The long-term accumulation trend among crypto ETF investors suggests a stabilizing influence on the volatile crypto market landscape.

The post BlackRock says over 90% of Bitcoin ETF investors are long-term accumulators appeared first on Crypto Briefing.

Musk's restructuring of xAI highlights challenges in leadership transitions and the impact of aggressive management on company morale and talent retention.

The post Elon Musk removes more xAI founders during restructuring ahead of potential IPO appeared first on Crypto Briefing.

The launch of Velotrade's crypto prop platform could democratize access to capital for traders, potentially reshaping the crypto trading landscape.

The post Ex-JP Morgan and Dresdner Kleinwort traders launch crypto prop platform appeared first on Crypto Briefing.

Bitcoin's resilience amid economic uncertainty suggests a potential shift in its role as a hedge, but market sentiment remains cautious.

The post Bitcoin holds steady as inflation stays sticky and growth slows appeared first on Crypto Briefing.

The postponement underscores the impact of geopolitical instability on global events, highlighting the need for adaptive planning in volatile regions.

The post TOKEN2049 Dubai postponed to April 2027 amid regional security concerns appeared first on Crypto Briefing.

Bitcoin Magazine

AI Pivot Won’t Save Everyone, Wintermute Tells Bitcoin Miners

Bitcoin miners are caught in the tightest squeeze of the network’s history, and a new Wintermute report argues that simply waiting for the next bull run is no longer a strategy. 

Instead, the firm says miners will have to reinvent themselves as infrastructure and treasury managers if they want to make it to the next halving.

Wintermute analyst Jasper De Maere says the current mining cycle is structurally different from prior ones in 2018 and 2022. Bitcoin’s design cuts block rewards in half every four years, but this time the price has not doubled over the same window, which means miner revenue is shrinking in real terms. 

On a rolling four‑year basis, Bitcoin has only returned about 1.15x in this epoch, far below the 10x–20x multiples seen in earlier cycles.

In past cycles, huge price gains covered up a lot of problems. Miners could count on bull markets to bail out weak margins after each halving. 

Today, with institutions, ETFs, and corporate treasuries in the mix, Bitcoin trades more like a mainstream macro asset, and those explosive 20x runs are less likely. 

For miners that built their business on the assumption of permanent hypergrowth, Wintermute frames this as a regime change, not a bad quarter.

Margins are getting crushed

Under the hood, Bitcoin mining has a very simple cost structure: energy and compute. That simplicity means there are not many ways to protect profits when revenue falls. Wintermute’s analysis shows gross margins in this epoch peaked around 30%, a level that marked the bottom during prior bear markets, not the top. 

Earlier epochs saw long stretches where miners enjoyed 70–80% margins; now, the “good times” look more like prior stress points.

Transaction fees are not saving the day either. Fee spikes tied to hype cycles and mempool congestion show up on charts, but they fade fast and rarely contribute more than a few percent of total miner revenue over time. 

Wintermute notes that even when you include fees, the margin lines for each cycle barely move apart, especially in the current epoch. In other words, the protocol’s built‑in “second revenue stream” is not acting as a reliable backstop.

The AI pivot is an opportunity for a few

One path out of the squeeze is getting plenty of attention: pivoting into high‑performance computing (HPC) and AI workloads. Big tech firms and AI startups are racing to lock in power and data center capacity, and they do not want to wait five to ten years for new grid connections and construction. 

Miners, who already control cheap power and built‑out sites, are a natural shortcut.

Wintermute points out that sites once valued at roughly 1–7 dollars per watt as pure mining operations have changed hands at close to 18 dollars per watt after being repositioned for AI compute, helped by deals like HUT’s work with Google and Anthropic. 

Public‑market investors have rewarded miners that announce credible AI plans with higher valuations and cheaper capital through equity and convertible debt. 

The catch is that not every miner has the location quality, balance sheet, or operational capacity to turn into a data‑center business.

Putting “idle” Bitcoin to work

That is where Wintermute sees a second, underused lever: active balance sheet management. Miners together hold close to 1% of all Bitcoin, a legacy of the “HODL” playbook that dominated earlier cycles. 

At the same time, many listed miners have been selling down parts of their treasuries to cover tighter margins and debt, with some even wiping out holdings altogether.

Instead of letting reserves sit idle until they are dumped in a liquidity crunch, Wintermute argues miners should treat BTC like a working asset. On the “active” side, that means using derivatives strategies such as covered calls and cash‑secured puts to earn yield on holdings, at the cost of taking some market risk. 

On the “passive” side, miners can deploy coins into on‑chain lending markets, including a new wrapped‑BTC market on Wildcat that Wintermute has highlighted, to generate interest income.

Wintermute’s bottom line is that Bitcoin’s design is working, but the easy era for miners is over. Difficulty can still adjust, yet it cannot overcome slower price growth, a fee market that has not scaled, and rising energy costs that eat into every block reward. 

The AI pivot will likely reshape the upper tier of the industry, turning some miners into full‑blown infrastructure companies.

This post AI Pivot Won’t Save Everyone, Wintermute Tells Bitcoin Miners first appeared on Bitcoin Magazine and is written by Micah Zimmerman.

Bitcoin Magazine

South African Eskom Considering Discount Power for Bitcoin Miners as Solar Creates Surplus

Eskom, a South African electricity public utility,  is exploring plans to sell excess daytime electricity to Bitcoin mining companies as rooftop solar installations reduce grid demand during daylight hours.

Speaking at the Biznews Conference 2026 in Hermanus, Eskom chairman Mteto Nyati said the utility is evaluating ways to monetize surplus power generated during the middle of the day, according to local reporting.

South Africa’s rapid adoption of rooftop solar systems has begun to reshape the country’s electricity demand profile. Many households and businesses now generate their own power during daylight hours, leaving Eskom with unused capacity once solar panels begin producing electricity.

Nyati said the pattern is increasingly predictable.

Demand spikes in the early morning as households prepare for work and businesses open. As solar generation ramps up later in the day, grid demand falls, leaving Eskom with surplus electricity.

Eskom is looking at creative ways and means of using that capacity. One option under review is offering discounted electricity to Bitcoin mining companies operating in South Africa. The sector runs large data centers that perform energy-intensive computations to secure the Bitcoin network.

Nyati said industries such as Bitcoin mining are contributing to rising global electricity demand. He said that the technology did not exist two decades ago but now represents a growing source of power consumption.

Selling excess electricity to miners could allow Eskom to generate revenue from power that might otherwise go unused during solar-heavy hours.

South African Bitcoin mining opportunities

The idea also builds on earlier comments from Eskom chief executive Dan Marokane, who said the state-owned utility is examining opportunities tied to Bitcoin mining, artificial intelligence infrastructure, and large-scale data centers.

Those sectors require large, continuous electricity supplies and could provide new demand for Eskom’s generation fleet.

Nyati framed the initiative as part of a broader strategy to adapt to structural changes in South Africa’s electricity market.

The country’s power sector is opening to private investment, allowing independent companies to build generation capacity and compete in electricity distribution. At the same time, rising rooftop solar adoption is shifting demand away from the national grid.

Nyati said Eskom must adapt to remain viable in a more competitive environment.

Alongside new revenue strategies, Eskom is pursuing cost reductions. Nyati said the utility plans to eliminate about R112 billion in expenses over the next five years.

Reducing those costs could help lower electricity prices for households and energy-intensive industries such as mining and smelting.

Despite the changes in the energy landscape, Nyati said South Africa still needs a strong national utility.

He argued that Eskom’s coal and nuclear power stations provide the base-load electricity required to support industrial growth and economic development.

The proposal to supply discounted electricity to Bitcoin miners reflects how utilities are beginning to treat flexible energy consumers as tools for balancing supply and demand in an evolving power system.

This post South African Eskom Considering Discount Power for Bitcoin Miners as Solar Creates Surplus first appeared on Bitcoin Magazine and is written by Micah Zimmerman.

Bitcoin Magazine

Bitcoin Price Reclaims $73,000 as War Shakes Markets, Outperforming Gold and Stocks

The Bitcoin price has outperformed gold, silver, and major U.S. equity indexes since the outbreak of the Iran–Israel conflict escalation 2026, climbing above $73,000 even as oil surged and expectations for near-term interest rate cuts faded.

Market data shows Bitcoin price rising about 8% since the first strikes against Iran, reaching a one-month high above $73,000. The move placed the digital asset ahead of several traditional safe-haven and risk assets during a period of geopolitical stress.

Gold declined during the same stretch, falling roughly 3% from levels seen before the conflict began. Silver dropped more than 10%, sliding from above $90 to around $82. U.S. equities also weakened, with the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq Composite each down between 1% and 2%.

The divergence came as global markets responded to a surge in energy prices. Crude oil climbed close to 20%, breaking above $100 per barrel for the first time in nearly four years as tensions threatened supply routes across the Middle East. 

These conditions often pressure crypto markets because higher oil prices and tighter financial conditions raise inflation concerns and reduce risk appetite across global portfolios.

The bitcoin price followed that pattern at first.

In the hours after the conflict began, the asset dropped sharply as traders cut exposure across crypto derivatives markets. Roughly $300 million in leveraged positions were liquidated during the initial weekend selloff. Bitcoin briefly fell toward the mid-$63,000 range as uncertainty spread through global markets.

The selloff matched Bitcoin’s historical behavior during geopolitical shocks, where it often trades in line with other high-beta assets during the first wave of risk reduction.

The market response changed during the following week.

Bitcoin price recovery

Instead of remaining near those lows while energy prices climbed, Bitcoin price recovered steadily and broke back above the $70,000 level. The rebound left it outperforming metals and equities during the same window despite the challenging macro backdrop.

Derivatives data via Bitcoin Magazine Pro shows that part of the recovery followed a reset in market leverage. After the liquidation event cleared large speculative positions, traders began rebuilding exposure.

Open interest across major exchanges climbed back to roughly 88,000 BTC. The increase signals renewed participation without reaching extreme leverage levels that often precede sharp corrections.

Institutional demand also contributed to the rebound.

U.S. spot Bitcoin exchange-traded funds recorded strong inflows during the week. Data from ETF trackers shows the funds attracted about $586 million, marking one of the largest inflow weeks of the year.

The flows represent a steady source of demand entering the market even as geopolitical tensions intensified and inflation concerns returned.

Robert Mitchnick, head of digital assets at BlackRock, said the behavior of ETF investors has remained stable during periods of volatility.

Speaking on CNBC, Mitchnick said ETF flows show a long-term accumulation pattern even during large price declines in Bitcoin price. 

He said the investor base across financial advisors, institutions, and direct retail buyers has taken a steady approach to the asset, with many participants using price weakness to add exposure.

He also pointed to the performance of the iShares Bitcoin Trust ETF (IBIT), which continued attracting inflows despite a sharp drop in Bitcoin’s price from its previous peak.

Mitchnick said IBIT ranked among the largest ETF inflows globally during 2025 even while the underlying asset declined, highlighting sustained demand from long-term investors.

The growth of spot ETFs has expanded Bitcoin’s investor base and deepened market liquidity compared with earlier geopolitical episodes. Institutional capital can now enter the market through regulated products that trade alongside equities.

For now, Bitcoin’s performance during the conflict has reinforced its status as a liquid macro asset that reacts to both global market forces and crypto-native demand.

While oil, inflation expectations, and central bank policy continue to shape the backdrop, the digital asset has managed to recover faster than many traditional benchmarks during one of the most volatile geopolitical episodes of the year.

At the time of writing, Bitcoin price is trading at $72,941.

This post Bitcoin Price Reclaims $73,000 as War Shakes Markets, Outperforming Gold and Stocks first appeared on Bitcoin Magazine and is written by Micah Zimmerman.

Bitcoin Magazine

Strategy (MSTR) Bought Over 4,000 Bitcoin Today via STRC As Strong Week Continues

Strategy appears to have purchased more than 4,000 bitcoin on Thursday, according to estimates derived from real-time trading data and community tracking dashboards monitoring the firm’s preferred equity sales.

Data from STRC.live and market trackers suggests the purchases were funded through heavy issuance of the company’s Variable Rate Series A Preferred Stock (STRC), a perpetual preferred instrument that Strategy has increasingly used to raise capital for bitcoin accumulation.

By end of day in New York, trading activity implied the firm had already raised enough capital to acquire more than 4,000 BTC, marking the largest single-day bitcoin purchase funded through STRC since the instrument launched.

The surge follows unusually strong activity earlier in the week. On March 10, STRC recorded a record $409 million in daily trading volume while maintaining roughly 3% 30-day volatility and a one-month volume-weighted average price near $99.78.

On-chain indicators and community monitoring suggested that day’s activity funded the purchase of more than 2,000 BTC, already one of the largest one-day accumulations tied to the instrument.

Thursday’s pace easily surpassed that figure.

Strategy, already the largest public corporate holder of bitcoin, has increasingly leaned on its preferred equity program to finance additional acquisitions.

Earlier this year the company amended its at-the-market (ATM) program, allowing multiple agents to sell STRC shares simultaneously. The change increased liquidity in the instrument and made it easier for Strategy to raise large amounts of capital quickly, with proceeds directed toward bitcoin purchases.

Real-time dashboards tracking STRC trading attempt to estimate how many shares Strategy itself is issuing versus secondary market trades. 

Because the company previously indicated it may sell shares when the price trades above its $100 stated amount, analysts can approximate capital raised when trading occurs above that threshold.

A recent SEC filing disclosed that the company purchased 17,994 BTC between March 2 and March 8 for approximately $1.28 billion. That acquisition lifted the firm’s total holdings to about 738,731 BTC, representing roughly 3.5% of bitcoin’s circulating supply.

The filing showed the purchase was funded through a combination of $377.1 million in STRC sales and $899.5 million raised through common stock issuance.

Based on those figures, STRC accounted for about 29.5% of the funding for that five-day accumulation period, equivalent to roughly 5,300 BTC acquired through preferred share sales.

If Thursday’s estimates prove accurate, the day’s purchases alone could exceed the average daily bitcoin acquisition pace seen during that earlier buying window.

The data remains unofficial. Strategy typically confirms purchases later through SEC filings or public disclosures.

How does Strategy’s STRC work?

STRC acts as a bridge between traditional income investors and Strategy’s Bitcoin-focused balance sheet. Income investors typically seek steady payouts, while Strategy’s large Bitcoin holdings bring long-term upside along with short-term price swings. The preferred stock helps connect these two profiles.

The security is structured to keep demand near its $100 par value while paying a monthly dividend that yields about 11.5% annually. In effect, it converts the economics of a Bitcoin treasury into a format that appeals to fixed-income investors who prioritize regular income.

Strong liquidity and relatively low volatility suggest that the investor base is shifting toward income-focused capital. That shift can help stabilize trading activity compared with instruments driven mainly by speculation.

These early results point to product-market fit. Rather than relying on marketing or hype, the structure appears to meet a clear demand among investors seeking yield tied to Bitcoin exposure.

For corporate leaders considering Bitcoin treasury strategies, STRC offers a way to integrate Bitcoin into broader capital structures. It allows companies to draw funding from multiple investor groups while building a shared strategic reserve around the asset.

At the time of writing, Bitcoin trades near $70,000, while shares of MicroStrategy (MSTR) are down about 0.75% on the day.

This post Strategy (MSTR) Bought Over 4,000 Bitcoin Today via STRC As Strong Week Continues first appeared on Bitcoin Magazine and is written by Micah Zimmerman.

Bitcoin Magazine

David Bailey Confirmed As A Bitcoin 2026 Speaker

David Bailey has been officially confirmed as a speaker at Bitcoin 2026, returning to the conference he helped build to share his perspective on Bitcoin’s expanding role across media, capital markets, and corporate strategy. As the Chairman and CEO of Nakamoto Inc. (NASDAQ: NAKA), Bailey has executed one of the most ambitious consolidation plays in Bitcoin’s history — bringing together BTC Inc., and UTXO Management under a single publicly traded Bitcoin operating company. His vision extends far beyond media: Nakamoto is positioned as a diversified Bitcoin enterprise spanning asset management, advisory services, and institutional infrastructure, with Bitcoin accumulation at its core.

Bailey has long been a central force in shaping how the global Bitcoin community organizes, communicates, and grows. Under his leadership, BTC Inc. became the parent company of Bitcoin Magazine — the longest-running source of Bitcoin news and commentary, first published in 2012 — while also building The Bitcoin Conference into the largest Bitcoin event series in the world, drawing more than 67,000 attendees across U.S., Asia, Europe, and Middle East events in 2025 alone. His work through Bitcoin for Corporations has further accelerated institutional adoption, connecting over 40 member companies with the education and networks needed to integrate Bitcoin into their treasuries.

With the Nakamoto acquisition of BTC Inc. and UTXO now complete, Bailey arrives at Bitcoin 2026 at a defining moment — not just for his own company, but for the broader Bitcoin ecosystem.

Bitcoin Magazine is published by BTC Inc, a subsidiary of Nakamoto Inc. (NASDAQ: NAKA)

Bitcoin 2026 Returns to Las Vegas Bigger Than Ever

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

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

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

Past Bitcoin Conferences in the U.S.

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

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

Get Your Bitcoin 2026 Pass

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

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

Bring your whole team to Bitcoin 2026 and get 20% off your entire order, bring more than six in a group and get 25% off for a limited time.

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

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

With tens of thousands of attendees expected and hundreds of major speakers like David Bailey already confirmed, now is the time to lock in your ticket.

Buy Bitcoin 2026 Tickets — Save 10%

Why Attend Bitcoin 2026?

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

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

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

Bitcoin 2026 Pass Types: Something for Everyone

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

Bitcoin 2026 General Admission Pass

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

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

Bitcoin 2026 Pro Pass

Designed for professionals, operators, and serious Bitcoin participants.

Includes all General Admission features, plus:

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

Bitcoin 2026 Whale Pass

The all-inclusive, premium Bitcoin 2026 experience.

Includes all Pro Pass features, plus:

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

This is the most immersive way to experience Bitcoin 2026.

Bitcoin 2026 After Hours Pass

Your ticket to the night.

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

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

More headline speaker announcements are coming soon.

Don’t miss Bitcoin 2026.

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

Binance suing the Wall Street Journal is not a new kind of signal, as the exchange has fought what it considered hostile coverage before.

However, this time the market may read the move differently.

In earlier cycles, a Binance-versus-media clash fit neatly into a larger story of regulatory danger. Now, after a softer US enforcement turn and deeper overlap with President Donald Trump-linked crypto networks, the same kind of pushback may be read less as panic and more as confidence.

On Mar. 11, Binance sued the Wall Street Journal and Dow Jones over a Feb. 23 report tied to an alleged Iran-related internal investigation, saying the story made false and defamatory claims about how Binance handled roughly $1 billion in transfers allegedly linked to Iran-backed groups.

Related Reading

A new US probe is testing Binance again — and the outcome will reshape crypto

Binance faces fresh U.S. scrutiny after $1B in Iran-linked crypto trades are flagged.

Mar 11, 2026 · Liam 'Akiba' Wright

The suit says the Journal ignored corrections and published at least 11 false statements.

That sounds familiar because it is. Reuters previously reported that Binance sued Forbes over its 2020 “Tai Chi” article and later dropped the case.

Additionally, Binance founder Changpeng Zhao (CZ) personally sued Bloomberg Businessweek's Hong Kong publishing partner, Modern Media, in 2022 over a “Ponzi scheme” headline.

The novelty in the WSJ fight lies in the backdrop against which the tactic is being used.

In 2020 and 2022, a Binance-versus-media clash slotted naturally into a broader narrative of regulatory danger. In 2026, the same move followed the SEC's dismissal of its civil case with prejudice, after Trump-linked World Liberty's USD1 was reportedly used in MGX's $2 billion Binance investment, and after Trump pardoned CZ.

Related Reading

A new US probe is testing Binance again — and the outcome will reshape crypto

Binance faces fresh U.S. scrutiny after $1B in Iran-linked crypto trades are flagged.

Mar 11, 2026 · Liam 'Akiba' Wright

Same tactic, different setting

Binance may be facing a friendlier US climate, but the Iran-related scrutiny and ongoing litigation show the fear premium is shrinking, not gone.

Senator Richard Blumenthal opened a preliminary inquiry in February 2026 after reporting on alleged sanctions exposure related to Iran and Russia.

Reports also noted that, in late February 2026, a federal judge refused Binance's attempt to force certain customer-loss claims into arbitration.

And on Mar. 6, Reuters reported that Binance and Zhao had won dismissal of a lawsuit by victims of 64 attacks, but the judge allowed the plaintiffs to amend the complaint.

In February 2025, Binance and the SEC jointly requested a pause in the agency's case as Trump's crypto policy took shape. In May 2025, the SEC dismissed the case with prejudice and said the move was appropriate “in the exercise of its discretion and as a policy matter,” not because the merits had been fully vindicated.

Also in May, Trump-linked USD1 would be allegedly used to close MGX's $2 billion Binance investment. In October 2025, Trump pardoned CZ.

The WSJ lawsuit now sits atop that sequence.

The clean investor takeaway is that the fear premium around Binance may be shrinking. For years, damaging headlines about Binance were often read as possible preludes to a fresh regulatory shock.

If Washington now looks less hostile, then the same headlines may no longer trigger the same fear response. That matters for competitor positioning, headline sensitivity, and how the market prices Binance's legal noise.

The lawsuit itself fits that interpretation. A company that still sees itself as maximally exposed tends to play defense. Binance instead escalated into open legal combat with one of the world's most influential financial publications.

Despite not proving insulation, it suggests Binance believes the downside of fighting back is lower than it used to be.

The political read layers onto scale

The political angle should not swallow Binance's actual business strength.

Binance remains the dominant centralized exchange by spot volume: CoinGecko said it held 38.3% of total spot volume in December 2025 and 39.2% of top-10 CEX spot volume for full-year 2025.

In February 2026, Binance served about 300 million users and held roughly $44 billion in Bitcoin in customer wallets.

A friendlier political read may be to layer on scale and liquidity rather than replace them.

The visible conflict is between Binance and the WSJ, while the deeper conflict is between two narratives about the company. The old narrative cast Binance as a permanently vulnerable regulatory target.

The newer one says the exchange may now be operating in a friendlier US climate, where scale, global relevance, and Trump-adjacent crypto overlap reduce the market impact of hostile coverage.

The market may be seeing the same playbook play out in a friendlier US regime.

Forward scenarios

The bull case for this new Binance clash is that the market increasingly concludes that the old US crackdown template no longer lands the same way on Binance.

The SEC dismissal, the pardon, and the reportedly Trump-linked USD1/MGX overlap fit into a broader narrative that Binance is less liable than before.

In that case, the WSJ suit looks less like defensiveness and more like incumbent confidence.

The bear case is that investors overread the friendliness. The Iran-related controversy, congressional scrutiny, or civil litigation reminds the market that Binance still has real legal vulnerability.

In that scenario, the WSJ lawsuit gets reinterpreted as overreach, and the supposed shrinkage in fear premium reverses.

The black swan is that a formal US sanctions or national security action emerges from the Iran-related reporting. Then the whole “friendlier backdrop” thesis flips from support to liability because the market would suddenly relearn that political narratives do not neutralize hard enforcement when national security is at stake.

The investor question is “Why might the same move create less fear this time?”

For years, the “Binance discount” was simple: any damaging headline could be read as the prelude to another major enforcement blow.

That transmission mechanism may be weakening. If investors increasingly think the old crackdown playbook no longer lands the same way, then bad headlines lose some of their panic power, Binance's enforcement discount shrinks, and competitors that benefited from “Binance fear” lose some of their relative advantage.

Binance suing the press is old behavior. The market may be reading it through a softer US policy backdrop as the new part.

What makes this WSJ clash worth watching is whether the same old tactic now hits investors through a different lens. One where Washington looks less like a threat and more like uncertain terrain that Binance feels confident enough to navigate aggressively.

The post Why Binance suddenly isn’t afraid of negative press anymore appeared first on CryptoSlate.

A crypto trader lost over $50 million in Aave-wrapped USDT on March 12 after sending a single large order through the DeFi lending protocol's swap interface and clearing a slippage warning on a mobile device.

Data from Etherscan shows the wallet swapped $50.43 million aEthUSDT for 327.24 aEthAAVE through CoW Protocol in Ethereum block 24,643,151.

At the current AAVE price of $111.52, the returned tokens were worth roughly $36,100, leaving an implied loss of about $49.96 million relative to the original order size.

The trade drew immediate attention across crypto markets because of its scale and because it moved through one of decentralized finance’s largest venues. Aave is the largest DeFi lending protocol with over $1 trillion in total cumulative lending.

Following the incident, Aave revealed plans to contact the affected user and return about $600,000 in fees collected from the transaction. CoW Protocol said it would also refund any fees sent to CoW DAO.

Related Reading

Crypto liquidity crisis causes major price slippages during sell-offs – Kaiko

The liquidity concentration issues got worse since the launch of spot Bitcoin ETFs in the US, adding risks of sharp weekend price swings.

Aug 12, 2024 · Gino Matos

Who is the victim?

Blockchain analytics platform Lookonchain said the wallet behind the swap may belong to Garrett Jin, a popular crypto trader known as the BitcoinOG1011short.

Lookonchain said on-chain tracing identified 13 wallets that may belong to Jin. It said those wallets received USDC or USDT from Binance on Feb. 16 and Feb. 20, then became active again on Thursday and moved funds to two new wallets.

One of those wallets, Lookonchain said, shared the same Binance deposit address as Garrett Jin.

The claim drew significant attention because Jin has already been linked to other large, closely watched crypto trades.

Last October, online sleuths tied him to a $735 million short position on Bitcoin opened through Hyperliquid shortly before President Donald Trump threatened additional tariffs on China.

The trade, which made up to $200 million in profit, later fueled speculation about advance knowledge because it arrived just before a broader market selloff.

However, Jin rejected that narrative, saying the capital belongs to clients. He added that his team runs nodes and provides in-house insights, and that he has no connection to the Trump family.

As of press time, Jin had yet to confirm any link to the $50 milion loss.

Related Reading

The Big Bitcoin Short: This guy made $200M timing Trump's tariff post perfectly

The record $19 billion liquidation spree is reviving debate over whether crypto trades tied to policy leaks could ever qualify as insider trading.

Oct 13, 2025 · Liam 'Akiba' Wright

Ethereum middlemen share the windfall

While the trader absorbed the loss, other participants in Ethereum’s execution chain captured the spread released by the order.

Emmet Gallic, an analyst at Arkham Intelligence, said a maximal extractable value, or MEV, bot arbitraged the transaction across Uniswap and SushiSwap pools.

In Ethereum markets, MEV refers to profits captured by automated traders when they react to pricing gaps created during block execution.

Gallic said the bot paid Titan Builder 16,927 ETH, worth about $34.8 million. Titan Builder then paid 568 ETH, or about $1.2 million, to the Lido validator associated with the block proposal and kept about 16,359 ETH, or roughly $33.6 million. The bot operator was left with about $10 million in gains.

As a result, Titan Builder generated the highest revenue among crypto platforms in the last 24 hours, according to DeFiLlama data.

Aave and CoW say the user was warned about the transaction

Meanwhile, the DeFi protocols Aave and CoW have both defended their platforms in this loss, stating that the user received a clear warning notice before the order was executed.

Aave founder Stani Kulechov explained that the user had manually overridden a warning signal that flagged unusually high slippage and then proceeded with the swap on mobile.

According to him:

“The transaction could not be moved forward without the user explicitly accepting the risk through the confirmation checkbox.”

He described the result as “clearly far from optimal” and said Aave’s team would review stronger safeguards around similar trades.

CoW Protocol gave a similar account, while explaining that:

“There’s no indication of a protocol exploit or otherwise malicious behavior. The transaction executed according to the parameters of the signed order.”

CoW also said available public and private liquidity sources could not support a reasonable fill for an order of that size.

Their explanation placed the focus on execution conditions rather than software failure. The route searched for available liquidity, found a path, and carried the order across venues that repriced as the size moved through them.

The warning flow recorded the user’s approval before the trade reached the market.

Improving DeFi user experience

As a result, the episode has brought renewed attention to how DeFi interfaces handle oversized orders.

Suhail Kakar, a developer relations executive at Polymarket, said the incident showed a gap in DeFi user protections rather than a failure of the underlying contracts.

He said Aave and CoW Swap executed the trade as designed, but warned that a mobile confirmation flow should not stand between a user and a $49.9 million loss due to slippage.

Kakar added that wallets and frontends should more clearly show the expected dollar loss and introduce stronger controls for oversized orders, including mechanisms that split large trades into smaller transactions.

In response, Kulechov said Aave would implement stronger safeguards to prevent a recurrence, while CoW said the trade showed the need to keep improving the DeFi user experience.

According to CoW:

“Preventing users from making trades removes choice and can lead to terrible outcomes in some situations (e.g. a market crash). That said, trades like these show that DeFi UX still isn’t where it needs to be to protect all users. As a team, we are now reviewing how we balance strong safeguards with preserving user autonomy.”

The post Miss this warning and you too could lose 99.9% in one swap while Ethereum bots walk away with the rest appeared first on CryptoSlate.

A French couple held at knifepoint in their home near Versailles and forced to transfer roughly €900,000 in Bitcoin would normally read like a rare, tragic story.

But in France, it now fits a pattern serious enough to rattle the industry, draw the interior minister into the fray, and push executives toward bodyguards and tighter personal security measures.

This signals a broader trend: crypto security is becoming a key concern for physical security.

The March 2026 Le Chesnay-Rocquencourt case, in which three men posing as police allegedly coerced the couple into authorizing the transfer, is the latest data point in what French authorities now call a “new criminal phenomenon.”

In January 2026, the Interior Ministry said that “the threat is evolving and now affects private individuals.”

That language marks a shift: crypto crime in France is no longer just a specialist cyber issue, but a personal protection problem requiring high-end policing.

The pattern became unmistakable in 2025. Ledger co-founder David Balland and his partner were kidnapped in January, and a crypto ransom was demanded.

Reuters later reported that Balland's hand was mutilated, and part of the ransom was paid before investigators recovered it.

In May, the father of a wealthy crypto entrepreneur was abducted and had a finger severed. Days later, a masked gang attempted to kidnap the daughter of Paymium CEO Pierre Noizat in broad daylight in Paris.

By the end of May, 25 people were being brought before an investigating judge over the attempted abduction and criminal conspiracy. In June, authorities arrested a suspect in Morocco tied to the French crypto sector kidnappings.

The 2026 attacks kept coming. In early February, a magistrate and her mother were abducted, with investigators focusing on the judge's partner's crypto ties. The Le Chesnay robbery followed weeks later.

What makes France editorially important is that it is producing enough cases to reveal the structural problem: self-custody protects against exchange collapse and platform risk, but it does not eliminate the risk of coercion.

CertiK's February 2026 wrench attack report documented 72 verified physical coercion incidents globally in 2025, up 75% year over year. Kidnapping was the primary attack vector. Physical assaults rose 250%.

Europe accounted for over 40% of cases, and France led the world. The report explicitly calls physical violence a “structural threat to digital asset ownership.” That is no longer anecdotal.

Related Reading

When the wrench comes for the wallet: Why Bitcoin’s biggest believers are handing over their keys

Self-custody is under fire as wrench attacks become a real threat for crypto holders, with physical coercion and organized crime targeting those with on-chain wealth.

Nov 2, 2025 · Christina Comben

Bitcoin's problem is key coercion

France is stress testing one of crypto's founding promises. “Be your own bank” solved dependence on trusted intermediaries. It did not solve the wrench attack.

Hardware wallets can reduce the risk of remote compromise, yet they cannot stop a knife at the door. The French state's own advice now reflects that reality.

In January 2026, it told holders not to display gains online, not to discuss holdings offline, to use strong authentication, and to consider delays for unlocking large amounts. That is the vocabulary of hostage risk mitigation.

The tension is that France also wants to be seen as a serious crypto jurisdiction.

Reports from March 2025 noted that state-backed lender Bpifrance was launching a crypto token fund to support French projects. At the same time, AP said the wave of kidnappings was denting France's image as a welcoming place for innovation.

France wants to be a crypto hub, but it is becoming the place where crypto wealth looks hardest to hold safely in public.

Bruno Retailleau, the interior minister, met crypto leaders in May 2025 and offered priority access to emergency police services, home security checks, and briefings from elite police units, including GIGN, RAID, and BRI.

The meeting was kept confidential enough that journalists were told not to film participants “for reasons of security.” That level of response does not get deployed for phishing campaigns. France is treating crypto crime as an executive protection problem.

The broader implication is that the security model around Bitcoin and self-custody is being redesigned in real time.

Multisig, geographic separation of keys, delayed spending controls, distributed approvals, and wealthy holders' willingness to mix self-custody with institutional custody are all responses to the same underlying fact: private keys can be hardened against hackers, but not against violence, family targeting, or face-to-face extortion.

Related Reading

Two major crypto events canceled after city hit by 18 violent physical attacks on crypto holders amid market downturn

Organizers blame a “market collapse” for the sudden shutdown, but a string of brutal kidnappings and home invasions across France suggests the risks of being seen in public have changed.

Jan 12, 2026 · Liam 'Akiba' Wright

The privacy debate no one resolved

One unresolved tension is the possibility that greater visibility makes holders safer or more vulnerable.

Paymium explicitly criticized European reporting requirements after the May attempted kidnapping. However, the French Interior Ministry pushes the opposite message: blockchain is traceable, funds can be confiscated, and since 2014, French magistrates have seized €90 million in crypto assets.

Nevertheless, it isn't clear if more traceability deters criminals through enforcement or exposes holders through paper trails.

The answer likely depends on which type of actor investors are worried about.

The possibility of blockchain tracing does not deter sophisticated criminals who can kidnap executives and mutilate victims. They are betting on speed, coercion, and the victim's inability to resist in the moment.

For them, KYC data and public profiles are intelligence, not deterrents. For opportunistic criminals, the calculus may be different. But France's 2025 and 2026 cases look more organized than opportunistic.

Besides, the victim pool appears to be widening. The pattern began with highly visible figures and relatives of crypto insiders.

By January 2026, the Interior Ministry said the threat now affects private individuals. The Le Chesnay case involved a suburban couple, not a household publicly known as part of France's crypto elite.

The February magistrate abduction showed that proximity to crypto wealth, through a partner or professional ties, can be enough to make someone a target.

That is a meaningful escalation. Once the official guidance shifts from “professionals are exposed” to “holders generally are now targeted,” the security model changes from executive protection to mass retail operational security.

Related Reading

Crypto investor hunted down in France home invasion as crypto “wrench attack” spike spreads

From the Waltio breach to suspected insider access, identity data is becoming the most valuable precursor to violence.

Feb 17, 2026 · Gino Matos

What holders are changing

The likely long-run implication is a redesign towards more multisig, more geographic separation of keys, more delayed spending controls, more distributed approvals, and more willingness among wealthy holders to accept institutional or collaborative custody for large balances.

Additionally, investors will be more likely to refrain from oversharing on social media and adopt a low-profile stance.

These are the adaptations already happening in response to France's 2025 wave.

Security firms are seeing more requests for bodyguards and residential protection. Founders are changing posting behavior and custody routines. The French state is offering emergency police access and security briefings.

None of this eliminates the risk. All of it visibly raises the cost of holding crypto wealth.

France is showing that the next phase of crypto security may look less like cybersecurity and more like executive protection.

The digital asset industry spent the past decade building against remote attacks, key compromise, and platform failures. It did not build against kidnapping.

The 2025 and 2026 French cases are forcing that conversation. Hardware wallets can protect keys from hackers. They cannot protect holders from gangs, home invasions, or ransom threats.

The reality in France is that the threat model around crypto wealth is changing.

A run of kidnappings, mutilations, family targeting, and home invasions has turned “security” from a question of wallets, exchanges, and private keys into a question of bodyguards, home audits, social media restraint, and whether the person holding the keys can be coerced.

France is becoming the clearest case study yet of what happens when digital wealth becomes a real-world liability.

The post Crypto holders in France are being violently targeted again — and it’s no longer just insiders appeared first on CryptoSlate.

The next big Bitcoin policy fight may have nothing to do with ETFs or government legislation, but with a dry Federal Reserve capital proposal that most investors will never read.

The landscape is simple: will big banks continue to treat Bitcoin as a balance sheet hazard, or will US capital rules begin to leave room for more serious bank intermediation around it?

With the Fed expected to vote next week on a revised Basel proposal and then open a 90-day comment window, this little-noticed rulemaking could become one of the most important banking decisions for Bitcoin in years.

Reuters reported on Mar. 12 that the Fed plans to vote next week on a revised Basel proposal for large banks and then open a 90-day public comment period.

Fed Vice Chair for Supervision Michelle Bowman said the same day that proposals covering Basel III and the G-SIB surcharge would be published in the coming week.

Most crypto investors do not care about prudential terminology, but they do care about whether their bank will eventually offer better Bitcoin services, whether crypto firms can more easily secure bank relationships, and whether Wall Street integration expands beyond ETFs.

The current Basel framework is restrictive enough to make those questions materially harder for banks to answer.

This all comes amid increasing tension between the US crypto industry and banks as they continue to clash over the stalled Clarity Act. The President chose a side this month by directly blaming banks for the delay.

What Basel says now

Under the Basel crypto framework, banks' crypto exposures are split into Group 1 and Group 2, with the latter being the tougher bucket.

A Group 2 cryptoasset is treated as Group 2b unless a bank demonstrates to its supervisor that it meets Group 2a hedging recognition criteria. Group 2b exposures carry a 1250% risk weight, and Basel says that treatment is calibrated so that banks hold minimum risk-based capital equal to the value of those exposures.

Basel also says total Group 2 exposure is built around 1% and 2% of Tier 1 capital thresholds: banks are expected to stay under 1%, excess over 1% gets the harsher Group 2b treatment, and if exposure exceeds 2%, all Group 2 exposure gets the Group 2b treatment.

A bank with $100 billion in Tier 1 capital is expected to keep total Group 2 crypto exposure below roughly $1 billion. If it exceeded $2 billion, all Group 2 exposure would be subject to the harsher Group 2b treatment.

For the largest banks, that is enough room to experiment, but not enough to make Bitcoin a normal balance-sheet asset under the current framework.

Basel's framework allows a Group 2a path for cryptoassets that meet hedging recognition criteria, including the existence of regulated exchange-traded derivatives or ETFs/ETNs, as well as minimum liquidity thresholds.

For Group 2a, the framework uses a modified market risk treatment with a 100% risk weight on the net position, rather than the 1250% treatment for Group 2b.

Basel's default treatment of unbacked crypto is punitive, and unless banks qualify for the narrower 2a path, direct exposure remains extremely expensive.

Permission versus capital

Capital rules determine what banks can do economically, not just what they can do legally.

If the capital treatment remains harsh, large banks will still have a strong incentive to avoid meaningful Bitcoin inventory, financing, principal market-making, and other balance sheet-intensive services.

If it softens, or if the US draft provides a clearer, more usable path for lower-risk treatment, the long-run effect could be more bank custody, financing, execution, and infrastructure for Bitcoin.

The US has already been reopening the banking side of crypto. In March 2025, the OCC reaffirmed that crypto custody, certain stablecoin activities, and participation in independent node verification networks are permissible for national banks, and it scrapped a prior non-objection hurdle.

In April 2025, the Fed and FDIC withdrew two 2023 joint statements on cryptoasset-related activities and said banks may engage in permissible crypto activities consistent with safety and soundness.

In December 2025, the OCC said banks could act as intermediaries in “riskless principal” crypto transactions.

That means the policy bottleneck is increasingly shifting from permission to capital.

Washington may be opening the legal door to crypto banking while still leaving the economic door mostly shut. Banks may be allowed to touch crypto in more ways than they were two years ago.

However, if Basel implementation leaves Bitcoin in the harsh bucket, big banks still have little reason to scale meaningful balance sheet exposure.

Global context

In November 2025, the Basel Committee said it would expedite a targeted review of its cryptoasset standard, and in February 2026, it said it had discussed progress on that review.

A BIS speech in December 2025 said bank exposures to cryptoassets stood at just over €14 billion at end-2024 and remained limited enough that the banking industry had been “largely immune” to crypto's price swings.

That makes the current US debate more interesting: crypto-bank integration remains limited, and capital treatment is one reason why.

Basel's own text states that, on a segregated basis, some crypto-related custodial services generally do not give rise to credit, market, or liquidity requirements in the same way as direct exposures. However, they still raise operational risk and supervisory issues.

So the biggest effect of harsh capital treatment is on principal risk and scalable balance sheet activity.

In essence, the current case is a conflict between two visions of Bitcoin.

One says Bitcoin should remain something banks service only at the margins. The other says Bitcoin should eventually become bankable infrastructure: financed, custodied, hedged, and intermediated inside the same institutions that already handle other major asset classes.

Next week's Fed proposal will show which direction US prudential policy is leaning.

Potential outcomes

The bull case is that the US draft creates a more workable path for certain hedged or lower-risk Bitcoin exposures, or at least signals a willingness to interpret Basel's crypto framework in a less punitive way than many in the market currently assume.

In that version, banks gain more room for custody-plus-financing, market-making, and other institutional services around Bitcoin rather than suddenly loading up on it. Bitcoin became more bankable without being formally embraced.

The bear case is that the proposal operationalizes the harsh treatment cleanly and visibly, leaving banks with little ambiguity and little room to scale.

In that case, the 90-day comment window becomes a forum for crypto firms and policy groups to argue that the US is keeping Bitcoin outside the banking core even as it talks about innovation.

The result is more ETF-style access for investors, but still limited adoption on bank balance sheets.

The black swan is that the draft goes beyond the market's fears, or the debate around it gets captured by national security or AML concerns in a way that hardens the prudential case against Bitcoin rather than softening it.

Then the focus becomes a strategic US decision to keep Bitcoin largely on the edge of the regulated banking system.

This Fed proposal could decide how banks treat Bitcoin: as bankable infrastructure or as balance sheet contamination.

That is why this seemingly dry Fed vote matters more to Bitcoin's long-term banking integration than most investors realize.

The post The Fed is readying to punish banks for holding Bitcoin as US crypto tensions boil over appeared first on CryptoSlate.

BlackRock's new staked Ethereum ETF (ETHB) is easy to misunderstand.

This is not the first time ETH staking has finally reached exchange-traded products, as Grayscale has already crossed that bridge. What's interesting about the launch is that BlackRock is now standardizing the way Ethereum is explained to mainstream investors.

With ETHB, Ethereum is being repackaged less as a confusing crypto-tech bet and more as a yield-bearing portfolio asset: something investors can hold in a brokerage account, potentially collect monthly staking-related income from, and understand in much more familiar investment terms.

BlackRock introduced the iShares Staked Ethereum Trust ETF on Mar. 12. BlackRock's release says the product gives investors exposure to spot Ether while “potentially generating income” by staking a portion of its Ether holdings.

Its product page says ETHB is designed for “monthly income,” seeks exposure to the price of Ethereum and staking rewards, and pays a monthly distribution.

On Jan. 5, ETHE became the first US Ethereum ETP to distribute staking rewards, and it said staking had already been activated for ETHE and ETH in October 2025. Grayscale's current product pages still show both products with staking branding.

So the shift on Mar. 12 was less about product novelty than about who was offering it and how it was being marketed.

Mainstream ratification, not first-mover advantage

BlackRock is the world's largest asset manager, and its materials frame ETHB around “income potential,” “monthly income,” brokerage account convenience, and exposure to Ether plus staking rewards.

That makes the more important change one of distribution power: one of Wall Street's biggest product machines is now telling traditional investors how to understand Ethereum.

For years, Ethereum's mainstream problem was translation.

Bitcoin was easy to sell as digital gold. Ethereum was harder to package because it sits awkwardly between a technology platform, a monetary asset, and an application-layer infrastructure.

ETHB simplifies that story into something more familiar: price exposure plus income potential inside a brokerage account.

Ahead of the first US spot Ether ETFs, investors complained that unstaked Ether exposure resembled buying “a bond without the coupon,” and staking yields were about 3.1% at the time.

BlackRock's ETHB is a direct answer to that old demand problem.

BlackRock's own educational note says staking currently offers returns of roughly 2.5% to 3% annually, but also entails liquidity constraints and the risk of financial penalties.

It explicitly states that the decision to stake “does not materially change” an investor's exposure to ETH price movements, which remain the primary driver of returns.

How does this change the capital pitch

This changes how Ethereum competes for capital. If ETH gets marketed as “the crypto that pays,” it no longer competes only with Bitcoin for crypto allocation. It starts competing for investors seeking a mix of growth, network exposure, and yield, even though the ETH price remains the primary driver of returns.

The launch economics are designed to be competitive.

BlackRock says ETHB's sponsor fee is 0.12% for the first $2.5 billion of assets for the first 12 months beginning Mar. 12, 2026, and 0.25% thereafter or on assets above that threshold.

The firm also says ETHB intends to stake the majority of its ETH and distribute rewards, less fees, to shareholders.

ETHB's launch release says its existing crypto lineup already includes IBIT and ETHA, which had over $55 billion and $6.5 billion in assets under management, respectively, as of Mar. 6.

BlackRock is attaching that yield pitch to the same distribution network that has already made its bitcoin and Ether products market leaders.

Grayscale is the proof that ETH staking ETPs were already viable before ETHB.

As of Jan. 9, Grayscale's staking-branded ETH and ETHE product pages showed gross staking rewards of 4.49% and 4.04%, respectively, with ETHE showing a monthly distribution frequency.

BlackRock's launch is about scale, branding, and mainstream distribution.

Two competing ways to sell Ethereum

The real conflict is between two competing ways of selling Ethereum.

One version treats ETH mainly as a speculative tech token. The other treats ETH as a yield-bearing digital asset that can sit in a brokerage account and generate income-like returns while still providing price exposure.

ETHB strongly advances a second narrative. BlackRock's own language makes that framing available: ETHB offers “income potential,” “monthly income,” and a way to access staking without direct operational burdens.

This is exactly how a complicated crypto asset gets translated into mainstream portfolio language.

The bull case is that BlackRock's framing sticks. Ethereum stops being the “harder-to-explain” major crypto and becomes the one that offers a mainstream-friendly combination of infrastructure exposure and yield.

In that case, ETH may begin competing for pockets of capital that would not normally buy a pure-beta crypto asset, especially in brokerage and advisory channels already comfortable with income language.

The bear case is that the yield pitch proves too small relative to volatility. BlackRock itself says staking offers only modest rewards and adds liquidity and penalty risk, while the ETH price remains the main driver of returns.

In that version, ETHB is useful but not transformative: a better wrapper for existing ETH bulls rather than a true expansion of the addressable investor base.

The black swan is that a staking-related operational, liquidity, tax, or regulatory problem hits a high-visibility product, turning “crypto with yield” into “crypto with extra complications.”

BlackRock's own educational piece devotes real time to lock-up timing, risk-slashing, and operational complexity, which is a reminder that mainstreaming yield also mainstreams those risks.

Grayscale opened the door. BlackRock is deciding what Ethereum looks like once Wall Street walks through it.

Bitcoin was easy to market as digital gold. BlackRock is trying to make Ethereum legible as crypto with yield.

ETHB marks the point when staking becomes Ethereum’s mainstream sales pitch.

BlackRock did not invent the staking Ethereum product category. It is, however, shaping what Ethereum will look like once traditional finance starts taking it seriously.

The launch economics, distribution power, and marketing emphasis on monthly income all point to the same conclusion: Ethereum is being repositioned less as a speculative platform bet and more as a yield-bearing digital asset that traditional investors can understand, buy, and hold inside a brokerage account.

The post BlackRock’s new product just made Ethereum income impossible to ignore appeared first on CryptoSlate.

Why Are Gold and Silver Crashing While Bitcoin Is Rising?

Global markets are sending a confusing signal. Precious metals — traditionally considered safe haven assets during uncertainty — have suddenly dropped, while Bitcoin is moving in the opposite direction.

In the last few hours, silver fell sharply and gold also declined, wiping hundreds of billions of dollars from the metals market. At the same time, Bitcoin managed to reclaim the $73,000 level, even as geopolitical tensions and economic concerns dominate global headlines.

This unusual divergence is raising an important question: why are traditional safe havens falling while Bitcoin rises?

Gold and Silver See Sudden Sell-Off

Gold and silver markets experienced a sharp drop within a short period of time. According to market trackers, roughly $1 trillion in market value was wiped from the precious metals sector in just a few hours as both metals moved lower simultaneously.

Silver dropped significantly, falling below key support levels while gold also declined more than 2% during the sell-off.

Normally, geopolitical tensions or economic uncertainty push investors toward safe haven assets such as gold and silver. However, the recent move suggests something different may be happening in global markets.

One possible explanation is liquidity stress. When investors face uncertainty or margin pressure, they sometimes sell profitable assets — including metals — to raise cash.

Another factor may be profit-taking after strong rallies. Precious metals have surged in recent months, and some traders could be locking in gains during heightened volatility.

Economic Warning Signs Are Appearing

At the same time, new economic data is raising concerns about global growth.

Canada’s economy unexpectedly lost 83,900 jobs in February, one of the sharpest monthly declines seen in years. The surprising drop has triggered fears that economic momentum in North America could be slowing.

Weak employment data can affect global markets because it signals reduced consumer spending and potential economic contraction. When investors begin to worry about economic slowdowns, volatility often increases across multiple asset classes.

This kind of uncertainty can trigger sudden capital movements between markets.

Geopolitical Tensions Add More Pressure

Another key factor influencing markets is rising geopolitical tension.

Recent developments in the Middle East have increased concerns about energy supply disruptions. The Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most important oil shipping routes, remains a critical point of risk for global energy markets.

Around 20% of global oil supply passes through the Strait of Hormuz, meaning any disruption could send oil prices sharply higher and increase inflation pressures worldwide.

Such geopolitical risks usually push investors toward safe assets — but the current market behavior suggests investors may be repositioning capital differently this time.

Bitcoin Is Moving the Other Way

While metals fell, Bitcoin managed to reclaim the $73,000 level, showing resilience despite global uncertainty.

This raises an interesting possibility: Bitcoin may be starting to behave differently in the current macro environment.

For years, Bitcoin has been described as “digital gold.” During certain market events, investors view it as a hedge against monetary instability, inflation, or geopolitical shocks.

The recent move could reflect capital rotation, where investors move funds between asset classes depending on liquidity, volatility, and perceived opportunity.

In this case, some traders may see Bitcoin as offering higher upside potential compared with traditional safe havens.

A Strange Signal From Global Markets

The current market environment is unusual because several signals are happening at the same time:

• Gold and silver are falling
• Economic data is weakening
• Geopolitical tensions are rising
• Bitcoin is climbing

Such a combination suggests investors are still trying to determine where the safest and most profitable place for capital may be.

Whether Bitcoin continues to rise while metals struggle remains uncertain, but one thing is clear: global markets are entering a period of unusual volatility and shifting narratives.

Investors are currently transitioning from a state of "Extreme Fear" encountered earlier in the month toward a "Risk-On" appetite. This shift is primarily driven by the flagship cryptocurrency, Bitcoin ($BTC), which has successfully breached the $72,500 resistance and is now aggressively testing the psychological $73,000 milestone.

While the global macroeconomic landscape remains plagued by uncertainty—ranging from geopolitical tensions in the Middle East to shifting Federal Reserve policies—the "bears" are finally letting go. This decoupling from traditional equities suggests that cryptocurrencies are once again being viewed as a hedge against global instability. Within this bullish vortex, Cardano ($ADA) is positioning itself for a significant move.

Is ADA Price Heading to $0.40?

Yes, the current technical structure suggests that the Cardano price is preparing for a leg up toward the $0.40 mark. With Bitcoin providing the necessary market liquidity and sentiment tailwinds, ADA has managed to stabilize above its critical support levels. If the current buying pressure continues, $0.40 represents the first major resistance zone that could define the trend for Q2 2026.

The Macro Backdrop: Why Are Crypto Prices UP?

The broader market rally isn't just about price action; it’s about a fundamental shift in global liquidity. Several factors are contributing to this environment:

1. Bitcoin Resilience: By trading near its all-time highs of $73,000, Bitcoin is acting as a "gravity well" for capital, pulling the rest of the altcoin market higher.
2. Institutional Inflows: Spot Bitcoin ETFs have seen record inflows this week, totaling over $700 million, signaling that the "Smart Money" is betting on a continued expansion.
3. Governance Milestones: For Cardano specifically, the implementation of the CIP-1694 governance model and the rollout of Plutus V3 have strengthened the network’s value proposition.

Cardano Price Analysis: Breaking Down the Chart

Analyzing the current ADA/USD price chart, we see a classic "Bottoming Out" formation. After a period of heavy consolidation between $0.25 and $0.28, ADA is finally showing signs of life.

Key Support and Resistance Levels

Indicators and Momentum

The Relative Strength Index (RSI) for ADA has recently climbed out of the oversold territory and is currently hovering around 45-50. This indicates that there is plenty of "room to run" before the asset becomes overbought. Additionally, whale data indicates that large holders (wallets with 100M+ ADA) have accumulated nearly $35 million in tokens over the last 48 hours, suggesting they anticipate a breakout.

Cardano Price Prediction: The Path to $0.40 and Beyond

For the ADA price to reach $0.40, it must first reclaim the $0.313 level with high volume. This would invalidate the short-term bearish "head and shoulders" patterns seen on smaller timeframes.

• Phase 1 (The Breakout): A daily close above $0.30 would trigger a wave of FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out), likely pushing the price toward $0.34.
• Phase 2 (The Consolidation): Expect some resistance at the 200-day Moving Average (near $0.49), but a push to $0.40 is highly probable if Bitcoin holds above $71,000.
• Phase 3 (The Target): Once $0.40 is touched, Cardano would enter a new liquidity zone, potentially opening the doors for a move toward $0.54 by mid-2026.

According to data from Investing.com, the regulatory clarity provided by the upcoming "Clarity Act" in the US could be the final catalyst needed for this move.

What Should Investors Do?

While the outlook is bullish, traders should remain cautious of the "March Trap." High volatility means that "wick hunts"—where prices briefly dip to liquidate over-leveraged long positions—are common. It is essential to use proper risk management tools.

Summary of the Bullish Thesis

• Bitcoin (BTC) breaching $73,000 creates a "rising tide" for all alts.
• Whale accumulation suggests a market bottom has been formed for ADA.
• Technical Breakout: Cardano is eyeing a 40% gain from current levels to hit the $0.40 target.

Bitcoin Reclaims Key Levels Amid Regulatory Clarity

The crypto market is witnessing a significant breakout as we head into the weekend of March 13, 2026. After a period of consolidation, Bitcoin has surged past the $72,000 resistance level, currently trading at approximately $72,540. This 3.2% daily gain comes as institutional confidence is bolstered by a historic announcement from U.S. regulators and the successful launch of high-yield investment products.

For traders tracking the current trend: the "Extreme Fear" sentiment from earlier in the week is rapidly dissipating. The primary driver is the newly announced "Joint Harmonization Initiative" between the SEC and CFTC. Bitcoin’s move to $72,500 signals that the market is beginning to price in a more stable, "fit-for-purpose" regulatory environment in the United States.

The SEC and CFTC "Harmonization": Why It’s Pumping the Market

The most impactful news today is the official agreement between the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) to collaborate on a unified crypto oversight framework.

Historically, the "tug-of-war" between these two agencies over whether assets are securities or commodities created immense market friction. According to reports from Reuters, this new initiative aims to:

1. Streamline Reporting: Create formal data-sharing protocols for digital asset exchanges.
2. Clarify Jurisdiction: Provide a clear "checklist" to determine agency oversight, reducing legal uncertainty for developers.
3. Promote Innovation: Align with the broader federal policy goals of the current administration to make the U.S. a global "crypto hub."

This regulatory "cheer" has successfully offset global jitters regarding energy prices and geopolitical tensions, providing the necessary liquidity for Bitcoin to retest its yearly highs.

BlackRock’s ETHB Debut: $15.5 Million in Day One Volume

While Bitcoin leads the price action, Ethereum is capturing the "yield" narrative. BlackRock’s iShares Staked Ethereum Trust (ETHB) officially began trading on Nasdaq on March 12, 2024.

The fund recorded $15.5 million in trading volume on its first day, a result described by Bloomberg analysts as "very respectable" for a new ETF category. ETHB allows institutional investors to earn approximately 3.1% annual yield from staking rewards, distributed monthly. This launch confirms that the transition from passive holding to active "productive" crypto assets is well underway.

Bitcoin Price Prediction: Is $80,000 Next for Bitcoin?

With Bitcoin holding firmly at $72,500, technical analysts are eyeing the psychological $75,000 resistance.

The divergence between Bitcoin and traditional equities is notable today; while the S&P 500 showed weakness due to oil market volatility, Bitcoin acted as a "digital gold" hedge, fueled by the $115 million weekly inflow into BlackRock’s IBIT fund.

Summary and Outlook

The convergence of regulatory peace and institutional product innovation has created a "perfect storm" for the $72,500 breakout. As the market digests the implications of the SEC-CFTC cooperation, volatility is expected to remain high. The focus for the next 48 hours will be whether BTC can flip the $72,000 mark into a permanent support floor.

Global financial markets are once again facing rising geopolitical uncertainty. Oil prices are climbing as tensions escalate across key energy regions, while governments and energy companies move quickly to protect critical infrastructure.

A new development illustrates how rapidly the global energy landscape is evolving. The world’s largest oil producer, Saudi Aramco, is reportedly in talks with Ukrainian firms to purchase specialized interceptor drones designed to defend oil facilities from potential Iranian drone attacks.

At the same time, President Donald Trump has stated that rising oil prices could benefit the United States because the country has become one of the world’s largest oil producers.

Together, these developments highlight how energy security is becoming a central issue for global markets — and why crypto investors are paying attention.

Oil Infrastructure Is Becoming a Strategic Target

Energy facilities have increasingly become targets during geopolitical conflicts. Drone attacks on refineries, pipelines, and export terminals can disrupt global oil supply within hours.

For companies like Saudi Aramco, protecting infrastructure is therefore a top priority.

Ukraine has developed sophisticated drone defense systems during the Russia–Ukraine War, including interceptor drones capable of stopping incoming unmanned aerial vehicles before they reach critical targets.

Reports indicate Saudi Aramco is now exploring these technologies to strengthen its defenses against potential attacks.

This reflects a broader shift in modern warfare, where relatively inexpensive drones can threaten infrastructure worth billions of dollars.

Oil Prices React to Rising Risk

Energy markets are extremely sensitive to geopolitical tensions. Even the threat of disruption to major producers can push oil prices sharply higher.

Recent headlines have already contributed to volatility in financial markets, with billions of dollars wiped from global stock valuations as investors reacted to rising geopolitical risk and oil prices moving higher.

One of the most sensitive energy chokepoints remains the Strait of Hormuz, through which roughly 20% of global oil exports pass.

Any disruption to shipping in this region could trigger major price spikes and ripple effects across global markets.

Trump Highlights the U.S. Energy Advantage

President Donald Trump has also weighed in on the situation, noting that the United States benefits from high oil prices due to its status as a major producer.

Over the past decade, the U.S. has dramatically increased production through shale extraction, transforming the country into one of the world’s largest oil suppliers.

If geopolitical tensions push oil prices higher, American energy exports could play an increasingly important role in stabilizing global markets.

However, higher oil prices can also contribute to inflation and market volatility.

Why Crypto Investors Are Watching Oil

For cryptocurrency markets, developments in energy markets often serve as early signals of macroeconomic changes.

When oil prices surge, several effects tend to follow:

• Inflation expectations increase
• Central banks may delay interest rate cuts
• Global financial markets become more volatile

These conditions can initially pressure risk assets such as cryptocurrencies.

At the same time, prolonged geopolitical instability can strengthen Bitcoin’s narrative as a hedge against global uncertainty.

As traditional markets react to geopolitical shocks, some investors begin exploring alternative stores of value.

Is Bitcoin Becoming a Crisis Hedge?

The idea of Bitcoin acting as “digital gold” has been debated for years. During periods of geopolitical instability, this narrative often returns.

Rising oil prices, drone threats to critical infrastructure, and shifting energy alliances are once again forcing investors to reconsider how global crises affect financial markets.

Whether Bitcoin ultimately behaves like a risk asset or a crisis hedge will depend largely on liquidity conditions and investor sentiment.

What is clear, however, is that geopolitical developments in energy markets are increasingly influencing the cryptocurrency landscape.

The Ethereum price has recently demonstrated significant strength, establishing a firm base above the $1,900 support zone. After a period of intense volatility in early 2026, driven by macroeconomic shifts and geopolitical tensions, the second-largest cryptocurrency by market cap is showing signs of a structural bottom.

Is the Ethereum Bottom In?

Current market data confirms that the ETH USD pair has successfully navigated a high-tension consolidation block. Traders are closely watching the $1,900 region, which has served as a critical pivot point.

So we can safely say yes, the Ethereum price has stabilized above $1.9k. This stabilization is backed by a "scarcity index" turning positive and massive exchange outflows, indicating that whales are moving assets into cold storage.

• Key Metrics: As of March 12, 2026, ETH is trading above $2,050, recovering from recent local lows.

Ethereum Price Analysis: Decoding the ETH Chart

Analyzing the recent ETH/USD price action reveals a "coil" effect. The price has been trapped between a descending trendline and a static horizontal support.

Support and Resistance Zones

The technical structure shows a bullish divergence on the daily RSI. While the price made lower lows in early March, the RSI formed higher lows, suggesting that bearish momentum is fading. For a confirmed breakout, ETH needs a weekly close above $2,160 on high volume. This would clear the path toward the 50-day moving average (currently near $2,247) and eventually the $3,000 target.

On-Chain Fundamentals: Whales are Accumulating

Despite the "bleak" retail sentiment, professional investors are positioning themselves for a reversal.

• Exchange Outflows: Within a recent 48-hour window, over $155 million in ETH was withdrawn from major exchanges like Binance and Kraken.
• Institutional Inflows: BlackRock recently expanded its suite with a Staked Ethereum ETP, signalling that Wall Street's appetite for Ethereum's yield-bearing properties remains high.
• Network Upgrades: The upcoming "Glamsterdam" and "Hegota" upgrades are set to enhance parallel execution and sharding, potentially slashing Layer-2 fees by 95%.

"The current consolidation suggests bears are losing momentum. Historical data shows that ETH often delivers sharp relief bounces from these 'Extreme Fear' zones." — Market Analyst Insight.

The Path to $3,000: What Needs to Happen?

For the Ethereum price to reach $3,000, two major catalysts are required:

• Macro Stabilization: A shift in global risk sentiment, potentially sparked by a pause in interest rate hikes or a de-escalation of energy-related geopolitical conflicts.
• Altcoin Season: Historically, Ethereum outperforms Bitcoin once $BTC dominance stabilizes. If the Altcoin Season Index crosses the 75-mark, $ETH is likely to lead the charge.

Feds are looking to hear from victims after several games on Valve’s Steam platform were found to be distributing malicious software.

President Donald Trump's meme coin has surged by 35%, with top holders stacking Solana-based tokens to earn access to an exclusive event.

The company is taking a broad look at crypto-native firms that could generate interest on Wall Street.

Former hedge fund manager Stanley Druckenmiller expects stablecoins to take over payments systems in the next 10-15 years.

Six North Korean individuals and two entities were hit with U.S. sanctions over an alleged crypto-fueled fraud scheme targeting U.S. firms.

XRP on Flare hits $200 million, and the network's cofounder, Hugo Philion, now predicts a $1 billion target for the XRPFi market.

Despite a substantial recovery on the market, Shiba Inu saw a return of exchange inflows, which could be a sign of an upcoming sell-off.

This is a chance for the cryptocurrency market to gain a foothold above key resistance levels.

Notably, his own administration in 2022 famously pledged to make the United Kingdom a "global hub" for crypto-asset technology under then-Chancellor Rishi Sunak.

The Ethereum Foundation has formally introduced a new "EF Mandate," a foundational document that co-founder Vitalik Buterin describes as a definitive guide for preserving the network's original "rebel spirit.".

TLDR:

• Covenant-72B scored 67.1 on MMLU zero-shot, beating LLaMA-2-70B’s 65.6 under identical test conditions.

• SparseLoCo reduced communication overhead by 146x using sparsification, 2-bit quantization, and error feedback across nodes.

• Gauntlet scored every node’s contribution via loss evaluation and OpenSkill ranking, all recorded on the blockchain.

• $TAO rose 14% to $236 post-announcement, with Grayscale expanding its TAO trust for institutional investor access.
  

Bittensor’s Subnet 3 has trained a 72-billion-parameter AI model without a central data center. The model, named Covenant-72B, was built across more than 70 global participants.

All nodes are connected through a standard home internet. Covenant-72B outperformed Meta’s LLaMA-2-70B on the MMLU benchmark, scoring 67.1 against 65.6.

The test ran under identical zero-shot conditions. This outcome challenges long-standing assumptions about what decentralized compute can achieve.

Two Technical Innovations Drove the Decentralized Training

For years, AI crypto projects claimed decentralized compute could match centralized labs. Bittensor’s Subnet 3 now backs that claim with measurable results.

The training covered 1.1 trillion tokens across more than 70 nodes worldwide. Every node ran on 500 Mb/s commodity internet connections.

Two core innovations made this scale of training possible. SparseLoCo cut communication overhead by 146 times throughout the process.

It combined top-k sparsification, 2-bit quantization, and error feedback to keep all nodes in sync. No central server was needed to manage coordination across the network.

The second innovation, Gauntlet, handled trust and contribution scoring during training. It assessed each node through loss evaluation and OpenSkill ranking.

All scores were logged on the blockchain for full transparency. This gave every participant a verifiable record of their contribution.

Milk Road reported on the outcome via social media, noting that distributed networks can now train large models competitively. The model weights are available on Hugging Face under an Apache License.

Anyone can access, use, or build on Covenant-72B at no cost. That open approach separates it from many restricted, proprietary AI models available today.

$TAO Climbs as Market Responds to Covenant-72B Results

The market moved quickly after news of the Covenant-72B training spread publicly. $TAO, Bittensor’s native token, rose 14% to reach $236 following the announcement.

The token had also gained 36% over the prior 30-day period. Trading volume grew 167% across the past six months.

Grayscale expanded its TAO trust during the same week as the announcement. That move opened up broader institutional access to the token directly.

It came as investor interest in AI-linked crypto assets continued to grow. The timing added further upward pressure to the token’s price movement.

The combination of a technical result and institutional interest drew wide market attention. Covenant-72B’s MMLU score gives decentralized compute a credible, testable benchmark.

The result is measurable and can be reproduced under standard conditions. That distinguishes it clearly from many earlier unverified claims in the AI crypto space.

The Apache-licensed weights on Hugging Face allow any developer to verify the work independently. Bittensor’s approach shows a functioning framework for community-driven AI model training.

The network ran across 70-plus participants with no central coordination at any point. This sets a working precedent for distributed large-model training going forward.

The post Bittensor’s Subnet 3 Trains 72B AI Model on Decentralized Network appeared first on Blockonomi.

TLDR

• Major U.S. equity indexes recorded their third consecutive weekly decline, pressured by crude oil surpassing $100 per barrel and renewed inflation concerns.
• Oil prices jumped approximately 9% following Middle Eastern geopolitical tensions that disrupted critical shipping routes through the Strait of Hormuz.
• Oracle exceeded earnings projections with revenue growth exceeding 20%, driven by robust AI infrastructure and cloud computing demand.
• Gold prices retreated roughly 1% despite heightened geopolitical uncertainty, constrained by U.S. dollar strength that dampened safe-haven appeal.
• Energy sector equities led weekly gains, while consumer staples and healthcare sectors tumbled 4–5%.

American equity markets extended their losing streak to three consecutive weeks as crude oil prices breached the $100-per-barrel threshold and escalating Middle Eastern conflicts unnerved market participants. The three primary benchmarks all concluded the week ending March 13, 2026, in negative territory.

The S&P 500 declined approximately 1.6%, the Dow Jones Industrial Average retreated around 2%, and the Nasdaq Composite dropped roughly 1.3%. Smaller-capitalization stocks mirrored this weakness, with the Russell 2000 shedding about 1.8%.

Energy markets dominated headlines. Crude oil prices skyrocketed approximately 9% after military tensions involving the United States, Israel, and Iran created significant disruptions to maritime traffic through the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz. Market observers characterized the move as one of the most dramatic weekly spikes in oil futures witnessed since the 1980s.

Just 2 hours after markets closed:

President Trump is now threatening to strike oil infrastructure on Iran’s Kharg Island, which accounts for 2% of global supply, if Iran doesn’t open the Strait of Hormuz.

In fact, last month, production coming from Kharg Island hit 3 million… https://t.co/pzI2GuoCoz

— The Kobeissi Letter (@KobeissiLetter) March 14, 2026

The surge in energy costs reignited inflation anxieties across financial markets. Producer price index readings exceeded forecasts marginally, stoking fears that elevated costs might cascade to end consumers in coming weeks.

This development places the Federal Reserve in a challenging position. While market participants continue anticipating interest rate reductions later in 2026, the timeline has grown increasingly uncertain as energy-fueled inflation muddles the monetary policy landscape.

Oracle Shines During Earnings Season

Oracle emerged as the week’s most impressive earnings performer. The technology giant delivered fiscal third-quarter results that surpassed analyst estimates, with consolidated revenue expanding beyond 20% and artificial intelligence infrastructure sales exhibiting triple-digit percentage gains.

Company executives provided optimistic forward guidance, forecasting high-teens revenue expansion continuing through fiscal year 2027. Shares surged during extended trading sessions but concluded the week essentially unchanged as market participants balanced the positive outlook against a stock price still trading more than 50% beneath prior-year peaks.

Campbell Soup presented a contrasting narrative. While the packaged food manufacturer marginally exceeded adjusted earnings expectations, management issued conservative 2026 projections that disappointed Wall Street, triggering share price declines.

Energy and industrial companies defied the broader market weakness, with numerous mid-capitalization firms delivering solid quarterly reports supported by improving demand fundamentals and expanding export markets.

Precious Metals Retreat While Energy Equities Surge

Gold momentarily reclaimed the $5,100-per-ounce level Friday morning but ultimately closed the week approximately 1% lower. U.S. dollar strength combined with diminishing rate-cut expectations counterbalanced traditional safe-haven buying interest.

Energy stocks emerged as unambiguous weekly leaders. Leading U.S. energy-focused exchange-traded funds advanced 2–3% over the five-day period. Marathon Petroleum and competing refining companies climbed high-single-digit percentages as investors anticipated enhanced profit margins stemming from elevated crude prices.

Consumer staples and healthcare represented the weakest performing sectors, each surrendering 4–5%. Market participants rotated capital away from these defensive categories as input cost pressures mounted and earnings vulnerability increased.

Financial stocks also underperformed, weighed down by emerging concerns regarding private-credit exposures at systemically important institutions. Technology ended modestly lower overall, although mega-cap technology names demonstrated greater resilience compared to smaller software enterprises.

The Cboe Volatility Index climbed from late-February readings as market participants increased spending on downside hedging strategies, signaling heightened caution entering the following week’s trading sessions.

The post Market Turmoil: How $100 Oil, Inflation Concerns, and Earnings Shaped This Week’s Trading appeared first on Blockonomi.

Key Highlights

• Azure claims first-mover status by validating Nvidia’s advanced Vera Rubin NVL72 infrastructure
• Satya Nadella shared the announcement via X on Friday afternoon
• The NVL72 rack configuration provides 3.6 exaflops of computational power — a five-fold improvement over GB200 architecture
• Each rack houses 72 Rubin GPUs paired with 36 custom Vera CPUs, interconnected through sixth-generation NVLink at 260TB/s
• Competitors including AWS, Google Cloud, CoreWeave, Nebius, and Oracle plan Rubin deployments throughout 2026

In a significant move that positions it ahead of competitors, Microsoft Azure has achieved a milestone as the inaugural cloud platform to validate Nvidia’s cutting-edge Vera Rubin NVL72 infrastructure. The announcement came Friday afternoon through a social media post by CEO Satya Nadella on X, who described it as “another big step in building the next generation of AI infrastructure.”

We’re the first cloud to bring up an NVIDIA Vera Rubin NVL72 system for validation, another big step in building the next generation of AI infrastructure with NVIDIA. pic.twitter.com/apPyKh0HRK

— Satya Nadella (@satyanadella) March 13, 2026

Nvidia’s Vera Rubin NVL72 represents a complete rack-scale solution, integrating 72 Rubin graphics processors alongside 36 specially designed Arm-based Vera central processing units. These components are interconnected through sixth-generation NVLink technology, enabling data transfer speeds reaching 260 terabytes per second.

Microsoft Corporation, MSFT

The performance gains are substantial. Every NVL72 configuration can achieve computational speeds up to 3.6 exaflops — approximately five times greater than the GB200-based infrastructure it’s designed to succeed.

Rani Borkar, who serves as President of Azure Hardware Systems at Microsoft, emphasized the extensive preparation involved. “Microsoft has years of market-proven experience in designing and deploying scalable AI infrastructure that evolves with every major advancement of AI technology,” Borkar stated.

The concept of “co-design” is central to this deployment. Microsoft has maintained a collaborative partnership with Nvidia spanning multiple years, jointly developing solutions across interconnect technologies, memory architectures, thermal management, packaging solutions, and rack-level design. This collaboration ensures seamless integration of Rubin systems into Azure’s current infrastructure without requiring architectural overhauls.

Strategic Infrastructure Planning Pays Off

Azure’s data center locations, including major facilities in Wisconsin and Atlanta, were purpose-built with the capacity to support NVL72 racks’ demanding power requirements and liquid-cooling specifications. Such forward-looking infrastructure development requires years of strategic planning.

Borkar highlighted that Azure’s advanced “superfactories” were engineered from the ground up to accommodate these powerful systems. “Rubin integrates directly into Azure’s platform without rework,” she explained, underscoring the extensive groundwork that enabled this seamless first-mover deployment.

The technology giant undertook comprehensive redesigns of electrical distribution and liquid-cooling infrastructure across numerous locations to manage the elevated power densities these advanced racks demand. This substantial capital investment is now delivering tangible competitive advantages with operational hardware while competitors continue their validation processes.

In related infrastructure developments, a BlackRock-managed investment group, with participation from Microsoft and Nvidia, recently pursued the acquisition of Aligned Data Centers in a transaction valued at $40 billion, strategically positioning for expanded worldwide capacity ahead of this next-generation hardware rollout.

Competition Preparing for Later Deployment

While Microsoft holds the early advantage, rival platforms aren’t far behind. Amazon Web Services, Google Cloud, CoreWeave, Nebius, and Oracle have all committed to deploying Vera Rubin infrastructure — with most targeting the latter half of 2026 for implementation.

Financial analysts at Bernstein have highlighted Microsoft’s first-to-validate achievement as indicative of its broader operational efficiency across cloud computing and SaaS offerings, quantifying this advantage through what they term a “Rule of 37.3%” performance benchmark.

On the trading day of the announcement, MSFT shares declined 1.57% while NVDA dropped 1.58%, movements attributed to general market weakness rather than negative sentiment regarding the validation news.

Looking ahead, Rubin Ultra, representing the subsequent evolution of this platform architecture, is anticipated to launch in 2027.

The post Microsoft (MSFT) Leads Cloud Race as First to Validate Nvidia’s Vera Rubin NVL72 AI System appeared first on Blockonomi.

TLDR

• Executive VP Paul Darren Grasby offloaded 7,500 shares of AMD at approximately $204.87 per share on March 11, totaling $1.54M and reducing his holdings by 5.47%.
• Shares declined 2.2% on Friday, reaching an intraday low of $192.27 with trading volume 30% below average.
• Recent quarterly earnings exceeded expectations: EPS of $1.53 (vs. $1.32 estimate) with revenue of $10.27B, representing 34.1% year-over-year growth.
• Wall Street maintains a “Moderate Buy” consensus with an average price objective of $290.53; price targets span from $240 (Goldman Sachs) to $358 (Evercore).
• Challenges include emerging Chinese GPU competition, Meta’s internal chip development efforts, and macroeconomic pressures affecting the semiconductor industry.

Shares of Advanced Micro Devices tumbled 2.2% on Friday following news that a top executive had divested $1.54 million in company stock days earlier. Paul Darren Grasby, who serves as Executive Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer, sold 7,500 shares at an average price of approximately $204.87 on March 11.

Advanced Micro Devices, Inc., AMD

The chipmaker’s shares touched an intraday bottom of $192.27 during Friday’s trading session before settling at $193.39. This represented a decline from the prior session’s closing price of $197.74.

Approximately 27.4 million shares changed hands on Friday — about 30% lighter than AMD’s typical daily volume of 39 million shares. The reduced trading activity indicates the price movement wasn’t fueled by widespread selling pressure.

Following the transaction, Grasby maintains ownership of 129,598 AMD shares, worth approximately $26.5 million based on the sale price. The 5.47% stake reduction was disclosed to the SEC through a mandatory Form 4 filing required for corporate insiders.

While insider transactions don’t necessarily indicate negative sentiment — executives divest shares for various personal reasons including portfolio diversification and tax strategies — the timing caught market attention amid AMD’s roughly 7.7% year-to-date decline.

Recent Quarterly Performance Exceeded Expectations

AMD’s latest quarterly earnings, unveiled on February 3, delivered impressive results that surpassed Wall Street forecasts. The semiconductor manufacturer reported earnings per share of $1.53, exceeding the analyst consensus of $1.32 by $0.21.

Quarterly revenue reached $10.27 billion — representing a 34.1% increase compared to the year-ago period and topping analyst projections of $9.65 billion. The company’s EPS showed significant improvement from the prior year’s $1.09.

Wall Street expects the company to deliver $3.87 in full-year earnings per share.

The company’s financial position appears robust. Its debt-to-equity ratio stands at a modest 0.04, while maintaining a current ratio of 2.85 and quick ratio of 2.01. The price-to-earnings multiple of approximately 73 appears elevated, though the price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.77 indicates reasonable valuation when accounting for growth prospects.

Recent strategic developments include a multi-year patent licensing agreement with Adeia and the introduction of new AI-focused products at MWC 2026, featuring Ryzen AI Embedded processors and telecommunications AI solutions.

Wall Street Price Targets Show Wide Dispersion

Analyst sentiment on AMD remains predominantly constructive, though price target expectations vary considerably. Goldman Sachs maintains a neutral stance with a $240 price objective. UBS projects a $310 target. Evercore shows greater optimism with an outperform rating and $358 target.

According to MarketBeat data, the collective analyst consensus stands at “Moderate Buy” with an average price target of $290.53 — representing substantial upside from current levels.

Among analysts tracking AMD, 29 rate it a Buy, one assigns a Strong Buy, and 10 recommend Hold. No analysts currently rate the stock as a Sell.

Multiple challenges loom on the horizon. Chinese semiconductor firm Lisuan Technology recently unveiled GPU products that sparked concern across AMD and Nvidia investor bases. Meta’s initiative to design proprietary AI chips threatens to diminish demand from major third-party customers.

Broader macroeconomic factors — including elevated oil prices, geopolitical instability, and export restrictions on AI chips — have created additional pressure across the semiconductor sector.

AMD currently trades below both its 50-day moving average of $216.76 and its 200-day moving average of $209.62.

As of Friday’s market close, AMD’s market capitalization stood at roughly $315 billion.

The post Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) Stock Dips 2.2% Following $1.54M Insider Sale appeared first on Blockonomi.

TLDR

• Investors acquiring TikTok’s U.S. operations will pay approximately $10 billion to the Trump administration
• Major investors include Oracle, Silver Lake, and Abu Dhabi’s MGX fund
• Initial payment of $2.5 billion has been transferred to Treasury, with additional installments scheduled
• The U.S. TikTok entity carries a valuation of approximately $14 billion, though experts debate whether this is accurate
• The transaction stems from legislation mandating ByteDance divest its stake in TikTok’s American business

The Trump administration negotiated an agreement that allowed TikTok to continue operating across the United States. Under the terms of this arrangement, the investors who assumed control of TikTok’s American operations committed to paying approximately $10 billion to the federal government.

This substantial fee comes in addition to the capital invested to establish a new domestically-based entity operating the popular social media platform. Key investors such as Oracle, Silver Lake, and MGX from Abu Dhabi transferred approximately $2.5 billion to the U.S. Treasury upon completion of the transaction in January. Additional payments are scheduled until the full $10 billion amount is satisfied.

ByteDance, TikTok’s parent company based in China, completed the transaction in January. The deal established a joint venture with majority American ownership called TikTok USDS Joint Venture LLC. This newly formed entity oversees U.S. user information, mobile applications, and proprietary algorithms.

ByteDance retains close to 20% ownership in the restructured entity and has licensed its algorithmic technology to the venture. The American entity must also distribute profits back to ByteDance.

Vice President JD Vance stated the restructured U.S. TikTok entity holds a valuation near $14 billion. Technology industry analysts have challenged this figure, suggesting it significantly underestimates the company’s true worth.

How the Fee Compares to Typical Deal-Making

The $10 billion government fee represents an almost unparalleled arrangement for a government facilitating a private sector transaction, according to business historians. To put this in perspective, investment banking fees on standard deals typically amount to less than 1% of total transaction value. Bank of America expects to collect approximately $130 million for its advisory services on Norfolk Southern’s $71.5 billion acquisition — representing one of the largest individual banking fees ever recorded.

Administration representatives defend the fee structure as appropriate. They emphasize Trump’s critical role in preserving TikTok’s presence in America and navigating complex negotiations with Chinese authorities while satisfying national security requirements from Congress.

The transaction was mandated by legislation enacted during Trump’s initial presidential term. That statute compelled ByteDance to significantly reduce its ownership position in TikTok’s American operations or face a complete shutdown. Congressional leaders had expressed significant concerns about a Chinese-owned corporation maintaining access to personal information of more than 200 million American citizens.

Earlier this month, Trump and Attorney General Pam Bondi faced legal action from retail shareholders of competing social media platforms. These investors are attempting to overturn the government’s approval of the ByteDance joint venture transaction.

The Broader Pattern of Government Stakes in Private Companies

The TikTok deal represents one element of a larger trend. The Trump administration has similarly secured nearly 10% ownership in Intel. It negotiated to receive a portion of chip sales to China from Nvidia as consideration for granting export authorization. The administration has also acquired equity positions in additional corporations and maintains a “golden share” in U.S. Steel after Nippon Steel’s acquisition.

The Wall Street Journal initially disclosed the $10 billion fee amount on March 13, 2026.

The post Trump Administration Secures $10 Billion Payment From TikTok Deal Investors appeared first on Blockonomi.

Bitcoin’s price rally to $74,000 came to a quick halt, as it did during the previous attempt, and BTC is close to breaking below $70,000 after the latest massive attacks against Iran.

Most altcoins are in the red as well, with ETH slipping below $2,100, and ADA dropping by over 4% daily. CC is among the few exceptions today.

BTC Slides Toward $74K

The quickly escalating situation in the Middle East continues to impact most of bitcoin’s price moves. The asset dipped to $65,600 last Monday morning when most legacy financial markets opened for trading after the second weekend of the conflict. However, it rebounded quickly and challenged $70,000 on Wednesday.

Although it failed at first, the rather positive CPI numbers for February and Trump’s somewhat promising remarks about the war sent it flying to $71,800. It was stopped there at first and dropped to $69,000, but went hard on the offensive on Friday.

In less than a whole trading day, bitcoin shot up to a 10-day peak of $74,000. However, it was rejected immediately after it touched that line and fell to under $71,000. The latest attacks, which were described as some of the most devastating in the Middle East region, pushed it toward $70,000, a level that the bulls are currently trying to defend.

Its market cap has declined to $1.410 trillion, while its dominance over the alts is slightly below 57% on CG.

PI Plummets

Pi Network’s native token has been the most volatile in the crypto industry lately, and the past 24 hours have solidified this trend. However, it’s in the opposite direction now. After rocketing to $0.30 yesterday on the hype of the big listing on Kraken, the token has plummeted by over 31% as of now, and it’s struggling to remain above $0.20 as of press time.

Meanwhile, most larger-cap alts are also in the red, but in a significantly less violent manner. ETH is beneath $2,100 after a 1.3% daily drop, and BNB is down to $650 after a 2% decline. XRP struggles at $1.40, SOL is down to $87, while ADA has dumped by over 4%. CC has defied the market-wide correction, with a 5% increase to $0.155.

The total crypto market cap has erased roughly $100 billion since yesterday’s peak and is down to $2.480 trillion on CG.

The post Pi Network’s PI Token Erases Recent Gains, Bitcoin (BTC) Slips Toward $70K: Weekend Watch appeared first on CryptoPotato.

Although its vast community is preparing to celebrate the so-called Pi Day today, the ecosystem’s underlying token experienced one of its most painful corrections, driving it south by 30% in less than 24%.

This crash came even after reports that the Core Team had successfully implemented a crucial upgrade, whose deadline was March 12.

v20.2 Update Completed?

The team behind the controversial project announced its first protocol migration for the year to v19.6 on February 21. The next one, v19,9, was successfully migrated on March 4, and they explained that v20.2 will be implemented by March 14. However, they tightened the deadline to March 12 a few days later.

Although the second deadline passed on Thursday, there’s no official update from the team regarding its status. However, multiple reports from accounts designated to cover Pi news have asserted that it was successfully migrated. v20.2 is not a routine technical update; it’s a mandatory protocol adjustment designed to strengthen the network and ensure it can support rising demands and utilization.

The team promised that security, scalability, and reliability of the blockchain infrastructure should be enhanced following its completion.

PI Plummets

The project’s native token became the most significant gainer over the past few days. Yesterday alone, it skyrocketed by 30% to its highest price level since late November at almost $0.30. Perhaps a large portion of these gains was driven by the implemented updates and the promise of the following one. However, there was another big reason behind PI’s wild run – the official listing on the veteran US exchange Kraken.

Similar listings tend to boost the underlying token as it helps to legitimize it and increase liquidity. However, this significant rise in PI’s price has come to a halt as the asset has wiped out almost all recent gains and has plummeted to $0.21. In fact, it has even turned red on a weekly scale, dropping by over 11%.

Today’s crash appears to be a classic ‘sell-the-news’ moment, in which the underlying asset rockets as the hype builds and crumbles after the update/listing becomes official.

The upcoming token unlock schedule is quite high over the next few days, with 17 million and 16 million coins to be released on March 17 and 20, respectively, which could increase immediate selling pressure. However, the following three weeks are expected to be calmer, with the average number of tokens to be unlocked decreasing to under 4.5 million per day.

The post Pi Network (PI) Plummets 30% in Classic ‘Sell-The-News’ Crash Following Kraken Listing appeared first on CryptoPotato.

The US military forces launched a massive attack against one of Iran’s key regions, Kharg Island, which is reportedly responsible for 2% of the global oil supply.

Although the POTUS said he intentionally chose not to bomb any oil infrastructure on the island, he threatened that he might reconsider his decision should Iran “do anything to interfere with the free and safe passage of ships through the Strait of Hormuz.”

The New Attack and BTC Reaction

Trump described the attack as the “most powerful bombing raids in Middle East history.” Although it’s a relatively small island, it is estimated that it manages around 90% of Iran’s crude oil exports and 2% of the global oil supply.

According to the analysts from the Kobeissi Letter, this is a “MAJOR escalation for oil markets.” However, the attack was carried out hours after (almost) all financial markets closed, so the damage has been limited so far. USOIL closed on Friday at just under $100, which is still lower than the Monday peak of nearly $120.

The consequences for bitcoin have also been rather negligible so far. The asset was rejected at $74,000 yesterday, but it remained relatively stable at around $70,000-$71,000 after the attacks. However, similar developments during previous weekends impacted BTC once all other financial markets opened on late Sunday or early Monday. As such, more volatility is probably expected tomorrow evening.

Sentiment Changes

The analytics company Santiment noted that the crowd optimism about the potential ending of the military conflict in the Middle East skyrocketed earlier this week when Trump claimed again that the US was “winning very decisively.” However, the subsequent actions, continued military operations, and new hits have evaporated this optimism.

The analysts said that social dominance around words like ‘war,’ ‘conflict,’ ‘battle,’ or ‘tensions’ is on the rise again, especially since the US and Israel have seemingly different scenarios on how they would like the situation to unfold.

According to social media data, the optimism that the Iran, Israel, & US conflict would come to an end peaked on Tuesday after Trump’s speech about the US ‘winning very decisively’. But following continued images, videos, and news of retaliation, this hope considerably… pic.twitter.com/mPkSI8m1QO

— Santiment (@santimentfeed) March 13, 2026

The post US Carried Out ‘Most Powerful Bombing Raid’ on Iran’s Kharg Island: When Will BTC React? appeared first on CryptoPotato.

Democratic Senators Chris Van Hollen, Elizabeth Warren, and Ruben Gallego confirmed that the United States Department of Justice is investigating whether crypto exchange Binance violated US sanctions laws by facilitating billions of dollars in transactions linked to Iran and entities associated with terrorism.

The lawmakers, all members of the United States Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, said the probe comes after their earlier request urging US authorities to examine the exchange’s compliance with sanctions regulations.

DOJ’s Binance Investigation

In a joint statement, the senators said the reported activity raises concerns that Binance may have helped enable financial flows connected to Iranian actors and their proxies despite existing restrictions under US law. They also accused the company of previously prioritizing profits over legal compliance and said the latest reports indicate the exchange could again be operating in ways that undermine sanctions enforcement.

The lawmakers added that they plan to conduct oversight to ensure the Justice Department carries out a thorough investigation and holds the company accountable if violations are confirmed.

Earlier this week, The Wall Street Journal reported that the Department of Justice had started investigating whether Iran had used Binance to evade American sanctions. Binance pushed back against the allegations, while arguing that the media reports referenced in the Senate contain “false, unsupported, and defamatory claims.” Subsequent reports indicated that the exchange has filed a defamation lawsuit against the WSJ over the initial article that the publication released in late February.

Calls for Bipartisan Collaboration

While Binance has not yet released a statement regarding the development, it had previously noted that the federal courts in both the Southern District of New York and the Northern District of Alabama dismissed anti-terrorism claims brought against founder Changpeng “CZ” Zhao by hundreds of plaintiffs. The exchange said that it remains fully committed to working collaboratively to enforce sanctions laws without compromise, and went on to add,

“Looking forward to collaborating with both Democrats and Republicans on this.”

The post Democratic Lawmakers Vow Oversight as DOJ Probe Into Binance Emerges appeared first on CryptoPotato.

Vitalik Buterin has said that his previous donation to the Future of Life Institute (FLI) does not mean that he agrees with the group’s current political stance on AI.

According to him, big political campaigns about AI safety could lead to authoritarian outcomes or a global backlash if governments and corporations fight for control of the technology.

Buterin Clarifies Link to FLI

The Ethereum co-founder explained in a lengthy post on X that he got involved with FLI after Shiba Inu’s (SHIB) creators sent him half of their supply to help promote the meme coin. Shortly after, the tokens’ paper value skyrocketed, even flying past $1 billion.

Buterin said he thought the bubble would burst quickly and so rushed to swap some of the SHIB for ETH, donating the funds to a number of causes. He also gave half of the remaining SHIB to CryptoRelief, an India-focused medical relief effort, and the other half to FLI.

The institute ultimately cashed out around $500 million from the donated SHIB holding, far more than Buterin had thought possible, given the token’s thin trading volume at the time. The developer claims he got sold on FLI based on their roadmap, which covered existential risks across biosafety, nuclear, and AI, as well as what he called their “pro-peace and pro-epistemics initiatives.”

However, according to him, the organization has since pivoted, focusing instead on cultural and political action. They justified the shift, saying the situation was no longer the same as it had been in 2021, with the proliferation of artificial general intelligence demanding the change to better counter the lobbying warchests of large AI companies.

Concerns About Political Approaches

Buterin insisted that concentrating on regulatory or political campaigns to control AI development could produce fragile systems or centralized power structures.

“My worry is that large-scale coordinated political action with big money pools is a thing that can easily lead to unintended outcomes, cause backlashes, and solve problems in a way that is both authoritarian and fragile, even if it was not originally intended that way,” he wrote.

The 32-year-old said that limiting biosynthesis tools or AI models by imposing guardrails “so that they refuse to create bad stuff” was a weak solution that could be easily worked around. He added that such strategies could also lead to governments banning open-source systems or backing one “approved” company to take over the development of AI.

“Approaches like this VERY EASILY backfire,” said Buterin. “They make the rest of the world your enemy.”

His proposal is a technological approach focused on developing defensive tools to help society stay safe in a world with powerful technology. He pointed out that his most recent funding decisions include approximately $40 million for research to build secure hardware and systems that could improve digital privacy and cybersecurity.

The post Vitalik Buterin Distances Himself From FLI’s Push on AI Safety appeared first on CryptoPotato.