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Reports indicate investment bank TD Cowen warned the CLARITY Act may not pass until 2027 and could take effect in 2029.

Lawmakers And Deadlines

The bill’s timetable is tight. Alex Thorn of Galaxy Digital said if the CLARITY Act doesn’t clear committee by the end of April, the chances of passage in 2026 fall sharply.

Senate leaders have signaled other items will take priority on the floor, leaving little room for a complex compromise.

Debate over stablecoin rewards is where many expect the fight to play out. Banks and crypto firms remain divided on whether yielding rewards via stablecoins undermines traditional banking models.

Some lawmakers and lobbyists are already trading hard lines; compromise will be needed for any bill to move.

if CLARITY doesn’t pass committee by end of april, odds of passage in 2026 become extremely low. this needs to hit the senate floor by early may… floor time is running out and odds diminish every day that passes

the framing right now is that the dispute over stablecoins… pic.twitter.com/tEejEsmUi9

— Alex Thorn (@intangiblecoins) March 14, 2026

A Senior Lawmaker Said Both Sides Would Have To Give Ground

Officials said members of the Senate Banking Committee expect give-and-take. A top Democrat on the panel warned that neither side is likely to be fully satisfied but that negotiations must continue for progress.

Timing is also a political problem. One senator has publicly said the chamber won’t act before April because it has other priorities, and that squeeze on the calendar makes a late push risky.

Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump has criticized banks for slowing the bill’s progress, adding public pressure to move the measure.

Crypto Regulation: Timing Could Stretch Years

Some analysts expect the process to stretch past the next election cycle if consensus can’t be reached soon. That prospect raises the possibility that a market-structure package could be delayed for multiple sessions of Congress, or reworked under new leadership.

According to statements from a crypto-friendly senator, there’s still hope the bill can clear Congress by April — but that hope depends on quick committee action and compromises on key items.

What’s At Stake

The bill’s outcome matters far beyond Washington. Clear rules could change how institutions engage with crypto, how exchanges operate, and how stablecoins are treated.

For now, the clock is the clearest fact: if the CLARITY Act doesn’t move fast, its path will get harder, and its timetable could stretch into the next Congress.

Featured image from Harris Sliwoski LLP, chart from TradingView

Spot Bitcoin ETFs (exchange-traded funds) in the United States have posted five consecutive days of capital inflows for the first time in 2026. This good run of form comes as a relief after what has been a turbulent start to the year for BTC and the broader cryptocurrency market.

While the premier cryptocurrency still appears to be struggling in terms of price action, the demand conditions — especially in the US — seem to be improving steadily. According to the latest market data, the Bitcoin ETFs registered approximately $767.32 million in net inflows over the past week.

US Bitcoin ETFs Record $767M In The Past Week

On Friday, March 13, the US-based Bitcoin exchange-traded funds recorded $180.33 million in total net inflows. This latest round of capital influx marked the fifth day in an inflow streak that started earlier in the week and the longest so far this year.

Recent market data shows that BlackRock’s Bitcoin Trust (with the ticker IBIT) contributed the majority (roughly $143.59 million) of the total net inflow on Friday. This was followed by the $23.24 million contribution of Fidelity Wise Origin Bitcoin Fund (FBTC) on the day.

VanEck Bitcoin ETF (HODL), Bitwise Bitcoin ETF (BITB), and Ark 21Shares Bitcoin ETF (ARKB) (adding $8.05 million, $3.09 million, and $2.36 million in value, respectively) were the only other Bitcoin ETFs that recorded any activity on Friday. Interestingly, this Friday’s performance only pales in comparison to the $250.92 in the total net inflows seen on Tuesday, March 10.

As mentioned earlier, these daily performances brought the exchange-traded funds’ weekly record to a net total of around $767.32 million. This week’s performance marks the third consecutive week of positive inflows for the US-based Bitcoin ETFs.

According to SoSoValue data, the BTC-linked investment products posted more than $568 million in total net inflows in the previous week. Meanwhile, the exchange-traded funds added more than $787 million in value in the final week of February.

Bitcoin Price Overview

While the spot Bitcoin ETFs have been seeing increased demand in recent weeks, there has not been concomitant growth in the premier cryptocurrency’s value within the same period. More specifically, the price of BTC has faced rejection twice around the $74,000 resistance level over the last two weeks.

As of this writing, the price of BTC stands at around $70,748, reflecting no significant movement in the past 24 hours. According to data from CoinGecko, the flagship cryptocurrency has jumped by nearly 5% in the past seven days.

The Ethereum Foundation (EF) announced that it has completed an over-the-counter (OTC) sale of 5,000 ETH over the weekend. According to the organization’s disclosure, proceeds from this sale will be directed towards its core operations and other activities.

Ethereum Foundation Sells $10 Million In ETH To BitMine

In a March 14 post on the social media platform X, the Ethereum Foundation said that it finalized a 5,000 ETH OTC deal, valued at roughly $10.21 million. The EF identified BitMine Immersion Technologies, the world’s largest corporate holder of Ether, as the counterparty (buyer) in this over-the-counter deal.

The Ethereum Foundation revealed that the Ether tokens will be sold to BitMine at an average price of $2,042.96. Hence, this deal could be viewed as a fresh acquisition for BitMine, an ETH treasury company currently holding more than 4.5 million Ether valued at approximately $9.3 billion.

The EF disclosed that the on-chain transaction will come from a Safe multisig wallet, with proceeds from the sale directed toward the foundation’s core operations and activities, including protocol research and development (R&D), ecosystem development, community grant funding, and so on.

The organization also mentioned that the transaction is part of ongoing treasury management activity based on a recently published policy. In its treasury policy in June 2025, the foundation revealed that Ether tokens will be sold to maintain its fiat-denominated assets from the Opex (operating expense) Buffer target.

Other strategies for their Ether holdings include staking, with over 2,000 ETH deployed so far, and plans to supply around 70,000 ETH into validators using open-source infrastructure from third-party providers.

This latest sale to BitMine would represent the second deal of this nature in less than a year. In July 2025, the Ethereum Foundation sold 10,000 ETH over the counter to SharpLink Gaming — another ETH treasury firm — at an average price of $2,572.37 in a transaction worth $25.7 million.

Ethereum Price Overview

The over-the-counter path of this deal means that the Ethereum price will not face the bearish pressure typically associated with centralized exchange sales. Last September, the foundation announced plans to sell 10,000 ETH via public exchanges, sparking criticism from the crypto crowd.

As of this writing, the price of ETH stands at around $2,086, reflecting an over 1% decline in the past 24 hours. This past-day decline is not enough to wipe the altcoin’s weekly gain, which stands at nearly 7% over the past seven days.

Over the last day, the Bitcoin price has displayed sideways movement, without any apparent intent of a breakout. While this is a typical weekend price action, there has been an interesting update on the underlying dynamics keeping the flagship cryptocurrency grounded around $70,000.

Bitcoin LTH-SOPR Falls To 1.01 — What This Means

In a recent QuickTake post on CryptoQuant, on-chain analyst GugaOnChain reveals that a battle between different cohorts of  Bitcoin investors is currently unfolding. 

GugaOnChain cites the Long-Term Holder SOPR (Spent Output Profit Ratio) metric, which tracks whether long-term investors (who have held Bitcoin for at least 155 days) are selling their tokens profitably, or at a loss. Readings above 1 suggest that these investors are accumulating profits, while readings under 1 reveal otherwise. 

According to GugaOnChain, the LTH-SOPR currently stands at 1.01, reflecting that Bitcoin’s long-term investors are exiting the markets at break-even, or with minimal profits. The analyst further explains that this means the “veterans are once again aggressively defending their acquisition cost at $70,675.” 

At the same time, the Puell Multiple reflects a reading of 0.60, which GugaOnChain describes as a typical sign that the market is undervalued and that Bitcoin’s miners are starting to experience exhaustion. Usually, when the Puell Multiple falls to 0.5, it marks capitulation among miners.

It is worth noting that if the Puell Multiple should continue on its approach towards the 0.5 mark, the Bitcoin price could follow on such a bearish move, until its Realized Price at $54,000 is retested.

Institutional Demand Buffers Whale Distribution 

Notably, GugaOnChain explains that the most significant development is still largely dependent on the dynamics between whale cohorts. As of March 13, there was a massive distribution of about 16,100 BTC among the whales holding between 1,000 and 10,000 BTC. Normally, such a large sell-off should trigger a sudden downturn in the Bitcoin price, but prices only retraced by about 0.33%. GugaOnChain points out that this is due to the absorption of supply by differing whale cohorts, and even institutional investors.

Specifically, the ‘Mega Whales,’ who have custody of more than 10,000 BTC, alongside the ‘Dolphins’ (holding between 100 and 1,000 BTC), both countered what should have been a devastating price drop. At the same time, institutional demand has been unrelenting over the week. During this period, spot ETFs have recorded a total of $763.4 million in net inflows, with $180.4 million coming in on March 13 alone. 

While the Puell Multiple reflects the possibility of $54,000 being visited, GugaOnChain insists that ‘Smart Money currently validates $70k as the “inflection floor”’. As such, if the LTH-SOPR continues to prevail above 1.0, it would reflect that the current Bitcoin cost has been successfully defended. Interestingly, ETF’s conviction capital is already positioned for the next big move. As of this writing, Bitcoin trades for $71,000, reflecting a 0.5% gain in 24 hours. 

The Bitcoin market has experienced some significant price relief in recent weeks. After a series of intense corrections that forced prices to a local bottom of $60,000 in early February, the premier cryptocurrency presently trades around $71,000, reflecting a 7.19% gain in the past month. 

Meanwhile, the global markets have been heavily rocked by heightened geopolitical tensions in the Middle East after the US and Israel launched a coordinated attack on Iran. Among many retaliation measures, the Islamic Republic of Iran has initiated a closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a major trade route that controls the passage of 20% of the world’s oil supply.

Blocked Strait of Hormuz Threatens Global Economic Stability 

In a QuickTake post on CryptoQuant, the education and analytics page XWIN Research Japan shares key insights on the effects of a potentially prolonged Strait of Hormuz disruption on Bitcoin and the general market. Considering the lack of any equally effective alternatives, Iran’s opposition to trade through the Strait of Hormuz threatens a global energy supply shock. If the current decline in shipping activities persists and oil and gas prices continue to rise, a corresponding rise in inflation is expected, considering the importance of petroleum products in daily activities.

In regard to effects on financial markets, central banks typically respond to these conditions with a financial tightening policy by raising interest rates in an attempt to slow down economic activity. During such environments, investors are likely to move capital into fiat currencies, e.g., US dollars, to take advantage of interest rates to match potential devaluations from inflation. Meanwhile, there is also a significant decline in exposure to volatile assets.

Bitcoin’s Fate Amid Oil Supply Troubles 

According to XWIN Research Japan, investors’ behavior towards Bitcoin during geopolitical stress events has shown that they view the cryptocurrency more as a risk asset than a financial haven. Therefore, it’s likely the BTC market experiences high levels of outflows if the Strait of Hormuz remains closed. However, this would only be an initial reaction as market stability is expected to occur later.

Therefore, the impact of the passageway disruption will be driven more by financial ecosystem response rather than the energy shock itself. The key factors in this situation include global liquidity level, policy responses, and general market leverage.

 

It’s also important that investors and traders monitor key derivative indicators such as the Open Interest (OI) and Funding Rates, as both metrics communicate key insights on the market condition. For example, a heightened Open Interest combined with extreme funding rates would signal overcrowded market positioning, which represents a risky market structure if a potential market shock occurred. At press time, Bitcoin trades at $71,639.

Following a disappointing performance in February, the Ethereum price has seen some semblance of relief over the past two weeks. With the steadying market condition, the “king of altcoins” has managed to hold its own around the psychological $2,000 level.

This, expectedly, has been enough to rouse hopes in silent investors on the Ether token’s future; however, a market analyst has revealed reasons to believe that Ethereum buyers might want to sit on their hands — at least in the meantime.

Multiple Indicators Align To Reflect High Market Stress

In a recent post on the social media platform X, on-chain analyst Boris highlighted data from three metrics, showing that the Ethereum market is starting to see a surge in pressure. According to the analyst, if the present conditions persist, a capitulation phase might be on the horizon for the second-largest cryptocurrency.

The market pundit started their analysis with the Net Unrealized Profit/Loss (NUPL) metric, which measures the overall profit or loss of investors by comparing the current market value of ETH to the price at which coins last moved on-chain. Boris shared in his post that the NUPL currently sits on a negative level, suggesting that Ethereum’s investors may be holding through unrealized losses.

Ethereum may be approaching a major capitulation zone

Several key on-chain signals are starting to align:

• NUPL: Negative → Investors are holding unrealized losses • Price: Below Realized Price (~$2.2K) → Market still under pressure • Profit Days: The 1.34K-day profit… pic.twitter.com/rHNw1Pn0i8

— Boris. (@Fundingvest) March 12, 2026

Another major metric cited was the Realized Price metric, which represents the average price at which all coins in circulation were last moved on-chain. Boris pointed out in his tweet that the altcoin is currently trading beneath its realized price of $2,200. 

When the market falls below this level, it indicates that the average Ethereum investor is holding through losses. Hence, this on-chain signal translates as a level of pressure being felt by Ethereum’s investors, as the market price continues to fluctuate below the realized price. 

Furthermore, Boris mentioned the Number of Days Spent at a Profit metric in his analysis, saying that the Ethereum network recently ended an impressive 1,340-day streak, during which the majority of circulating Ether tokens remained profitable. 

The analyst explained that this is often a signal that a market cycle has ended — a conjecture that is consistent with historical events and tends to appear close to the bottoms of bear markets.

Despite the present conditions, Boris warned that NUPL still has to move deeper towards the capitulation zone between –0.5 and –1 for a bottom to be formed. If the Ethereum price were to experience another sell-off round, the metric could enter the capitulation zone, where several investors might be forced to forfeit their positions — an event that would most likely be exploited by long-term traders (the diamond hands).

Ethereum Price At A Glance

As of this writing, the price of Ethereum stands at around about $2,092, reflecting an over 1% drop since the past day. 

Institutional interest in XRP exchange-traded funds is still growing, and these ETFS have already taken in more than $1.4 billion in cumulative inflows since launch. Interestingly, the latest regulatory disclosures reveal a surprising name sitting at the top of the list of investors. 

Goldman Sachs, one of Wall Street’s most influential investment banks, has quietly accumulated the largest known position in XRP ETFs, placing it ahead of hedge funds and crypto firms. The revelation comes as XRP ETF assets and inflows continue to grow, adding to the conversations about institutional exposure to XRP.

Goldman Sachs Appears As The Largest Known XRP ETF Holder

Regulatory disclosures have revealed a surprising name sitting at the top of the list of known institutional holders of Spot XRP ETFs. According to data compiled by Bloomberg Intelligence, Goldman Sachs currently holds the largest disclosed position in XRP ETFs among institutions required to report their holdings.

Filings show that Goldman Sachs holds roughly $153.8 million in XRP ETF exposure, representing around 83.6 million XRP worth of ETF shares. This puts the Wall Street giant well ahead of other institutional investors that have publicly disclosed their positions.

Behind Goldman Sachs, the next largest disclosed holders include Millennium Management, which holds more than $23 million in XRP ETF exposure, followed by firms such as Citadel Advisors and Logan Stone Capital, each with significantly smaller allocations. These figures come from 13F filings dated December 31, 2025, which provide details of institutional positions held at the end of the year.

According to Bloomberg Intelligence analyst James Seyffart, XRP ETF demand is still strong compared to the broader crypto market, which has been facing downward pressure since the beginning of the year. Notably, Bloomberg Intelligence data shows cumulative inflows into Spot XRP ETFs rising from roughly $150 million in mid-November 2025 to about $1.44 billion by March 4, 2026.

Cumulative Spot XRP ETF Flows. Source: @JSeyff On X

Most XRP ETF Buyers Are Still Unknown

Despite the insights provided by regulatory filings, the publicly disclosed holders represent only a fraction of the actual investor base behind XRP ETFs. Actually, the top 30 disclosed holders of Spot XRP ETF shares only collectively controlled about $211 million in positions at the time of the filings.

Many investors, including smaller funds, family offices, and retail participants, are not required to file 13F reports. As a result, the list of institutional holders revealed through filings captures only a small portion of the total ETF inflows.

Nonetheless, the presence of major firms like Goldman Sachs at the top of the known holder list is an interesting trend to look out for regarding the future of these Spot XRP ETFs. We could start to see more banking firms follow the same path as Goldman Sachs before the end of the year, and XRP ETFs could start playing a larger role in institutional crypto investments.

Featured image from Shutterstock, chart from TradingView

Former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Boris Johnson, said he has always feared that Bitcoin is a “giant Ponzi scheme,” with the latest stories around the cryptocurrency appearing to prove him right.

Former Prime Minister Johnson Calls Pokémon Cards A Better Bet Than BTC 

In a March 13 Daily Mail column, former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson shared his thoughts about Bitcoin, the world’s largest cryptocurrency by market capitalization. According to the former political leader, Bitcoin and other crypto assets are a Ponzi scheme because they lack intrinsic value and sufficient real-world uses.

Johnson argued that Bitcoin relies on the “greater fool” theory and is sustained by the collective belief that endless new buyers will emerge. Sharing the story of an aggrieved local investor, the former UK leader warned that ordinary people are increasingly falling victim to crypto-related fraud.

Johnson compared the flagship cryptocurrency to traditional stores of value, such as gold and fiat currency, while claiming that Pokémon cards are a safer long-term bet than the world’s largest cryptocurrency. While noting the historic allure of gold and the sentimental value of vintage Pikachu cards, the former Prime Minister called Bitcoin “strings of numbers” with no central authority or accountability.

In fact, Johnson argued that decentralization, a unique selling point of cryptocurrencies, is their greatest weakness. In his Daily Mail column, the former Mayor of London predicted that the eroding confidence — especially among regular people — will be the cause of Bitcoin’s end.

Interestingly, contrary to his latest comments in his Daily Mail column, Johnson’s own administration was quite instrumental in opening the UK’s doors to the digital asset industry. In April 2022, the then-Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rishi Sunak, unveiled a significant initiative to make the United Kingdom a “global hub for cryptoasset technology and investment.”

Bitcoin Is Not A Ponzi Scheme: Michael Saylor

Expectedly, Johnson’s comments about the premier cryptocurrency sparked interesting reactions from different corners of the crypto community. Strategy’s founder and chairman, Michael Saylor, produced one of the loudest rebuttals to the former Prime Minister’s claims.

Bitcoin is not a Ponzi scheme. A Ponzi requires a central operator promising returns and paying early investors with funds from later ones. Bitcoin has no issuer, no promoter, and no guaranteed return—just an open, decentralized monetary network driven by code and market demand.

— Michael Saylor (@saylor) March 13, 2026

Saylor, in a reply on X (formerly Twitter), said that Bitcoin is not a Ponzi scheme. Using the definition of a Ponzi scheme, the Strategy chairman reiterated that the flagship cryptocurrency has no “central operator promising returns and paying early investors with funds from later ones,’ as often required by Ponzi schemes.

Saylor wrote:

Bitcoin has no issuer, no promoter, and no guaranteed return—just an open, decentralized monetary network driven by code and market demand.

Saylor has been one of the most vocal supporters of Bitcoin, with his company’s steady acquisition a proof of his belief in Bitcoin’s long-term promise. As of this writing, the price of BTC stands at around $70,590, reflecting a 1.4% decline in the past 24 hours.

Ripple’s latest $750 million share buyback has split the XRP community in two. While some members see the internal buy-and-sell cycle as a sign of strength for both the crypto payments company and XRP, others argue that the move exposes a cycle that has always put retail XRP holders at the bottom of the food chain.

Ripple’s Buyback Leaves Retail Questioning XRP Loyalty

Crypto analyst @WhaleFUD has ignited a new debate within the crypto community by revealing details on Ripple’s internal buy and sell cycle and how it impacts XRP. In an X post on Wednesday, he noted that Ripple sells XRP and uses the proceeds to fund share buybacks for its own private equity. 

According to him, venture capital (VC) firms and institutional investors are buying shares in Ripple, the crypto company, rather than XRP, the native token of the XRP Ledger (XRPL). This means that any increase in Ripple’s corporate value does not directly benefit XRP holders. As @WhaleFUD put it, “Retail is the liquidity,” while “Wall Street is the winner.”

Unsurprisingly, the post triggered a sharp reaction from various members of the XRP community, with many criticizing Ripple for favoring equity holders over XRP holders. Community members argued that this structure gives Ripple zero incentive to support XRP’s long-term success. 

Some alleged that Ripple’s leadership profits from XRP transactions by using escrow sales to fund buybacks and increase share prices ahead of the company’s initial public offering (IPO). They pointed to the launch of the RLUSD stablecoin as a product that competes with the XRPL’s use cases, further implying that retail investors are being sidelined.

Additionally, they compared Ripple’s internal buy-and-sell cycle to historical crypto trends, citing the 2017 initial coin offerings (ICOs) and 2021 layer-1 (L1) launches, in which retail holders provided liquidity while early investors repeated the financial rewards. Another member added that Ripple now has no reason to ensure XRP holders profit, suggesting that the company has handed itself to VC backers and now prioritizes institutional gains. 

Others Say Buyback Signals XRP Confidence

While criticism from many in the crypto community rose, blockchain researcher BankXRP responded to the buyback news with a more positive take. He argued that Ripple’s latest buyback move signals strength in the company and XRP. 

According to reports, Ripple has launched a $750 million share buyback from investors and employees, placing the company at a $50 billion valuation. This represents a 25% increase from the crypto company’s $40 billion market value following its $500 million funding round in November 2025. 

BankXRP sees the tender offer as evidence of Ripple’s liquidity and long-term confidence in the XRP ecosystem. Notably, the buyback is moving forward despite ongoing uncertainty in the crypto market and downward pressure on the XRP price. The initiative is further supported by Ripple’s recent strategic acquisitions, including its $1 billion GTreasury purchase and the $1.25 billion acquisition of Hidden Road, among others. 

Featured image from Pexels, chart from TradingView

Spot Bitcoin ETFs pulled in $53 million in a single day this week, pushing monthly inflows past $1.16 billion — a sharp reversal after four straight months of outflows that drained more than $6 billion from those same funds.

ETF Inflows Signal A Shift In Investor Behavior

The turnaround is being read by analysts as a sign that investors are stepping back in after a prolonged selloff. Bitcoin was trading around $70,850 as of Saturday, up from lows earlier in the year, and technical indicators are pointing in a bullish direction.

The Relative Strength Index has climbed from an extreme low of 15 in January to 56, and the Supertrend indicator has flipped from bearish to bullish on the daily chart.

Prediction markets are reflecting that improved sentiment. On Kalshi, the probability of Bitcoin reaching $100,000 before January 2027 has risen to 40% — its highest reading since February. Polymarket puts the odds even higher, at 50%. To hit that target, Bitcoin would need to gain roughly 35% from current levels.

Geopolitical Tensions Adding A New Dimension To Bitcoin’s Rally

Part of the story playing out in crypto markets has a geopolitical backdrop. However, the ongoing conflict between Iran, the US, and Israel has driven oil prices above $100 a barrel, which is fueling inflation concerns. In this context, the question is whether the Federal Reserve will reduce interest rates this year.

Apparently, gold and stock market ETFs have seen outflows, but Bitcoin is experiencing net inflows. In this context, the situation is being used as evidence that Bitcoin is acting as a safe haven.

The picture shifted slightly Friday after a cooler-than-expected PCE inflation reading and a modest pullback in oil prices, following reports that the US waived sanctions allowing certain companies to purchase Russian oil. Bitcoin rose on that news.

Technical Picture Points To Key Levels Ahead

On the chart, Bitcoin is attempting to reclaim its 50-day Exponential Moving Average as support rather than resistance. The Percentage Price Oscillator is approaching a bullish crossover of the zero line, which traders watch closely as a momentum signal.

Analysts say the next test for Bitcoin bulls will be whether the coin can hold above $70,000 heading into next week. If buying pressure continues to build, the psychological barriers at $80,000 and $90,000 become the next milestones on the road to a possible six-figure price.

Whether that happens by year’s end remains an open question — one that prediction markets, at least, are no longer dismissing.

Featured image from Unsplash, chart from TradingView

American billionaire and investor Stanley Druckenmiller has postulated that stablecoins will play a central role in the US payments system in the next decade. However, the philanthropist and former hedge fund manager remains skeptical about regular cryptocurrency.

Stablecoins Drive Productivity, Druckenmiller Says

In a recently released interview with Wall Street Titan Morgan Stanley, Stanley Druckenmiller shared his expert thoughts on several financial and economic subjects. 

When asked about the crypto industry, the veteran investor described blockchain and stablecoins as two inventions that are “incredibly useful in terms of productivity”. Druckenmiller boldly claimed that the US payment system would likely run on stablecoins within the next 10-15 years.  

Druckenmiller is the former chairman and president of Duquesne Capital, a hedge fund he founded in 1981 and closed in 2010 with an asset under management (AUM) of $12 billion.  

The experienced financial professional expects the potential full-scale adoption of stablecoins, stating they are “efficient, quicker, and cheaper.” Notably, these comments come months after US President Donald Trump signed the GENIUS Act into law, thereby establishing a recognized regulatory framework for the issuance and operation of stablecoins. 

This regulation has resulted in multiple developments, including Tether, issuer of the USDT stablecoin, to launch a US-focused product, USAT, designed to cater to the needs and peculiarities of the American financial system. 

Meanwhile, financial institutions, including JP Morgan, Citigroup, and the Bank of North Dakota, are actively developing a stablecoin product to tap into expected adoption growth. For context, stablecoins are cryptocurrencies whose value is pegged to an underlying asset, most commonly the US dollar.

Crypto Not Needed? 

In his general comments on the cryptocurrency industry, Drunckenmiller describes these digital assets as an unnecessary invention. The veteran investor said: 

It’s a solution looking for a problem, I am very sad it ever happened as a store or value because it wasn’t needed. But it’s a brand that people love, so it’s going to be a store of value. 

Notably, when speaking about the US dollar’s role as the reserve currency of the world, the former hedge fund manager also stated the high potential of a replacement emerging in the next 50 years. While Druckenmiller has no specific picks on the new reserve currency, he has hinted at the potential of it being a cryptocurrency.

At press time, the total crypto market is valued at $2.42 trillion, 13% of which is attributable to stablecoins.

A New York resident lost close to $1 million in cryptocurrency. That single case became one of the clearest examples of the damage done by SocksEscort — a for-hire proxy service that gave criminals across the globe a way to hide while they stole.

A Network Built On Hijacked Devices

US and European authorities announced Thursday they had shut down SocksEscort after years of operation. The service worked by infecting routers and other internet-connected devices with malware, turning them into cover points that masked the real locations of cybercriminals.

According to the Department of Justice, the network had quietly burrowed into at least 369,000 devices spread across 163 countries. Criminals could then route their attacks through those compromised machines, making them far harder to trace.

The malware at the heart of the operation — known as AVrecon — had been publicly identified by cybersecurity firm Black Lotus Labs as far back as July 2023. The network kept running anyway.

The takedown was not a single agency effort. Law enforcement from Austria, France, Germany, Hungary, the Netherlands, Romania, and the US worked the case together.

On the American side, the FBI’s Sacramento Field Office, the IRS Criminal Investigation Oakland Field Office, and the Department of Defense’s Defense Criminal Investigative Service all had a hand in it.

Europol and Eurojust provided cross-border coordination support. Black Lotus Labs and the nonprofit Shadowserver Foundation supplied technical intelligence that helped investigators connect the dots.

Criminals Paid In Crypto To Stay Anonymous

SocksEscort did not just attract individual bad actors. It ran like a business. Customers paid to access the service, and they did so anonymously — using cryptocurrency to avoid leaving a financial trail.

Based on reports from Europol, the platform pulled in at least 5 million euros, roughly $5.7 million, from its paying users over the course of its run.

Authorities were ultimately able to seize 34 domains, take down about two dozen servers operating across seven countries, and freeze approximately $3.5 million in crypto tied to the operation.

Europol Executive Director Catherine De Bolle said proxy services of this kind give criminals the cover to carry out attacks, move illegal content, and dodge detection. She credited the international cooperation for exposing the infrastructure behind it.

Fraud Stretched From Bank Accounts To Crypto Wallets

The crimes enabled by SocksEscort went beyond any single method. Officials linked the network to bank fraud and cryptocurrency account takeovers dating back to 2020.

The New York victim’s case stood out for its scale, but reports indicate the damage was spread across multiple countries and target types.

Featured image from Pexels, chart from TradingView

Ethereum and Solana are currently leading developer activity in the crypto space, while developer activity in the broader ecosystem declines. This comes as prices continue to struggle with the ongoing war between the U.S. and Iran, which is sparking rising oil prices. 

Ethereum And Solana Lead Developer Activity Amid Broad Decline

Artemis data show that the Ethereum and Solana ecosystems are leading in developer activity amid declines in weekly commits and weekly active developers in crypto. In the Ethereum ecosystem, the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) is seeing the most activity, with 31,620 weekly commits. 

It is worth noting that several sectors in the Ethereum ecosystem currently rank among the top seven in developer activity. Meanwhile, the Solana ecosystem comes next, with the Solana Virtual Machine (SVM) Layer 1 and Layer 2 seeing the most activity, at 7,056 weekly commits. However, there has been a significant decline in the crypto ecosystem as a whole. 

Further data from Artemis shows that weekly commits have dropped from a yearly high of around 870,900 in March last year to as low as 217,500 in February. Notably, weekly commits crashed around the time of the crypto market’s infamous ‘October 10’ crash, which led to the largest liquidation event in crypto history. 

Similarly, the weekly active developers have also declined from a yearly high of 10,600 in May last year to as low as 4,000. This metric has been declining since the October 10 crypto market crash, suggesting that current price action is affecting developer sentiment. Ethereum and Solana have also seen declines in their weekly commits and developer activity despite leading in these metrics. 

The Ethereum network has seen a 54% decline in weekly commits over the last three months and a 34% decline in developer activity over this same period. Meanwhile, the Solana network has seen 43% decline in weekly commits over the last three months and a 40% decline in developer activity over the same period. 

Why Prices Continue To Struggle 

Ethereum and Solana prices continue to struggle, as experts note that the crypto market is in a bear market. CryptoQuant’s Head of Research, Julio Moreno, recently reiterated this, stating that the bear market is still on despite the relief rally that Bitcoin saw this week, which pushed ETH and SOL higher. 

Market analyst Doctor Profit recently stated that Bitcoin is likely to bottom between September and October, suggesting that Ethereum and Solana could still see larger declines. Meanwhile, Moreno told The Block that ETH could decline to $1,500 by the third quarter of this year or the early part of the fourth quarter if the bear market persists. The analyst also noted that Ethereum is facing an “adoption paradox,” with network activity rising while the ETH price falls.

Momentum around XRP may be entering a new phase as emerging on-chain data shows a growing activity within its broader ecosystem. Recent metrics from Flare, a network designed to bring smart contract functionality and DeFi capabilities to assets like XRP, suggest that decentralized finance participation tied to the network could be gaining traction. 

What The Latest Flare Metrics Reveal About XRP Activity

A notable shift may be unfolding around XRP that many market participants have not yet fully recognized. An analyst known as XFinanceBull on X has revealed that recent data from the Flare network shows a supply of more than 132 million FXRP, with nearly 80% already locked into DeFi protocols on Flare Network.

The ecosystem has also secured over $149 million in value and processed more than 2.8 million transactions, while user growth continues to accelerate. These figures are derived from verifiable on-chain activity that any participant can verify, rather than being promotional estimates.

For years, one of the most common critiques of the altcoin was its lack of decentralized finance, and the bottleneck limited what holders could actually do with their assets beyond the transfers and storage. XFinanceBull argues that Flare is beginning to address that gap by enabling the token to interact with decentralized financial applications through the Flare system.

Through the Flare framework, holders can now deploy their assets across DeFi activities such as lending, liquidity provisioning, token swaps, and yield generation. The charts show activity is rising, user counts are increasing, and more capital is being locked into the ecosystem. From XFinanceBull’s perspective, these trends suggest that XRP holders are gradually shifting from holding the asset to actively utilizing it within decentralized finance, and this is just the start.

How A Stronger Ripple Could Expand The Network

Many market participants focus primarily on XRP price movements, while overlooking the companies building the infrastructure behind it. Analyst XFinanceBull has also highlighted that Ripple’s announcement of a share buyback, which implies a valuation of roughly $50 million, reveals something important about where the industry is heading.

XFinanceBull believes that the institutional investors do not place that level of confidence in infrastructure companies without seeing long-term demand. Ripple’s long-term strategy has centered on developing enterprise blockchain rails that connect banks, payment networks, and financial institutions across global markets. At the core of that settlement framework is the XRP Ledger.

A stronger company could mean larger development terms, deeper partnerships, and broader integration into global payment systems. Over time, these developments would help grow the network surrounding the asset powering those payment rails.

The analyst noted that by following crypto infrastructure for years, it becomes clear that as the companies building the system get stronger, the ecosystems around them often grow even faster. That is the aspect that many participants overlook about the altcoin.

Using Bitcoin to buy groceries or pay a bill sounds simple. Under current US tax law, it is anything but. Every transaction — no matter how small — triggers a taxable event that must be reported to the IRS, forcing users to calculate capital gains on purchases as minor as a cup of coffee.

That legal reality has kept Bitcoin largely in the hands of investors rather than in everyday wallets, and a Washington advocacy group says Congress has only a few months left to fix it.

A Shrinking Window For Action

The Bitcoin Policy Institute (BPI) has been working the halls of Capitol Hill, meeting with 19 offices across the House and Senate over the past three months.

The group is pushing for a de minimis tax exemption — a rule that would allow small Bitcoin transactions under a set dollar amount to bypass capital gains reporting entirely.

Based on BPI’s own timeline, the window to pass such a measure runs from now through August 2026. After that, midterm election pressures are expected to crowd out any serious movement on complex tax legislation.

Senator Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming has been the loudest voice in Congress on this issue. She introduced a standalone bill in July 2025 that would exempt crypto transactions of $300 or less, with a $5,000 annual cap.

The bill stalled. And with Lummis set to leave the Senate in January 2027, the BPI warns that her departure could remove the issue’s most committed champion from the legislative arena for years.

Two Bills, One Goal — But No Clear Path

The legislative picture is complicated by competing proposals. While the Lummis bill targeted Bitcoin and broader crypto transactions, a separate House bill introduced by Representatives Max Miller and Steven Horsford focused exclusively on dollar-pegged stablecoins.

The existence of two bills with different scopes has muddied the path forward, even as BPI reports that bipartisan support for some form of exemption remains intact.

Pierre Rochard, a board member at Bitcoin treasury firm Strive, put the stakes plainly:

“The number one impediment to Bitcoin payments adoption is tax policy, not scaling technology.” The Burden Of Buying With Bitcoin

That line cuts to the heart of what advocates are fighting. The current tax treatment effectively punishes anyone who tries to spend Bitcoin rather than hold it.

Every purchase requires tracking the asset’s value at the time of acquisition and again at the point of sale — a level of record-keeping that makes routine transactions impractical for most people.

A de minimis exemption already exists in US law for foreign currency transactions, giving supporters a legal precedent to point to. Whether Congress acts on it before the political calendar closes the door remains an open question — one that, according to the BPI, may not come around again for a long time.

Featured image from Unsplash, chart from TradingView

Over the last week, the Bitcoin bulls have been putting up a fight to combat the consistent decline, and this has led to the price ranging around the $70,000 level. With this newfound recovery trend, things look to have taken a turn for the better as buyers are moving back into the arena. The result of this could be a clear upward target that could send the price back above 6-figures and kickstart the bull run again as a result.

3 Green Candles Says Bitcoin Bulls Are In Charge

Since the decline began back in February, Bitcoin has been hard-pressed to complete consistent green days. In fact, since January 2026, the cryptocurrency has been unable to complete three full days in the green. That is, until now, as the recent recovery trend shows that bullish sentiment has returned once again.

Crypto analyst Master Ananda highlights this development as important in showing that the bulls have now taken over control of the Bitcoin price. The three green daily candles, the analyst believes, are confirmation that a new rally has arrived.

Not only are the three consecutive daily candles confirming another rally, but the crypto analyst also says that Bitcoin will put in a higher high this week, meaning that the local uptrend will be confirmed in its entirety. This suggests that the price will stay above $70,000 through to the end of the week.

The recovery has now set the Bitcoin price inside a rising wave pattern. If this wave is confirmed, it would mean that the months of accumulation and sideways price movements have now come to an end for Bitcoin. Not only this, but it sets the tone for a major recovery rally.

The first of the targets set for Bitcoin from here lies at the $80,000 level. There is expected to be some resistance here, but this will likely not stop the rally. Once this area is surmounted, then Master Ananda expects the Bitcoin price to rise until it stops at around $100,000.

As for the rest of the market, they have so far followed Bitcoin’s lead, and the most likely outcome is that altcoins will rise as BTC does. The crypto analyst points to this, saying that altcoins are already reacting positively, and thus, this is expected to continue.

A recent report from Bitcointreasuries.net has highlighted a significant shift in the behavior of Bitcoin (BTC) treasuries, revealing that the number of sales has outpaced purchases for the first time in February.

Bitcoin Treasuries Experience Net Decrease

According to the report, public companies engaged in treasury strategies purchased or disclosed nearly 7,800 BTC worth approximately $522 million at the end of February 2026. 

Notably, about two-thirds of these acquisitions were attributed to a single entity, Michael Saylor’s Strategy (previously MicroStrategy), while just six other companies accounted for the rest. 

However, selling activity overshadowed these additions, with various public treasuries collectively selling or reducing their holdings by approximately 8,600 BTC. This resulted in a net decrease of around 800 BTC for the month. 

Even if there had been no sales in February, the net additions would still have paled in comparison to previous months, such as January and December, which saw gains of 41,000 BTC and 29,000 BTC, respectively.

Additionally, the report analyzed the dollar value of public companies’ holdings, which fell from $102 billion in January to $78 billion in February, reflecting Bitcoin’s downtrend experienced during the month. 

Despite this downturn, there is a glimmer of hope, as the report indicates that public treasuries added an estimated 62,000 BTC so far in the current quarter, primarily driven by Strategy’s activities.

Strategy Poised For Continued Dominance

Strategy emerged as the dominant player in Bitcoin acquisitions during February, purchasing 5,075 BTC, which represented two-thirds of the month’s total purchases. By the end of February, Strategy held 717,722 BTC, valued at approximately $48 billion. 

The company accounted for 65% of all Bitcoin treasury buying in February, reinforcing its dominance in this sector. However, it is worth noting that this was one of Strategy’s smaller buying months, as it had made larger purchases in December (22,627 BTC), January (40,150 BTC), and the first half of March (21,009 BTC).

Several other companies also contributed to Bitcoin acquisitions during the month. Coinbase reported in its fourth-quarter 2025 results that it holds 15,389 BTC, having increased its holdings by 841 BTC since the previous quarter. 

MARA Holdings also saw its balance rise, reporting 53,822 BTC at month-end—a gain of 572 BTC from the last quarter. The company, however, has faced speculation about potential sell-offs, despite clarifying its position regarding sales in its 10-K filing. 

Looking ahead, the report suggests that Strategy is likely to maintain its dominance in Bitcoin buying, especially given its strong start in March and its commitment to ongoing BTC purchases. 

Nonetheless, significant sales by various companies in recent months, along with new approvals for these sales from firms like MARA Holdings and GD Culture Group, may lead to further reductions in holdings and potentially result in net negative changes in the months to come.

At the time of writing, BTC was trading at $71,090, which is an increase of 1.4% over the last 24 hours, despite failing to surpass the resistance level of $74,000 earlier on Friday. 

Featured image from OpenArt, chart from TradingView.com 

A Crypto platform confirmed that their main domain website had been hacked, which exposed its users to a wallet draining exploit.

A No-Fun Crypto Hijack

It is a truth universally acknowledge that, no matter the size of a global geopolitical crisis, hackers will continue to ravage through the crypto market. This time, the victim was memecoin issuance platform Bonk.fun. In a March 12 post on the social network X, Tom (@SolportTom), one of its operators, warned the users not to interact with the domain “until further notice”, as hackers had injected a crypto wallet drainer on it:

Do not use the https://t.co/4xXs3cMJx0 domain until further notice, hackers have hijacked a team account forcing a drainer on the DOMAIN.

URGENT.

— Tom (@SolportTom) March 12, 2026

The official X account of the Solana token launchpad, backed by Raydium and the BONK community, also announced the hack and echoed Tom’s striking warning:

A malicious actor has compromised the BONKfun domain, do not interact with the website until we have secured everything.

— BONK.fun (@bonkfun) March 12, 2026

Who Is Affected And How

Tom explained that the phishing scam set up a fake “Terms of Services” (TOS) signature prompt which, when signed, allowed the drainer to move the unaware user’s funds. According to Tom, the only users compromised were the ones who interacted with the fake TOS. He clarified that neither previously connected users nor traders of bonk fun tokens on third-party terminals were affected. He also assured that the security breach was spotted early so “the losses are minimal to date”:

To answer the concerns I’m seeing:

1. No if you connected to bonk fun in the past you’re not affected

2. No if you trade bonk fun tokens on terminals etc you’re not affected

3. The only people affected were people who signed a fake TOS message on the bonkfun domain after…

— Tom (@SolportTom) March 12, 2026

This is not a Raydium or BONK smart contract exploit, but the case of a Web2 infrastructure failure that bled directly into Web3. This type of domain hijacking and phishing drainer scripts work by the attackers taking over the frontend and presenting normal-looking prompts that abuse wallet approvals.

A Pattern Of Exploited Vulnerabilities

In recent years, approval-phishing and “fake UI” attacks have stolen billions of dollars: one Chainalysis investigation reported the amount of $14 billion in on-chain scam inflows in 2025, with projections pointing above the $17 billion as more wallets continued to be identified.

As scam revenues grow and AI‑driven impersonation scales, crypto security in 2026 is less about the perfect code and more about defending everything around it: from domains to social accounts, employees and users  decision-making. In February last year, attackers hijacked Pump.fun’s X account to push a fake PUMP token, as covered by our sister website NewsBTC. Not too long ago, OG trader Sillytuna was drove out of the crypto market after a multimillion-dollar theft that combined online address poisoning and offline violent actions.

The times are testing traders online and offline, both inside and outside the bloc. As the crypto landscape grows more complex, traders would do well to heighten their caution: prefer direct contract interaction or trusted aggregators, and use tools to monitor and regularly revoke token approvals.

Cover image from Perplexity, SOLUSDT chart from Tradingview

The Trump family’s decentralized finance (DeFi) venture, World Liberty Financial (WLFI), unveiled on Friday a new investment opportunity for participants and supporters of the platform. 

As earlier reported by Reuters, investors who commit to locking $5 million worth of their tokens for six months will gain “guaranteed direct access” to certain members of the WLFI team in exchange for voting rights.

World Liberty Financial Introduces ‘Super Nodes’

This new initiative includes family members of President Trump among the “Supporting Team” listed in World Liberty’s documentation. Eric Trump, Donald Trump Jr., and Barron Trump are all mentioned, though the company has clarified that they will not be part of the direct access arrangement.

Voting on this proposal closed on Thursday, with the company claiming that 99% of the 1,786 votes cast were in favor of the new arrangement. 

The introduction of a tiered structure for token holders, referred to as “Super Nodes,” represents a shift from the company’s earlier commitment to democratizing access to financial resources. 

David Wachsman, the company’s spokesman, clarified that while Super Nodes will have access to the WLFI team, it does not guarantee a partnership. Instead, it suggests that significant participation in governance will be encouraged. 

According to World Liberty’s website, this initiative aims to incentivize token holders to engage more actively in the governance of the crypto firm, which generated over $460 million for the Trump family in the first half of 2025.

Exclusive Dinner For TRUMP Memecoin Holders

To become a Super Node, investors must stake 50 million WLFI tokens. By staking their tokens for six months, holders will not only gain voting rights on governance matters but also earn a yield of 2% in WLFI tokens for participating in at least two votes.

Previously, all WLFI token holders enjoyed the ability to vote on alterations to the company’s underlying code, with each token representing one vote. They could also express their opinions on the venture’s strategic directions, as outlined in World Liberty’s Gold Paper. 

However, with the passage of this new proposal, voting rights will now be restricted to those who have staked their tokens for the designated period, further limiting access to crucial governance processes.

In a related development, Bitcoinist reported that President Trump is preparing to host the second exclusive dinner for holders of his official memecoin, TRUMP, scheduled for April 25 at Mar-a-Lago. 

At the time of writing, World Liberty Financial’s native token, WLFI, is trading at $0.1079. This represents gains of almost 6% over the last 24 hours, as the wider cryptocurrency market has experienced a significant recovery ahead of the end of the week. 

Featured image from OpenArt, chart from TradingView.com

Crypto moved to the center of Washington’s latest North Korea sanctions action on March 12, after the US Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control designated six individuals and two entities tied to DPRK-run IT worker schemes. For the digital asset industry, the significance was not only the sanctions themselves, but how explicitly the case framed cryptocurrency as infrastructure for moving illicit revenue across borders.

OFAC Targets North Korean Crypto Network

According to Treasury, the targeted schemes systematically defrauded US businesses and generated nearly $800 million in 2024 for North Korea’s weapons programs. Secretary Scott Bessent described a model in which overseas operatives used fake identities and corporate deception to infiltrate legitimate companies, then turned sensitive access into a second layer of leverage. “Targets American companies through deceptive schemes.” “Treasury will continue to follow the money.”

That framing matters because the case was not presented as a conventional cybercrime story alone. Treasury and Chainalysis both pointed to a blended playbook: fraudulent hiring, wage extraction, financial facilitators, and crypto rails used to convert and move proceeds. Chainalysis called the operations “a sophisticated and growing threat.” It added, in equally direct terms, that “cryptocurrency plays a central role” in moving those funds back to North Korea while evading sanctions.

The clearest crypto-specific detail in the action concerned Nguyen Quang Viet, CEO of Vietnam-based Quangvietdnbg International Services Company Limited. Treasury said Nguyen converted about $2.5 million into cryptocurrency for North Koreans between mid-2023 and mid-2025, including illicit earnings tied to Amnokgang Technology Development Company, a DPRK IT company that manages overseas worker delegations. Treasury also said OFAC’s designations in this case reached facilitators in the DPRK, Vietnam, Laos and Spain, underscoring how geographically dispersed these support networks have become.

Chainalysis said the March 12 action included 21 designated addresses across multiple blockchains. Those addresses spanned Ethereum, Tron and Bitcoin, with seven linked to Amnokgang, two Ethereum addresses tied to Yun Song Guk, one Bitcoin address tied to Hoang Minh Quang, and 11 newly added addresses for previously designated Sim Hyon Sop, a representative of Korea Kwangson Banking Corp.

Treasury’s narrative also showed how the IT-worker pipeline extends beyond software contracting into broader financial enablement. It said Yun had led a group of North Korean freelance IT workers operating out of Boten, Laos since at least 2023 and coordinated several dozen transactions totaling more than $70,000 with Hoang Minh Quang tied to IT services. In a separate strand, Treasury said Do Phi Khanh and Hoang Van Nguyen supported Kim Se Un, including through bank-account access and crypto transactions, while Hoang had also helped procure foreign currency for the regime.

The action lands against a broader backdrop in which North Korea’s crypto footprint has been getting bigger, not smaller. Chainalysis said in its 2026 crypto crime report that North Korea stole more than $2 billion in 2025, its most successful year on record, while value received by sanctioned entities overall surged 694% last year. In that context, the OFAC designations look less like an isolated enforcement step and more like another attempt to squeeze every layer of the DPRK crypto stack, from stolen funds and laundering routes to the labor schemes that generate fresh inflows.

At press time, the total crypto market cap stood at $2.44 trillion.