Crypto World
BPI Eyes August BTC Tax Relief as Deadline Looms
The Bitcoin Policy Institute (BPI), an industry advocacy group, is eyeing a target window between March and August 2026 to pass a de minimis tax exemption for Bitcoin through Congress, warning that time to pass meaningful legislation is running out.
BPI said it has engaged with 19 Congressional offices in both the House and Senate over the last three months to pitch US lawmakers on a tax exemption for Bitcoin (BTC) transactions below a certain threshold.
Expanding the de minimis tax exemptions beyond dollar-pegged stablecoins has bipartisan support, but the BPI warned that the “window is narrowing” for Bitcoin tax legislation. The BPI said:
“Congress will be increasingly consumed by midterm dynamics as summer approaches, and the bandwidth for complex tax legislation shrinks with every passing week. Senator Lummis, the issue’s most forceful champion, departs the Senate in January 2027.
If a package does not come together in the next few months, the opportunity may not return for years,” the BPI continued.
Under current US tax rules, using BTC to pay for goods and services triggers a taxable event and tax reporting to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), preventing the use of Bitcoin as a medium of exchange.
A de minimis exemption would allow small crypto transactions, typically below a set dollar threshold, to be excluded from capital gains reporting, allowing users to spend Bitcoin without calculating gains or losses on minor purchases.
Related: Bitcoin advocate group to fight Basel’s ‘toxic’ treatment of cryptocurrency
Tax policy has kept Bitcoin as an investment and out of commerce
Wyoming Senator Cynthia Lummis introduced a bill in July 2025 proposing a de minimis tax exemptionfor cryptocurrency transactions of $300 or less, capped at $5,000 annually.
However, the bill failed to gain traction in the Senate, and a competing bill focused entirely on tax exemptions for stablecoins was introduced to the House of Representatives by Congresspersons Max Miller and Steven Horsford in 2025.
A comparison of the Lummis standalone crypto tax bill and the stablecoin de minimis tax bill.
Bitcoin payments are held back by the digital asset’s current treatment under the US tax code, according to Pierre Rochard, a board member for BTC treasury company Strive. “The number one impediment to Bitcoin payments adoption is tax policy, not scaling technology,” Rochard @said on X.
Magazine: Big questions: Should you sell your Bitcoin for nickels for a 43% profit?
1) Introduction
The Bitcoin Policy Institute is pushing for a de minimis tax exemption for Bitcoin transactions, targeting a window from March to August 2026 to move a measure through Congress. The group highlights that time is running short as lawmakers grapple with competing priorities ahead of midterm dynamics. In the past three months, BPI says it has engaged with 19 offices across the House and Senate to advocate for a carve-out allowing BTC transfers below a defined threshold to avoid capital gains reporting. While there is bipartisan interest in extending de minimis relief beyond dollar-pegged stablecoins, observers warn that the window to legislate could close swiftly, especially with Senator Lummis set to depart the Senate in January 2027. The push centers on changing how small Bitcoin transactions are treated for tax purposes, potentially unlocking greater everyday use without tax accounting for minor expenditures.
2)
Key takeaways
- The stated legislative window for a Bitcoin de minimis tax exemption runs March through August 2026, a period proponents describe as the last best chance to pass meaningful tax relief before midterms shift congressional priorities.
- nineteen congressional offices across the House and Senate report engagement by the Bitcoin Policy Institute over a three‑month period, underscoring active lobbying for a BTC-focused exemption and broader expansion beyond stablecoins.
- Senate sponsor Senator Cynthia Lummis pushed a standalone crypto tax bill in July 2025 proposing a de minimis threshold of $300 per transaction, capped at $5,000 annually, but the measure stalled in the Senate.
- In parallel, a House-friendly proposal by Max Miller and Steven Horsford in 2025 aimed to deliver de minimis relief specifically for stablecoins, reflecting a split focus within crypto tax policy debates.
- The central argument stresses that current tax treatment has effectively kept Bitcoin as an investment vehicle rather than a practical medium of exchange, with advocates positioning tax policy as the primary bottleneck to broader adoption.
3)
Tickers mentioned: $BTC
4)
Market context: The push for a Bitcoin de minimis exemption sits within a broader regulatory and policy environment where tax treatment shapes crypto payments and consumer spending. If Congress acts, small BTC transactions could flow more freely in everyday commerce, while inaction risks maintaining a framework that treats Bitcoin primarily as an asset rather than an everyday currency.
5)
Why it matters
The ongoing debate over de minimis tax treatment matters because it shapes how readily individuals can use Bitcoin for routine purchases. A successful exemption would reduce the administrative burden for ordinary consumers who transact in small amounts, potentially expanding merchant acceptance and consumer spending in the crypto space. Advocates argue that tax policy, not technology, has been the primary obstacle to widespread BTC payments adoption, a claim echoed by industry voices who emphasize the upside of aligning tax rules with the realities of digital asset use.
Yet lawmakers face a crowded legislative calendar. The BPI’s warning that the window could close as summer approaches reflects a structural challenge: tax policy is entangled with midterm dynamics, budget considerations, and broader regulatory debates. The political calculus is further complicated by aging leadership in the crypto policy arena; Senator Lummis, a leading proponent, will exit the Senate in early 2027, potentially narrowing the coalition that has championed a de minimis approach to crypto taxation.
Supporters argue that a targeted exemption for small BTC transactions would not only ease everyday spending but also set a clearer precedent for how digital assets should be treated when used as currency rather than solely as investments. The tension remains: should policy favor incremental relief that could unlock practical use cases, or push for comprehensive tax reform that addresses all digital assets at once? The next several months are likely to reveal how aggressively Congress will pursue a path forward and which constituencies—consumer advocates, merchants, or financial policy wonks—will shape the outcome.
6)
What to watch next
- March–August 2026: Legislative activity window for Bitcoin de minimis tax exemption moves through committees and potentially a full vote.
- Ongoing congressional engagement: The Bitcoin Policy Institute’s continued outreach to 19 offices to secure support and build a bipartisan coalition.
- Senator Lummis’s departure in January 2027: Assess how the leadership changes might affect the likelihood of enacting any BTC-specific tax relief.
- Comparison of bills: The trajectory of Miller–Horsford’s stablecoins-focused exemption versus the Lummis standalone crypto tax bill will influence the final framework if a package advances.
- Public-facing tax policy messaging: Watch for statements from tax authorities and industry groups clarifying how a de minimis exemption would interact with existing reporting requirements for small BTC transactions.
7)
Sources & verification
- Bitcoin Policy Institute article outlining the de minimis exemption for Bitcoin and the policy window.
- Cointelegraph reporting on the Bitcoin Policy Institute’s de minimis tax exemption push and related legislative activity.
- July 2025 Lummis proposal for a standalone crypto tax exemption with a $300 threshold and $5,000 annual cap.
- 2025 Miller and Horsford House proposal extending de minimis relief to stablecoins.
- Statements from Pierre Rochard about tax policy as the principal barrier to Bitcoin payments adoption.
7)
Why it matters
This policy debate matters because it could redefine how everyday users interact with Bitcoin, moving it from a speculative asset toward a practical currency for small purchases. If enacted, the de minimis exemption would reduce tax complexity for minor BTC transactions, potentially spurring broader acceptance by merchants and consumers alike. The timing of any agreement is critical, given midterm dynamics and the leadership shift anticipated in early 2027, which could alter legislative momentum for crypto tax reform.
At stake is whether policymakers view Bitcoin as a financial instrument warranting strict capital gains considerations or as a platform for everyday commerce needing pragmatic, policy-aligned rules. The discourse reflects broader questions about how the U.S. tax code should treat digital assets as their use cases evolve—from store of value to medium of exchange—and how to balance investor protection with practical adoption. The coming months will test whether a narrowly tailored exemption can bridge these aims without creating new loopholes or regulatory gaps.
9)
What to watch next
- March–August 2026: Legislative activity window for Bitcoin de minimis tax exemption moves through committees and potentially a full vote.
- Ongoing congressional engagement: The Bitcoin Policy Institute’s continued outreach to 19 offices to secure support and build a bipartisan coalition.
- Senator Lummis’s departure in January 2027: Assess how the leadership changes might affect the likelihood of enacting any BTC-specific tax relief.
- Comparison of bills: The trajectory of Miller–Horsford’s stablecoins-focused exemption versus the Lummis standalone crypto tax bill will influence the final framework if a package advances.
- Public-facing tax policy messaging: Watch for statements from tax authorities and industry groups clarifying how a de minimis exemption would interact with existing reporting requirements for small BTC transactions.
9)
Sources & verification
- Bitcoin Policy Institute article outlining the de minimis exemption for Bitcoin and the policy window.
- Cointelegraph reporting on the Bitcoin Policy Institute’s de minimis tax exemption push and related legislative activity.
- July 2025 Lummis proposal for a standalone crypto tax exemption with a $300 threshold and $5,000 annual cap.
- 2025 Miller and Horsford House proposal extending de minimis relief to stablecoins.
- Statements from Pierre Rochard about tax policy as the principal barrier to Bitcoin payments adoption.
Bitcoin’s brief jump above $73k shows bulls still in control, but Iran war risks, oil shocks and crowded leverage leave BTC vulnerable to a violent flush.
Summary
- Bitcoin price reclaimed the $73k area as global risk assets bounced despite ongoing Iran war headlines and oil market stress.
- Derivatives data show rising funding, packed longs and whale leverage on BTC and ETH, primed for cascade liquidations if momentum stalls.
- With Iran threatening shipping and higher oil, traders are shifting to tighter stops, staged profit‑taking and options hedges into late‑cycle volatility.
Bitcoin (BTC) price briefly cleared the $73,000 mark in the last trading session, signaling the current bullish phase is intact but leverage and positioning are now approaching blow‑off conditions.
Bitcoin breaks above $73K as risk appetite returns
Bitcoin pushed above $73,000 in the past 24 hours, gaining around 4% and extending its march to new all‑time highs against a backdrop of renewed risk appetite in global markets. This move comes as US equities continue to trade near record levels and traders maintain expectations for at least one Federal Reserve rate cut before year‑end, keeping liquidity conditions supportive for high‑beta assets such as BTC. On major derivatives venues, funding rates and open interest have been grinding higher, reflecting aggressive long positioning rather than spot‑led demand.
The latest leg higher follows weeks of sustained inflows into Bitcoin exchange‑traded products and centralized exchanges, with market depth still thinner than in prior cycles despite the larger nominal price. That combination of rising leverage and limited resting liquidity leaves the market vulnerable to sharp liquidations if price momentum stalls or macro data surprise to the upside on inflation.
Leverage and whale positioning intensify
Onchain and derivatives‑tracking dashboards show that a handful of large traders have materially increased risk into the breakout, using double‑digit leverage on both BTC and ETH. One heavily watched account has built sizeable long positions on Ethereum with leverage around 15x, echoing similar high‑stakes trades reported in prior ETH rallies in 2025 that at times exceeded 25,000 ETH notional and over $100 million in exposure. While the current configuration differs in size and entry levels, the underlying dynamic is the same: concentrated players are amplifying upside moves, but also raising the risk of cascade liquidations if the market reverses.
In parallel, research firm Trend Research and its affiliates have repeatedly moved large ETH tranches between self‑custody, lending protocols and centralized exchanges in recent weeks, including deposits and withdrawals in the tens of thousands of ETH and tens to hundreds of millions of dollars in value. These flows underline how a small group of funds can influence short‑term liquidity and sentiment when Bitcoin tests new highs and investors chase beta down the risk curve.
What this means for traders
For directional traders, Bitcoin reclaiming and holding above the $70,000–$73,000 band confirms that the primary trend remains intact, but it also suggests that risk management now matters more than raw conviction. Elevated open interest, richer funding rates and large whale leverage all point to a market that can overshoot higher but will unwind violently on any macro or regulatory shock.
From a portfolio‑construction perspective, professional desks are likely to favor staggered profit‑taking on strength, tighter stop‑losses on high‑leverage BTC and ETH longs, and increased use of options to hedge downside tails while keeping upside participation. Retail investors chasing the breakout should be aware that the easy part of the move is probably behind, and that late‑cycle volatility around psychological levels like $75,000 and $80,000 historically separates disciplined participants from forced sellers.
Ethereum price surges as derivatives open interest jumped nearly 9% to above $30b, concentrating leverage on Binance, Gate, Bybit and OKX and priming Ethereum for sharper liquidations.
Summary
- Ethereum derivatives open interest climbed about 9% in 24 hours to roughly $30.4b, tracking Ethereum above $2,180.
- Binance, Gate, Bybit and OKX now hold most ETH OI, raising spillover risk if one venue sees a funding squeeze or outage.
- Rising OI with higher prices signals a reflexive setup: further gains could richen funding, while any stall may trigger fast deleveraging.
Ethereum (ETH) derivatives just lit up. Here’s a clean crypto.news-style piece on the ETH open interest story, using $ not “dollar.”
ETH derivatives open interest has jumped nearly 9% in 24 hours, pushing total ETH contract exposure above $30 billion and underscoring how fast leverage is building behind the latest leg of the rally.
ETH open interest climbs as traders add leverage
According to derivatives tracker Coinglass, total ETH contract open interest has increased by 8.94% over the past 24 hours, with aggregate open interest now at $30.451 billion across major exchanges. Binance leads with $6.593 billion in ETH OI, followed by Gate at $3.875 billion, Bybit at $2.358 billion, and OKX at $2.042 billion. The move comes as ETH trades above $2,180 and tracks Bitcoin’s push into fresh all‑time highs, drawing in both speculative longs and basis traders.
The pace of growth in ETH open interest mirrors similar spikes seen in late February, when Ethereum derivatives OI rose between 7% and 14% in a single day as traders positioned around key resistance and ETF narratives. Each of those prior expansions in open interest preceded periods of elevated intraday volatility, as crowded positions were tested by relatively small spot flows.
Market structure: more size, more sensitivity
With more than $30 billion now tied up in ETH futures and perpetuals, relatively minor price moves can trigger meaningful liquidation flows. Recent Coinglass data shows that when open interest in ETH contracts has sat in the mid‑20s to high‑20s billions range, subsequent 24–48 hour windows often featured sharp wipe‑outs as funding flipped and over‑levered longs or shorts were forced out.
Exchange concentration also matters. Binance, Gate, Bybit, and OKX have repeatedly accounted for the bulk of ETH derivatives risk in recent months, with Binance alone often carrying more than $5 billion in ETH OI. That clustering means that any sudden funding squeeze, outage, or large liquidation event on one of these venues can spill quickly into spot books and cross‑exchange pricing.
What traders should watch next
For short‑term ETH traders, the combination of rising open interest and higher spot prices typically signals a more reflexive environment: price drives positioning, and positioning in turn drives price. If ETH continues grinding higher with OI expanding, funding rates and basis are likely to richen, creating both carry opportunities and greater downside risk if the trade becomes too crowded.
If, instead, OI starts to roll over while price stalls or pulls back, that would indicate aggressive deleveraging and could mark a local top or a reset phase similar to prior episodes where ETH contract open interest dropped 4–6% in a day. In both cases, the key tells will be funding, liquidation clusters, and whether open interest continues to climb above the $30 billion mark or snaps back toward the mid‑20s.
Crypto World
DeepSnitch AI Bonus: Hurry Up, Only a Few Days Left! The Bull Run Every Trader Has Been Waiting For Finally Has a Starting Gun
Oil almost touched $100 this week after tensions around the Strait of Hormuz sparked a macro panic. Stocks sold off and macro Twitter went into meltdown mode. Then, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent stepped in with a temporary license allowing countries to buy Russian oil already stranded at sea, calling the spike a short-term disruption. Oil dropped quickly, and crypto reacted fast.
Bitcoin pushed close to $72,000 with strong ETF inflows and continued accumulation from major buyers. The dollar also weakened, which is exactly the kind of macro setup that usually fuels risk assets.
The macro setup that every trader has been waiting for is building exactly the way the textbook says it should, and the Deepsnitch AI bonus codes are still live, but not for long. Here’s why you should hurry up ahead of the launch.
BTC jumps to $72K after Bessent kills the oil scare
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent stepped into a market that was panicking about oil racing toward $100 a barrel and cooled things down fast. Iran’s new supreme leader had said the Strait of Hormuz would stay closed, and Donald Trump said stopping Iran mattered more than oil prices, which sent equities sliding and macro Twitter into full panic mode.
Then Bessent announced General License 134, a temporary move allowing countries to buy Russian oil that was already stuck at sea. He called the spike a short-term disruption and said the economy could actually benefit once things settle. Oil quickly dropped about $2 a barrel, and Bitcoin jumped close to $72,000 within hours while stocks were still trying to catch up.
This is what the setup looks like right before a sustained bull move starts: macro fear gets resolved faster than expected, institutional buying was already happening before the resolution, and the Deepsnitch AI bonus countdown is ticking in the exact window when new capital starts looking for the highest-asymmetry entries it can still access before the crowd arrives.
Three positions to load before this window shuts: $DSNT, BTC and ETH
1. The DeepSnitch AI bonus still live! Hurry up, only a few days left!
If you are still sitting on the sidelines reading about the Deepsnitch AI bonus and not positioning, this section is your last clear-headed moment before FOMO kicks in at the Uniswap listing price.
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2. Bitcoin (BTC) update for March 2026
BTC is currently trading around $72,000 on March 13 after recovering from the $63,000 to $64,000 range that defined February’s fear cycle, and the setup underneath it right now is the strongest it has been since Q4 2025 when BTC hit its all-time high of $126,000.
The 2026 bull target sits at $200,000, and the majority of analyst consensus clusters between $120,000 and $150,000 for the cycle high. BTC will not give you 100x from here. But as a store-of-value position running alongside a presale like $DSNT that is still in its final days of token presale window, BTC is the safest way to make sure you have exposure to the broad market recovery without having to time an altcoin rotation correctly.
3. Ethereum (ETH) update for March 2026
ETH reclaimed $2,000 this week and is currently trading around $2,100 on March 13 after spending the past several months in a brutal drawdown from its $4,105 ATH in December 2024.
The current entry is sitting 50% below the all-time high, with the Pectra upgrade scheduled for Q1 to Q2 2026.
The 2026 ETH high target sits at $6,000, and the most bullish analyst projections reach $10,000 to $15,000 in the supercycle case.
The upside math is still a 3x to 5x from here in the base case. That is a good trade, but it is not the same as DeepSnitch AI.
DeepSnitch AI bonus code: Hurry up, only a few days left before launch!
Bessent just gave the market a macro green light by capping oil at $100, BTC responded by jumping to $72K with ETF inflows running for three straight weeks, and the bull run setup that serious traders have been positioning for all year is starting to look a lot more like the real thing.
BTC and ETH are the right plays for traders who want cycle exposure with lower volatility and a clear path to 3x to 5x from current levels. But the Deepsnitch AI bonus is for the traders who want the move that makes the BTC chart look boring in comparison.
$DSNT at $0.04399 with five live tools, dual audits, 41.4M staked coins, and a 150% bonus on $10K-plus entries is the final days token presale setup that closes March 31 and never reopens at this price.
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FAQs
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The Deepsnitch AI bonus deadline is March 31 and the team has confirmed zero extension. It is a crypto presale ending soon situation with up to 300% bonuses that disappear the moment the presale closes.
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Disclaimer: This is a Press Release provided by a third party who is responsible for the content. Please conduct your own research before taking any action based on the content.
Ether (ETH) traded about 30% below its yearly open of $2,990, as traders grow increasingly risk-averse amid a global conflict and macroeconomic uncertainties.
Still, stronger network usage and increasing inflows into ETH accumulation addresses could provide a spark that may see the price finally break $2,200 resistance.
Key takeaways:
-
ETH held in accumulation wallets has risen 32% since January, showing strong long-term confidence.
-
Staked ETH reaches a record 37.85 million, representing over 30% of supply.
-
Analysts say Ether bulls must reclaim $2,200 as support
6.5 million ETH increase in accumulation addresses
Although Ether’s price has fallen in 2026, network activity increased, with daily active addresses (DAA) rising to 1.1 million in February, the highest level since December 2022. The DAAs jumped by 80% to 672,170 from 370,390 in the past seven days.
“The increase in ETH active addresses indicates bullish market movements,” CryptoQuant analyst CW8900 said in a QuickTake note on Friday.
The chart below shows that activity increased most significantly after Ether’s recent drop below $2,000.
“This implies that accumulation activity was at its most active,” the analyst added.
Similar activity has been consistently observed near macro bottoms since 2022, preceding significant ETH price rallies.
Additionally, daily inflows into accumulation addresses have increased steadily since mid-2025, reaching a record high of 1.14 million ETH in November 2025. The inflows have continued to climb in 2026, averaging 200,000 ETH per day, with a spike to over 350,000 on Thursday.
As a result, the amount of ETH held in accumulation wallets, or holders with no history of selling, has increased by 6.5 million to 26.55 million from 20.1 million on Jan. 1, representing a 32% increase.
The ETH supply held in accumulation addresses is an important indicator for traders and market participants, as it reflects overall confidence in Ether’s long-term outlook.
The total value of ETH staked further reinforces this outlook. The supply of staked Ether reached an all-time high of 37.85 million this week, signaling growing investor confidence and a squeeze on the liquid supply. This represents over 30% of the total ETH supply.
A growing staked supply also indicates that a large percentage of investors are preparing to hold their ETH for longer.
As Cointelegraph reported, Ether supply held on exchanges fell to a new multi-year low of 3.46 million ETH, further tightening the available liquidity on the order books.
Ether price needs to flip $2,200 into support
Data from TradingView shows ETH attempting to breach the $2,100-$2,200 resistance that has suppressed its price over the last month.
“This has been an important price area over the past couple of years of price action for Ethereum,” analyst Daan Crypto Trades said in a recent X post.
The last time the ETH/USD pair reclaimed this level was in May 2025. It rallied 24% in less than a week. In June 2025, it served as a launchpad for a 126% ETH price rally to the current all-time high of $4,950 reached in August 2025.
A key area to watch on the downside is $1,750-$1,850, which, if lost, could extend the downtrend to as low as $1,000.
“I assume that when this breaks either side of the range, we will see a large move occur,“ Daan Crypto Trades added.
This support area coincides with an ascending trend line that has upheld the price on the weekly chart since 2022.
Technical analyst Prof said holding this support would then trigger a retest of the 21-week exponential moving average at $2,700, 22% above the current price.
As Cointelegraph reported, a decisive break above the $2,100 resistance and the 50-day EMA at $2,200 will have the bulls target $2,600 next.
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.
Crypto World
BTC Rejected at $74K Amid Rising Middle East Tensions, BlackRock’s ETHB Debuts: Weekly Recap
BTC experienced some intense volatility on Friday after the release of the US PCE data. However, its rally was quickly halted.
It was another eventful week, with the headlines strongly focused on the quickly developing (and, in most cases, worsening) situation in the Middle East as both sides continue to hit each other, or allies.
In the meantime, the ever-volatile cryptocurrency industry responds to almost all new developments. Bitcoin, for example, started the week on the wrong foot, slipping from $68,000 on Sunday to a multi-day low of $65,600 when almost all financial markets opened for trading after the strikes and statements during the weekend.
However, the bulls were quick to intervene and didn’t allow further decline. Instead, BTC began its gradual recovery, which saw it near $70,000 by Wednesday. After the initial rejection, the bulls stepped up and pushed the asset to almost $72,000. It faced more resistance at this level and returned to $69,000 when the US CPI numbers came out later that day.
Although expectations and reality met, BTC remained relatively calm at first, but jumped by nearly two grand later on after Trump said there’s “practically nothing left to target” in Iran. Following another volatile session around $70,000, the cryptocurrency went on the offensive on Friday after the release of the US PCE data for January. which showed a 0.3% MoM increase, and a 2.8% YoY rise.
Bitcoin tapped $74,000 for the second time in the past 10 days, but it was stopped once again and driven south by over two grand. Nevertheless, it’s still 6% up weekly, similar to BNB, XRP, and SOL. Ethereum has added almost 10% in the past seven days, while HYPE has exploded by 23%.
Market Data
Market Cap: $2.52T | 24H Vol: $138B | BTC Dominance: 56.9%
BTC: $71,700 (+6.1%) | ETH: $2,130 (+9.3%) | XRP: $1.4 (+5%)
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This Week’s Crypto Headlines You Can’t Miss
BlackRock Staked Ethereum ETF Sees $15.5M First-Day Volume. Perhaps the most significant piece of industry news this week came from the world’s largest asset manager. BlackRock debuted a new sort of Ethereum ETF that allows investors to take advantage of the network’s staking function. The launch day saw $15.5 million in daily volume.
Ripple Targets $50B Valuation With $750M Buyback Amid Major Partnerships. A recent report indicated that Ripple has launched a share buyback program that puts it at a whopping valuation of $50 billion. Its plan is to repurchase up to $750 million in shares from employees and investors.
POTUS to Headline Gala for Top TRUMP Holders as Price Soars 50% After ATL. Following a consistent and painful decline for the meme coin TRUMP, the US President stepped up to headline a gala for the top asset holders in several weeks. The token reacted immediately with a massive 50% surge.
Here’s When Arthur Hayes Will Buy Bitcoin Again. The co-founder of BitMEX remains a bitcoin bull, but he believes the asset is likely to retrace again amid the ongoing conflict between the US and Israel on one side, and Iran on the other. As such, he said he might look for a new bottom below $60,000 before he starts accumulating again.
Binance Under DOJ Investigation for Possible Iran Sanctions Violations: WSJ. The Wall Street Journal reported that the US Department of Justice has begun an investigation into whether Binance was used in any form to help Iranian-linked wallets bypass American sanctions. Meanwhile, the exchange has sued the publication for defamation over an article from February 24.
Elon Musk Confirms Early Public Access Launch of X Money Next Month. Musk continues with his attempts to transform the social media platform, and indicated that users will receive public access to X Money in April.
Charts
This week, we have a chart analysis of Ethereum, Ripple, Cardano, Binance Coin, and Hyperliquid – click here for the complete price analysis.
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Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin says large political efforts to regulate artificial intelligence could backfire.
Vitalik Buterin has said that his previous donation to the Future of Life Institute (FLI) does not mean that he agrees with the group’s current political stance on AI.
According to him, big political campaigns about AI safety could lead to authoritarian outcomes or a global backlash if governments and corporations fight for control of the technology.
Buterin Clarifies Link to FLI
The Ethereum co-founder explained in a lengthy post on X that he got involved with FLI after Shiba Inu’s (SHIB) creators sent him half of their supply to help promote the meme coin. Shortly after, the tokens’ paper value skyrocketed, even flying past $1 billion.
Buterin said he thought the bubble would burst quickly and so rushed to swap some of the SHIB for ETH, donating the funds to a number of causes. He also gave half of the remaining SHIB to CryptoRelief, an India-focused medical relief effort, and the other half to FLI.
The institute ultimately cashed out around $500 million from the donated SHIB holding, far more than Buterin had thought possible, given the token’s thin trading volume at the time. The developer claims he got sold on FLI based on their roadmap, which covered existential risks across biosafety, nuclear, and AI, as well as what he called their “pro-peace and pro-epistemics initiatives.”
However, according to him, the organization has since pivoted, focusing instead on cultural and political action. They justified the shift, saying the situation was no longer the same as it had been in 2021, with the proliferation of artificial general intelligence demanding the change to better counter the lobbying warchests of large AI companies.
Concerns About Political Approaches
Buterin insisted that concentrating on regulatory or political campaigns to control AI development could produce fragile systems or centralized power structures.
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“My worry is that large-scale coordinated political action with big money pools is a thing that can easily lead to unintended outcomes, cause backlashes, and solve problems in a way that is both authoritarian and fragile, even if it was not originally intended that way,” he wrote.
The 32-year-old said that limiting biosynthesis tools or AI models by imposing guardrails “so that they refuse to create bad stuff” was a weak solution that could be easily worked around. He added that such strategies could also lead to governments banning open-source systems or backing one “approved” company to take over the development of AI.
“Approaches like this VERY EASILY backfire,” said Buterin. “They make the rest of the world your enemy.”
His proposal is a technological approach focused on developing defensive tools to help society stay safe in a world with powerful technology. He pointed out that his most recent funding decisions include approximately $40 million for research to build secure hardware and systems that could improve digital privacy and cybersecurity.
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The Official Trump token surged on heavy trading after news spread that large holders could receive invitations to a private event at Mar-a-Lago.
Summary
- TRUMP price jumped more than 50% after the project announced a Mar-a-Lago luncheon for top token holders.
- Trading volume and derivatives activity spiked as traders rushed into the market.
- On the chart, the token broke above key resistance levels after months of decline.
At press time, The Official Trump (TRUMP) traded at $4.28, up about 52% in the past 24 hours. The token is now close to the top of its weekly range, which sits between $2.74 and $4.35.
Momentum has been building over the past several weeks. TRUMP has gained around 34% over the last seven daysand about 40% over the past month. Despite the recent rally, the token still sits roughly 94% below its January 2024 all-time high, after a long slide through 2025.
Trading activity exploded alongside the price jump. 24-hour spot volume reached about $1.4 billion, a 1,498% increase from the previous day.
Derivatives data from CoinGlass shows futures activity climbing even faster. Futures volume rose nearly 1,971% to $2.94 billion, while open interest jumped 154% to $253 million.
Such sharp increases often appear when traders rush to open new positions after a strong news catalyst.
Luncheon invitation drives attention
The latest rally follows an announcement tied to Donald Trump and an upcoming event at Mar-a-Lago.
According to details shared with the community, the top 297 holders of the TRUMP token may receive invitations to a crypto and business conference along with a gala luncheon scheduled for April 25, 2026.
Eligibility will be determined through a time-weighted points system based on token holdings between March 12 and April 10. Investors who hold larger amounts for longer periods rank higher on the leaderboard.
Extra benefits are reserved for the top 29 holders, who may attend a smaller VIP reception with Trump and other guests. Reports mention a private gathering and champagne toast, though organizers say there will be no personal meetings or gifts.
Participants must also pass security checks and maintain their token holdings through the event date.
The luncheon follows a similar promotion held in 2025, when top holders were invited to a dinner event. That earlier gathering drew criticism from some observers who argued that the model blends politics with speculative crypto marketing.
Supporters see the idea differently. For many traders, the token acts as a form of “token-gated access,” where ownership provides entry to exclusive events connected to the political figure.
Technical analysis: breakout follows news catalyst
The price chart shows a sharp reaction after the announcement.
A large bullish candle pushed the token from roughly $2.8–$3.0 to above $4.2 in a single session. That move represents a gain of more than 50% in one day, confirming strong demand following the news.
The rally also pushed price above several short-term moving averages near $3.29, levels that had acted as resistance during the previous downtrend. Once those levels broke, buying accelerated.
Volatility has started to increase as well. Bollinger Bands widened after the breakout, which often happens when price leaves a tight trading range.
Momentum indicators climbed quickly. The relative strength index moved close to 70, a level that shows strong buying pressure. When RSI approaches this zone, markets sometimes pause or pull back before deciding the next direction.
The chart also shows that a descending structure that formed over several months has been broken, marking the first strong bullish signal since the prolonged decline from earlier highs.
For now, traders are watching $4.50 and $5.00 as the next resistance zones. If the rally cools, $3.90 could act as support, followed by the $3.30 area, where several moving averages sit.
A US federal court has rejected Custodia Bank’s final attempt to challenge the Federal Reserve’s authority over granting master accounts — effectively ending the crypto-focused bank’s five-year-long battle for direct access to the central bank’s payment system.
The US Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit said in a filing on Friday that it wouldn’t hear Custodia’s final appeal on that point in a 7-3 vote.
Custodia first applied for a master account in October 2020, which allows financial institutions to hold reserves directly at the Federal Reserve and access its payment rails, enabling them to settle transactions without relying on intermediary banks.
After the Fed rejected its master account application, Custodia turned to the courts, arguing the Monetary Control Act entitles state-chartered banks to access Fed services and therefore a master account.
However, the multiple courts have now ruled that the Fed retains discretion over whether to grant master accounts.
Custodia’s blow comes as Kraken became the first crypto platform to receive a master account from the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City on March 4.
Kraken’s master account enables it to connect to the Fedwire payments system, though it does not include the full range of services available to traditional banks.
The move raised hopes that US regulators could offer “skinny” or limited master accounts to crypto firms.
Banks not given master accounts akin to “death sentence”
While only three judges sided with Custodia, one of them, Judge Timothy Tymkovich, wrote a strong dissenting opinion, stating that “a master account is ‘indispensable’ for a bank’s operations” and being denied one is “akin to a death sentence.”
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He noted that three months after Custodia’s application in October 2020, the Fed said Custodia was eligible and told it there were “no showstoppers” with its application.
He added, “I do not agree that Reserve Banks have discretion over account applications and would have allowed the mandamus claim to go forward.”
Magazine: Clarity Act risks repeat of Europe’s mistakes, crypto lawyer warns
Michael Saylor has responded sharply after former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson criticized Bitcoin (BTC) and suggested that it resembles a Ponzi scheme.
Former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson criticizes Bitcoin
Johnson described a conversation with a church acquaintance who lost money after being lured into a supposed crypto investment opportunity. According to Johnson, the man initially handed over £500 to someone who promised to double his money through Bitcoin.
“After three and a half years of muddle… he was down £20,000,” Johnson wrote in a report. He also described how the individual paid repeated fees in an attempt to recover the funds. The former prime minister used the story to question the value and structure of cryptocurrencies.
He contrasted BTC with traditional assets and collectibles.“I can see the intrinsic value of gold,” Johnson wrote. “I can even understand why Pokemon cards have kept their value.”
He then questioned the foundations of digital assets, arguing that Bitcoin lacks an identifiable authority or issuer. “But Bitcoin? What is it? It’s just a string of numbers stored in a series of computers,” he wrote.
Johnson also referenced the mysterious origins of the BTC’s creator, Satoshi Nakamoto, adding that the system depends heavily on collective belief. “The whole thing depends completely on the collective belief… of the Bitcoin holders,” Johnson said.
He warned that increasing cases of fraud linked to crypto investments could weaken confidence in the sector. “I have always suspected from the outset that all cryptocurrencies were basically a Ponzi scheme,” Johnson wrote. He argued that the ecosystem relies on a continuous flow of new investors.
Michael Saylor claps back at Johnson
Saylor rejected that characterization in a post on the social platform X. “Bitcoin is not a Ponzi scheme,” Saylor wrote. “A Ponzi requires a central operator promising returns and paying early investors with funds from later ones.”
He argued that Bitcoin’s structure makes it fundamentally different from such schemes. “Bitcoin has no issuer, no promoter, and no guaranteed return—just an open, decentralized monetary network driven by code and market demand,” Saylor said.
The executive has long been one of the most prominent corporate advocates for Bitcoin. His company, MicroStrategy, holds billions of dollars worth of the crypto on its balance sheet. Johnson’s comments also revisited broader debates about monetary systems.
In his remarks, he referenced historical currency models backed by government authority, pointing to Roman coins bearing the image of emperors as an example of trust in state-backed money. Crypto supporters, however, often argue that Bitcoin’s decentralized structure is precisely what protects it from political influence and inflation tied to government spending.
The XRP Ledger has never been busier, but traders are yet to catch up.
Daily successful payments on XRPL recently hit a 12 month high of over 2.7 million, up from roughly 1 million in late 2025, according to XRPSCAN data. The network is processing between 2 and 2.8 million transactions per day at 20 to 26 transactions per second.
Automated market maker pools have exploded to nearly 27,000 active pools supporting more than 16,000 unique tokens. Tokenized real-world asset value on the ledger climbed to $461 million, up 35% in the past 30 days, per RWA.xyz. Stablecoin transfer volume over the same period hit $1.19 billion.
XRP is trading at $1.37 and is down 26% year-to-date. It’s 62% below its late-2025 high of $3.65.
That gap between what the ledger is doing and what the token is doing is the most important thing happening in XRP right now, and it’s a question the market hasn’t answered yet.
The standard crypto thesis is that network activity drives token value. More usage means more demand for the native asset, which pushes price higher. It’s the framework that worked for Ethereum during DeFi summer and for Solana during the meme coin boom.
But XRP is breaking the pattern. Every metric that should matter for a utility token is up, but the price is down.
The most likely explanation is structural. XRPL’s growing activity is increasingly driven by RLUSD, Ripple’s stablecoin, and tokenized assets that flow through XRP as a bridge currency but don’t create sustained demand for the token.
A payment that uses XRP for three seconds to settle a cross-border transaction between fiat currencies doesn’t generate the same kind of buy pressure as someone staking ETH for months or locking SOL in a DeFi protocol. The network gets busier, but the token stays liquid and transient. Activity goes up but scarcity doesn’t.
The DeFi numbers make this stark. DeFiLlama shows XRPL’s total value locked at $47.54 million. That’s the entire DeFi ecosystem on a chain whose native token has an $84 billion market cap.
For comparison, Solana carries roughly $4 billion in TVL. Ethereum has over $40 billion. XRP’s DeFi layer is a rounding error relative to its valuation, which means the market cap is still overwhelmingly driven by speculative positioning and ETF expectations rather than capital locked into productive on-chain activity.
The native DEX tells a similar story. Daily volume runs between $4 million and $8 million on recent data, modest for any Layer 1 and especially small for one ranked fifth by market cap.
The AMM pool growth is real, with 27,000 pools and 12 million XRP deposited, but the dollar value of that liquidity remains thin relative to the scale of the token’s market.
The RWA picture is the one area where the data genuinely supports the bull case. $461 million in distributed asset value and $1.5 billion in represented asset value puts XRPL ahead of several larger chains in specific tokenization categories.
Stablecoin market cap on the ledger sits at $339 million with 35,800 holders. The 30-day RWA transfer volume of $149 million, up over 1,300%, suggests real institutional activity rather than wash trading. If the tokenization thesis plays out over the next few years, XRPL has a foothold that most competitors don’t.
As such, March historically averages an 18% return for XRP, and the $1.27 to $1.30 support zone has held through multiple tests. If macro conditions stabilize and the Iran conflict moves toward resolution, a relief bounce to $1.60 or higher is plausible.
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