Goldman Sachs has delayed its prediction for the first Federal Reserve rate cut to September 2026, potentially putting pressure on the crypto market.

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.

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.

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