Crypto World
High Risk Zone? Analysts Split as Bitcoin (BTC) Ignores Geopolitical Chaos
Analysts argue that geopolitical shocks have failed to invalidate the existing bullish short-term and bearish mid-term outlooks.
Bitcoin’s reaction to escalating geopolitical tensions over the weekend was limited, even as traditional markets reacted more sharply. BTC slipped to around $65,500 on Monday after trading in a volatile range between roughly $63,000 and $68,000, as markets responded to rising US-Iran tensions and reports that Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was killed in a joint US-Israeli airstrike.
Despite the intense, volatile backdrop, market commentators say that the conflict has not changed Bitcoin’s trajectory.
High Risk Zone
In a post on X, Mr. Wall Street stated that “nothing changed with the new war.” He said that he does not believe the cycle bottom is in at $60,000. According to him, the cycle bottom will form later this year, around $45,000, but only after Bitcoin first rallies to the $80,000-$85,000 range.
The analyst’s outlook is bullish in the short term, bearish in the mid-term. This indicates that while geopolitical shocks may create volatility, he does not believe they invalidate the expectation of a near-term pump followed by a deeper corrective phase. Another prominent crypto market commentator, Doctor Profit, also maintained that the war does not alter his broader bearish positioning.
He wrote that Bitcoin “remains in an absolute high risk zone” and that the market has not bottomed yet.
“The war changes nothing in my bearish outlook for Crypto and Stocks.”
He also added that he remains fully bearish and that his “big short” has remained open since September. Both analysts, despite differing on short-term direction, emphasized that the geopolitical escalation has not fundamentally changed their pre-existing market theses.
US-Iran Conflict Already Priced In?
Trader CrypNuevo said the market had already been pricing in the US-Iran conflict throughout the previous week. He went on to explain that markets cannot fall much further because the event was largely anticipated, but pointed to uncertainty around the length of the war and the status of the Strait of Hormuz. According to them, stock futures, which Bitcoin tends to follow, would probably open negatively, and could potentially recover as soon as de-escalation talks emerge.
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They said a prolonged conflict is unlikely, citing concerns that extended closure of the Strait of Hormuz would push oil prices higher and spike US CPI inflation, something they do not expect to occur. The strategy is to wait for Monday’s stock market reaction. As such, if there is a sharp sell-off, they would long Bitcoin around $61,000-$60,000 ahead of de-escalation news. On the other hand, if there is only a slight decline, sideways movement, or a pump, they would delay entering a long position until later in the week.
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Bank of Japan Governor Ueda Kazuo said the rapid integration of blockchain and artificial intelligence is reshaping the financial system, positioning central banks to play a pivotal role in anchoring trust as crypto-linked infrastructure matures.
Summary
- The BoJ is exploring issuing or connecting central bank money to blockchain networks, including through Project Agorá and domestic sandbox testing.
- Japan’s retail CBDC program remains active, with technical experiments aimed at preparing digital cash as a future “anchor of trust.”
- Ueda warned that fragmented blockchain systems could create systemic risk unless central bank money bridges networks and ensures settlement finality.
Bank of Japan’s Ueda backs blockchain settlements, advances CBDC experiments
Speaking at FIN/SUM 2026 in Tokyo, Ueda described blockchain as moving firmly into its “implementation phase,” with decentralized finance (DeFi), smart contracts and tokenized assets increasingly influencing settlement, payments and cross-border finance.
He emphasized that blockchain’s programmability, particularly atomic transactions that bundle multiple actions into a single execution, could streamline complex processes such as delivery-versus-payment (DvP) and cross-border transfers.
For crypto markets, the speech revealed two key themes: interoperability and settlement in central bank money.
Ueda warned that a fragmented ecosystem of multiple blockchains and traditional payment rails could create conversion bottlenecks and systemic risks if interoperability is not ensured. He suggested central bank money, potentially in tokenized form, could function as a bridge across networks, preserving the “singleness of money” while enabling innovation.
The BOJ is advancing several initiatives with direct implications for digital assets. Its retail central bank digital currency (CBDC) pilot continues technical testing, while Project Agorá — a joint effort with other central banks and major financial institutions — is exploring tokenized central bank deposits on blockchain networks for cross-border payments.
A separate BOJ sandbox is testing how current account deposits at the central bank could be used to settle transactions conducted on distributed ledgers.
Ueda also highlighted AI’s growing role in analyzing blockchain transaction data for risk management and AML/CFT compliance, signaling closer scrutiny of crypto-linked activity even as innovation expands.
The message to markets was clear: blockchain-based finance is no longer experimental. But its long-term stability, Ueda said, will hinge on central banks embedding trust, liquidity and settlement finality into the next generation of digital infrastructure.
Solana price tanked over 7% on Monday as fears of the impact of the ongoing U.S.-Iran war continued to drive investors away from risk assets. Current technical signals suggest the token could be set for a downturn.
Summary
- Solana price has remained in a downtrend as network revenue declined amidst a market-wide downturn.
- A bearish flag pattern has positioned the token for more downside.
According to data from crypto.news, Solana (SOL) price fell 7% from $88.05 on Sunday to an intraday low of $81.86 on Monday, March 2. Subsequently, it attempted a breach of the $90 resistance supported by a broader market recovery, but the rally lost steam just below that mark.
On the monthly timeframe, Solana has fallen over 30%, and is down over 44% from this year’s highs.
Solana price has remained in a downtrend as network revenues have fallen. Notably, the weekly revenue generated by the Solaba network has dropped over 30% from what was recorded during mid January, data from DeFiLlama show.
The total value locked in the network has also fallen from over $9 billion recorded on Jan. 17 to $6.64 billion at the time of writing.
With both network revenue and TVL going down, investors are concerned that Solana’s explosive growth phase is over, and the memecoin fever that fueled the network is finally breaking.
Demand for the token across the derivatives market has also contributed to the downturn. Data from CoinGlass show that SOL futures open interest has scaled back by nearly 45% to $4.93 billion from its January high of $8.88 billion as traders unwind positions awaiting signs of more calmness in the global geopolitical landscape.
Solana price is also affected by the market-wide downturn in response to the ongoing U.S.-Iran conflict, which has pushed investors away from risk assets to more traditional alternatives, as they expect more volatility over this week.
The most recent trigger came after the retaliatory attack from Iran on U.S. ships over the weekend, stationed around the Strait of Hormuz, sparking a jump in oil prices. Investors are concerned this could lead to higher inflation in the U.S., which could likely force the Fed to hike interest rates or hold them steady at restrictive levels for longer.
Risk-assets like Solana tend to benefit from interest rate cut expectations and struggle when the Fed sets a hawkish tone.
On the daily chart, Solana price has formed a bearish flag pattern since the token entered a downtrend from mid January this year, before moving into consolidation over the past few weeks. Bearish flags have typically been precursors to further downward breakouts.
Other technical indicators also favour the bears. The Supertrend has flashed red while the Aroon lines have pointed downwards, with the Aroon Down at 50%, indicating that sellers still maintain firm control of the market.
Hence, Solana price risks dropping to the Feb. 6 low of $70 if the current bearish momentum prevails, especially considering the broader downturn.
On the contrary, a rebound above $90, a resistance level that the token has struggled to break multiple times over the past few weeks, could offer the necessary optimism for a rally towards the $100 psychological resistance level.
Disclosure: This article does not represent investment advice. The content and materials featured on this page are for educational purposes only.
Bitcoin (BTC) rallied to $70,000 on Monday amid escalating tensions in the Middle East. CryptoQuant data shows short-term holder losses transferred to exchanges fell to a two-week low, contrasting with the heavier selling seen in early February.
Bitcoin short-term sellers step back
The short-term holder (STH) profit/loss (P&L) to exchanges metric tracks how much Bitcoin recent buyers send to exchanges at a profit or loss. These participants tend to amplify volatility during stress events.
On March 1, the realized losses fell to 3,700 BTC even as geopolitical tensions between the United States and Iran escalated in the Middle East. Bitcoin dipped to $63,000 during that window, but exchange inflows from this cohort did not expand in response.
For comparison, on Feb. 5–6, the STHs sent 89,000 BTC to exchanges at a realized loss within 24 hours. That marked a peak capitulation window. Since then, the loss-driven inflows have steadily compressed.
Crypto analyst MorenoDV noted that the most event-sensitive holders have not accelerated distribution and exhibited “zero panic.” The drop in loss transfers signals that the sell pressure from recent buyers has cooled.
A strong rally may depend on whether realized losses stay contained or reaccelerate toward prior capitulation levels during this period of geopolitical uncertainty.
Related: Michael Saylor’s Strategy buys $204M of Bitcoin in 101st purchase
BTC futures deleveraging meets external liquidity
BTC derivatives data indicate a significant risk reduction. Crypto analyst Darkfost highlighted that Binance open interest declined to 97,680 BTC from 130,800 BTC since the start of the year, a 25% contraction.
The estimated leverage ratio, which compares open interest to exchange BTC reserves, fell to a 0.146 weekly average. Levels below 0.15 have historically aligned with aggressive deleveraging phases during this cycle.
On the technical side, Bitcoin is attempting to reclaim its Monthly RVWAP (rolling volume-weighted average price), currently near the high-$68,000 region. The Monthly RVWAP is a volume-weighted average price anchored to the start of the month. BTC trading above it places the average monthly participant back in profit and often shifts the short-term positioning bias of traders.
The four-hour chart shows the price pushing through $70,000 and approaching the first external liquidity pocket from $70,000 to $71,500. Converting that range into support may trigger a price expansion to the $80,000 region, where prior supply capped upside in January. Crypto trader LP said,
“On the HTF, low-leverage liquidation clusters are stacking near and just above the range highs, sitting between 70–73K. These higher timeframe liquidity pools often act as magnets when they build in size.”
The BTC spot flow data adds further context. Binance spot printed roughly $7.79 million in positive delta during the breakout leg, Coinbase added about $1.16 million, and OKX contributed nearly $3.7 million.
The positive delta across venues signals aggressive spot bidding rather than isolated derivatives-driven activity. With leverage use reduced and loss-driven selling falling, the market’s attention shifts to how the price may react around the $71,500 liquidity band.
Related: Will Bitcoin crash if oil prices hit $100 per barrel?
This article does not contain investment advice or recommendations. Every investment and trading move involves risk, and readers should conduct their own research when making a decision. While we strive to provide accurate and timely information, Cointelegraph does not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of any information in this article. This article may contain forward-looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties. Cointelegraph will not be liable for any loss or damage arising from your reliance on this information.
Bitcoin price surged to $69,000 Tuesday before a correction, putting it on pace for its strongest daily performance in nearly a week, as VanEck CEO Jan VanEck suggested the world’s largest cryptocurrency may be carving out a cyclical bottom.
Summary
- VanEck CEO says 2026 represents Bitcoin’s typical bear-cycle year but believes a bottom may be forming.
- Bitcoin rallied 6%, rebounding from strong support near the $60,000–$62,000 zone.
- A break above $70,000 could confirm a broader recovery, while rejection may prolong the correction.
Speaking on CNBC, VanEck framed 2026 as the fourth year in Bitcoin’s historical halving cycle, a period that has typically coincided with steep drawdowns following three consecutive years of gains.
“That’s why we’re in a Bitcoin bear market,” he said, pointing to the asset’s programmed supply cap of 21 million coins and its four-year halving mechanism, which reduces miner rewards and has historically shaped boom-and-bust patterns.
Despite acknowledging the broader downturn, VanEck said recent price action could represent “a very nice sign of life,” adding that he believes the market may be in the process of bottoming.
The move higher was not isolated to Bitcoin. VanEck noted that the entire crypto complex, including large-cap tokens and publicly traded firms such as Coinbase and Circle, participated in the rally.
However, he cautioned against reading too much into a single day’s action.
Bitcoin eyes break above $70K as bottoming pattern forms
Technically, Bitcoin has rebounded from February lows near the $60,000–$62,000 range and is now consolidating around $67,000.
The area around $60,000 has acted as firm support following a sharp rejection lower last month, suggesting buyers are stepping in at that level.
Immediate resistance stands near $70,000, with a broader supply zone between $75,000 and $80,000.
Momentum indicators show selling pressure easing, while volatility has stabilized after February’s spike, conditions that often accompany base formation.
A sustained break above $70,000 would strengthen the case that a cyclical bottom is in place, while failure to hold current levels could reinforce the longer-term bear narrative.
Charles Hoskinson says the CLARITY Act will create a “security by default” trap for new cryptocurrency projects.
Cardano founder Charles Hoskinson has launched a blistering attack on the CLARITY Act, the flagship U.S. crypto market structure bill, labeling it a “horrific trash bill” that would classify nearly all digital assets as securities by default and hand a “weaponized” Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) the power to stifle the industry for years.
His comments deepen a growing split among crypto leaders as lawmakers push to finalize the rules before the midterm cycle intensifies.
Dismantling the Bill’s Mechanics
In a March 3 YouTube broadcast, Hoskinson moved beyond political rhetoric to present a detailed, technical critique of H.R. 3633, the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act of 2025.
He argued that the bill, as drafted, creates a regulatory Catch-22 that would be “a wet dream” for an adversarial SEC. The core of his argument rests on the bill’s “security by default” framework for newly created digital assets.
He asserted that under this structure, every new project, from XRP and Ethereum at their launches to any future protocol, would be classified as an “investment contract asset” and fall under SEC jurisdiction.
The path to graduating to a “digital commodity” regulated by the CFTC, the developer warned, is a bureaucratic minefield. He outlined several “attack vectors” where the SEC could exploit rulemaking authority to indefinitely trap projects in security status, including impossible-to-prove standards for decentralization and subjective “value attribution” tests.
“This is not a good bill,” Hoskinson said. “Through rulemaking, it can become horrific and weaponized and it doesn’t cover the core of what’s going on in the industry right now.”
He stressed that while established projects like Cardano and XRP might be “grandfathered in,” the legislation would force all future American crypto innovation to launch overseas, effectively killing the domestic industry.
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An Industry and Washington at an Impasse
While the CLARITY Act passed the House in 2025, it has stalled in the Senate. The White House had issued a March 1 deadline for stakeholders to bridge their differences, but the date passed with no public compromise reported.
The primary holdup, as Hoskinson noted, is not the structural issues he raised, but a fierce lobbying battle over stablecoin rewards, which the banking industry warned could trigger a massive exodus of deposits.
The divide has splintered the crypto industry, with Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse, who has predicted a 90% chance of the bill becoming law by April, continuing to champion it, arguing that “clarity beats chaos” and that the industry cannot let “perfection be the enemy of progress.”
Ripple CTO David Schwartz also weighed in on the debate on X, acknowledging the tightrope walk, stating that while his company tries not to advocate to the detriment of others, “a sub-optimal bill is better than no bill at all.”
However, the Cardano founder countered that view, claiming that a bad bill would enshrine into law every single thing former SEC Chair Gary Gensler was “trying to do to the industry.”
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US spot Bitcoin funds opened the week with strong inflows, extending last week’s rebound even as conflict in the Middle East escalated.
Bitcoin (BTC) exchange-traded funds (ETFs) recorded $458.2 million of inflows on Monday, extending last week’s $787.3 million in net inflows, according to data from SoSoValue.
The latest gains pushed cumulative net inflows to $55.3 billion. Trading volume climbed to about $5.8 billion, the highest level since early February.
The inflows came as Bitcoin rose about 3% on Monday, according to CoinGecko data. Analysts cited strong spot buying from US investors, while some industry observers pointed to improving sentiment in spite of the geopolitical risks of the expanding Middle East conflict.
BlackRock leads inflows as altcoin funds add to gains
Altcoin ETFs shared positive momentum, though on a smaller scale. Ether (ETH) funds drew about $39 million, while Solana (SOL) and XRP (XRP) products recorded $17 million and $7 million in inflows, respectively.
Among Bitcoin funds, BlackRock’s iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT) led with $264 million in inflows, according to Farside data.
Fidelity’s Wise Origin Bitcoin Fund (FBTC) followed with about $95 million, and Bitwise’s Bitcoin ETF (BITB) added $36 million.
BTC holds steady as traders absorb US-Iran tensions
Samson Mow, CEO of Jan3 and a long-time Bitcoin advocate, took to X on Monday to note that Bitcoin held steady through the weekend despite rising uncertainty over the strikes on Iran on Saturday.
“There was downward pressure but we just bounced back up each time,” Mow said, adding: “It definitely feels different than from previous months.”
A similar perspective was shared by analysts at CryptoQuant, who said Bitcoin’s short-term holders “aren’t blinking” yet amid the Iran escalation.
“The sell-side pressure from recent buyers is fading. Panic is being replaced by patience, or at least exhaustion,” the analysts said.
Related: Iranian crypto outflows spike 700% after US-Israeli airstrikes
VanEck CEO Jan van Eck added to the optimism, saying in a Monday interview with CNBC that Bitcoin is approaching a bottom. He said BTC is set to gradually pick up this year, noting that the four-year halving cycle has been a key driver of price over the past few months.
On Monday, JPMorgan reportedly said that rising Iran tensions are a buying opportunity, not a reason to exit stocks. Analyst Mislav Matejka said the “current geopolitical escalation should ultimately be an opportunity to add, as fundamentals are positive,” even as markets brace for volatility.
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Day four of the Middle East conflict is bringing renewed volatility to global markets during Tuesday’s pre-market, with a clear shift toward risk off positioning.
Bitcoin is down 3% over the past 24 hours, slipping below $67,000 after briefly touching $70,000 on Monday. In equities, the Invesco QQQ (QQQ) ETF closed slightly higher to start the week but is now down about 2% in pre market trading.
Metals are also under pressure. Gold and silver are both lower, with gold holding above $5,300 per ounce and silver sliding another 4% to around $85 per ounce.
In energy markets, WTI crude oil is above $74 per barrel up 5% over the past 24 hours, nearing Sunday futures highs just above $75. Meanwhile, the US dollar is strengthening sharply, with the DXY index climbing above 99, a level not seen since Jan. 20.
Treasury yields are edging higher across the curve. The US 10 year yield is holding firmly above 4% and pushing toward 4.1%, reflecting persistent rate pressure.
Crypto related equities are tracking bitcoin lower. Strategy (MSTR), the largest publicly traded holder of bitcoin, is down 2%. Coinbase (COIN) has fallen 5%, Galaxy Digital is off 3%, and AI focused miners IREN (IREN) and Cipher Digital (CIFR) are also down roughly 4%.
Disclosure: The views and opinions expressed here belong solely to the author and do not represent the views and opinions of crypto.news’ editorial.
The 2021 to 2025 crypto market cycle left a trail of broken trust, with countless scams and rug pulls making everyday users feel like they were just exiting liquidity. But 2026 marks a critical turning point. The arrival of staking rewards through regulated products like ETFs signals a broader shift toward sustainable, verifiable rewards.
Summary
- Dormant capital signals distrust: Millions of undelegated SOL wallets show retail isn’t disengaged, it’s cautious. Users prefer inactivity over opaque risk.
- Trust requires principal protection: Savings models like Premium Bonds and Save to Win prove that transparent rewards + protected capital build long-term participation.
- Crypto must shift from hype to habit: Verifiable on-chain rewards, native staking by default, and incentives for consistent saving can redefine the next market cycle.
The next great crypto rally won’t come from more speculative hype. Instead, it will be driven by products that redesign incentives to mimic the simple, trusted mechanics of saving: clear rules, steady rewards from transparent sources, and absolute protection of your starting capital.
Idle retail capital highlights a deep trust gap
Previous crypto cycles were structurally optimized for insiders. Advantages in speed, information, and capital created an environment where retail participants consistently arrived late to high-risk trades.
The result is a deep and persistent trust gap, and the on-chain evidence is impossible to ignore. A massive pool of dormant capital on Solana (SOL) proves that while the industry has captured people’s attention, it has failed to earn their sustained participation.
Currently, more than 2 million Solana wallets holding between 1 and 100 SOL remain undelegated. This means their assets aren’t used to secure the network, and that over 14 million SOL are sitting on the sidelines. Compare this to the less than 560,000 wallets in the same capital bracket that are actively staking.
What we are seeing here isn’t user apathy. It is a rational response to an ecosystem where the safest option, native staking, offers rewards that feel economically meaningless for smaller holdings, while the alternatives are correctly perceived as high-risk ventures. This idle capital is the market’s clearest signal that something fundamental needs to change.
Savings mechanics inspired by regulated markets
To bridge this trust gap, crypto must default to behaviors that feel like saving, not speculating. This means simple, repeatable actions: deposit, hold, and add regularly. Crucially, the rewards for these actions must come from transparent and verifiable network sources, like Solana’s native inflationary rewards.
As I see it, the era of mysterious, black box DeFi models, where users rightly suspected they were the source of the rewards, has to end. Instead of reinventing the wheel, we can learn from systems that have earned public trust for decades.
Take the UK’s Premium Bonds as an example. This government-backed savings product has been trusted for over 70 years. Its mechanic is simple: your capital is 100% protected. Instead of earning typical interest, savers get a chance to receive periodic reward allocations.
Premium Bonds’ scale is enormous, with over 24 million participants and £134.6 billion in savings. In 2025 alone, £4.95 billion was distributed. It proves that a system built on absolute capital protection can build immense, long-term trust while still offering a chance at a meaningful outcome.
Introducing a similar model in the U.S., Save to Win operates through special savings accounts at credit unions. By depositing a minimum amount, a saver gets entries into periodic reward distributions.
Again, the saver’s original money is never at risk. A study showed 56% of participants were first-time savers, proving the model effectively builds healthy financial habits. These regulated systems show that adding engaging layers to savings works, but only when built on transparency and capital protection.
The principles for a fairer on-chain economy
For crypto builders looking to define the 2026 to 2028 cycle, these principles should be non-negotiable. Verifiable rewards should come first. Instead of opaque APYs, all rewards must originate from transparent, on-chain sources like native network inflation.
Second, platforms and protocols must protect beginners by default. The safest path, native staking, should always be the easiest and most accessible. New users shouldn’t be pushed toward high-risk activities as their first experience.
Third, good habits should always be rewarded. The system must incentivize behaviors that promote long-term health: regular saving, long-term holding, and consistent participation. It must feel like financial progress is possible, even with small amounts.
The new mantra for builders should be “slower but clearer.” This is how we prepare for the next phase of sustainable growth, moving away from short-term hype.
From speculation to savings
Crypto’s next wave of adoption won’t be driven by a new token or a flashy new trend. It will be powered by products that feel fundamentally fair, safe, and savings-oriented to everyday people.
This is a call to action for the entire industry. Builders, investors, and even regulators must work to standardize these mechanics. We need to prioritize principal-protected incentives, demand transparent reward sources, and design systems that reward sound financial habits.
If we successfully make this shift, crypto can finally achieve the same level of ingrained trust as traditional savings vehicles. This is how we unlock the vast sea of dormant capital sitting on the sidelines.
NEAR Protocol, Virtuals, and Morpho crypto stood as some of the best performers on Tuesday amid a broader market rebound back above the $2.4 trillion mark.
Summary
- NEAR Protocol, Virtuals and Morpho led altcoin gains with double-digit rallies on Tuesday.
- NEAR, VIRTUALS benefited from positive developments across the AI sector alongside project-specific catalysts.
- Morpho rallied following the launch of the OKX Onchain Earn product on the protocol.
According to data from CoinGecko, the global crypto market rose 5% to $2.45 trillion before stabilizing around $2.4 trillion at press time. The market recovery was largely fueled by Bitcoin, the bellwether’s rally on Monday with the flagship crypto jumping from intraday lows near $65,000 to over $69,800 in a matter of hours.
Besides this, investor appetite for risk assets also returned after U.S. manufacturing data exceeded market expectations, fueling optimism surrounding Fed rate cuts this year.
The crypto market recovery triggered a short squeeze across major crypto assets. Data from CoinGlass shows nearly $202 million worth of short positions were liquidated in the past 24 hours, out of the total $331 million liquidated from both sides across leveraged markets.
Amidst this volatility, NEAR Protocol, Virtuals, and Morpho emerged as the standout winners. These assets capitalized on the easing market sentiment to post double-digit gains.
NEAR Protocol (NEAR) was the strongest gainer of the day with its 24% rally to a 5-week high of $1.45 on Monday. The surge extended its weekly gains to over 50%.
The AI token’s gains follow AI chip-making giant Nvidia announcing a multiyear strategic partnership with Coherent Corp, a global leader in photonics and networking, to advance its optical interconnect technology.
As part of the agreement, Nvidia would be investing $2 billion in Coherent to support research and development, along with expanding manufacturing capacity.
NVIDIA shares rose by 2.93% shortly after the announcement, sparking a broader rally in AI-focused cryptocurrencies. The partnership also comes just days after the chip giant revealed bullish quarterly earnings, easing fears of a slowdown in AI spending.
As Nvidia is the market bellwether for artificial intelligence, its bullish earnings and stock rally serve as a major impetus for related assets such as NEAR Protocol.
Project-specific catalysts, including the launch of Near FM and Near Intents has also supported the recent rally.
Virtuals Protocol
Virtuals Protocol (VIRTUAL) rose over 15% today to $0.79, its highest price since late January this year. The gains followed after it broke out of a consolidation from the $0.60-$0.75 range it had been stuck within over the past week.
Besides sharing the AI market hype surrounding Nvidia news and its stock gains, the agentic AI coin also benefited from strengthening fundamentals supporting it.
In a recent X post, the Virtuals Protocol team revealed that agent transactions on the network soared by around 128% over the past two weeks, as 3,421 agents competed in Epoch 2 of its AI revenue incentives program. Agent-to-agent revenue reached $2.8 million during the period, with roughly $200,000 distributed to builders.
The team also outlined upgrades for Epoch 3 aimed at tightening reward quality and making it materially harder to manufacture artificial signal, with a stronger focus on genuine demand and sustained utility.
Morpho
Morpho (MORPHO) rose 11% on the day to $1.97, extending its weekly gains to around 25%.
Morpho’s gains today can be largely attributed to a surge in network activity following the launch of the OKX Onchain Earn product on the Morpho protocol. The event includes a 65 million KAT (Katana Network) reward pool for users staking USDT on the protocol.
At the same time, there’s also noticeable chatter around Apollo Global’s recent commitment to the protocol, which has provided a strong fundamental backstop for the current price action. Under a newly established four-year cooperation agreement, the $940 billion asset manager is authorized to acquire up to 90 million MORPHO tokens, representing roughly 9% of the total supply.
Disclosure: This article does not represent investment advice. The content and materials featured on this page are for educational purposes only.
Chainlink has enabled transfers of Coinbase’s wrapped Bitcoin token, cbBTC, from Base to the Monad blockchain using its cross-chain interoperability protocol (CCIP), enabling more than $5 billion worth of cbBTC to move into the Monad ecosystem.
According to Monday’s announcement from Monad, the integration brings cbBTC into the Monad DeFi ecosystem, where a bevy of applications, including Curvance and Neverland, are adopting cbBTC markets.
The move introduces Bitcoin-backed liquidity to lending, borrowing and other decentralized finance (DeFi) applications on Monad, an EVM-compatible layer-1 blockchain designed for high-throughput trading and financial use cases.
“As Bitcoin-backed assets grow into the tens of billions, the infrastructure moving them has to meet that scale,” said William Reilly, head of strategic initiatives at Chainlink Labs. CCIP was built with multiple layers of decentralized validation to reduce cross-chain risks and maintain consistent 1:1 backing across networks, he added.
Monad touts throughput of up to 10,000 transactions per second and sub-second finality, positioning itself as infrastructure for transaction-intensive financial applications.
Coinbase launched cbBTC in September 2024 as a wrapped Bitcoin token on Ethereum and Base, backed 1:1 by BTC held in custody and designed to automatically mint and redeem against Bitcoin deposits on the exchange.
Related: Bitcoin company Fold pays off $66M debt, frees up BTC collateral
New products aim to make Bitcoin a yield-bearing asset
Unlike proof-of-stake networks such as Ethereum (ETH) and Solana (SOL), where users can earn rewards by staking tokens, Bitcoin’s proof-of-work design does not natively generate yield. That constraint has historically limited onchain income options for holders of the biggest cryptocurrency, but new financial structures have started to address the gap.
Last May, Solv Protocol co-founder Ryan Chow said demand for Bitcoin yield strategies was accelerating, particularly among companies seeking liquidity without selling Bitcoin. He pointed to proof-of-stake integrations and delta-neutral trading strategies as expanding ways Bitcoin can generate returns while supporting network security and liquidity.
That same month, Coinbase launched the Coinbase Bitcoin Yield Fund targeting 4% to 8% annual net returns for institutional investors outside the US. About a month later, Kraken introduced a Bitcoin staking product through an integration with Babylon Labs, allowing users to lock up their BTC and delegate it to secure proof-of-stake networks without bridging or wrapping.
Wrapped Bitcoin has also continued to expand across networks. In November, WBTC integrated with the Hedera network with support from BitGo and LayerZero, extending the largest tokenized version of Bitcoin into another smart contract ecosystem.
Last week, Telegram’s built-in TON Wallet added vaults enabling users to earn yield on Bitcoin within the messaging app through underlying decentralized finance infrastructure.
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