Bitcoin is approaching the March monthly close with a potential sixth straight month in the red, hovering in the mid-$60,000s as macro headlines keep risk-off sentiment front and center. The latest price action saw BTC test the $65,000 area early in the week, with traders eyeing $67,500 to $68,000 as near-term resistance and noting a lack of sustained demand to spark a durable rebound. The backdrop combines geopolitical frictions around Iran with inflation and growth concerns, while equities tilt lower and expectations for aggressive Fed easing retreat.

• BTC sits near critical levels: a move back above the $68,000–$69,000 zone is needed to shift the short-term bias away from a bearish channel.

• Macro headlines remain a headwind, as tensions around Iran and energy markets feed inflation and risk-off sentiment in stocks and crypto alike.

• March risks becoming a sixth red month for Bitcoin; April historically offers stronger average returns, though the path depends on macro liquidity and on-chain demand.

• On-chain behavior shows whales reducing exposure while large exchange inflows rise, signalling potential near-term selling pressure in the absence of fresh buying demand.

• New buyers are concentrated around a cost-basis between $60,000 and $70,000, a band that could indicate a fragile cushion for a meaningful rebound unless demand strengthens.

BTC price action tightens around critical levels

Bitcoin’s price action has resumed a cautious stance, with a late-week dip into the mid-$60,000s followed by a modest rebound. Data from Cointelegraph and price-tracking services show BTC hovering around $65,000, with traders highlighting resistance near the $68,000–$69,000 zone. A breach above that range would be a notable shift, while failure to reclaim higher ground keeps the market in a downbeat configuration.

Analysts underscored a pattern of lower highs and a break below prior support, signaling renewed short-term bearish momentum unless BTC can reclaim the $69,000–$70,000 area. In a Telegram update circulated to subscribers, a popular observer noted that the formation of a bear-flag structure on shorter timeframes points toward a continued path of least resistance to the downside unless price quickly reclaims the higher band around $69,000–$70,000.

Market chatter through the week framed this as a continuation of a broader bearish setup that has been developing since mid-March, with traders wary of a potential retest of the mid-$60,000s. Previous cycles have shown that the price must break above the immediate resistance to alter the near-term tilt; otherwise, the scenario remains skewed toward further downside toward a demand zone near $65,000.

Macro headwinds: geopolitics, energy, and monetary policy

Macro markets remain highly sensitive to geopolitical developments in the Middle East, where ongoing tensions are affecting energy prices and risk assets. Reports drawing attention to the potential for further escalation have kept oil markets elevated and injected volatility into equities and crypto alike. As the energy complex tightens and inflation dynamics stay in focus, traders are closely watching how policy signals will adapt to a higher-for-longer inflation regime.

Market commentary has connected these geopolitical and energy factors to broader risk sentiment, noting that tensions surrounding the Strait of Hormuz and related supply constraints can propagate into inflation expectations and the pricing of longer-dated rates. In parallel, a softening in equities has coincided with fading bets on rate cuts this year, a dynamic that has historically correlated with renewed caution in Bitcoin and other risk assets.

Observers point to the Fed’s policy outlook as a crucial hinge for crypto markets. With expectations for significant near-term rate relief waning, long-dated yields have moved higher on inflation concerns, complicating the prospect of any quick crypto rebound. Analysts at market-monitoring firms have highlighted that the combined effect of energy-price pressures and a cautious stance on monetary easing could keep upside momentum contained for Bitcoin in the near term.

April on the horizon? Historical context and potential mean reversion

March is shaping up to be a difficult month for Bitcoin, with data-tracking firms signaling a possible continuation of a six-month losing streak. CoinGlass data shows BTC on the cusp of closing March in the red, maintaining a structure that would echo the strongest downtrends Bitcoin has faced in recent cycles.

Some traders point to historical patterns where April has been more forgiving or even positive for Bitcoin. A number of market observers have highlighted that, in past cycles, April has yielded meaningful upside after a prolonged downturn, though much depends on macro conditions and liquidity flows. One analyst noted that early April strength could set up mean-reversion longs, particularly if broader macro conditions stabilize and Bitcoin retrieves risk-appetite from other assets.

The discussion around April’s potential gains is tempered by the reality that the long-term trend remains under the control of larger-timeframe structure. Another trader emphasized that while a fast bounce is possible, the overarching trend has not yet reversed without a clean break above the defined resistance level and a shift in on-chain demand dynamics.

Whales, liquidity, and the new-buyer base

On-chain dynamics reveal an evolving balance between accumulation and distribution. After an aggressive early-2026 phase of buying, Bitcoin whales have started to pare back some exposure, with analysts noting a divergence between on-chain accumulation and actual supply inflows to exchanges. In a quick-take assessment, CryptoQuant highlighted rising exchange inflows alongside a drop in on-chain buying, suggesting the market could face renewed selling pressure without fresh inflows of demand from buyers at scale.

That narrative is reinforced by stablecoin activity: the stablecoin ratio has remained subdued, indicating a relative dearth of sidelined capital waiting to re-enter the market. As a result, any renewed selling pressure from whales could find limited immediate liquidity, making price moves more sensitive to the available bid depth and to new buyers stepping in at meaningful volume.

Glassnode’s data adds nuance to the debate about demand and supply. The firm pointed out that a notable portion of new Bitcoin buying is concentrated in a cost-basis band between $60,000 and $70,000. While this indicates that new buyers are entering the market, the overall cluster is thinner than past cycles that followed strong recoveries. In other words, a sustained rebound would likely require a clearer uptick in demand rather than a mere reallocation of existing liquidity.

Beyond the headline numbers, the broader takeaway is that a meaningful recovery requires a shift in both macro conditions and on-chain demand. Short-term holders remain underwater for much of their holdings, reinforcing the sense that fresh buyers and renewed risk appetite will be essential to re-accelerate BTC higher.

This article is prepared with reference to market data and commentary from CoinGlass, CryptoQuant, Glassnode, and Mosaic Market, among others, to frame the ongoing crypto-price dynamics against a backdrop of macro and liquidity trends.

This article is produced in accordance with editorial policy and is intended for informational purposes only. It does not constitute investment advice or recommendations. All investments and trades carry risk; readers are encouraged to conduct independent research before making any decisions.

What to watch next: a clear shift above the $68,000–$69,000 zone could retarget the immediate resistance and potentially alter the near-term outlook, while continued macro fragility could keep Bitcoin tethered to the current range. market participants will also monitor on-chain signals for renewed demand and any changes in whale behavior as the market moves into April.

More than half of cryptocurrency investors don’t understand the fundamental concept of taxability when it comes to their digital asset holdings, according to a survey by the U.S.-listed crypto exchange Coinbase (COIN) and Cointracker, a crypto tax and portfolio tracking platform.

The 2026 Crypto Tax Readiness Report found that only 49% correctly understand that crypto is taxable anytime it is sold, while almost a quarter mistakenly believe simple transfers trigger tax events.

Despite the majority of users having good intentions when it comes to crypto tax compliance, the multi-platform reality of crypto ownership exacerbates the so-called cost basis problem, deducting the original purchase price of an asset to report capital gains.

The survey found users averaged 2.5 platforms/wallets with 83% using self-custodial wallets, and only 35% reporting that they’d adjusted their cost basis in the past. The survey, conducted in late 2025, surveyed 3,000 U.S. crypto users.

The confusion around cost basis in the new 1099-DA forms is made worse thanks to a degree of overreporting built into the new regime, Coinbase says. This is because everyday activities like stablecoin payments and Ethereum gas fees trigger taxable events, while generating little meaningful tax revenue.

Coinbase said it expects to issue over four million 1099-DAs Forms to customers with under $600 of proceeds – added to the fact that over 60 percent of its customers have incomplete cost basis data due to the way digital assets move across wallets and platforms.

“Today, that means every stablecoin payment, every small DeFi [decentralized finance] transaction, every gas fee is technically a taxable event,” Coinbase said. “The compliance burden this imposes on ordinary Americans isn’t just inconvenient – it’s a direct threat to the adoption and innovation the GENIUS Act was designed to unlock.”

Despite the wrinkles, the move to standardized reporting of crypto taxes will help adoption in the long run, said Matt Price, director of investigations at blockchain analytics firm Elliptic. Price, a former IRS special agent focused on criminal investigations, sees this as a shift toward targeted enforcement rather than the broad, manual investigations of the past.

Also a former head of investigations at Binance, Price understands the complexity of doing crypto taxes, having been paid partly in crypto by Binance and having to account for a volatile asset in the form of a payment.

“How do you even report it?” Price said in an interview. “I didn’t even have a 1099 to report that, so I had to essentially do all of my own accounting to file accurate taxes to account for that information.”

As such, the arrival of 1099-DA forms means welcome standardization that simply brings crypto in line with what other financial products have had for years and mirrors the approach of the 1099-B for brokerages.

“There’s certainly nuance and it’s a fair point that the basis is harder to calculate given the high frequency of trading,” Price said. “But there are some parallels to that in traditional investments as well; I don’t know how many retail traders are running algo trades on Schwab, for example, but that is also a very similar type of trade. If they can figure it out, I think the industry can probably figure it out.”

• XRP rises to $1.36 on institutional optimism and CEO remarks.
• Technical relief bounce supported by oversold conditions and volume surge.
• Key levels to watch are the support at $1.33 and the resistance at $1.40.

XRP has seen a notable lift in the past 24 hours, climbing to $1.36 and outperforming much of the broader market.

The rally appears to be driven by a combination of technical relief and renewed confidence from institutional investors.

Over the past 24 hours, trading volume surged nearly 50%, signalling that buyers are stepping in after the recent oversold conditions.

Ripple CEO commentary sparks optimism

A major factor behind this price movement is the recent commentary from Ripple’s CEO, Brad Garlinghouse.

In a March 27 Fox interview, Garlinghouse highlighted a growing demand for digital assets and stablecoins from traditional financial institutions.

He emphasised that the crypto landscape is maturing, with more banks and investment firms considering digital assets as part of their portfolios.

Garlinghouse also underscored progress on regulatory fronts, particularly regarding the anticipated CLARITY Act.

The CEO indicated that the act could provide clearer guidelines for crypto operations, fostering confidence among institutional participants.

The combination of regulatory clarity and increased interest from financial firms has sent a strong signal to traders.

Market participants appear to be reacting positively, interpreting the remarks as validation that XRP is positioned for broader adoption in the traditional finance sector.

Reports of large institutional XRP holdings, such as Goldman Sachs’ exposure through XRP ETFs, have further reinforced the bullish narrative.

Technical relief supports the bounce

Alongside these fundamental drivers, XRP’s technical indicators also support the recent surge.

The 14-day Relative Strength Index (RSI) had dipped to around 44, indicating that the asset is approaching oversold territory, which has created conditions for the bounce as selling pressure eases and buyers re-enter the market.

Moreover, XRP’s price gained modest tailwinds from a slight recovery across the broader crypto market.

While the overall market movement was subdued, it contributed to the momentum that carried XRP higher.

The short-term XRP price forecast

For traders watching the immediate market, $1.33 remains a critical support level.

Remaining above this support will be crucial for any attempt to test higher levels.

In case of a continued bullish trend and XRP breaks above $1.40, analysts believe the altcoin could see additional buying pressure and extend the current relief rally.

Other notable resistance levels that traders should watch include $1.45, which has acted as a ceiling over the past week.

Sustaining momentum beyond this level could open the door to a more meaningful uptrend.

However, failure to hold $1.33 could result in a pullback toward $1.30, where buyers may re-enter.

Notably, regulatory developments, particularly progress on the CLARITY Act, will be the key catalyst in the coming weeks.

Positive news could encourage further institutional participation, while delays might keep XRP trading within the $1.30–$1.40 range.

Key Takeaways

• ARTL shares skyrocketed 618% following the company’s announcement about developing ART27.13 as a complementary treatment for GLP-1 obesity medications.
• Shares plummeted over 23% Monday when Artelo disclosed a $31.4 million fundraising initiative involving share and warrant issuance.
• The company plans to issue roughly 3.18 million shares priced at $3.45 each, generating approximately $11 million in gross revenue.
• Warrant agreements for up to 6.37 million additional shares could yield another $20.4 million if fully exercised by investors.
• The financing arrangement was structured at-the-market under Nasdaq compliance guidelines and was scheduled to finalize on March 30.

Shares of Artelo Biosciences experienced a significant downturn exceeding 23% during early trading Monday following the biotechnology firm’s announcement of a financing plan targeting up to $31.4 million through combined share and warrant issuance.

Artelo Biosciences, Inc., ARTL

This sharp decline occurred after an impressive 230.41% rally the preceding Friday, which followed by two days the company’s revelation that it was investigating ART27.13, its experimental compound, as a complementary therapeutic option for GLP-1-based obesity medications.

The strategic decision to pursue capital raising immediately following such substantial share price appreciation seems to have triggered investor apprehension regarding potential ownership dilution.

Artelo revealed it executed binding agreements for the sale of roughly 3.18 million common shares at a combined offering price of $3.45 per unit. This transaction is projected to yield gross revenues of approximately $11 million prior to deducting placement fees and related costs.

Additionally, the biotechnology company intends to issue warrants providing purchasers with rights to acquire up to 6.37 million supplementary shares. Should these warrants be fully exercised through cash payment, Artelo could secure an additional $20.4 million in funding.

The company explicitly cautioned investors that warrant exercise remains uncertain. “No assurance can be given that any of the warrants will be exercised, or that the Company will receive cash proceeds from the exercise of the warrants,” Artelo stated in its official announcement.

H.C. Wainwright & Co. serves as the sole placement agent facilitating this financing transaction.

The private offering is being executed pursuant to Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act alongside Regulation D requirements. The offered securities remain unregistered under federal and state securities regulations. Artelo has committed to submitting a resale registration statement encompassing the newly issued securities.

Capital generated from this financing will be allocated toward operational expenses, settlement of specific bridge financing obligations, and broader corporate initiatives.

ART27.13’s Role in the GLP-1 Treatment Landscape

The initial dramatic price increase stemmed from Artelo’s Wednesday disclosure regarding its exploration of ART27.13 — an investigational therapeutic targeting the endocannabinoid system — as a possible adjunct therapy to GLP-1 medications.

GLP-1 therapeutics, which regulate glucose metabolism and appetite control, represent the cornerstone of the rapidly expanding obesity pharmaceutical market. This sector is currently led by Eli Lilly (LLY) and Novo Nordisk (NVO).

According to Artelo, previous clinical observations in oncology patients indicated that ART27.13 might help maintain lean muscle tissue in individuals receiving GLP-1 treatments. The company has subsequently submitted a provisional patent application addressing this therapeutic indication.

“With new non-clinical research commencing and the recent filing of a patent application covering the use of CB2 agonists with GLP-1 drugs, we are aiming to build a scientific and strategic foundation with ART27.13 in an area of potentially significant commercial relevance,” stated Andrew Yates, Artelo’s chief scientific officer.

TLDR:

• February 2026 funding rates landed in the bottom 3–15% of all historical monthly readings across major tokens.
• Every bottom-15% funding rate streak on record has recovered, with a median timeline of two to five weeks.
• SOL on Hyperliquid posted -18.33% annualized in February, the lowest reading ever recorded across all tracked pairs.
• Boros allows traders to long ETH funding rate markets and lock in fixed rates ahead of an expected mean reversion.

Funding rates across major crypto perpetual markets are raising a critical question: has the market finally bottomed?

After Bitcoin shed over 50% from its October 2025 all-time highs, perpetual funding rates collapsed to historic lows in February 2026.

Most major tokens recorded readings in the bottom 5% of all-time monthly data. Now, with crypto prices rallying despite US-Iran war escalations, traders are watching funding rates closely for early reversal signals.

February 2026 Funding Rates Dropped to Levels Never Seen Before

Funding rates in February 2026 were not just low — they were structurally outside the normal range of market history.

BTC on Binance recorded an annualized rate of -0.68%, placing it in the bottom 4.5% of all 66 months on record. That reading alone sat 12 percentage points below BTC’s historical mean of 11.8%.

ETH told an even sharper story. Binance recorded ETH at -4.03% annualized, landing in the bottom 3% of all historical monthly readings.

Hyperliquid and Lighter posted similarly depressed figures, with ETH sitting in the bottom 15% and bottom 20% respectively across those platforms.

XRP and SOL absorbed the worst damage of the month. XRP on Hyperliquid posted -12.77%, the single worst month in that market’s entire recorded history.

SOL on Hyperliquid came in at -18.33%, the lowest absolute reading among all tracked pairs across every platform.

The deviation from historical medians reinforces just how extreme the period was. SOL on Hyperliquid deviated 29.2 percentage points from its median.

BTC on Binance, the least extreme major, still deviated 7.0 percentage points. For most tokens, February was not simply a bad month — it was an anomaly by every measurable standard.

Historical Patterns Suggest These Lows Have Always Preceded a Recovery

The most telling data point in this analysis is also the simplest: every bottom-15% funding rate streak in the historical record has recovered.

That pattern holds across multiple assets, exchanges, and market cycles, including the FTX collapse of November 2022.

The median recovery time back to the bottom 55% of funding rates runs roughly two to five weeks after the streak ends.

BTC provides the clearest evidence. Its longest Binance bottom-15% streak lasted 11 weeks, beginning in March 2025.

Most other BTC streaks recovered within one to five weeks. An extended eight-week streak on Hyperliquid in mid-2023 resolved fully within five weeks of ending.

ETH’s most severe historical episode in late August 2022 averaged -18.6% over five weeks. That took 12 weeks to recover to the bottom 55%, the longest recovery on record for ETH.

More recent episodes, however, including early 2025 streaks, resolved in one to five weeks, suggesting the recovery window is compressing as the market matures.

SOL’s November 2022 streak, driven by the FTX collapse, averaged an extraordinary -468.9% annualized. Despite that severity, Binance SOL recovered to the bottom 20% within seven weeks.

Each of these cases points toward the same conclusion: deeply negative funding rates have historically acted as a contrarian signal for a coming recovery, not a permanent new baseline.

Funding Rate Markets on Boros Allow Traders to Position for the Rebound

If funding rates are indeed at a cyclical bottom, the question becomes how traders can express that view efficiently.

Boros, a funding rate derivatives platform, offers two structured approaches for traders looking to capitalize on a mean reversion in funding rates.

The first strategy targets traders who believe ETH prices will recover over the next three months. By longing ETH on any of the three platforms with June maturities — OKX, Binance, or Hyperliquid — and simultaneously longing the ETH funding rate market on Boros with the same notional amount, traders lock in a fixed funding rate. This protects against funding spikes while maintaining full upside exposure to ETH price recovery.

The second strategy is for traders focused purely on funding rate normalization, regardless of price direction. Longing ETH funding rate markets on Boros directly captures any upward move in implied or underlying APR.

The recommended approach is selecting the maturity with the lowest current implied APR to maximize the distance of a potential recovery move.

Implied APR across June ETH maturities currently sits between 2% and 5% annualized, reflecting cautious market expectations for a gradual recovery.

If underlying APR breaks its downtrend and flips positive, traders long on Boros benefit both from rising implied APR and from positive settlement payouts once underlying APR exceeds their entry point.

The Data Points to an Asymmetric Opportunity, But Margin Management Is Critical

Taken together, the February 2026 funding rate data builds a case for an asymmetric setup. Rates have reached historic lows across virtually every major token and exchange.

Historical recovery patterns are consistent. And crypto prices have already begun recovering despite ongoing geopolitical pressure, a divergence that traders are noting carefully.

Extended periods of negative funding have historically reflected consolidating or ranging markets. As Boros observed, those periods of extended low funding have always eventually ended. The question is not whether rates recover, but when — and whether traders are positioned to benefit when they do.

For those looking to long mean reversion, timing the exact bottom is not necessary. The historical data suggests the recovery window after a streak breaks is two to five weeks, giving traders a defined timeframe to manage positions. The risk is sustaining negative funding payouts during the remaining period of the streak before it turns.

Adequate margin is therefore the most important operational variable for this trade. A trader who enters too early with insufficient runway may be forced out before the recovery materializes.

The setup, however, remains compelling: deeply negative historical funding rates, a consistent track record of recovery, and structured tools through Boros that allow both fixed-rate locking and directional funding rate speculation.

TLDR:

• • Gnosis is a founding contributor to the Ethereum Economic Zone alongside Jordi Baylina and the Ethereum Foundation.
    
  • EEZ rollups allow smart contracts to call Ethereum mainnet contracts atomically within a single transaction.
    
  • Protocols on EEZ rollups access Ethereum’s native liquidity directly without wrapping, bridging, or extra delays.
  • Gnosis plans to define the role of GNO token and its validator set in any future EEZ implementation with its DAO.

Ethereum Economic Zone is the framework Gnosis is co-building to address Layer 2 fragmentation on Ethereum. Gnosis, active as a Layer 1 blockchain for seven years, is a founding contributor to this initiative.

Jordi Baylina, founder of ZisK and creator of Circom, also joins as a founding contributor. The Ethereum Foundation is also co-funding the entire development effort.

The framework centers on synchronous composability, enabling rollups to interact with Ethereum mainnet without bridges.

A Framework Built Around Composability

Ethereum scaling delivered on its core promise in recent years. Transactions became cheaper and network throughput increased steadily. However, the process fractured the ecosystem into disconnected chains rather than one unified economy.

Each rollup operates with its own liquidity, bridges, and tooling. Builders must redeploy the same products across multiple chains to reach all users. Users also face expensive bridging costs and assets scattered across chains they barely track.

Gnosis noted on X that Ethereum had scaled into fragmented islands rather than a unified economy. The Ethereum Economic Zone is designed to resolve that at the infrastructure layer. The framework allows rollup smart contracts to call Ethereum mainnet contracts within one transaction.

Calls between different rollups within the same execution are also supported. This is what developers call synchronous composability. It removes the need for bridges, wrapping, or waiting on finality.

Protocols on EEZ rollups access Ethereum’s existing liquidity directly without bridging or wrapping. A protocol can use a Uniswap mainnet pool atomically, with the same L1 guarantees. These rollups also inherit Ethereum’s full validator security with no new trust assumptions added.

What the Ethereum Economic Zone Means for Gnosis Chain

Gnosis acknowledged that its neutral blockspace thesis did not develop as expected. Blockspace became largely commoditized across the industry over time. Running a standalone Layer 1 requires constant rebuilding of DeFi infrastructure and liquidity bootstrapping.

Synchronous interoperability changes the competitive dynamic for chains like Gnosis. Projects inside a composable Ethereum domain no longer need to replicate an entire ecosystem. They can rely on shared liquidity and canonical infrastructure instead.

That shift frees up capital and engineering bandwidth for differentiation. Gnosis plans to invest more in user experiences and products like Gnosis Pay and the Gnosis App. Real-world financial integrations also become more practical under a unified model.

The Ethereum Economic Zone also connects to Gnosis’s mission of giving every person financial access. A stablecoin can now compose with a lending protocol on another chain without a bridge. A consumer app can also access the best rates across the ecosystem without workarounds.

Gnosis noted that the GNO token and validator set may have a role in a future EEZ implementation. Those details will be worked out with the Gnosis DAO community over the coming months. Technical architecture, developer tooling, and integration guides are also planned for release soon.

The Ethereum Foundation is stepping up its efforts to put treasury assets to work, with data from Arkham showing it staked more than 20,000 ETH on Monday, expanding its validator footprint even as yields hover below 3% and ether trades near $2,045.

Arkham data shows the transfers were split into uniform chunks of roughly 2,047 ETH.

The deposits extend a strategy first outlined in February, when the foundation said it would stake 70,000 ETH to generate yield for operations. That initial roll-out began with a 2,016 ETH deposit and positioned staking rewards as a funding source for research, ecosystem development and grants, turning long-held reserves into a steady income stream.

Based on the CoinDesk Composite Ether Staking Rate (CESR), the foundation will get a 2.7% yield from its staked ETH. This is down from 3.4% earlier in the year.

Onchain data shows that the Ethereum Foundation has another 147,400 ETH ($303 million) in its treasury.

The Ethereum Foundation has accelerated its treasury staking push, deploying $46.2 million in Ether in its largest move to date after the recent BitMine sale.

On Monday, the foundation’s treasury multisignature wallet made 11 deposits into the Ethereum Beacon Deposit Contract, each of roughly 2,047 Ether (ETH), totaling 22,517 tokens worth roughly $46.2 million, according to data from Arkham Intelligence.

The Ethereum Foundation started staking ETH in February, depositing 2,016 ETH and outlining plans to stake up to 70,000 ETH, with rewards reinvested into research, ecosystem development and grants.

The foundation also deposited a smaller 31 ETH tranche earlier this month, bringing the total staked holdings to roughly 24,564 ETH as it shifts to staking to generate yield, rather than relying on periodic ETH sales, which have historically drawn criticism.

Related: Ethereum builders propose ‘economic zone’ to tackle L2 fragmentation

EF sells 5,000 ETH to BitMine in OTC deal

The new staking move comes after the EF completed an over-the-counter (OTC) sale of 5,000 Ether to BitMine Immersion Technologies, valued at about $10.2 million. The foundation said proceeds would support core operations, including protocol research, ecosystem growth and community grants.

The transaction marked the foundation’s second direct OTC sale to a corporate buyer, following a 10,000 ETH sale to SharpLink Gaming in July 2025.

The EF currently holds about $361 million in onchain assets, with the vast majority, roughly $360.8 million, held in Ether on the Ethereum network, alongside small balances across networks like Arbitrum, Optimism and Bitcoin, according to Arkham.

Related: Ethereum risks losing No. 2 spot as stablecoins gain ground

Ether price risks further decline

Ether fell below the $2,000 level over the weekend, raising the risk of a deeper correction. Analysts, including Onur, CryptoWZRD and Ted Pillows, pointed to repeated failures at $2,200 and weakening momentum, with some warning ETH could fall toward the $1,750–$1,850 range.

Demand for Ether has also turned negative, hitting its lowest level in 16 months, according to Capriole Investments.

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