Crypto World
Cryptio lands $45M in funding as institutions move on-chain
Cryptio, a Paris-based platform focused on regulated digital-asset accounting and data reconciliation, has closed a $45 million Series B round, underscoring a widening appetite among institutions for tools that translate blockchain activity into familiar accounting records. The financing was led by BlackFin Capital Partners and Sentinel Global, with participation from 1kx, BlueYard Capital, Alven and Ledger Cathay Capital among others. Cryptio positions itself as the connective tissue between on-chain activity and traditional financial reporting, audits and compliance workflows, offering software that reconciles activity across wallets, custodians and exchanges into conventional ledgers. In a period of accelerating tokenization and new asset classes, such infrastructure can be decisive for banks, asset managers and fintechs seeking to scale securely.
Key takeaways
- Cryptio raised $45 million in a Series B led by BlackFin Capital Partners and Sentinel Global, with participation from 1kx, BlueYard Capital, Alven and Ledger Cathay Capital.
- The platform reconcilies blockchain activity from wallets, custodians and exchanges and translates it into accounting records used for financial reporting, audits and compliance.
- Cryptio counts more than 400 enterprise clients and has processed over $3 trillion in transaction volume, including names such as Circle, Gemini, Securitize, and SG-Forge.
- Institutional interest in tokenization is driving demand for institutional-grade infrastructure that supports regulated markets and auditable reporting.
- The broader market for tokenized real-world assets is expanding, with estimates surpassing $26 billion in value and ongoing growth in tokenized money market funds.
Sentiment: Bullish
Price impact: Positive. The funding round signals continued willingness among traditional investors to back specialized infrastructure for on-chain assets, potentially unlocking further capital flows into tokenized finance.
Trading idea (Not Financial Advice): Buy. The round underscores a structural shift toward institutional-grade tooling for crypto-enabled assets, a trend likely to widen as tokenization activities mature.
Market context: The funding aligns with a broader push by traditional finance into tokenization and regulated crypto markets, where firms seek auditable systems that bridge on-chain data with conventional financial controls. As major banks and asset managers back tokenization networks and tools, the ecosystem is increasingly anchored by infrastructure providers that can scale governance, compliance and reporting alongside new asset classes.
Why it matters
The rise of tokenized assets has moved beyond a niche experiment to a form of finance that interacts with mainstream accounting and regulatory regimes. Cryptio’s value proposition centers on turning the frictions of reconciling on-chain activity into familiar, auditable records. By translating blockchain events into balanced ledgers, the platform enables clients to produce reliable financial statements, support audits and meet regulatory requirements without manual, error-prone reconciliation processes. The company’s current client roster reads like a who’s who of crypto-native and traditional finance players—Circle, Gemini, Securitize and SG-Forge—demonstrating demand across a spectrum of use cases from custody to token issuance and asset servicing.
The momentum around tokenized finance is only growing. Tokenization networks and governance bodies have gained traction as banks and asset managers explore how to extend traditional market activities to blockchain rails. The Canton Foundation, a consortium-backed initiative focused on regulated markets, has drawn backing from HSBC, BNP Paribas and Goldman Sachs, highlighting how large incumbents view tokenized infrastructure as essential to risk controls and governance. In parallel, State Street’s January rollout of a crypto tokenization tool illustrates a tangible move by a major custodian to enable clients to create tokenized money-market funds, exchange-traded funds and tokenized deposits—an evolution that expands the practical use cases for tokenized assets while increasing the demand for reliable accounting tooling.
Industry data suggest a meaningful market for tokenized real-world assets, excluding stablecoins, with estimates topping $26 billion in value. Much of this demand is driven by private-credit and U.S. Treasurys-backed funds, with tokenized money-market funds emerging as a fast-growing subsegment. In this context, the need for robust reconciliation, data integrity and reporting frameworks becomes more acute. As tokenized securities and asset-backed arrangements proliferate, institutions require platforms that can maintain transparency, support regulatory reporting and provide an auditable trail for external audits and internal risk management.
Executives from investment and technology houses stress that digital assets are being embedded into regulated markets, calling for infrastructure that meets institutional standards. Sidra Pervez, senior vice president at tokenization specialist Securitize, has emphasized that maintaining accurate financial records across capital markets will become increasingly important as traditional finance expands into tokenized securities. Equally, Loic Fonteneau, managing director at BlackFin Capital Partners, notes that the integration of digital assets into regulated markets will demand what he calls “institutional-grade infrastructure” to support accounting, reporting and lending tied to tokenized assets. The confluence of these viewpoints reflects a sector-wide shift toward interoperability between on-chain activity and conventional governance, risk and compliance practices.
What to watch next
- Cryptio’s client expansion and adoption across regulated markets, including new deployments with existing enterprise customers.
- Updates from the Canton Foundation and Canton Network governance as more financial institutions participate in regulated tokenization ecosystems.
- State Street’s tokenization platform rollout and its uptake by clients seeking tokenized money-market funds and deposits.
- Data on tokenized asset volumes from market trackers such as RWA.xyz to gauge growth trajectories in real-world asset tokenization.
- Regulatory developments affecting tokenized securities and reporting standards that could affect the demand for reconciliation and accounting infrastructure.
Sources & verification
- Cryptio’s Series B announcement and investor roster (BlackFin Capital Partners, Sentinel Global, 1kx, BlueYard, Alven, Ledger Cathay Capital).
- Commentary from Sidra Pervez of Securitize on the importance of accurate cross-market financial records.
- Remarks by Loic Fonteneau of BlackFin Capital Partners on the institutional embedding of digital assets in regulated markets.
- Backers of the Canton Foundation (HSBC, BNP Paribas, Goldman Sachs) and coverage of the Canton Network for regulated financial markets.
- State Street’s January tokenization platform rollout for tokenized money-market funds, ETFs and deposits.
- Market data from RWA.xyz indicating the value and growth of tokenized real-world assets outside of stablecoins.
Institutional momentum reshapes crypto accounting infrastructure
Cryptio’s Series B signals more than capital inflows; it reflects a broader validation of the infrastructure needed to manage regulated digital assets at scale. By translating on-chain events into conventional accounting entries, the company aims to reduce the friction that has long separated crypto activity from traditional financial reporting. The platform’s ability to reconcile across multiple on-chain and off-chain venues addresses a core pain point for enterprises navigating complex custody arrangements, multiple exchanges and disparate governance frameworks. With more than 400 enterprise clients and trillions of dollars in on-chain transaction volume processed, Cryptio is positioning itself at the center of a growing ecosystem where tokenization, compliance and reporting converge.
The alignment between traditional finance and crypto-native activity is not incidental. It is being reinforced by major financial institutions’ participation in tokenization initiatives and the rollouts of institutional-grade tools to handle tokenized assets. The convergence is creating a demand curve for robust accounting and reporting layers that can withstand regulatory scrutiny while enabling the efficiency gains promised by blockchain-based finance. In this context, Cryptio’s growth—alongside other players like Lukka, TaxBit, Bitwave and CoinLedger—points to a developing market for specialized software that makes crypto activity auditable, transparent and comparable to conventional financial data.
As tokenization becomes a more common mechanism for issuing and servicing assets, the need for accuracy, traceability and interoperability grows. For investors and builders, the trajectory suggests new opportunities in data platforms, interoperability standards and governance-enabled finance that can unlock institutional participation in digital assets while preserving the safeguards and controls valued in regulated markets.
A crypto user lost roughly $50 million in a single transaction on Thursday after executing a large token swap that triggered massive slippage.
Blockchain data shows that the wallet attempted to swap $50,432,688 aEthUSDT – an interest-bearing token representing Tether’s USDT stablecoin deposited into the Aave decentralized lending protocol on the Ethereum network – for aEthAAVE – similar version of Aave governance tokens – through the CoW Protocol.
The transaction executed with more than 99% slippage due to thin liquidity in the relevant trading pools, leaving the wallet with only about 327 aEthAAVE tokens, worth roughly $36,000 after the trade. The difference of the value was quickly captured by arbitrage traders and network intermediaries.
Large losses caused by slippage occasionally occur in decentralized finance (DeFi) when traders attempt to execute unusually large orders against shallow liquidity pools. In such cases, automated arbitrage systems rapidly exploit the price dislocations created by the trade.
Stani Kulechov, founder of the Aave protocol, said the trade went through despite multiple warnings presented to the user before confirming the transaction.
“Earlier today, a user attempted to buy AAVE using $50M USDT through the Aave interface,” Kulechov said in an X post. “Given the unusually large size of the single order, the interface warned the user about extraordinary slippage and required confirmation via a checkbox.”
According to Kulechov, the user accepted the warning on their mobile device and proceeded with the trade, explicitly acknowledging the risk of high slippage.
“The transaction could not be moved forward without the user explicitly accepting the risk,” he said, adding that the CoW Swap routers functioned as intended and followed standard industry practices.
Still, the outcome was “clearly far from optimal,” Kulechov said.
Kulechov said Aave plans to contact the affected user and return roughly $600,000 in fees collected from the transaction.
The loss comes just few days after about $27 million was liquidated on Aave, in what some market participants say may have been caused by a temporary pricing issue involving the token wstETH.
Regulatory dynamics in Washington are once again taking center stage for crypto markets. Senate Majority Leader John Thune indicated he does not expect the chamber to advance digital asset market structure legislation before April, shifting focus instead to partisan and bipartisan priorities that could influence how crypto is overseen in the years ahead. The development underscores a persistent theme: while lawmakers talk about bringing clarity to the sector, procedural hurdles and competing political priorities are likely to dictate the pace of progress. In the near term, Thune signaled that the SAVE America Act, a voter-ID proposal, would move first, with the market-structure bill following afterward as part of a broader legislative agenda.
Thune’s remarks, reported by Punchbowl News, frame a timetable in which a separate, widely watched market structure bill—often discussed under the CLARITY Act umbrella in various forms—may not reach a floor vote until at least the April window. The senator said the bill could emerge from the Banking Committee soon, but a concrete floor timetable remained unclear. The discrepancy with alternative expectations from other lawmakers reflects the Senate’s broader struggle to reconcile diverse viewpoints on how digital assets should be regulated, how tokenized securities and stablecoins should be treated, and what kind of ethics standards should govern market participants.
The dynamic is complicated by competing political statements within the Senate. Ohio Senator Bernie Moreno, for instance, had suggested in February that market structure could advance in April, contrasting with Thune’s more cautious timeline. The Senate Agriculture Committee has moved its parallel version of the bill forward, but a crucial January markup — a procedural step needed to assemble the legislation for a floor vote — faced delays in the Senate Banking Committee. The result is a foggy path to a unified framework that can command bipartisan support and clear regulatory authority for the key markets and products involved.
In parallel with the market-structure debate, the Senate took up a housing bill amendment aimed at halting a central bank digital currency (CBDC). If the provision passes and becomes law, the CBDC prohibition would be active through December 2030. The amendment’s inclusion in the 21st Century Road to Housing Act has underscored how digital currency policy can intersect with broader economic policy, potentially affecting how central-bank innovations are evaluated and deployed. The CBDC ban is a notable flashpoint, illustrating the high-stakes nature of regulatory choices around digital currencies and the Fed’s potential role in a future payments landscape.
What’s at stake in the market structure bill?
The market structure bill has long been framed as a way to grant the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) broader oversight over digital assets, derivatives, and related markets. Its supporters argue that a clear regulatory framework would reduce ambiguity and improve investor protections, while critics warn of overreach that could hinder innovation and create compliance costs for startups and incumbents alike. In committee discussions, questions have centered on tokenized equities, ethics provisions, and stablecoin yield, all areas where lawmakers have expressed concerns about consumer protections, market fairness, and operational risk.
President Trump recently accused banks of holding the bill hostage, signaling that the interplay between industry stakeholders and policymakers remains volatile. The White House has hosted three meetings between crypto and banking representatives, but as of the latest reports, there was no consensus to move the market-structure package forward. The tension between executive priorities and congressional schedules has helped keep the sector’s regulatory outlook in a state of flux, with market participants watching for any sign of a breakthrough or a further stalemate.
The debate also touches on the broader question of how the United States should balance innovation with oversight. Industry participants have argued for a framework that supports responsible growth and investor protection, including clearer definitions of digital assets, guidance on tokenization, and robust safeguards around stablecoins. Lawmakers, meanwhile, are weighing how to tailor regulatory authority across agencies and how to harmonize federal standards with state-level initiatives. The CLARITY Act, which previously cleared the House in July, remains a reference point in discussions about a comprehensive regime, even as Senate negotiators press for amendments that satisfy both sides.
Why it matters
For crypto users and investors, the Senate’s pace on market structure legislation translates into a longer horizon for regulatory clarity. A clear, well-structured framework can reduce execution risk, improve market integrity, and help traditional financial institutions weigh crypto exposure with more confidence. Conversely, further delays or a lack of consensus could perpetuate a climate of regulatory ambiguity, potentially dampening liquidity as market participants delay product launches, listings, or innovative offerings until a stable path forward emerges. The CBDC debate adds another layer of strategic risk, given the potential implications for how digital currencies could coexist with private-sector options and decentralized finance ecosystems.
Beyond traders and exchanges, the outcome will influence builders—startups, liquidity providers, and infrastructure developers—who rely on predictable, transparent rules to design and deploy products. A mature policy framework could spur experimentation in areas such as tokenized assets, cross-border settlement, and compliant custody solutions, while a protracted deadlock might incentivize players to relocate parts of their operations to more certain regulatory environments. For policymakers, the challenge is to craft rules that protect consumers and investors without stifling innovation or driving capital offshore. The current debate underscores the extent to which digital asset markets have become a partisan issue, even as they attract bipartisan attention due to consumer demand, market dynamics, and competitive considerations in a rapidly evolving financial landscape.
What to watch next
- Next week: the SAVE America Act advances to the floor, potentially shifting parliamentary attention away from market structure temporarily.
- February–April window: the Banking Committee’s markups and the timing of a formal clause-by-clause path for the market structure bill remain uncertain.
- CBDC-related provisions: tracking whether amendments to the housing bill gain support and whether the CBDC prohibition remains in force through 2030.
- Committee dynamics: observers will monitor whether tokenization, ethics standards, and stablecoins gain clearer language in subsequent drafts.
Sources & verification
- Punchbowl News: Report on Thune’s comments and the scheduling of the SAVE America Act and market structure bill (https://punchbowl.news/article/finance/economy/housing-bill-drama/).
- CNBC: Article on Trump and the SAVE America Act and Senate discussions (https://www.cnbc.com/2026/03/12/trump-save-america-act-senate-2026-elections.html).
- Cointelegraph: Discussion of the Crypto US Clarity Act andBernie Moreno’s stance (https://cointelegraph.com/news/crypto-us-clarity-act-coinbase-brian-armstrong-bernie-moreno).
- Cointelegraph: Report on the CBDC ban amendment and its housing-bill context (https://cointelegraph.com/news/us-senate-votes-cbdc-ban-amendment).
Market reaction and key details
The stalled momentum around a comprehensive crypto market-structure package reflects a broader liquidity and risk sentiment environment shaped by regulatory uncertainty. While there is bipartisan interest in providing clarity for digital assets, the pathway remains obstructed by deeply held views on how to address tokenized equities, stablecoins, and governance ethics. The Senate’s focus on the SAVE America Act signals a prioritization of voter policy matters that can affect election dynamics and, by extension, fiscal and regulatory discourse around crypto. With the House’s CLARITY Act version already cleared in the prior session, senators are weighing how to reconcile differences that can affect enforcement, investor protections, and the scope of oversight for automated trading and derivatives markets tied to digital assets.
As the White House hosts meetings between crypto and banking representatives, the absence of a final accord demonstrates the complexity of achieving cross-cutting reforms that satisfy diverse stakeholders—from consumer advocates to financial incumbents. In practical terms, a protracted process could keep certain crypto products in a regulatory limbo, delaying new product launches or exchange listings that hinge on definitive compliance standards. However, even amid delays, the policy conversation remains a catalyst for price discovery, risk assessment, and strategic planning within the broader crypto ecosystem, where participants continuously weigh regulatory signals against market fundamentals.
In the background, the CBDC amendment to the housing bill adds a distinct dimension to policy debates: it embodies the current administration’s stance on central bank money and its potential implications for competition, financial stability, and monetary policy. Should the amendment persist through legislative scrutiny, it would send a clear message about the boundaries of central-bank digital currencies in the United States, at least through the 2030 horizon, while leaving room for private-sector innovation in digital payments. The evolving picture invites market participants to monitor not only committee votes and floor debates but also executive-branch messaging and regulatory posture as the year advances.
What to watch next
- Tracking the SAVE America Act’s progress in the Senate and any scheduling moves that could affect the crypto market-structure debate.
- Updates on the Banking Committee’s markup timeline for market structure legislation and whether a compromise emerges before April.
- Signals on CBDC-related amendments within the housing bill and potential implications for digital currency policy.
The TradFi giant’s iShares Staked Ethereum Trust ETF is its first yield-bearing exchange-traded product.
BlackRock today debuted the iShares Staked Ethereum Trust ETF (Nasdaq: ETHB) — the firm’s first crypto exchange-traded fund to incorporate staking and its third spot crypto ETF overall.
In a press release from BlackRock today, March 12, the world’s largest asset manager, with $14 trillion in AUM, said that ETHB will stake “a portion of its ether holdings.” Per the asset manager’s dedicated webpage for the fund, Coinbase Prime will provide ETH custody — and presumably staking services.
The Defiant first reported when BlackRock registered its staked Ethereum ETF last November, which came about four months after the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) acknowledged BlackRock’s filing to permit staking in its Ethereum ETFs.
ETHB is BlackRock’s first yield-bearing ETF, though it’s not first to market among staked ETH funds in the U.S. REX-Osprey launched ESK — the first U.S. staked ETH ETF, under the 1940 Act — in September 2025, and Grayscale enabled staking on its ETH and SOL products in October, as The Defiant reported.
The broader push dates back to March of last year, when Cboe proposed adding staking to existing Ethereum ETFs.
BlackRock is the dominant crypto ETF issuer by net assets across both its spot ETH and BTC ETFs. The firm’s spot Ethereum ETF, ETHA, holds just under $6.6 billion in net assets as of March 11, per data from SoSoValue. That represents more than 50% of the U.S. Ethereum ETF market, which currently stands at $11.85 billion.
Among spot Bitcoin ETFs, BlackRock’s IBIT commands over $55 billion — also well over half of the $90.89 billion in total net assets across all spot BTC ETFs trading in the U.S., per SoSoValue.
After a multi-day net outflow streak, Ethereum ETFs saw net inflows over the past two trading days, recording over $57 million in inflows yesterday, March 11.
Meanwhile, today, spot ETH is trading just over $2,060 at publishing time, per data from The Defiant’s price tracker.
Despite ETH stagnating in a tight range in recent months, the amount of ETH staked on the network continues to break new highs, reaching over 37.6 million ETH as of March 11.
This article was written with the assistance of AI workflows. All our stories are curated, edited and fact-checked by a human.
Executives at Coinbase have denied allegations that the crypto exchange is blocking a de minimis tax exemption for Bitcoin (BTC) transactions below a certain threshold to push for stablecoin tax exemptions.
Several Bitcoin advocates speculated on social media that the exchange told US lawmakers that a BTC tax exemption is not needed because BTC is not widely used as a medium of exchange.
Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong responded by calling the allegations “totally false” and a form of misinformation.
“I’ve spent a bunch of time lobbying for Bitcoin’s de minimis tax exemption, and will continue doing so. It’s obviously the right thing,” he said.
In separate posts, Paul Grewal, chief legal officer at Coinbase, said, “We’ve never lobbied against BTC,” while Faryar Shirzad, the crypto exchange’s chief policy officer, echoed the statement.
Cointelegraph reached out to Coinbase, but the company declined to comment beyond the responses made by its executives.
Tax policy is one of the main impediments to Bitcoin’s use as a payment method, according to advocates for the biggest crypto, as every sale or transfer would trigger a taxable event, prohibiting its use as an electronic cash system.
Related: Wyoming Senator revives crypto tax exemption debate amid market structure talks
BTC advocates and pro-crypto lawmakers push for BTC tax exemption
In July 2025, US Senator Cynthia Lummis introduced a bill proposing a de minimis tax exemption for cryptocurrency transactions of $300 or less, with a $5,000 annual exemption cap.
However, the bill failed to gain traction, and the de minimis exemption for BTC transactions is not included in the CLARITY Act draft legislation, according to advocacy group the Bitcoin Policy Institute.
Instead, the tax exemption will apply only to US dollar-pegged stablecoins, according to Conner Brown, the managing director for the Bitcoin Policy Institute.
Washington, DC-based crypto advocacy group Blockchain Association also outlined a crypto tax proposal and submitted the plan to US lawmakers in February.
The proposal called for exemptions on “low-dollar” crypto transactions, but did not specify a dollar amount.
“A meaningful de minimis exemption for digital asset transactions would eliminate disproportionately onerous reporting for individual taxpayers,” the proposal said.
Magazine: Bitcoin is ‘funny internet money’ during a crisis: Tezos co-founder
The European Union’s recently-adopted Markets in Crypto Assets (MiCA) regulations is beginning to reshape the region’s digital-asset industry, creating new opportunities and barriers for firms seeking to operate across the bloc, a Swiss-based crypto wealth platform said.
Swissborg, which boasts one million registered users and $1.3 billion in assets under management (AUM), is among the companies betting that the shift will strengthen Europe’s role in regulated digital-asset markets after securing its MiCA license.
“The economics of crypto brokerage can be challenging during softer market cycles, and some global platforms may reassess where they allocate capital and operational resources,” SwissBorg Chief Operating Officer Jeremy Baumann told CoinDesk.
Over time, that could lead to “a market composed of fewer but more resilient players. MiCA raises the regulatory and operational standards required to serve European clients, which may reduce the number of lightly structured players,” he said, referring to Gemini’s recent EU exit.
Baumann also said that when global exchanges reduce their presence in the EU, “it opens space up for other European players to strengthen their positioning.”
SwissBorg suffered an exploit it said affected fewer than 1% of its users in September 2025. It reported 192,600 SOL ($41.5 million) was stolen from an external wallet used exclusively for its SOL Earn strategy. The exploit stemmed from a partner’s compromised application programming interface (API) and not a hack of the SwissBorg platform, they claimed.
The evolution of yield and staking
Baumann said he expects yield and staking products to evolve toward clearer disclosures, stronger risk management and more standardized structures.
“The framework around stablecoins is more detailed and will shape how certain yield models are designed and distributed,” said Baumann, whose mid-level exchange currently has roughly $800 million in total value locked (TVL), according to Defilama data.
Baumann also said regulatory clarity could gradually support greater institutional participation, adding that for now the European digital-asset market remains largely retail-driven
“Traditional financial institutions can play all three roles,” Baumann said. “They have strong distribution capabilities and regulatory expertise, which naturally makes them competitors in some areas, but there are also opportunities for partnerships.”
EU regulators seek clear stablecoin rules
Baumann also pointed to ongoing policy debates around stablecoins and yield products. While much of that discussion is currently centered in the United States, European regulators are focusing primarily on defining clear rules around issuance, reserves and distribution.
“As the market matures, yield solutions are likely to evolve toward more transparent and better structured models that balance innovation with financial stability,” he said.
SwissBorg sought authorization in France, which is widely viewed as one of Europe’s stricter regulatory jurisdictions. The approval validates the company’s internal controls, risk management systems and safeguards for user assets, according to the firm.
The company plans to migrate its European operations from its current Estonian entity to the newly authorized French crypto-asset service provider (CASP) entity in the coming months once operational readiness is confirmed, initially targeting major crypto markets including Germany, the Netherlands, Italy and Spain.
Goldman Sachs has delayed its prediction for the first Federal Reserve rate cut to September 2026, potentially putting pressure on the crypto market.
Summary
- Goldman Sachs now expects the first Fed rate cut in September 2026, later than its earlier June forecast.
- Inflation forecasts were raised, with headline PCE seen reaching 2.9% by the end of 2026.
- Higher-for-longer rates could pressure the crypto market, as tighter liquidity often weighs on risk assets like Bitcoin.
Goldman Sachs has pushed back its forecast for when the Federal Reserve could begin cutting interest rates, warning that rising inflation risks tied to oil prices and geopolitical tensions may delay monetary easing.
In a note released on March 12, the investment bank said it now expects the first 25-basis-point rate cut in September 2026, followed by another reduction in December. Earlier projections had placed the first cut in June.
The revised outlook comes as financial markets remain uneasy about the economic impact of the ongoing conflict between the U.S. and Iran, which has raised fears of supply disruptions in global oil markets.
Inflation forecasts move higher
Goldman also raised its inflation expectations for 2026. The bank now sees headline PCE inflation reaching 2.9% by the end of the year, an upward revision of 0.8 percentage points. Core PCE inflation is projected to rise to 2.4%, while the forecast for U.S. GDP growth was trimmed to 2.2%.
Higher energy prices are the main driver of the shift. The bank now expects Brent crude to average around $98 per barrel in March and April, roughly 40% above the 2025 average. In a scenario where disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz last for a month, prices could climb above $110 per barrel.
Goldman estimates that a 10% increase in oil prices could push headline inflation up by about 0.2 percentage points.
At the same time, the firm pointed to signs of a gradually softening labor market. If employment conditions weaken more quickly than expected, earlier rate cuts could still happen, analysts said.
Traders currently assign roughly a 41% probability to a September rate cut.
What delayed rate cuts could mean for crypto
Shifts in interest-rate expectations often ripple through the digital asset sector. Cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin and Ethereum tend to perform best when financial conditions are loosening and liquidity is expanding.
A later start to the easing cycle suggests that borrowing costs could stay higher for longer. That environment typically weighs on risk-sensitive assets, including the broader crypto market.
Stronger inflation expectations can also reduce investor appetite for speculative investments. In past cycles, digital assets have often reacted to macroeconomic news in ways similar to technology stocks.
Goldman has also pointed to geopolitical risks as a growing macro factor. Oil supply shocks, the bank said, could feed inflation and keep monetary policy tighter than markets previously expected.
Macro risks remain in focus
Short-term volatility could remain elevated if inflation readings or energy prices continue to surprise on the upside. Rising oil costs tend to filter through to consumer prices over time, which could complicate the Fed’s policy path.
However, the longer-term outlook is less certain. Goldman’s base case still expects oil prices to ease toward about $71 per barrel by late 2026, which could reduce inflation pressure and re-open the door to faster monetary easing.
For the crypto market, the key variables to watch in the coming months will likely include inflation data, energy prices, and signals from the Federal Reserve about the timing of rate cuts.
BSC recently became the largest network by registered AI agents using the ERC-8004 standard, while on-chain agent activity in the ecosystem is also rising.
BNB Chain has surpassed Ethereum as the blockchain hosting the largest number of AI agents operating under the ERC-8004 standard, according to data from Agentscan and 8004scan.
Out of 89,451 total registered ERC-8004 AI agents, there are currently 34,278 on BNB Smart Chain (BSC), the BNB Chain ecosystem’s EVM-compatible blockchain network, per 8004scan. Base is the second-largest network by number of agents, with 16,549, followed by Ethereum mainnet with just over 14,000.
Data from Agentscan shows BSC leading with 39,000 agents, and Base and Ethereum nearly tied at between 28K-30K on-chain agents using the ERC-8004 standard.
The on-chain AI agent sector has seen explosive growth in recent months, and BNB Chain agents in particular have surged this month. Per an X post on March 1 citing Agentscan data, at the time, BSC had just 6.6K agents, while Ethereum was in the lead with 29K.
Per data from 8004scan, since the start of the year, the number of agents using ERC-8004 across blockchain networks has grown from 337 to nearly 130,000 — an increase of over 39,000%.
The ERC-8004 standard, launched by the Ethereum Foundation earlier this year, defines how AI agents register on-chain identities, manage wallets, and interact with smart contracts autonomously, working like an immutable ID or profile for agents that can operate across any chain that supports the standard.
More Agents, More On-Chain Activity
Last month, as the number of agents on BNB Chain surged, the number of agent transactions did as well. Looking at daily transaction volume tied to ERC-8004 agents on BSC since early February, daily transaction count just reached a high of almost 523,000 transactions on March 10, per data from Dune Analytics.
Agent-driven trading volume across decentralized exchanges on BNB Chain since February also reached a daily high yesterday, March 11, of over $18.1 million.
The Defiant was unable to verify on-chain activity data, like DEX volumes, for ERC-8004 agents across other blockchain networks.
Why BNB Chain?
Nina Rong, executive director of growth at BNB Chain, points to infrastructure fundamentals to explain why agents have proliferated in that ecosystem in particular.
“Most blockchains were designed with human users in mind,” she told The Defiant. “It doesn’t work for autonomous agents operating at machine speed, executing thousands of interactions a day.” Rong pointed to low fees and faster settlement on BSC, making micro-transactions economically viable. But, she argued that on-chain identity capabilities enabled by the ecosystem is the deeper driver.
Through ERC-8004, agents get a portable, decentralized identity. However, BNB Chain developed a second layer for the standard, dubbed BAP-578. This layer works like a reputation standard built on the ERC-721 NFT format, giving each agent a verifiable, tradeable on-chain track record — something Rong describes as unique to BNB Chain.
“When you put all of that together – the speed, the economics, the identity layer, the reputation infrastructure – BNB Chain isn’t just compatible with the autonomous agent economy. It’s designed for it,” Rong told The Defiant.
The Bigger Picture: What Agents Are Actually Spending
The agentic economy is still nascent, and even its measurement is contested. As a16z crypto partner Noah Levine noted in an X post just yesterday, Bloomberg cited $24 million in AI agent payments over a 30-day period via the cross-chain x402 payment protocol — but on-chain data from Allium put the figure at $3 million, shrinking to $1.6 million after filtering wash trades, per Artemis.
Per Levine, most agentic economic activity centers on developer tools: web scraping, browser sessions, image generation, billed per query with no account required.
Google recently unveiled its Agent Payments Protocol (AP2), which used the x402 standard, in collaboration with 60 companies – including EigenCloud, Coinbase, the Ethereum Foundation, and MetaMask.
Security Remains an Open Question
In comments to The Defiant, BNB Chain’s Rong acknowledged it’s still early days and on-chain agent activity comes with risks.
“Agents have a long way to go in security,” she said, comparing the current moment to the early stages of any fast-scaling technology. Rong added that BNB Chain is working with security experts on tooling including scanners for OpenClaw skills and standards for wallet key management.
The challenge is already being tackled at the infrastructure level. As The Defiant reported yesterday, AI agent platform CoinFello released an open-source OpenClaw skill allowing agents to execute on-chain transactions via MetaMask without ever accessing a user’s private keys — addressing what the company describes as a core vulnerability in most current agent wallet designs, where private keys or API credentials are typically stored in plain text.
This article was written with the assistance of AI workflows. All our stories are curated, edited and fact-checked by a human.
Crypto World
Binance New Listing Announcement: DeepSnitch AI Looks Like the #1 Candidate as Midnight and Opinion Go Live Already
Binance.US just hired a compliance veteran as CEO, and for the first time in years, the exchange is ready to fight Coinbase on its home turf.
A revitalized Binance.US means one thing for early-stage projects: the most coveted listing in crypto is becoming accessible again, and you don’t get a Binance new listing announcement hype. It lists products with real utility, real users, and real traction.
DeepSnitch AI has raised $2M+, locked in 42M+ tokens through staking, and is running a live platform that traders are using today. The TGE hits Uniswap on March 31st, with a Binance new listing announcement widely expected to follow.
Binance.US names compliance-first CEO
Binance.US has appointed Stephen Gregory, a compliance veteran from Gemini and CEX.IO, as its new CEO. The appointment follows the SEC dismissing its case against Binance.US in 2023, clearing the path for re-expansion under the more crypto-friendly Trump administration.
Gregory’s compliance background is the point. After years of legal entanglement that forced Binance.US to operate as a crypto-only exchange, the company is now actively expanding into staking, DeFi, and tokenized assets.
A revitalized Binance.US matters because it reintroduces serious competition into the US exchange landscape, which has been largely dominated by Coinbase. Greater competition typically drives product innovation, tighter fees, and broader asset availability.
Top 3 Binance new listing announcements
DeepSnitch AI
The Binance new listing announcement criteria are straightforward: working product, proven user base, and demonstrated traction. DeepSnitch AI meets all three before its public launch, which is exactly what makes the Binance listing expectation credible rather than speculative.
The platform is live today. Five AI tools are fully accessible through one interface, already used by real traders, independently audited by SOLIDProof and Coinsult. That’s the pre-listing credibility Binance evaluates. Not a roadmap, not a whitepaper, but a product anyone can open and test.
The March 31st Uniswap launch is the first step. The Binance new listing announcement that follows is what the 100x projection is actually built on.
The moment DSNT moves from DEX liquidity to one of the deepest order books in the world, with a US retail audience that Binance.US is actively rebuilding access to.
Getting in at $0.04399 before that listing is the trade. After it, the entry point this article is referencing doesn’t exist anymore.
Midnight
Midnight enters the privacy blockchain space differently. Most privacy projects chase anonymity. NIGHT targets programmable zero-knowledge privacy built for finance and healthcare, where selective data disclosure makes it compatible with regulated institutions.
The Cardano partnership adds inherited security and liquidity, advantages that take years to build independently. If compliance-friendly privacy smart contracts gain traction in regulated sectors, NIGHT’s addressable market grows far beyond typical DeFi territory.
Opinion
Opinion targets a gap neither traditional nor decentralised finance has solved: trading directly on macroeconomic outcomes like Fed rate decisions. OPN converts real-world event probabilities into standardised, tradable shares.
The architecture holds up. The four-layer Opinion Stack combines a live prediction exchange, a decentralised AI oracle, unified liquidity pools, and cross-chain interoperability via LayerZero across BNB Chain and Ethereum.
The OPN token ties directly into platform mechanics: premium data access, governance rights, and fee discounts. Value follows usage, not sentiment.
Closing thoughts
Binance.US returning to full strength means the most valuable listing in crypto is back in play for US retail investors, and the projects that get the first Binance new listing announcements are the ones already meeting the criteria today.
DeepSnitch AI goes live March 31st on Uniswap with five AI agents, $2M+ raised, and 193% presale gains behind it. Midnight and Opinion are building toward something real. DSNT is already there.
Visit the official website for more information, and join X and Telegram for community updates.
FAQs
What is the latest Binance new listing investors should know about in 2026?
No official Binance listing announcement has been made for DSNT yet, but DeepSnitch AI’s working platform, independent audits, $2M+ raised, and confirmed March 31st Uniswap launch make it the strongest candidate.
What criteria does a Binance listing typically require from new projects?
Real products, proven user bases, and demonstrated community traction, all of which DeepSnitch AI has established before its public launch, including independent audits from SOLIDProof and Coinsult and 193% presale gains.
Which upcoming listings are generating the most anticipation among retail investors right now?
DeepSnitch AI leads with a confirmed Uniswap debut on March 31st, Binance listing widely expected to follow, and a live platform already accessible today. Midnight’s compliance-privacy angle and Opinion’s prediction market architecture are credible projects, but neither has the pre-launch traction DSNT brings to a listing conversation.
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.
US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Commissioner Hester Peirce said regulators should avoid micromanaging markets and consider simplifying disclosure requirements as discussions around tokenized securities continue.
Peirce, often referred to as “Crypto Mom” for her generally supportive stance toward the digital asset industry, made the remarks Thursday during a speech to the SEC’s Investor Advisory Committee, warning that overly prescriptive rules can distort how capital flows through financial markets.
Citing Adam Smith, the 18th-century economist widely regarded as the father of modern economics, Peirce argued that regulators should exercise restraint when shaping market outcomes.
She said public companies often spend excessive time preparing mandated disclosures that may obscure rather than clarify information for investors, suggesting the SEC should consider streamlining disclosure rules.
Although the speech addressed broader regulatory issues, Peirce also pointed to the growing debate around tokenized securities and blockchain-based financial infrastructure.
She noted that SEC staff continue to work on a potential “innovation exemption” that could allow limited experimentation with tokenized securities while regulators assess how existing securities laws apply to blockchain-based markets.
Peirce also questioned whether additional disclosure and intermediary requirements would be necessary for tokenized securities, noting that blockchain systems could enable faster settlement and, in some cases, transactions without traditional intermediaries.
Related: Can US lawmakers pass crypto market structure before the midterms?
Tokenization gains traction at SEC
Tokenized securities have become an increasingly prominent topic for the SEC. Chair Paul Atkins said last year that he views tokenization as a major financial “innovation” that regulators should encourage rather than constrain.
The agency took a step in that direction in December, when it issued a no-action letter to the Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation (DTCC) allowing the market infrastructure provider to explore a blockchain-based tokenization service for securities.
The letter effectively signaled that the regulator would not recommend enforcement action if DTCC proceeded with certain tokenization-related activities, opening the door for the company to develop infrastructure to support blockchain-based settlement of traditional securities.
The regulatory discussions around tokenization are also unfolding alongside broader policy debates in Washington over crypto market-structure legislation, which could eventually shape how digital assets are overseen in the United States.
Related: SEC chair calls for ‘coordinated oversight‘ between US regulators
BTC, ETH, and major altcoins are mostly unchanged over the past 24 hours.
Crypto markets held their ground on Thursday while U.S. stocks dropped and oil rallied.
Bitcoin (BTC) is trading at around $70,200, unchanged over the past 24 hours. Meanwhile, ETH is also flat at $2,070, and SOL is down 1% to $86.
The overall crypto market capitalization slipped 0.2% to $2.48 trillion, according to Coingecko.
Crude oil (WTI) is inching back towards $100 per barrel despite yesterday’s pledge from the International Energy Agency (IEA) to release 400 million barrels from emergency stockpiles.
The S&P 500 and the Nasdaq dropped 1.5% and 1.8%, respectively, amid concerns about a downturn in private credit after Morgan Stanley became the latest fund manager to limit redemptions.
Most of the Top 100 digital assets posted minor losses over the last 24 hours.
Today’s top gainers are Pi Network (PI), which rallied 14%, followed by RENDER, which climbed 10%.
Canton (CC) and Zcash (ZEC) are the biggest losers
Around 67,000 leveraged traders were liquidated for $156 million in the past 24 hours, according to CoinGlass. Bitcoin accounted for $54 million, while ETH positions made up $42 million.
Bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs) recorded inflows of $115 million on Wednesday, marking a third straight day of gains.
Trump says as largest oil producer, US benefits when oil prices rise
Crypto trader lost nearly all of $50 million in one botched DeFi transaction
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