokio Marine, this strategic alliance aims to mitigate earnings fluctuations, especially those stemming from natural disaster claims. The collaboration seeks to leverage Tokio Marine’s acquisition expertise alongside Berkshire’s extensive financial resources.

Tokio Marine shares currently trade at approximately 5,800 yen on Japanese exchanges. With a market capitalization nearing $70 billion, the company also maintains a U.S. listing under the ticker symbol TKOMY.

Buffett Extends Japan Investment Thesis

This transaction represents a significant evolution of Berkshire’s Japan investment strategy. The Omaha-based conglomerate currently maintains approximately 10% ownership positions in five prominent Japanese trading corporations — including Mitsubishi, Itochu, and Mitsui — with combined holdings valued near $35 billion as of year-end 2025.

Berkshire initiated its trading house investments starting in July 2019. Buffett has consistently commended these companies for their disciplined capital deployment and shareholder-friendly policies. The Tokio Marine transaction extends this investment philosophy into Japan’s insurance industry.

Ajit Jain, who oversees Berkshire’s insurance business as vice chairman, stated that both companies anticipate the alliance will create “compelling long-term opportunities.” Tokio Marine’s chief executive, Masahiro Koike, characterized the partnership as a “major step forward” toward delivering sustained shareholder value.

Structural Safeguards Implemented

The agreement incorporates specific ownership restrictions. Berkshire has committed to maintaining its stake below 9.9% unless it receives explicit authorization from Tokio Marine’s board of directors.

Any stake increases beyond the initial 2.5% acquisition must occur through public market purchases rather than direct transactions with the company.

National Indemnity has further agreed to cast its voting rights consistent with Tokio Marine management recommendations — a provision that ensures the Japanese insurer retains substantial influence over its new major shareholder’s actions.

To prevent existing shareholder equity dilution, Tokio Marine will deploy the share sale proceeds toward a stock repurchase initiative.

Tokio Marine has accumulated substantial capital reserves following Japanese government initiatives encouraging corporations to divest cross-shareholding arrangements — a traditional practice where insurers and businesses maintain reciprocal equity positions. CEO Koike indicated in recent statements that the company had earmarked roughly $10 billion from these divestments for acquisitions and strategic growth initiatives.

The Berkshire partnership provides Tokio Marine with a financially robust collaborator to execute precisely this strategy.

The post Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.B) Invests $1.8B in Tokio Marine Through Strategic Insurance Deal appeared first on Blockonomi.

Key Highlights

• MicroStrategy acquired 1,031 BTC during the previous week, spending $76.6 million at an average price of $74,326 per bitcoin
• The purchase represents a significant reduction from recent weekly acquisitions exceeding $1 billion in each of the previous two weeks
• Company’s complete bitcoin treasury now totals 762,099 BTC, representing approximately $57.69 billion in aggregate investment
• Average acquisition cost across the entire portfolio stands at $75,694 per bitcoin — exceeding the current market value of approximately $70,000
• Funding for the most recent acquisition came exclusively from selling common shares

Michael Saylor’s MicroStrategy continues its bitcoin accumulation strategy — though at a notably reduced velocity compared to recent activity.

During the past week, the enterprise software company added 1,031 BTC to its treasury, allocating $76.6 million and paying an average of $74,326 per bitcoin. This represents a substantial decline from the multi-billion-dollar weekly acquisitions executed in the preceding fortnight.

The previous larger acquisitions were financed through STRC preferred stock offerings. In contrast, this week’s purchase utilized proceeds from common equity sales exclusively, as disclosed in Monday’s Securities and Exchange Commission filing.

Strategy Inc, MSTR

MicroStrategy’s bitcoin treasury has reached 762,099 BTC in aggregate, purchased for a cumulative total of roughly $57.69 billion, establishing an average acquisition price of $75,694 per coin.

With Bitcoin currently valued near $70,000, the company’s average cost basis exceeds present market valuation.

Reduced Volume, Unchanged Strategy

Last week’s acquisition volume appears minimal when measured against MicroStrategy’s recent purchasing momentum. The corporation has maintained an exceptionally aggressive accumulation campaign, making 1,031 bitcoin appear relatively insignificant compared to prior weekly additions.

Neverthstanding, the organization has maintained uninterrupted buying activity. Throughout the current year, Strategy has systematically expanded its holdings without regard to prevailing price levels.

MSTR equity advanced 1.7% during premarket session Monday after the disclosure.

The firm maintains its position as the world’s largest corporate bitcoin holder without competition.

Portfolio Metrics Analysis

762,099 BTC represents a substantial bitcoin position. Based on current valuations hovering around $70,000, this reserve carries an approximate market value of $53.3 billion.

The aggregate capital deployed to construct this position totals $57.69 billion, placing MicroStrategy in an unrealized loss position at today’s market rates.

The differential between the average purchase price of $75,694 and the present spot valuation of approximately $70,000 equals roughly $5,700 per bitcoin.

MicroStrategy has executed consistent BTC acquisitions beginning in 2020, with its cost basis elevating as purchasing intensified during heightened price environments throughout late 2024 and continuing into 2025.

The latest 1,031 BTC transaction, despite reduced scale, preserves the company’s unbroken acquisition pattern.

As documented on March 22, 2026, MicroStrategy’s complete bitcoin holdings register at 762,099 BTC, obtained at a combined expenditure of approximately $57.69 billion.

The post Strategy (MSTR) Stock Continues Bitcoin Accumulation Despite Underwater Position appeared first on Blockonomi.

Key Highlights

• David Dugan, previously VP of global clients and agencies at Meta, joins OpenAI as VP of global ad solutions
• Dugan will work under OpenAI COO Brad Lightcap
• ChatGPT started experimenting with advertising on free and entry-level subscriptions this year
• Sam Altman described advertising as a “last resort” monetization strategy just two years prior
• Competitor Anthropic targeted OpenAI’s advertising pivot with satirical Super Bowl LX commercials

OpenAI has recruited a top-tier advertising executive from Meta as the artificial intelligence company accelerates its shift toward digital advertising revenue. David Dugan, who concluded his tenure at Meta earlier this month following over a dozen years with the social media giant, has assumed the position of VP of global ad solutions at OpenAI.

During his time at Meta, Dugan held the influential position of VP overseeing global clients and agencies—a strategic role that positioned him as the primary liaison with the world’s largest advertising budgets. His career trajectory includes previous positions at major advertising agencies within conglomerates such as Publicis Groupe.

In his new capacity, Dugan answers directly to Brad Lightcap, who serves as OpenAI’s chief operating officer.

This strategic recruitment arrives as OpenAI faces significant cash burn rates that necessitate additional revenue streams beyond its existing subscription model. The organization has been piloting advertisement placements on ChatGPT’s free tier and lower-priced subscription options since the beginning of this year.

Reversing Course on Previous Commitments

Merely two years ago, CEO Sam Altman expressed strong reservations about advertising. During a conversation at Harvard, he remarked: “Ads plus AI is sort of uniquely unsettling to me. I kind of think of ads as a last resort for us for a business model.”

Altman’s primary apprehension revolved around maintaining user confidence—particularly whether users might question if advertisers could manipulate ChatGPT’s outputs. OpenAI has subsequently clarified that advertising partnerships will remain separate from the chatbot’s response generation and that private user interactions will not be monetized through data sales to advertisers.

The organization already features substantial Meta expertise in leadership positions. Fidji Simo, who directs OpenAI’s product and business divisions as CEO of applications, previously held the role of VP and head of Facebook, where she managed advertising initiatives for approximately ten years. Following that, she led Instacart through its public offering before transitioning to OpenAI.

Competition Responds to Strategy Shift

OpenAI’s entrance into advertising has prompted criticism from industry rivals. Anthropic leveraged Super Bowl LX to air advertisements that openly ridiculed OpenAI’s decision to introduce ads on ChatGPT’s free and budget subscription tiers—a deliberate critique of the company’s strategic reversal.

In December 2025, OpenAI also brought aboard former Slack CEO Denise Dresser as its chief revenue officer, further evidence that the organization is rapidly constructing its commercial operations framework.

Dugan’s hiring strengthens that executive roster with a seasoned professional. His established connections with prominent advertising holding companies and multinational corporations represent a critical advantage as OpenAI attempts to carve out territory in a digital advertising landscape where Meta achieved nearly $200 billion in revenue throughout 2025.

OpenAI has refrained from publishing specific revenue projections for its advertising division.

The post OpenAI Recruits Former Meta Advertising Veteran David Dugan to Lead Global Ad Strategy appeared first on Blockonomi.

Key Highlights

• Huawei introduced its Atlas 350 AI accelerator featuring the Ascend 950PR processor
• The company asserts the Atlas 350 achieves 1.56 petaflops in FP4 performance — nearly 3x Nvidia’s H20 capability
• Last week, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang announced H200 chip production resumption for the Chinese market
• KeyBanc projects China represents a potential $30 billion opportunity for Nvidia through approximately 1.5 million H200 unit sales
• Despite a 1.6% premarket gain Monday, Nvidia shares closed the session down 3.28%

Huawei has unveiled a cutting-edge AI accelerator that the company claims substantially exceeds the capabilities of Nvidia’s most advanced chips available in China. The announcement comes just days after Nvidia revealed it had resumed production of H200 processors specifically for Chinese customers.

The Atlas 350 represents Huawei’s latest AI accelerator card, engineered around its proprietary Ascend 950PR processor. The hardware targets AI inference workloads — the computational process that generates results from already-trained artificial intelligence models. These applications span search engine recommendations, conversational AI responses from large language models, and cross-platform content creation.

During Huawei’s China Partner Conference on Friday, company VP Ma Haixu introduced the new accelerator card. Zhang Dixuan, who leads Huawei’s Ascend computing division, highlighted the flagship specification: 1.56 petaflops of FP4 computational throughput.

According to Huawei’s metrics, this represents a 2.8-fold performance advantage over Nvidia’s H20 processor — currently the most powerful chip Nvidia can legally distribute in China under existing U.S. export control regulations.

Nvidia Confronts Fresh Competition in Strategic Chinese Market

Nvidia’s chief executive Jensen Huang disclosed last week that the company had resumed H200 processor manufacturing destined for Chinese buyers and had already begun accepting purchase orders. The H200 occupies a middle tier in Nvidia’s product hierarchy — more capable than the H20 but less powerful than the company’s latest Blackwell architecture.

Huang has previously characterized China as representing a $50 billion annual addressable market for AI computing infrastructure, expanding at a 50% yearly growth rate. According to KeyBanc analyst John Vinh’s projections, Chinese enterprises could potentially purchase approximately 1.5 million H200 chips throughout this year if large-scale sales receive regulatory approval — translating to roughly $30 billion in prospective revenue.

This substantial revenue opportunity carries significant weight for Nvidia, whose stock has struggled to break out of its recent trading range and requires positive catalysts.

Nvidia shares climbed 1.6% during Monday’s premarket session, buoyed by broader market optimism following President Trump’s announcement of ongoing negotiations between the U.S. and Iran toward a potential agreement. However, by market close, NVDA had reversed course, finishing down 3.28%.

Evaluating Huawei’s Competitive Position

Performance comparisons between AI processors present inherent complications. Varying system configurations, workload types, and testing methodologies can yield dramatically different benchmark results. Previous Huawei AI server implementations have faced scrutiny regarding elevated power consumption relative to comparable Nvidia systems.

Nevertheless, the availability of a viable domestic alternative holds considerable strategic importance within China’s technology ecosystem. Organizations that might otherwise source Nvidia processors now have access to a locally-produced option — one immune to uncertainties surrounding U.S. export policy decisions.

Huawei’s progress reflects sustained investment in this direction. The Ascend 950PR processor debuted in September 2025 as a component of the company’s three-year strategic roadmap. Following U.S. sanctions, Huawei has systematically developed its AI semiconductor portfolio without reliance on American technology.

Regarding storage infrastructure, Huawei announced planned enhancements to its OceanStor Dorado and Pacific 9926 platforms scheduled for this year, alongside the forthcoming FusionCube A1000 cabinet designed for small and medium enterprise AI implementations.

“The initial phase of the AI revolution centered on raw computational capacity, but the next chapter will pivot toward data management and utilization,” stated Yuan Yuan, president of Huawei’s data storage division.

Nvidia’s decision to restart H200 production for China and KeyBanc’s $30 billion revenue projection represent the most tangible recent indicators of what’s at stake in this competitive landscape.

The post Huawei’s Atlas 350 Chip Claims to Crush Nvidia (NVDA) H20 Performance by 2.8x appeared first on Blockonomi.

Key Highlights

• Fourth-quarter revenue reached $30.1M, marking a 629% increase year-over-year
• Company reported a net loss of $101.0 million during Q4
• Year-end backlog jumped to $68.3M from $20.3M in the previous quarter
• 2026 annual revenue projection elevated to a minimum of $375 million
• First-quarter 2026 revenue forecast of $38–$40M significantly exceeds $28.37M analyst estimate

Ondas Holdings revealed its fourth-quarter 2025 financial performance on March 23, reporting revenue of $30.1 million for the quarter ending December 31, 2025. This figure represents a remarkable 629% increase versus the corresponding period in the previous year.

The impressive results significantly surpassed Wall Street projections, primarily fueled by heightened deliveries of OAS platform products, notably Iron Drone and Optimus systems.

Additionally, the firm completed multiple strategic acquisitions throughout the latter half of 2025. These transactions broadened the company’s technical capabilities while contributing positively to both revenue streams and gross profit margins.

Ondas Holdings Inc., ONDS

However, despite the impressive revenue expansion, Ondas recorded a net loss of $101.0 million for the fourth quarter. While this represents a substantial deficit, the company’s adjusted EBITDA loss of $9.9 million offers a more focused view of core operational results.

To put this in perspective, the adjusted EBITDA loss stood at $8.1 million during Q3 2025 and $7.0 million in Q4 2024 — indicating that losses are expanding even when measured on an adjusted basis.

Among the most notable metrics in the earnings release was the backlog figure. Ondas closed out 2025 with $68.3 million in backlog, representing a significant increase from the $20.3 million recorded at Q3’s conclusion. This substantial increase points to building deal pipeline momentum.

Management attributed this expansion to worldwide demand for autonomous drone technology, counter-UAS systems, and robotics applications.

Updated 2026 Revenue Projections

Ondas increased its 2026 full-year revenue forecast to a minimum of $375 million. This represents more than double the company’s previous guidance and would translate to approximately 640% year-over-year expansion if the lower end of the range is achieved.

Looking at the first quarter of 2026 alone, management is projecting revenue between $38–$40 million. This forecast stands well above the Street consensus estimate of just $28.37 million — creating a variance exceeding $10 million at the guidance midpoint.

The Q1 projection indicates roughly 820% growth compared to the same quarter last year. The magnitude of this forecast is striking.

While Ondas acknowledged that adjusted EBITDA losses will likely grow during the first quarter, the company expressed confidence that margins will trend favorably as the year unfolds.

Financial Position

Ondas closed 2025 holding approximately $594.4 million in cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash. The company subsequently secured roughly $960 million in additional net proceeds during January 2026.

This financial cushion provides Ondas with considerable resources entering a year marked by projected exponential revenue acceleration. Company leadership indicated these funds will support both internal expansion initiatives and potential acquisition opportunities.

Shares traded down 6.42% following the earnings announcement.

Ondas concluded 2025 with $68.3 million in backlog and over $1.5 billion in total liquidity when combining year-end cash and January capital raises, while setting Q1 2026 revenue expectations at $38–$40 million versus analyst consensus of $28.37 million.

The post Ondas (ONDS) Stock Drops 6% Despite 629% Revenue Surge and Massive Backlog Growth appeared first on Blockonomi.

Pi Network’s native token took another move south over the past week, and certain indicators suggest that a more painful decline could be on the way.

Others, though, suggest a short-term rebound is also a plausible option.

The Bullish Case

PI was among the top-performing cryptocurrencies in mid-March, with its price soaring to a five-month high of almost $0.30. Some of the catalysts fueling the rally included numerous protocol updates, community enthusiasm from PiDay 2026, and Kraken’s decision to enable trading services for the asset.

However, the upward momentum was short-lived, and the coin headed south in the following days. As of this writing, it trades at around $0.19 (per CoinGecko’s data), representing a 6% decrease on a seven-day scale.

PI’s Relative Strength Index (RSI), though, hints that the token might be gearing up for a renewed resurgence. The technical analysis tool measures the speed and magnitude of recent price movements and helps traders identify reversal spots. It ranges from 0 to 100, with ratios below 30 indicating oversold conditions and potential for a rally, while anything above 70 is considered bearish territory. As of press time, the token’s RSI stands at around 31.

Another encouraging signal comes from market sentiment: PI currently ranks as the cryptocurrency with the second-most bullish sentiment on CoinMarketCap. This shows that traders and investors remain optimistic and highly interested in the asset, a trend that often supports buying pressure and increases the chances of a short-term recovery. The cryptocurrency with the highest bullish sentiment today is Kaspa (KAS), whereas popular altcoins like Pepe (PEPE), Shiba Inu (SHIB), and Ethereum (ETH) are well below PI.

The Bearish Outlook

Despite the positive signals, there are also some warning signs that suggest PI might not be done falling just yet. The first one is the rising amount of coins stored on cryptocurrency exchanges.

Data shows that the figure has risen by more than 2 million over the past 24 hours alone and now stands at almost 473 million. The majority of the tokens (251 million) are held by Gate.io, while Bitget comes second with roughly 144.6 million. Kraken, which only recently listed PI, accounts for only 1% of the total. While this development doesn’t necessarily guarantee a price pullback, it is often seen as a pre-sale step.

Next on the list are the upcoming token unlocks. The end of March and start of April are shaping up to be turbulent, as tens of millions of PI are set to hit the market on several occasions. The total unlocks scheduled for the next 30 days equal 154.2 million, making the average daily number around 5.1 million. Again, this doesn’t mean a correction is inevitable, but it clearly increases selling pressure.

The post 2 Bullish and 2 Bearish Signals for PI as Pi Network’s Price Slips 6% Weekly appeared first on CryptoPotato.

The cryptocurrency markets are often impacted by major global developments, and the past hour or so proved that narrative right once again.

Recall that BTC skyrocketed by three grand in minutes after Trump said he and his team carried out successful and in-depth talks with Iran’s leaders and agreed to pause all military operations against the latter’s power plants for five days as the conversations continue.

However, Iran issued a statement immediately after Trump’s post went viral, denying his claims. Moreover, Iran said there “has been no indirect or direct contact with President Trump,” and blamed the POTUS for trying to buy time in the war that’s not going as promised.

Iran’s officials went further, as they alleged Trump “withdrew” from attacking power plants after the Middle East country issued “firm warnings.” They added that the Strait of Hormuz will “not return to pre-war conditions as long as psychological warfare continues.”

BREAKING: Iran issues a statement DENYING President Trump’s post which claimed the US and Iran have had “productive conversations” to end the Iran War:

Iran says:

1. “There has been no indirect or direct contact with President Trump”

2. President Trump is trying to “buy time”…

— The Kobeissi Letter (@KobeissiLetter) March 23, 2026

The primary cryptocurrency retraced instantly after Iran’s statement. The asset touched a multi-day peak of $71,500 but slipped by two grand in minutes before it settled at around $70,000 as of press time.

All this volatility continues to harm over-leveraged traders, with more than 200,000 such market participants being wrecked in the past day. The total value of liquidations has risen to $800 million, according to CoinGlass data.

The post Bitcoin Sees Wild Price Swings as Iran Rejects Trump’s De-escalation Claims appeared first on CryptoPotato.

The world’s largest corporate holder of bitcoin continues to be unfazed by the ongoing tension in the Middle East, announcing bitcoin purchases every Monday.

According to the numbers Michael Saylor just published, this one was completed at some point in the first few days of the previous business week since the average entry price was at $74,326. The cryptocurrency stood above $74,000 by Wednesday morning before it nosedived before and after the second FOMC meeting for the year.

Nevertheless, Strategy’s holdings have shot up to 762,099 BTC after the company accumulated another 1,031 units for $76.6 million. The firm has spent $57.69 million to acquire its bitcoin fortune.

Strategy has acquired 1,031 BTC for ~$76.6 million at ~$74,326 per bitcoin. As of 3/22/2026, we hodl 762,099 $BTC acquired for ~$57.69 billion at ~$75,694 per bitcoin. $MSTR $STRC https://t.co/SELVmAz9WA

— Michael Saylor (@saylor) March 23, 2026

This week’s announced purchase is significantly lower than the one highlighted last Monday. At the time, Saylor said the company he co-founded has spent a whopping $1.57 billion to acquire 22,337 BTC.

The firm continues to be deep in the red on its bitcoin position, given the cryptocurrency’s correction to under $70,000 as of press time after the fake-out rally to $71,500 following Trump’s latest questionable statement on the war in Iran.

The post Saylor’s Strategy Buys Over 1,000 BTC as Unrealized Losses Mount Up appeared first on CryptoPotato.

Bitcoin’s price reversed its recent downtrend in the past hour or so, skyrocketing by roughly three grand from the bottom to touch $71,500 before it retraced slightly.

The main reason for this sudden price uptick was Trump’s latest announcement on the Iran-US/Israel front. In a statement on his family’s social media platform, the POTUS said the US and Iran have had “very good and productive conversations regarding a complete and total resolution of our hostilities in the Middle East” over the past two days.

“Based on the tenor and tone of these in-depth, detailed, and constructive conversations, which will continue throughout the week, I have instructed the Department of War to postpone any and all military strikes against Iranian power plants and energy infrastructure for a five-day period, subject to the success of the ongoing meetings and discussions,” he added.

This is the most significant attempt at de-escalation in the war that started nearly a month ago. Moreover, it comes just 36 hours after Trump warned to ‘obliterate’ Iran if it doesn’t safely reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

Bitcoin’s price reacted immediately to the announcement. The asset had already declined to under $68,500 before it skyrocketed by three grand to touch $71,500 for the first time since last Thursday.

Although it has lost some traction since then, it still stands close to $71,000. The sudden move upward has caught short traders off guard, with nearly $270 million in such positions wrecked in the past hour alone.

The total liquidations daily are up to $780 million as of press time, with over 200,000 traders getting wiped out, according to CoinGlass data.

The post Bitcoin Price Skyrockets as Trump Announces Major De-escalation in War Against Iran appeared first on CryptoPotato.

Bitcoin’s price correction from Sunday worsened over the past 12 hours as the asset dropped below $67,500 for the first time since March 9 after the latest developments on the Middle East front from the weekend.

Most larger-cap alts have followed suit, posting 2-3% losses within the same timeframe. SIREN, though, continues to operate under its own rules.

BTC Dipped to $67.5K

The previous business week began quite differently for bitcoin. The asset stood around $70,500 after that weekend, but quickly surged past the $74,000 resistance and tapped a six-week peak at $76,000 on Tuesday morning. This impressive rally came to an immediate halt at this point but BTC remained at around $74,000 by Wednesday.

It dropped in the hours leading to the second FOMC meeting of the year to $71,000, rebounded to $72,000 when the Fed expectedly left the rates unchanged, but went downhill once again after Powell’s hawkish speech. The low at the time came at $69,000, but bitcoin managed to rebound past $70,000 over the weekend.

It even touched $71,000 on Sunday morning, but then Trump issued its latest barrage of threats against Iran, and the cryptocurrency plummeted toward $68,000 on most exchanges. The bears took it a step further earlier today, and bitcoin slipped to a two-week low of just under $67,500. It has rebounded to over $68,000 as of press time, but its market cap is down to $1.360 trillion, and its dominance over the alts struggles at 56.4% on CG.

SIREN’s World

The past several days have completely belonged to the AI-focused altcoin operating on the BNB Chain. SIREN has continued to post mind-blowing gains, including another double-digit surge in the past day. It’s up by a whopping 1,230% monthly and marked its latest all-time high at over $3.60 earlier today before retracing to $3.

In contrast, most other larger-cap alts are in the red daily, with ETH, XRP, SOL, DOGE, HYPE, ADA, and LINK dropping by around 2-3%. XMR is among the few exceptions in the green, but the red wave continues with MNT, SKY, BGB, SUI, and others.

The total crypto market cap continues to struggle to remain above $2.4 trillion on CG, down by $200 billion since last Tuesday’s peak.

The post SIREN Flies to New ATH Above $3, BTC Price Slipped to a 2-Week Low: Market Watch appeared first on CryptoPotato.