Из жизни альткоинов

Доля USDC компании Circle в объеме транзакций со стейблкоинами выросла в феврале до 71% — тогда как доля USDT компании Tether упала до 28%, следует из данных аналитической панели Visa. В январе соотношение тоже было в пользу USDC: 54% против 45%. В марте соотношение пока держится на уровне января.

Основатель Into the Cryptoverse Бенджамин Коуэн (Benjamin Cowen) заявил, что, несмотря на рост цены крупных альткоинов, в более поздних стадиях рыночного циклах ликвидность всегда поглощается биткоином.

Американский Институт политики биткоина (Bitcoin Policy Institute, BPI) осудил законопроект, который одобрила Палата представителей американского штата Кентукки. Законопроект обязывает производителей аппаратных кошельков давать возможность владельцам восстанавливать пароли, пин-коды и сид-фразы.

Неизвестный, атаковавший в сентябре проект UXLINK, обменял 5496 украденных эфиров на примерно $11,82 млн в долларовых стейблкоинах DAI, сообщила специализирующаяся на кибербезопасности компания PeckShieldAlert.

Группа акционеров криптобиржи Gemini подала иск в суд, заявив, что торговая площадка обманула инвесторов перед проведением первичного публичного размещения акций (IPO).

Государственный Реестр компаний Великобритании удалил криптобиржу Zedxion из своего перечня легальных юрлиц, объяснив неверными сведениями, представленными торговой площадкой при регистрации.

South Korea’s opposition party has proposed a bill to abolish the upcoming income tax on crypto assets, citing US regulators’ guidance on asset classification, concerns about double taxation, and inconsistencies with the current tax system.

SK Lawmakers Push To Repeal Crypto Taxation

On Thursday, local news outlet Digital Asset reported that South Korea’s People Power Party (PPP) proposed a bill to amend the long-delayed Income Tax Act, which is scheduled to take effect next year.

According to the report, PPP’s floor leader, Song Eun-seok, introduced the legislation on March 19, seeking to abolish the taxation of crypto assets. If approved, the amendment would remove all provisions governing the taxation of digital assets in the current Income Tax Act.

Under the current digital assets law, crypto assets will be subject to a 20% income tax rate, up to 22% including local taxes, starting January 1, 2027, with a deduction limit of 2.5 million won.

Originally, the government proposed implementing a 20% tax on crypto gains by January 2022. However, the rule change has been postponed three times, including a two-year delay to the January 1, 2025, implementation date in December 2024.

As the report noted, the People Power Party and the Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) clashed over the latest two-year delay, with the PPP and the government supporting the postponement. In contrast, the DPK advocated raising the tax deduction limit to 50 million won rather than postponing crypto taxation, ultimately agreeing to postpone it until 2027.

The proposed amendment mentioned recent joint guidance by the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Commodities Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). This guidance classified most digital assets as commodities rather than securities, which reportedly raised concerns in South Korea that “treating them under the same tax system as securities is inappropriate.”

“Since digital assets are already classified as commodities in Korea and subject to the value-added tax system, imposing an additional income tax on them would create issues of double taxation,” the report added, citing the bill.

The amendment contends that imposing a separate income tax on digital assets raises concerns regarding the fairness and consistency of the tax system, considering that the financial investment income tax has been abolished to promote capital market development and protect investors.

If income tax is imposed in the future, significant practical and administrative difficulties are expected, such as determining the acquisition cost for non-resident foreigners, which would limit the effectiveness of the system.

DPK To Review Tax Amendment Despite Long-Standing Policy

In response to the People Power Party’s push to abolish the 20% crypto taxes, the Democratic Party of Korea has affirmed that it will review the recently introduced amendment.

DPK’s Senior Deputy Floor Leader for Policy, Kim Han-kyu, acknowledged PPP’s concerns about tax equity between stocks and crypto assets and the consistency of the Korean tax system.

“I am aware that there are calls to strike a balance between the stock market and the digital asset market in terms of taxation,” he told reporters after a general meeting of lawmakers on Thursday.

Kim also revealed the South Korean ruling party had not considered a proposal or any measures to abolish the upcoming crypto taxation, as it had “not yet reached a level where it is being seriously discussed or where there is a consensus within the party.”

The PPP’s bill was not previously discussed between the ruling and opposition parties in advance, he stated, but affirmed that DPK lawmakers will discuss the bill in the Finance and Economy Committee now that it has been introduced.

Nonetheless, he noted that the party’s stance had previously been to proceed with the existing bill, previously advocating a higher deduction limit instead, which could signal the proposed amendment risks limited support from the DPK.

Эксперты поставщика данных CF Benchmarks заявили, что справедливая стоимость биткоина составляет примерно $136 000, в то время как фактическая цена не превышает $71 000.

Федеральное бюро расследований США (ФБР) предупредило о новой мошеннической схеме в сети Tron, нацеленной на владельцев криптовалютных кошельков.

US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Chair Paul Atkins said that the commission is moving away from a purely enforcement-driven response to digital assets and toward clearer, more constructive rules — a shift he framed as necessary to keep crypto activity onshore.

Clearer Path For Crypto Classification

In a CNBC interview, Atkins criticized the SEC’s prior approach, which relied heavily on enforcement actions rather than publishing concrete rules. He argued that this posture created uncertainty for businesses and pushed innovation and activity to other jurisdictions. 

“Perhaps nowhere has the cost of failing to do so been more apparent than in our treatment of crypto assets,” he said, noting that past messaging often amounted to “adapt to us—or else.” 

Atkins described the agency’s newly issued interpretive guidance, jointly prepared with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), as the start of a more transparent and pragmatic regulatory path.

The joint guidance, released earlier this week, aims to clarify how federal securities laws apply to a broad range of digital tokens. According to Atkins and the agencies’ interpretation, crypto assets should not be treated as securities. 

The guidance further outlines how certain token transactions or structural changes can move a token into — or out of — securities regulation, providing a framework for markets to better assess compliance needs.

As part of the new stance, the SEC has identified four categories of crypto assets that it no longer views as securities: digital commodities, digital tools, digital collectibles such as non-fungible tokens (NFTs), and stablecoins. 

The agencies said this position reflects collaboration between the SEC and CFTC and aligns with recent legislative proposals, such as the GENIUS Act, with respect to stablecoins. At the same time, tokenized securities remain deemed as securities. 

Upcoming Plans Disclosed By Atkins

Atkins further discussed a “fit‑for‑purpose startup exemption” for crypto assets. He suggested the agency consider allowing early-stage crypto entrepreneurs to raise limited capital or operate for a defined period without being fully subject to the agency’s rules. 

The Commissioner also expects the SEC to publish a proposal on crypto safe harbors for public comment in the coming weeks. He indicated that the proposal will incorporate the innovation exemption, which would carve out temporary relief from securities laws to enable companies to experiment with new business models.

Atkins stressed that the prior ambiguity had real consequences. By leaving rules implicit and relying on enforcement, the agency invited uncertainty that discouraged some firms from operating in the US and complicated compliance for those that did. 

The fresh guidance, he suggested, is a corrective measure meant to bring clarity and to keep digital asset innovation within the US regulatory environment.

Featured image from OpenArt, chart from TradingView.com 

Крупнейшая в мире по объему торгов криптобиржа Binance объявила, что с 1 апреля проведет делистинг ряда торговых пар с токенами в кросс-маржинальной торговле из-за низких объемов.

Основатель и гендиректор криптоплатформы Abra Билл Бархайдт (Bill Barhydt) заявил, что для резкого роста цены биткоина необходимо возвращение розничных инвесторов.

Peter Brandt thinks the crypto market has not hit bottom yet. If he is right, the Algorand Foundation’s decision to cut 25% of its staff may be just one of many similar moves still to come across the industry.

A Leaner Team, A Packed Roadmap

The Algorand Foundation announced the layoffs Wednesday, pointing to a rough stretch in global markets and a sustained pullback in crypto prices as the driving forces behind the decision.

The foundation described the move as painful but necessary, saying it had reached a more sustainable alignment between its spending and its long-term goals.

Affected workers were described as top contributors, and the organization said it would help them through the transition.

What makes the timing unusual is what the Foundation has on its plate for the year ahead. Reports indicate the organization is still pushing forward with several major projects — including the next big update to its developer toolkit AlgoKit, the launch of a new wallet called Rocca, and continued work on post-quantum security.

Cutting a quarter of your team while announcing an ambitious workload is a balancing act, and it remains to be seen whether the remaining staff can carry the load.

Today, the Algorand Foundation made the difficult decision to reduce our workforce by 25%. This decision was not taken lightly and is in response to the uncertain global macro environment as well as the broader downturn in crypto markets.

These employees have been best-in-class…

— Algorand Foundation (@AlgoFoundation) March 18, 2026

Bitcoin Down 44%, And Counting

The layoffs did not happen in a vacuum. Bitcoin is currently trading around $70,000 — roughly 45% below its all-time high of $126,000, which it hit in October.

At its lowest point earlier this year, it fell to $60,000. For foundations that hold portions of their treasury in crypto, a drop like that translates directly into less money to pay staff and fund operations.

Algorand has not been sitting still. Based on a December roadmap update, the Foundation reported it had doubled the amount of ALGO staked online — from around 1 billion to 2 billion — over the span of a little more than a year.

That kind of growth signals momentum on the technical side, even as the financial pressures mount.

This Is Not The First Time The Crypto Industry Has Done This

The crypto world has been through rounds of staff cuts before. During the 2022 downturn, Coinbase reduced headcount by 18%, and Gemini cut 10% of its workforce. Both moves came as Bitcoin was trading near two-year lows around $21,000.

This week, blockchain data company Messari also announced layoffs and the departure of its CEO, who stepped down as the company shifted its focus toward artificial intelligence.

Bullish CEO Tom Farley recently said the sector could see more consolidation ahead, with larger firms absorbing smaller ones and trimming overlapping roles in the process.

For the Algorand Foundation, the message is straightforward: do more with less, and stay the course.

Featured image from Unsplash, chart from TradingView

Владелец контрольного пакета криптобиржи Binance Чанпэн Чжао (Changpeng Zhao) заявил на DC Blockchain Summit, что с 2014 года криптоиндустрия прошла три этапа развития.

На рынке биткоина появились первые признаки восстановления, но до формирования устойчивого бычьего тренда еще далеко, заявили аналитики ончейн-платформы Glassnode.

Ripple on Thursday released findings from a global survey of more than 1,000 finance leaders, and concluded that the “digital asset revolution is happening now.” 

The study, conducted at the start of 2026 and spanning banks, asset managers, fintechs, and corporate treasuries, finds strong momentum behind crypto adoption with stablecoins and tokenization emerging as leading use cases.

Ripple Finds Fintechs Driving Crypto Use

According to Ripple, 72% of respondents believe finance leaders must offer a digital asset solution to remain competitive. Among specific applications, stablecoins drew the most enthusiasm.

74% of participants said stablecoins can improve cash‑flow efficiency and unlock trapped working capital in addition to enabling faster settlement—benefits firms see as competitive differentiators.

Fintech firms in the sample stand out as the early adopters and innovators. Ripple’s survey shows fintechs are more likely than banks or corporates to already use digital assets in treasury and payments, and to roll out customer‑facing crypto wallets. 

Notably, 31% of fintech respondents said they use stablecoins to collect payments for customers, and 29% accept payments directly in stablecoins. A comparable share relies on third‑party custodians or infrastructure providers to secure assets. 

Fintechs are also more inclined to build proprietary solutions—47% prefer in‑house development—while most corporates (74%) expect to partner with external providers for implementation.

Shift Toward Tokenized Assets And Stablecoins

The survey further shows that interest in tokenizing financial assets is rising among banks and asset managers, and that most institutions evaluating tokenization strategies prioritize custody solutions. Of those assessing tokenization partners, 89% ranked digital asset storage and custody as a top priority. 

Token servicing and lifecycle management are also highly valued by banks (82%), while asset managers place strong emphasis on primary distribution (80%). Advisory services matter as well: 85% of banks cited pre‑issuance structuring consultancy as important, compared with 76% of asset managers.

When choosing partners, respondents prioritized regulatory clarity (40%), security and safekeeping (37%), compliance capabilities (30%), and price volatility management (29%).

Security certifications and operational support emerged as near‑universal requirements. Ripple reports that 97% of participants regard certifications such as ISO and SOC II as important or very important. 

Responsive post‑integration technical support also ranks very high at 88%, reflecting institutions’ operational expectations. Deep industry experience (80%) and financial strength (79%) are additional decisive factors for buyers vetting infrastructure partners.

The survey also highlights a practical preference among institutions exploring stablecoin collections or payments: 57% said they want a partner that offers integrated custody, orchestration, and compliance so the institution itself can avoid holding stablecoin balances. 

Ripple framed the results as an early glimpse into broader market alignment around digital assets. “This early preview of Ripple’s 2026 survey reveals a market moving with greater alignment and intention,” the company said.

While Bitcoin (BTC) and Ethereum (ETH) both saw 3% drops over the same period, XRP, the cryptocurrency linked to Ripple, was trading at $1.43 at the time of writing, showing a minor 0.7% retracement over the 24-hour period. 

Featured image from OpenArt, chart from TradingView.com

36-летняя жительница Магнитогорска лишилась около 3 млн рублей, став жертвой мошеннической схемы, связанной с инвестициями в криптовалюту. Она потеряла как личные средства, так и заемные.

Криптовалютная биржа Bybit начала блокировать аккаунты пользователей из России. Ограничения затронули около десяти адресов, на которых совокупно размещено более 50 млн рублей. На крупнейшем из заблокированных счетов находится более 500 000 USDT.

Canada’s financial watchdog fined crypto platform Cryptomus $126 million last October after the company allegedly failed to flag suspicious transactions on 1,068 separate occasions in a single month.

A month before that, crypto exchange KuCoin was handed a $14 million penalty for operating in Canada without registering as a foreign money services business.

Those two cases now look like early warnings of what was coming.

In the months since, the Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre — better known as FINTRAC — has revoked 50 money services business registrations in 2026 alone.

Forty-seven of those belonged to crypto-related firms. The latest round, announced Monday, cut 23 registrations in one move.

Finance Minister Signals More Actions On The Way

Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne called the pace of enforcement “significantly increased” and said the government has no plans to slow down.

“Our government will continue to monitor and pursue new measures to address risks posed by virtual currency businesses, such as cryptocurrency MSBs and crypto ATMs, which can be used to facilitate money laundering and fraud,” he said in a statement Tuesday.

Any business that loses its registration has 30 days to request a review. Some may get reinstated. But the scale of the sweep — nearly 50 revocations in under three months — signals a shift in how Canada is policing the crypto sector.

FINTRAC also said it is strengthening enforcement and increasing transparency around compliance actions, a move that suggests the agency wants its actions to serve as a public deterrent, not just a regulatory cleanup.

What The Numbers Say About Crypto And Crime

Canada’s crackdown comes at a time when the relationship between cryptocurrency and illicit finance is still hotly debated.

The Financial Action Task Force estimates that between 2% and 5% of global GDP moves through illegal channels each year — almost entirely through traditional banking systems.

Blockchain analytics firm Chainalysis puts the share of crypto transactions tied to illicit activity at under 1%.

Those figures don’t mean crypto is clean. But they do raise questions about whether the sector is being held to a stricter standard than older financial industries.

For now, Canada appears committed to its current direction. Officials have specifically called out crypto ATMs as a concern, suggesting future enforcement could extend beyond online platforms to physical kiosks scattered across the country.

Businesses that aren’t in full compliance with registration and reporting rules have reason to take that warning seriously.

Featured image from Unsplash, chart from TradingView

South Korean right-wing lawmakers have proposed a bill to abolish the taxation of crypto assets scheduled to take effect on January 1, 2027.

A Long Chain Of Regulation Delays

According to Korean outlet Digital Asset, Korea’s main opposition party the People Power Party is advancing a plan that would effectively abolish the dedicated 20% “crypto tax” by merging virtual‑asset income into a unified financial investment tax framework, instead of enforcing a separate regime just for digital assets.

The proposal comes after multiple postponements. Ruling and opposition parties alternated between promising delays and demanding quick implementation, repeatedly using crypto tax timelines as an election wedge with youth voters. The original 20% tax on gains over roughly ₩2.5 million was pushed from 2022 to 2023, then to 2025, and then again toward 2027 amid political infighting and concerns over investor protection.

The core issue has lays in parity. Crypto gains were set to be taxed at 20% above a very low threshold, while stock gains only paid similar rates above ₩50 million, fueling claims that young, retail‑heavy crypto traders were being unfairly targeted. Song Eon-seok, floor leader of the party and the responsible for introducing the bill, explained:

Given that the financial investment income tax has been abolished for the development of the capital market and the protection of investors, imposing a separate income tax on digital assets raises issues regarding equity and consistency in the tax system.

Kim Han-gyu, senior deputy floor leader for policy of the Democratic Party, responded to the proposal saying that they ruling party will discuss the bill now that it’s been introduced, although “there is no serious discussion or consensus within the party”, local media reported.

South Korea In The Forefront Of Crypto Regulation

South Korea has already rolled out the Virtual Asset User Protection Act and is still fighting over a second‑phase “Virtual Asset Law” covering stablecoins and more comprehensive oversight, underscoring that taxation is only one piece of a much tougher framework.

While many jurisdictions are tightening tax enforcement on digital assets, South Korea is prioritizing regulatory safeguards and market structure first. It’s worth noting, however, that South Korea’s National Tax Service is also moving ahead with a strong AI Crypto Tracking System, as reported by Bitcoinist on March 12.

A more balanced tax design could reduce incentives for Korean traders to move volume offshore or into grey‑area platforms, potentially supporting onshore liquidity and institutional participation. The apparent end of a standalone crypto tax is a short‑term relief, but once the unified financial investment tax kicks in, sophisticated reporting and on‑chain tracing tools mean evasion risks will climb. Active traders should prepare for stricter KYC, better record‑keeping, and the possibility that today’s relief turns into tomorrow’s more robust, integrated tax regime.

Cover image from Perplexity, BTCUSD chart from Tradingview