ProCap Financial (BRR), the first publicly traded agentic finance firm, has purchased 450 bitcoin BTC$68,665.83, increasing its total holdings to 5,457 BTC.

The acquisition makes ProCap the 19th largest publicly traded holder of bitcoin, while lowering the company’s average cost basis per coin.

Chairman and CEO Anthony Pompliano said the company is executing a dual strategy, “buying bitcoin to average down our total cost basis and buying back our own stock when the market misprices it,” adding that both actions are accretive to shareholders. He noted the firm’s disciplined balance sheet has positioned it to take advantage of bitcoin’s pullback from its all time high.

ProCap also repurchased 782,408 shares of its common stock over the past 10 days at a significant discount to net asset value (NAV). The company said the discount to NAV has narrowed during that period and plans to continue buybacks as long as the shares trade below intrinsic value.

BRR shares traded over 3.75% higher during the U.S. morning on Monday, possibly buoyed by a lift in bitcoin’s price, that saw it gain more than 4.5% to sit above $68,500.

UPDATE (March 2, 13:30 UTC): Removes references to 2% lift in BRR in pre-market, qualifying that any increase is on thin volume.

UPDATE (March 2, 15:30 UTC): Adds paragraph on BRR’s price after the market opened instead of its pre-market movement.

The effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz following US-Israeli strikes on Iran has triggered an unprecedented energy supply crisis, with Asian economies bearing the heaviest burden as tanker traffic through the world’s most critical oil chokepoint grinds to a halt.

Japan and South Korea face the greatest risk, with both nations being overwhelmingly dependent on fossil fuel imports that transit the Strait.

Tanker Traffic at a Standstill

The cost of hiring a supertanker to ship oil from the Middle East to China surged to an all-time high of over $423,000 per day on Monday, doubling from Friday’s levels, according to LSEG data. Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps declared the Strait closed and warned it would fire on any vessel attempting passage.

The disruption follows the killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei in joint US-Israeli strikes on Saturday, which prompted Tehran to launch retaliatory attacks across multiple Gulf states. At least four vessels have been hit in Gulf waters, and major shipping companies and insurers have effectively withdrawn from the corridor.

Kpler confirmed that commercial operators have pulled out after insurers withdrew war-risk coverage, creating a de facto closure. Only a small number of Iranian and Chinese-flagged vessels — many operating outside Western insurance and classification systems — continue to transit.

Asia Most Exposed

Approximately 84% of crude oil and 83% of LNG transiting the Strait in 2024 went to Asian markets, according to the US Energy Information Administration. China, India, Japan, and South Korea alone account for roughly 75% of oil flows through the chokepoint.

A Zero Carbon Analytics report ranks Japan as the most vulnerable nation with a risk score of 6.4, followed by South Korea at 5.3 and India at 4.9. Japan sources 87% of its total energy from imported fossil fuels, while South Korea relies on imports for 81%.

Japan convened a National Security Council meeting to assess the situation, while South Korea’s Prime Minister ordered an emergency government-wide response.

Both countries hold substantial oil reserves as a short-term buffer. Japan’s combined public and private petroleum stockpiles cover approximately 254 days of domestic consumption, while South Korea holds over 210 days of supply.

However, LNG stockpiles tell a different story. Japan has no underground gas storage, and its terminal capacity covers just over one month of consumption, according to the IEA. South Korea faces a similar LNG vulnerability. A prolonged Strait closure would make gas shortages a more immediate threat than oil for both countries, given LNG’s critical role in power generation.

Kpler’s analysis adds that India faces the most acute near-term exposure and is likely to pivot immediately toward Russian crude, while China — which recently moderated Russian crude intake — will likely abandon that restraint if the conflict extends.

Oil Price Forecasts Diverge Sharply

Brent crude settled around $78 per barrel on Monday, up roughly 9% from Friday’s close, with analysts’ projections diverging sharply depending on the duration of the disruption.

The closure creates a dual supply shock — halting current exports while stranding OPEC’s spare capacity behind the blockade. Analyst estimates range from the high $80s under a short-lived disruption to $100–$120 per barrel if the standoff drags on, with risk premiums capable of pushing prices well beyond model forecasts.

Alternative Routes Fall Short

Bypass options are limited. Saudi Arabia’s East-West pipeline and the UAE’s Abu Dhabi pipeline together offer roughly 3.5 million barrels per day of unused capacity — less than 20% of a full closure, according to Rystad. IEA strategic reserve releases could help, but member nations account for less than half of global oil demand.

With Iran declaring “total war” on Israel and the US, the crisis underscores the fragility of fossil fuel supply chains for Asian economies — and may accelerate the push toward energy diversification.

Solana price faces increasing downside risk after repeated rejections at major resistance near $89. Failure to hold key support levels could trigger a deeper corrective move toward $57.

Solana’s (SOL) recent price action has become increasingly technical, with the market struggling to overcome a strong supply zone that continues to cap bullish momentum. Despite multiple recovery attempts, sellers have consistently defended higher levels, preventing a breakout and reinforcing range-bound conditions.

As resistance holds firm, attention now shifts toward critical support zones that may determine the next major directional move.

Solana price key technical points

• Major Resistance: $89 aligns with the value area high of the current trading range.
• Key Support: $77 value area low acts as immediate high timeframe demand.
• Downside Target: Loss of support exposes $57 high timeframe support.

Solana has experienced multiple rejections at the $89 resistance region, a level defined by the value area high within the current trading range. The repeated failure to break above this zone highlights the presence of strong overhead supply. Each rejection reinforces seller dominance and signals that buyers currently lack sufficient momentum to establish trend continuation.

From a price action perspective, repeated rejections at the same level often indicate distribution rather than accumulation. Markets encountering persistent selling pressure at resistance typically rotate back toward areas of lower liquidity to search for demand. In Solana’s case, the next critical level sits near $77, which aligns with the value area low and represents the immediate high timeframe support zone.

The $77 region now becomes a pivotal technical level. Holding this support would maintain the broader trading range and allow price to continue consolidating between established boundaries.

However, a confirmed breakdown below this level would signal structural weakness and increase the probability of a sharper corrective move, even as Solana DEXs deliver CEX-level pricing despite a sharp decline in trading volume, highlighting evolving on-chain liquidity dynamics.

If Solana loses $77 support, the market opens the door for a deeper rotation toward $57 high timeframe support. This level represents a major liquidity zone where previous demand entered the market. A move toward $57 would effectively complete a larger range structure, sweeping the lowest swing low where liquidity is likely resting before any potential reversal attempt.

Market structure analysis reinforces this outlook. Solana remains unable to transition into a bullish trend while resistance continues to reject price advances. The formation of lower highs near resistance suggests weakening momentum, while range dynamics imply that liquidity below price remains an attractive target.

Volume behavior also supports caution. The inability to sustain rallies above resistance without expanding bullish participation indicates that buying interest remains limited at higher prices. Until buyers demonstrate strong acceptance above resistance, downside rotations remain technically favored.

Despite the bearish risks, such corrective moves are not uncommon within broader market cycles. Large trading ranges often develop through multiple rotations between support and resistance before a decisive breakout occurs.

A potential move toward $57 could therefore represent a liquidity reset rather than a long-term trend invalidation, particularly as Step Finance winds down its Solana-based platforms following a January hack that resulted in losses of up to $40 million, adding further pressure to ecosystem sentiment.

What to expect in the coming price action:

Solana’s outlook remains dependent on the $77 support level. Holding this zone may preserve range conditions, while a confirmed breakdown increases the probability of a move toward $57 support.

Until resistance at $89 is reclaimed, bearish rejections continue to favor downside rotation within the broader structure.

Australia is home to just 26 million people, but OKX is betting the country could become one of the most important digital finance markets in the developed world if policymakers move fast enough.

A new report backed by the exchange estimates that Australia could unlock A$24 billion ($17 billion) in annual economic gains from tokenized markets, payments and assets provided lawmakers modernize licensing and market infrastructure rules.

The study by the Digital Finance Cooperative Research Centre argues that digital finance innovation could deliver gains equal to roughly 1% of GDP, driven largely by more efficient foreign exchange, capital markets, and cross-border payments.

Yet on its current regulatory trajectory, Australia is expected to capture just A$1 billion of that potential by 2030, missing out on the vast majority of the so-called digital finance dividend. The gap between A$24 billion and A$1 billion forms the core of the industry’s pitch to the government.

“It’s particularly important in Australia, where productivity is the No. 1 issue that the government is trying to track,” OKX Australia CEO Kate Cooper told CoinDesk in an interview, noting that national productivity growth has been largely flat for the past decade.

Cooper said the idea in the report came from policymakers repeatedly seeking data quantifying crypto’s impact on Australia’s economy.

OKX’s focus on Australia may seem counterintuitive at a time when many exchanges are prioritizing the U.S. — rival exchange Gemini recently left the country, as well as the U.K. and European Union — but Cooper argues the country offers a different kind of advantage.

“We have a broad strategy that is focused on what we call strategic markets, which are markets where there is a competitive advantage to entering the market onshore,” Cooper said.

The strategy hinges on regulation as a moat. In markets like Australia, where licensing standards are strict and compliance costs high, operating onshore can create a defensible position that offshore-only platforms cannot easily replicate.

For OKX, that means investing in local approvals and infrastructure to position itself for institutional flows, particularly as tokenized bonds, stablecoins and digital market infrastructure scale.

In a country with one of the world’s largest pension capital pools, Cooper explained, being regulated and embedded locally is less about retail trading volume and more about long-term access to concentrated capital.

If lawmakers enact appropriate legislation, that capital could help push Australia into the acceleration phase of digital finance adoption.

If not, Australia risks remaining in what Cooper describes as the “death spiral of proof of concepts,” capturing just a fraction of the modeled A$24 billion opportunity while the industry — and its capital — flows offshore.

BitMine stock price retreated for five consecutive months, reaching its lowest level since June last year as Ethereum and other altcoins slumped.

BMNR stock was trading at $20 on Monday, down substantially from last year’s high of $161. Still, despite this, BitMine continued its Ethereum (ETH) accumulation, a sign that Tom Lee and the team expect a rebound soon.

BitMine added 50,928 ETH tokens last week, bringing the total additions in the last 30 days to nearly 180,000. It now holds over 4.42 million, which is equivalent to 3.66% of all tokens in circulation. These tokens are now valued at over $8.5 billion.

One reason why Ethereum price dropped in February was the lingering fear that Donald Trump would attack Iran, which he did. The fear was that an attack would pump crude oil and gas prices higher and make it hard for the Federal Reserve to cut interest rates. 

Therefore, fundamentally, there is a likelihood that ETH and other coins will start rising as investors start focusing on the potential ceasefire. A Polymarket poll shows that odds of a ceasefire happening by March 31 rose to 48. Odds of a ceasefire happening by April 30 jumped to 67%.

The rising odds of a ceasefire explain why crude oil prices did not soar as much as analysts were expecting. Brent and West Texas Intermediate benchmarks rose to $78 and $72, lower than $90, which analysts were expecting.

BitMine has other potential catalysts, including Ethereum’s strong fundamentals, including the rising staking queue, falling Ethereum supply in centralized exchanges, and the rising transactions and network fees. 

BitMine stock price technical analysis points to a rebound

The daily timeframe chart shows that the BMNR stock price could be on the verge of a strong bullish breakout in the coming weeks. The two lines of the MACD indicators have formed a bullish crossover, while the Relative Strength Index has moved from the oversold level to the current 40.

BitMine stock has also formed a falling wedge pattern, which is made up of two descending and converging trendlines. The two lines are now nearing their confluence, which may lead to more upside.

If this happens, the next key target level to watch will be the psychological level at $30. On the other hand, a drop below the lower side of the wedge will point to more downside.

CRV price trades near $0.24 as LlamaLend exploit concerns weigh on short-term sentiment.

Curve DAO (CRV) token is trading at $0.24 at press time, down 3.5% over the past 24 hours. The pullback comes during a recovery attempt, with price still near the upper half of its seven-day range between $0.21 and $0.26.

CRV is up about 5% on the week but remains down 20% over the past month.

Derivatives activity has softened. Volume is down 12% to $127 million, while open interest has slipped 1.73% to $67.8 million, according to CoinGlass data.

As uncertainty persists, the drop in open interest shows that some leveraged positions are being closed rather than opened, indicating caution among traders.

LlamaLend pool exploit adds pressure

Curve Finance’s March 2 statement confirming that it is looking into an attack on the sDOLA LlamaLend markets has dampened sentiment. The issue stemmed from how the pool’s price oracle was configured, which introduced the risk of manipulation.

Blockchain security firm BlockSec had clarified that the vulnerability affected only the sDOLA–crvUSD LlamaLend pool and not Inverse Finance itself. The exploit resulted in an estimated $240,000 profit for the attacker.

Borrowers who used sDOLA as collateral were liquidated, while lenders were unaffected. sDOLA holders even saw gains due to the price distortion.

The attack relied on a flash loan. Funds were borrowed, sDOLA was redeemed and re-staked as a donation, and the pool’s pricing mechanism was temporarily distorted.

That shift pushed several positions below liquidation thresholds, allowing the attacker to liquidate them at a profit.

Curve emphasized that the core protocol contracts were not compromised. Even so, the incident has revived concerns about oracle design and integration risks within DeFi lending markets.

CRV price technical analysis

CRV continues to trade in a bearish structure. The daily chart shows a sequence of lower highs and lower lows. Price sits below the descending 50-day moving average, reinforcing the short- to mid-term downward bias.

Attempts to reclaim the 0.25–0.26 zone have failed so far, leaving overhead supply in place. Bollinger Bands expanded to the downside after a period of contraction, confirming that the latest volatility break favored sellers.

Price is now hugging the lower band, a sign that sell pressure has not fully eased. A close back above the mid-band would be the first sign of stabilization, but that has yet to occur.

The momentum is still skewed toward bears because the relative strength index is less than 50. It recently recovered from around the 30 level, but there hasn’t been any major bullish divergence. 

Immediate support sits near 0.22, which marks the lower boundary of the current range and a liquidity cluster. A daily close below that level could open the path toward the psychological 0.20 mark.

On the upside, 0.25 acts as near-term resistance. A sustained move above 0.30 would be required to break the pattern of lower highs and shift the broader structure.

XRP price continued its downtrend in February despite notable catalysts, including higher ETF inflows than Ethereum and Bitcoin, the launch of the permissioned DEX feature, and substantial inflows of real-world assets.

Ripple (XRP) token dropped to a low of $1.1137 in February, its lowest level since November 2024, and 70% below its all-time high.

Some key XRP metrics did well in February, even as the crypto market crash gained steam. For example, spot XRP ETFs added close to $60 million in inflows, while Bitcoin and Ethereum funds shed over $206 million and $369 million, respectively.

The XRP Ledger network also experienced strong inflows, with the amount of money in its real-world assets network rising by 10% to $2 billion. That amount is much higher than Solana’s $1.8 billion.

Brad Garlinghouse, Ripple’s CEO, predicted that over $10 trillion in assets would move to the network. 

He cited the ongoing surge in institutional-scale capital and a structural shift in global finance, where most assets are moving on-chain. For example, data compiled by DeFi Llama shows that the total RWA on-chain capital market capitalization has soared to over $20.8 billion.

Some of the top companies that are launching tokenized assets are blue-chip names like BlackRock, WisdomTree, Franklin Templeton, and Fidelity. 

Garlinghouse’s statement came two weeks after the developers launched Permissioned DEX, a tool allowing institutions to park the in the decentralized finance industry in a secure and regulated manner. 

Also, Ripple Labs recently received a banking charter from the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency. As such, it is positioning itself as an all-rounded platform offering various services to companies in the financial services industry.

XRP price technical analysis 

Technical analysis suggests that the XRP price remains in a technical bear market after plunging by double digits in the past few months. 

Ripple is about to form a mini death cross pattern, which happens when the 50-week and 100-week Exponential Moving Averages cross each other. This is a common bearish continuation sign in technical analysis.

The Relative Strength Index has dropped and is hovering slightly above the oversold level of 30. The Percentage Price Oscillator has also continued falling and is at its lowest level in years. It also formed a big double-top pattern at $3.38 and a neckline at $1.6143.

Therefore, despite its strong fundamentals, there is a likelihood that it will continue falling in the near term. The initial target will be at $1.1137, its lowest level in February. A move below that level will point to more downside, potentially to $1.

The Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Development included a provision temporarily barring the Federal Reserve from issuing a central bank digital currency in its bipartisan bill to boost housing in the U.S.

The “21st Century ROAD to Housing Act,” introduced Monday by Committee Chairman Tim Scott and Ranking Member Elizabeth Warren, respectively the top Republican and Democrat on the committee, aims to make it easier to build houses in the U.S.

“Not only is this bill about cutting regulatory red tape, lowering costs, and expanding housing supply while generating no new spending, but it’s about making sure people like the single mom who raised me in North Charleston, South Carolina, have even greater access to economic opportunity and the American dream of homeownership,” Scott said in a statement.

“The package includes the vast majority of the Senate’s unanimously supported ROAD to Housing Act, incorporates bipartisan housing ideas from the House, and takes a good first step to rein in corporate landlords that are squeezing families out of homeownership,” Warren said in her own statement.

Neither lawmaker mentioned the CBDC ban, which occupies just two pages in the 303-page bill. Lawmakers have included the ban in previous bills, and the House of Representatives passed it as a standalone bill last year, but it has so far not made it all the way through Congress.

“Except as provided in subsection (c), the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System or a Federal reserve bank may not issue or create a central bank digital currency or any digital asset that is substantially similar to a central bank digital currency directly or indirectly through a financial institution or other intermediary,” the section said.

It included a sunset provision for Dec. 31, 2030 and carved out an exception for permissionless, private “dollar-denominated” currencies that “fully preserve the privacy protections” of physical currency.

The White House published a “Statement of Administration Policy” supporting the bill, explicitly supporting the CBDC provision in the two-paragraph statement.

“The Administration highlights the inclusion of presidential priorities … to halt the development of a Central Bank Digital Currency that could be [sic] pose significant threats to personal privacy and liberty,” the statement said.

TLDR

• Riot stock increased on Monday as the crypto market strengthened and traders prepared for earnings.
• The share price reached $16.50 after recovering from an intraday low of $15.45.
• Analysts expected Riot’s quarterly revenue to rise by 10 percent to $158 million.
• The company previously reported $180 million in third-quarter revenue driven by mining operations.
• Riot expanded into data colocation as Bitcoin remained in a technical bear trend.

Riot stock moved higher on Monday as the crypto market gained strength, and the move came as traders prepared for new earnings results. The action pointed to growing interest in the company.

Riot Stock Advances With Market Optimism Growing

Riot Platforms traded higher during Monday’s session, and the move lifted the share price to $16.50. The stock also bounced from an intraday low of $15.45, and it stayed 40% above its February floor.

The company kept a market capitalization near $6.14 billion, and the rally aligned with a wider jump in Bitcoin and altcoins. The crypto market showed steady demand on Monday, and traders watched the stock closely for new signals.

Riot Platforms, Inc., RIOT

Wall Street projected stronger results for the firm, and analysts expected quarterly revenue to rise by 10% to $158 million. Forecasts also placed annual revenue at $658 million, and the increase suggested steady demand for mining output.

The company posted $180 million in revenue in the previous quarter, and it reported $84 million during the same period in 2024. Mining revenue climbed from $67 million to $160 million, and engineering revenue rose from $12 million to $19 million.

Riot Accelerates Data Shift Under Rising Pressure

The firm faced pressure as Bitcoin held a technical bear trend after a drop of over 40% from its peak. The crypto pullback influenced miners broadly, and the company worked to navigate a shifting environment.

The group expanded into data colocation to support new growth, and the sector saw rising investment from enterprise clients. This move created another income stream, and it aligned with the broader shift toward high-density compute facilities.

The company secured 200 acres in Texas for future sites, and the expansion supported long-term mining plans. The firm also signed a data center leasing agreement with AMD for 25 MW of IT capacity, and the partnership created new revenue options.

Pressure also increased from Starboard Value, and the group pushed for a faster transition toward data center operations. It urged the company to roll out more sites, and the approach targeted a stronger appeal to hyperscale clients.

Peer firms such as IREN secured deals worth over $10 billion, and these agreements reflected growing demand for high-capacity compute services. Likewise, CoreWeave reported a backlog above $50 billion, and the scale showed how the sector continued to expand.

The company’s recent activity positioned it for future contracts, and traders monitored the pace of new developments. Riot stock continued to react to crypto prices, and Monday’s move reflected the latest market shift.

Bitcoin price holds near $68,000 as short-term holders show restraint despite US-Iran war tensions.

Bitcoin (BTC) trades at $68,308 at press time, up 1.3% over the past 24 hours. The asset is positioned near the top of its seven-day range between $62,905 and $69,340, recovering from a sharp dip earlier in the week.

The larger trend, however, is still corrective. After reaching an all-time high of $126,080 in October 2025, Bitcoin has dropped about 45% from that peak. So far in 2026, it is down roughly 20%, reflecting continued pressure following last year’s rally.

Derivatives activity has increased over the past day. CoinGlass data shows trading volume rising 8.7% to $72.3 billion, while open interest has edged up 1.6% to $44.9 billion. When open interest climbs alongside price, it often suggests that new positions are being opened rather than closed.

Short-term holders are not rushing to sell

A March 1 analysis from a CryptoQuant contributor examined Bitcoin’s Short-Term Holder P&L to Exchanges metric. This indicator tracks whether recent buyers are sending coins to exchanges at a profit or a loss. Short-term holders tend to react quickly to fear-driven events and can amplify volatility.

According to the report, on Feb. 5–6, during a sharp market drop, roughly 89,000 BTC were sent to exchanges at a loss within 24 hours. That episode marked a clear capitulation from newer market participants. Since then, those loss-driven inflows have steadily declined.

The recent geopolitical escalation involving U.S. and Iran provided another stress test. Bitcoin briefly dipped toward the $63,000–$64,000 area, yet exchange inflows from short-term holders did not spike.

There was no surge in panic selling or aggressive profit-taking from this typically reactive group.

That shift is notable. Markets often stabilize once forced sellers have exited. The current data suggests much of the recent liquidation pressure may already have played out.

Selling from recent buyers has slowed, and weak hands seem to be less active. Whether or not this calm continues will be crucial going forward. 

Seller fatigue would be evident if exchange inflows from short-term holders continued to be low. A sharp increase in realized losses would indicate a resurgence of stress.

Bitcoin price technical analysis

Since January, Bitcoin has continued to move within a downward structure marked by lower highs and lower lows. The recent rebound comes after a sharp decline, and the price is currently consolidating rather than showing a strong trend in either direction. 

Bollinger Bands show that before rising, Bitcoin touched the lower band around $64,400. At $67,300, it currently trades near the middle band. The upper band, near $70,100, marks immediate resistance.

A rejection in the $70,000–$71,000 zone would keep pressure on the upside, while a strong daily close above that area could shift short-term momentum.

The relative strength index has climbed from oversold levels in the low 20s to around 47. Momentum is improving, though it has not crossed above 50, a level often associated with stronger buyer control.

The current structure resembles a sharp impulse lower followed by sideways compression, which can develop into a bear flag. If that pattern resolves downward, a return to the low $60,000s becomes plausible.

Support sits between $64,000 and $65,000. If that area fails, the next psychological level near $60,000 could come into focus.