Bitcoin (BTC) rose back to around $71,000 on March 25 after falling below $69,000 a day earlier, as traders reacted to fresh uncertainty linked to the Middle East conflict. 

The recovery added to a mixed market session in which most large-cap altcoins posted limited daily moves. The broader crypto market also moved higher. Total market capitalization added about $20 billion in one day and approached $2.53 trillion, while Bitcoin’s market share held near 56.5%.

Bitcoin faced pressure over the past week after it failed to hold the $76,000 level. The pullback pushed the asset down to $69,000 last Thursday, with market sentiment turning cautious after the Federal Reserve kept interest rates unchanged and geopolitical tension increased.

The asset later bounced to $71,000 over the weekend, but another wave of selling followed after Donald Trump made statements about Iran. Bitcoin then fell back to $69,000 on Tuesday before recovering again to around $71,000 at press time.

The latest price swings came as traders responded to reports tied to the Middle East conflict. Trump said he would “pause all military actions against Iran’s power plants” and claimed both sides had reached a “deal.”

Iranian officials rejected those claims, which added more uncertainty to the market. Bitcoin briefly moved higher after Trump’s remarks, then lost momentum after the denial and the release of more disputed reports from the war front.

Altcoins Post Mixed Daily Performance

Most major altcoins traded in a narrow range during the session. Ethereum moved close to $2,200 after a small daily gain, while BNB neared $650. XRP held the $1.40 support level, and Solana climbed back above $90.

Among the larger-cap assets, Stellar posted one of the strongest gains. XLM rose about 8% to $0.18, while HYPE advanced more than 6% and traded above $40.

SIREN remained one of the most active tokens in the market. The AI-linked asset had surged to a record high of $3.65 after several triple-digit moves, then dropped by more than 70% before rebounding again.

At press time, SIREN traded near $2.20 after gaining more than 100% in one day. The move came as community members continued to question the token’s purpose and wallet concentration.

Aave Labs plans to use idle liquidity in its lending system to generate extra yield as it moves closer to its V4 upgrade. 

According to a blog post, the firm said the new Reinvestment Module will deploy unused funds into low-risk strategies while keeping assets available for withdrawals and borrowing. The update comes as Aave also moves through governance changes tied to the V4 rollout.

Aave Labs said a large share of capital on the protocol sits unused at any given time. Out of about $20 billion in stablecoin deposits, roughly $6 billion remains idle to support instant withdrawals and loan demand.

The firm said V4 will address that gap through a new Reinvestment Module. The module will monitor unused liquidity and direct part of it into approved strategies that can generate added returns without locking user funds.

Under the V4 design, a central liquidity hub will collect supplied assets and route them across lending markets, also called spokes. Each spoke will operate with its own rules, use cases, and risk settings.

When excess liquidity builds up, the Reinvestment Module will allocate capital into strategies approved through governance. These may include short-term Treasuries, money markets, and delta-neutral trades. When borrowing demand rises again, the module will pull capital back and rebalance automatically.

Furthermore, Aave Labs said the system will be configured for each asset separately. Stablecoins, ether, and other supported assets may follow different strategies, limits, and activation settings based on the asset profile.

For users, the change is meant to stay in the background. Depositors will still be able to access funds without lockups, while idle reserves may earn added yield. Aave said, 

“The module also makes Aave more useful to institutions and protocol integrators by increasing yields and adding strategy flexibility.”

V4 advances as governance changes continue

The firm said historical data suggest the approach could improve returns. Based on Aave’s estimates, reinvesting excess stablecoin liquidity at rates close to SOFR would have raised average yields from about 4% to 4.9%.

At the same time, the Aave DAO has advanced a request-for-comment proposal tied to V4 deployment. The upgrade now moves closer to launch as several long-time contributors, including BGD Labs and the Aave Chan Initiative, prepare to step back. 

These exits came during a governance dispute and broader changes pushed by founder Stani Kulechov to speed up the V4 path and tighten DAO control over resources.

Opinion by: Xin Yan, co-founder and CEO of Sign.

Financial exclusion remains one of the most persistent challenges for national governments. World Bank data highlights how more than 1.3 billion adults remain unbanked, without access to a financial account. These people rely on cash, creating a ‘cash-digital divide’, which excludes them from the formal economy.

To bridge the divide, governments need to promote CBDCs actively. As a trusted, risk-free alternative to physical cash, CBDCs are ideal instruments for the financially excluded demographic. With a seamless entry point to the financial ecosystem, mass adoption of CBDCs is a vital catalyst and a foundational pillar for achieving universal financial inclusion.

Wider access to financial institutions is key to stimulating a country’s growth. As more people invest and participate in the formal economy, the total capital base will expand, leading to greater financial stability. Further, bringing people within the formal economy ensures the benefits of policy rate changes reach the masses, bolsters regulatory oversight and prevents fraud.

Most people within the low-income demographic depend on cash payments because cash is easy to use, accepted everywhere, does not incur transaction charges and functions as a trusted medium of exchange. 

The infrastructure needed to handle cash creates a gap between the unbanked population and the formal economy.

Financial inclusion as government policy

Establishing physical touchpoints to manage, store and handle cash at remote locations is resource-intensive. That’s why most service providers back out of offering cash-dependent financial services due to the high operational expenses.

Cash transactions also don’t leave a digital record, leading to an information vacuum for financial service providers. Consequently, institutions club the entire unbanked population as a high-risk group, denying access to insurance and credit markets.

Related: US lawmakers warn temporary CBDC ban isn’t enough, demand ‘permanent’ block

The lack of access to affordable digital payments and the absence of transaction history erode financial well-being and hinder a country’s economic growth. In this scenario, widespread access to formal financial services becomes an important government agenda.

Some central banks consider financial inclusion to be a key component of their mandate and adopt policies to ensure universal access to the formal economy. To this end, some central banks have considered issuing CBDCs to fast-track the process of developing an inclusive financial ecosystem.

CBDCs can accelerate financial inclusion

According to a 2023 study by Kosse and Mattei referenced by the IMF, about 60% of emerging and low-income countries consider financial inclusion to be one of the top three motivations for issuing a CBDC. The high confidence in CBDC stems from its properties to become the ideal bridge to the formal economy for the unbanked demographic.

CBDCs can operate via a two-tier distribution model. This model allows both commercial banks and non-banking entities to reach the financially excluded demographic. Besides expanding the financial ecosystem’s reach, non-banking intermediaries lower the high overhead costs of legacy branch-based banking.

As a significant portion of the unbanked population doesn’t have stable internet or mobile connectivity, offline transaction support is necessary. Experts have noted how CBDCs are being designed to support robust offline capabilities. Exploring high-potential technologies for short-range communication ensures resilient CBDC payments in remote areas where there is limited connectivity.

As a public-sector digital infrastructure, CBDCs are designed to prioritize public welfare over commercial profit. Stripping away the bloated overhead of legacy intermediary layers, CBDCs enable a highly optimized cost structure.

Instead of burdensome charges, users benefit from marginalized transaction costs that are de minimis, ensuring the network remains both accessible to the unbanked and economically resilient for the sovereign issuer.

Moreover, the underbanked population is more likely to trust CBDCs as a digital alternative to cash because they are aided by a credible institution. Unlike the liquidity constraints of private financial entities, CBDCs will always remain a direct liability of the central bank, making them somewhat safe.

Most importantly, CBDCs provide a portal for the financially excluded population to participate in the formal economy. It happens through the smooth exchange of transaction data between CBDCs and the broader financial services industry.

CBDCs can support privacy-preserving data sharing, allowing users to voluntarily share their transaction history to build credit scores to access savings, credit, and insurance services.

In the absence of formal credit history, lenders can use CBDC transaction data as a legitimate source to evaluate financial behavior and creditworthiness. Service providers would therefore be able to measure a customer’s risk profile and verify identity to offer credit and other financial products.

Toward CBDC mass adoption

CBDC usage is subject to digital literacy, electricity infrastructure, and access to hardware. Data shows that nations have already made enormous progress on all these fronts.

The 2025 Global Findex Database from the World Bank Group has reported that 86% of adults now own a mobile phone. Also, 79% of adults now have a bank account, and 61% are making digital payments across low and middle-income economies.

The report interestingly states that “despite high mobile phone ownership and growth in account ownership, 1.3 billion people still lack financial accounts.” This group of people have phones, personal ID, and SIM cards, which are necessary for a digitally enabled account. 

Yet, they remain financially excluded from the formal economy.

In this situation, CBDCs remain one of the primary products that can offer safe, affordable, and convenient financial services to consumers.

Central banks and national governments must adopt a holistic approach and use CBDCs to help the financially inexperienced demographic integrate with the formal economy.

Opinion by: Xin Yan, co-founder and CEO of Sign.