Crypto-related stocks opened the Wednesday U.S. session with sizable gains as bitcoin BTC$72,127.07 surged above $72,000 for the first time in almost a month.

Crypto exchange Coinbase (COIN) jumped above $200 to its strongest price since late January, up 12% in the first minutes of trading. Strategy (MSTR), the largest corporate bitcoin holder, advanced nearly 9% to a one-month high.

Galaxy Digital (GLXY), Robinhood (HOOD) and Ethereum treasury firm BitMine (BMNR) were up 6%-8%. Stablecoin issuer Circle (CRCL) climbed another 6%, now up over 70% in the week since its fourth-quarter earnings report.

Bitcoin miners, increasingly tied to the artificial intelligence data center buildout, also rebounded following the Tuesday selloff. Bitfarms (BITF), Hive (HIVE), Hut 8 (HUT) and IREN saw 6%-10% gains.

The broader U.S. equity market was also seeing gains, with the Nasdaq and S&P 500 each higher by about 1% in early action.

The strong early showing came as bitcoin jumped to $72,600 at the start of the U.S. session, its highest price since early February. Recently, it pared some of the gains and retreated to $71,500, still up roughly 5% over the past 24 hours.

The $70,000-$72,000 range, which capped previous rally attempts over the past month, is a crucial zone for bitcoin to overcome if this rally is to last.

Bitcoin’s outperformance over equities comes after crypto assets have massively underperformed any other asset class over the past two months, which could explain why it is now diverging, according to Wintermute OTC trader Jasper De Maere. Another factor could be that, unlike stocks, digital assets are not tied to supply chains, energy costs, or other narratives that seem to be weighing on prices, he wrote in a note.

De Maere also argued that equities and crypto have become “substitute risk-assets.” With uncertainty slowing inflows into stocks, capital may be rotating into digital assets instead. “Uncertainty is slowing down inflows in equities, which creates opportunity for crypto, which is what we’re seeing now,” he said. Still, he cautioned that the outperformance may not last. “The situation is fluid,” and a chain reaction of longer tension resulting in higher energy prices, sticky inflation, which could lower the odds of another rate cut, would be negative for crypto.

For now, he expects volatility to persist until there is greater clarity.

• Dogecoin holds key support at $0.088, signalling a potential rebound.
• Technical indicators show bullish patterns and rising trader interest.
• Unlimited supply limits long-term gains despite short-term recovery signs.

Dogecoin has taken a noticeable hit in recent days, with prices dipping amid global uncertainty triggered by the Iran war.

The popular memecoin, which once soared to unprecedented highs, now trades around $0.092, down slightly from its recent weekly levels.

While the price dip is noticeable, technical indicators suggest that the digital asset may be finding its footing, ready for a comeback.

Technical signals point to recovery

Several technical indicators suggest that Dogecoin may be preparing for a rebound.

To start with, $0.088 has turned into a key support zone after holding firm multiple times over the past month.

As a result, this level appears to have attracted buying interest, preventing further downward pressure.

A double bottom pattern has also formed on shorter timeframes, signalling a potential reversal.

In addition, the relative strength index (RSI) shows a bullish divergence, suggesting that selling momentum may be waning.

Open interest in DOGE futures has also spiked, indicating heightened market participation and renewed investor attention.

These signs collectively point to a possible relief rally in the short term, even as the broader market remains cautious.

But despite the rebound signals, Dogecoin price faces a major hurdle near $0.10, a level it needs to surpass to confirm any upward momentum.

Should DOGE clear this barrier, it may test the next key resistance zones, but any significant rally will still contend with structural challenges like its infinite supply and lack of much real-world use cases.

Balancing speculation and fundamentals

While technical patterns are encouraging, Dogecoin’s fundamentals present a more cautious picture.

Its unlimited token supply continues to dilute value over time, making dramatic long-term price increases unlikely without substantial adoption.

Unlike other cryptocurrencies that benefit from scarcity, DOGE relies heavily on community support and speculative trading.

Its all-time high (ATH) of $0.73 recorded in 2021 remains far off, emphasising the challenges the coin faces.

Despite this, short-term momentum is undeniable, especially seeing that social interest in the coin has picked up over the past few days, coinciding with relief rallies in the past.

For now, while structural limitations and the uncertain macro environment suggest that investors should temper expectations, DOGE seems to be stabilising, offering cautious optimism for those tracking the memecoin closely.

Kraken Financial, the baking arm of U.S. centralized exchange Kraken, announced that it has a Federal Reserve master account, granting it direct access to the U.S. payment systems.

In a blog post published today, March 4, the firm said that the approval marks a major milestone for the integration of crypto and traditional financial rails. It also makes Kraken Financial the first crypto-focused bank to receive a master account from the U.S. central bank.

Kraken Financial is state regulated, holding a Special Purpose Depository Institution (SPDI) license in Wyoming, making it able to offer both digital asset custody and fiat deposit accounts. The Fed master account connects the bank directly to the central bank’s payment infrastructure, including Fedwire. The firm said it expects the move to make fiat transactions more efficient for its institutional clients.

Last month, Kraken announced that it will sponsor so-called “Trump Accounts” for every child born in Wyoming this year, via its banking arm. The parent company of the bank and the CEX, which is the second largest in the U.S. by daily trading volume, is registered in the state, which is generally known for its crypt-friendly legislation efforts.

Both Ripple and crypto-focused, federally chartered bank Anchorage Digital have applied for Fed master accounts last year, but have yet to receive them.

This article was generated with the assistance of AI workflows.

As can be seen on the XAG/USD chart, the price of silver is recovering after forming yesterday’s low below the $79 level. The price per ounce has already exceeded $86 today (+10% in less than 24 hours!).

Volatility in the silver market is being driven by fluctuations in the US dollar, as well as military action in the Middle East, which is fuelling concerns about a prolonged regional conflict. According to media reports:

→ Yesterday, Israel carried out a strike on a building where religious figures had gathered to elect a new Supreme Leader.

→ Following the death of Ali Khamenei, he was succeeded by his son Mojtaba Khamenei. Although some sources consider him the leading candidate (no official statements have yet been made), this has raised concerns that the new Iranian leadership may continue existing policies — increasing uncertainty over the outcome of the conflict.

On 20 February, when analysing the XAG/USD chart, we:

→ highlighted the importance of the $95 resistance level;
→ suggested that the price of silver could consolidate above the breakout level of the descending channel around $79 (shown in red), reinforced by the psychological $80 mark.

Indeed, our assumptions were reflected in the formation of a zigzag pattern, with a bearish reversal at the A peak and a bullish reversal at yesterday’s low B. Notably, these and other key extremes make it possible to outline the contours of an upward trajectory (shown in blue).

It is possible that the upward movement observed this morning will continue during the US trading session, allowing XAG/USD to reach the blue median line. Price action at that point may provide important clues — if the median does not show signs of resistance, this may be interpreted as an indication of further upside potential.

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Police in Thailand have asked Interpol to issue a red notice against Benjamin Mauerberger, an alleged money launderer for a number of South Asian scam operations with links to the world’s once-fourth largest crypto exchange, KuCoin. 

Local media reports that Thailand’s Crime Suppression Division filed a request that, if approved, would see Interpol issue a global warrant for Mauerberger’s arrest. 

Thailand charged the South African businessman and his wife, Cattaliya Beevor, with investment fraud and money laundering last week. 

Courts accused the duo of conning investors out of 1 billion baht ($31.6 million) in 2016 through a series of fraudulent projects involving power plants, private jets, and real estate investments.

Mauerberger reportedly fled his base in Bangkok last September and is now residing in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). 

CoinDesk Indices presents its daily market update, highlighting the performance of leaders and laggards in the CoinDesk 20 Index.

The CoinDesk 20 is currently trading at 2029.47, up 3.9% (+76.88) since 4 p.m. ET on Tuesday.

Eighteen of 20 assets are trading higher.

Leaders: SOL (+5.6%) and AAVE (+5.0%).

Laggards: NEAR (-2.4%) and DOT (-0.4%).

The CoinDesk 20 is a broad-based index traded on multiple platforms in several regions globally.

Tether, the crypto firm behind the most popular stablecoin USDT USDT$0.9999, has invested $50 million in sleep technology startup Eight Sleep at a $1.5 billion valuation, according to a Wednesday press release and data from Crunchbase.

With the funding, Eight Sleep plans to develop new AI health features using Tether’s QVAC architecture, a computing framework designed to process data at the device level rather than relying fully on cloud systems.

Eight Sleep builds sensor-equipped sleep systems that track biometrics such as heart rate and temperature during the night. Its flagship “Pod” product adjusts mattress temperature and generates sleep insights based on real-time physiological data.

“We believe advanced personalized AI is the perfect pathway to understand and expand human potential,” Paolo Ardoino, CEO of Tether, said in a statement.

The investment is the latest example of Tether pushing beyond stablecoins and crypto infrastructure. The firm is best known for its $183 billion USDT stablecoin, which is popular as a savings and payments tool across emerging markets with limited access to U.S. dollars. Tether reported more than $10 billion in net profits through 2025 and has increasingly channeled those earnings into venture investments across energy, payments, artificial intelligence, and health technology.

The deal follows Tether’s recent launch of QVAC Health, a platform that aggregates personal health data from wearables and other sources while keeping the information encrypted and under the user’s control.

Stablecoin firm KAST has hired Brad Jaffe as its chief communications officer, the company said Wednesday. Jaffe previously led global communications at cryptocurrency exchange Binance for more than three years.

Jaffe handled strategic communications at Binance during a period at the exchange which saw tumultuous regulatory challenges against a backdrop of rapid growth. At KAST he will oversee global communications, brand positioning, regulator and stakeholder engagement, according to a press release.

This is the latest key hire from KAST, the firm said, with the business making over 300 hires in the past year across engineering, product and compliance from across the fintech and crypto ecosystem including Circle, Stripe and Airwallex.

“KAST is built for people who need money to work reliably – entrepreneurs operating internationally, professionals paid in digital assets, families sending funds across borders, or individuals looking for a more predictable way to store and use value.” Jaffe said. “The opportunity now is to turn this infrastructure into financial tools people trust and rely on.”

“Brad has led communications at global scale during pivotal moments in this industry. That perspective will help us shape the next phase of KAST’s growth,” added Raagulan Pathy, Founder & CEO of KAST.