Crypto World
Stablecoin Supply Hits $315B in Q1 as USDC Rises, USDT Falls
Stablecoins stood out as a rare bright spot in an otherwise muted first quarter for the crypto market. Fresh data from CEX.IO shows the sector expanded despite a broad downturn, underscoring their evolving role as the market’s liquidity backbone and a defensive option for investors navigating volatility.
Overall stablecoin supply climbed to a record $315 billion in Q1, rising by about $8 billion. While that is the slowest pace of growth since the final quarter of 2023, it still marks a net expansion during a period of weaker price action across digital assets. Equally notable is the share of activity they generated: stablecoins accounted for roughly 75% of total crypto trading volume in the quarter—the highest level on record and a signal of ongoing demand for a familiar, fast settlement layer in crypto markets.
Key takeaways
- Record liquidity backbone: Stablecoin supply reached $315 billion in Q1, up about $8 billion year over year, with 75% of crypto trading volume conducted in stablecoins.
- Volume vs. retail: Total stablecoin transaction volume surpassed $28 trillion, reinforcing stablecoins’ central role as the main on-chain liquidity layer, even as retail activity cooled.
- Shift in usage: Retail transfers declined 16% in Q1—the steepest drop on record—while automated activity surged, with bots driving about 76% of stablecoin transaction volume.
- Issuer divergence: USDC supply grew by roughly $2 billion, while USDT declined by about $3 billion—the first meaningful split between the two major issuers since 2022.
- Yield-driven growth amid scrutiny: The market for yield-bearing stablecoins sits around $3.7 billion, with daily trading volumes above $100 million, a dynamic drawing regulatory attention in the U.S.
Bot-driven liquidity reshapes on-chain dynamics
The data depict a notable shift in how stablecoins are used on-chain. While retail demand showed a clear pullback, the rise of algorithmic activity points to a growing involvement from institutions and sophisticated trading strategies. Bots’ dominance—accounting for roughly three-quarters of on-chain stablecoin volume—suggests that liquidity provisioning, arbitrage, and market-making have moved to the forefront of stablecoin use cases.
In a market environment characterized by tighter risk appetites, such automation can enhance price discovery and capital efficiency for major exchanges and liquidity venues. Yet it also raises questions about the resilience of demand when non-retail participants dominate flows, and about the potential for sudden shifts if algorithmic strategies recalibrate in response to evolving market conditions.
Diverging paths for the two largest issuers
Among stablecoin issuers, a clear divergence emerged in Q1. Circle’s USDC saw supply expand by approximately $2 billion, while Tether’s USDt contracted by around $3 billion. This marks the first substantive split between the two since mid-2022 and suggests a relative shift in on-chain usage toward USDC—an outcome consistent with rising USDC transfer activity observed earlier in the year.
Analysts have linked the USDC uptick to broader on-chain utility, including trading, settlement, and financial ops, aligning with data that show USDC’s growing centrality in routine liquidity operations. By contrast, the USDT contraction could reflect a combination of redemption dynamics, reserve management choices, and shifting preferences in certain liquidity pools or markets.
For market participants, the divergence underscores how issuer strategies and trusted rails can influence liquidity distribution across protocols and venues. Investors and builders should monitor whether the USDC-USDT dynamic persists, and what it signals about demand regimes for stablecoins across centralized and decentralized ecosystems.
Further context from industry coverage indicates ongoing upticks in USDC transfer activity, reinforcing the view that USDC is becoming a more prominent vehicle for on-chain finance beyond mere trading pairs.
USDC transfer activity has been cited as a notable trend in on-chain volume, a development that dovetails with the supply data described above.
Yield-bearing stablecoins: growth facing regulatory glare
Another notable dynamic in the quarter was the continued growth of yield-bearing stablecoins, a niche that has drawn heightened scrutiny in the United States. The market for these interest-bearing products sits around $3.7 billion, with daily trading volumes topping $100 million, according to CoinGecko data. The appeal is clear: yield segments can attract capital by offering enhanced returns compared with traditional stablecoins, particularly in an environment of rising interest expectations and evolving DeFi strategies.
However, the same yield-focused segment has become a focal point for policymakers and incumbents concerned about the potential risks and the regulatory framework surrounding crypto markets. Lawmakers and industry participants alike are weighing how yield offerings intersect with investor protection, banking relationships, and the broader stability of the payments and settlement stack. In parallel, traditional banks have pushed back against stablecoins that promise yields, highlighting ongoing regulatory ambiguity as a constraint on product design and market adoption.
In this context, the market data on yield-bearing stablecoins provide a meaningful barometer of how far stablecoin innovation can advance within a regulated framework while balancing the needs of retail users, institutions, and on-chain operators. The relatively modest overall size of the yield-bearing segment — about $3.7 billion — doesn’t yet imply a wholesale shift, but it does suggest that product diversification will continue to shape issuer strategies and market structure decisions in the months ahead.
For readers tracking industry momentum, these dynamics are not isolated. They intersect with broader narratives about stablecoins’ role as a settlement layer, the push toward on-chain financial operations, and the risk-reward calculus for yield-based products in a climate of regulatory review. A recent report highlighted that stablecoins had surpassed traditional payment rails in certain on-chain metrics, underscoring how deeply embedded they have become in crypto liquidity and infrastructure. Earlier analysis noted stablecoins’ growing transfer volumes relative to traditional networks, reinforcing the shift toward crypto-native settlement paradigms.
What this means for traders, users and builders
From an investment and trading standpoint, the quarter’s data suggest that stablecoins remain a critical tool for risk management, liquidity access, and calendar-driven strategies. The sheer scale of on-chain activity—$28 trillion in stablecoin transaction volume—reaffirms stablecoins as the de facto liquidity layer for a broad cross-section of on-chain activity, including arbitrage, price discovery across venues, and cross-border settlement flows.
For developers and protocol teams, the issuer divergence and the dominance of bot-driven flows offer both opportunities and cautions. Platform builders may benefit from deeper liquidity and cheaper execution, but they must consider how to design for resilience in the face of heavy algorithmic participation. Regulators, meanwhile, will likely continue scrutinizing yield-based designs and the broader stability implications of stablecoin markets within the evolving market structure debate. In the U.S., the ongoing policy discussions surrounding a crypto market structure bill and yield rules will shape product features, storage and redemption mechanics, and the viability of certain yield strategies.
What to watch next
Observers should track whether the USDC-USDT divergence persists and how it correlates with on-chain activity patterns and exchange flows. The pace of stablecoin supply growth will be telling as market conditions evolve, particularly if macro cues shift risk appetites or driving factors for demand change. Regulators’ approach to stablecoins with embedded yields will likely influence product development and institutional participation going forward. Finally, the extent to which bot-driven liquidity remains the dominant force behind stablecoin activity will be a key question for traders and market planners in the quarters ahead.
Key Highlights
- Bittensor’s TAO token experienced a near-doubling in value throughout March, reaching around $317 with a market capitalization exceeding $3 billion
- Subnet 3 of the Bittensor network unveiled Covenant-72B, a large language model with 72 billion parameters developed through over 70 decentralized nodes
- Covenant-72B achieved a 67.1 score on the MMLU evaluation, performing comparably to Meta’s Llama 2 70B model
- Grayscale submitted an amended S-1 registration statement to the SEC for establishing a Bittensor (TAO) Trust
- More than 68% of TAO’s 10.7 million token supply is locked in staking
The TAO token from Bittensor experienced remarkable growth throughout March 2026, with its value nearly doubling to reach approximately $317. This substantial price movement propelled the network’s overall market capitalization beyond the $3 billion threshold.
This significant price appreciation occurred alongside a groundbreaking technical achievement within the Bittensor network. The development team behind Subnet 3 unveiled Covenant-72B, an impressive language model containing 72 billion parameters that was trained using a network of more than 70 geographically distributed nodes.
The model demonstrated its capabilities by achieving a 67.1 score on the MMLU benchmark, an industry-standard evaluation metric for assessing large language model performance. This performance level positions Covenant-72B competitively alongside Meta’s Llama 2 70B model.
The achievement marked a significant validation point, demonstrating that decentralized, permissionless artificial intelligence training infrastructure can deliver performance metrics comparable to traditional centralized approaches. Previously, distributed training methodologies faced skepticism regarding their viability, with critics arguing they were inherently too inefficient and disjointed for practical applications.
The primary subnet token associated with this breakthrough, τemplar (SN3), experienced explosive growth exceeding 400% over the preceding month, achieving a market valuation approaching $130 million.
Expanding Ecosystem Activity Beyond Covenant-72B
The wider Bittensor subnet infrastructure experienced notable developments across multiple projects. Targon (SN4), which operates as a decentralized marketplace for GPU computational resources under Manifold Labs’ management, successfully negotiated a substantial six-figure partnership to provide infrastructure for Dippy AI’s operations, a platform serving 8.6 million active users.
The GMCI AI Index, a composite metric tracking leading AI-focused cryptocurrency tokens, experienced a 48% appreciation since early February. Bittensor holds a substantial 24.89% allocation within this index and served as the primary catalyst for the overall performance.
The index composition also features Render (RNDR) and Artificial Superintelligence Alliance (ASI), with these three assets collectively representing more than 71% of total index weighting. However, despite recent positive momentum, the index continues trading 84% below its peak valuation established during the first quarter of 2024.
Grayscale Advances SEC Registration for TAO Trust
On April 3, 2026, Grayscale filed an amended S-1 registration statement with the Securities and Exchange Commission for a Bittensor (TAO) Trust. The investment vehicle is designed as a passive holding structure that maintains TAO tokens and provides investors with exposure to the token’s price performance through tradable trust shares.
Bittensor’s circulating supply currently stands at 10.7 million TAO tokens. More than 68% of this available supply is currently committed to staking mechanisms.
The launch of Covenant-72B alongside Grayscale’s regulatory filing constitute the most significant recent catalysts for TAO token price action as of April 3, 2026.
Crypto World
Bitcoin (BTC) Dips Below $67K as Markets Enter Easter Break While Oil Hits 11% Single-Day Surge
Key Takeaways
- Bitcoin hovers near $66,600 as Good Friday shuts down CME futures and ETF trading
- Net Bitcoin demand dropped to -63,000 BTC despite record ETF and corporate buying reaching multi-month peaks
- Major holders have shifted to distribution mode, with 1,000–10,000 BTC wallets declining by approximately 188,000 BTC from highs
- U.S. equities broke their five-week downtrend, with both S&P 500 and Nasdaq posting modest weekly gains
- WTI crude oil exploded 11% to reach $111.54, marking its biggest single-day dollar increase in over four decades
As Easter weekend approaches, Bitcoin finds itself on shaky ground while traditional equity markets managed to eke out modest gains after an extended selloff.
[[LINK_START_2]]Bitcoin[[LINK_END_2]] was hovering around the $66,600 mark on Thursday as Good Friday holiday closures shuttered both CME futures and ETF trading platforms. This pause eliminates two critical demand channels precisely when buying momentum has already weakened considerably.
According to CryptoQuant analytics, 30-day apparent demand has fallen to approximately -63,000 BTC. This negative reading persists despite ETF purchases reaching roughly 50,000 BTC during the past month—the strongest level observed since October 2025.
Strategy, the prominent corporate Bitcoin accumulator, acquired approximately 44,000 BTC during this same timeframe. However, selling pressure from other market participants proved substantial enough to offset these significant inflows.
Whale Wallets Shift to Distribution
The most significant pressure indicator emerges from large-scale wallet activity. Addresses containing between 1,000 and 10,000 BTC have pivoted toward net selling behavior. Their annual balance shift declined to roughly -188,000 BTC, contrasting sharply with the positive 200,000 BTC recorded at the 2024 cycle top.
Medium-tier holders have similarly decelerated their accumulation patterns. The Coinbase Premium indicator has remained in negative territory, typically signaling diminished appetite among U.S. spot market participants.
Singapore-headquartered market maker Enflux informed CoinDesk that Bitcoin’s downside protection remains partially anchored to Federal Reserve rate cut expectations. This foundational support is currently facing significant testing.
The ISM prices-paid metric surged to 78.3 in March, reaching its highest point since June 2022. Such elevated readings diminish the likelihood of imminent rate reductions, thereby pressuring Bitcoin’s macro-supported price foundation.
ETF movement patterns already mirror this transition. The week ending March 24 recorded $296 million in net ETF withdrawals. Early April inflows have remained subdued.
CryptoQuant identified a resistance band spanning $71,500 to $81,200 for any potential recovery bounce. The upcoming critical data release is U.S. core PCE inflation scheduled for April 9.
Equity and Energy Markets
U.S. stock markets concluded the week with gains despite Thursday’s challenging trading session. The Dow Jones Industrial Average declined 61 points during Thursday’s action, yet all three primary indexes finished the week positively, ending a five-week consecutive losing streak.
The trading day was characterized by an extraordinary movement in crude oil markets. West Texas Intermediate crude concluded trading at $111.54, representing an 11% daily advance. The $11.42 dollar gain constitutes the largest single-session increase in WTI records extending back to 1983.
The price explosion followed President Trump’s address regarding the Iranian conflict situation, which failed to provide fresh details on resolving the Strait of Hormuz closure.
J.P. Morgan strategist Fabio Bassi projected that oil prices will likely maintain elevated levels throughout the second quarter. He positioned near-term risk within the $120–$130 per barrel band, noting that prices exceeding $150 remain possible should Strait disruptions extend into mid-May.
Market participants will also monitor the March nonfarm payrolls data release, scheduled for Friday despite equity market closures. Economic forecasters anticipate employment growth to rebound following February’s weather- and strike-impacted results.
Key Highlights
- ALGO climbed more than 23% to reach an 8-week peak of $0.105 following 32 citations in Google Quantum AI’s research publication
- Google’s study positioned Algorand third behind Bitcoin and Ethereum for post-quantum security initiatives
- Open interest in futures contracts spiked 55% to reach $58.9 million, while funding rates shifted to bullish territory
- Swiss banking institution PostFinance integrated Algorand, providing 2.5 million clients with direct ALGO access
- Revolut launched ALGO staking capabilities on March 30, opening opportunities for its 70+ million user base
On April 1, Algorand reached $0.105, marking its highest price point in eight weeks with daily gains exceeding 23%. This dramatic price movement occurred merely 48 hours after the cryptocurrency touched its record low.
The catalyst behind this surge was a newly published research document from Google Quantum AI. The study examined quantum computing vulnerabilities across leading blockchain networks. Algorand received 32 references throughout the paper, securing third place behind only Bitcoin and Ethereum in terms of post-quantum cryptographic development efforts.
TIL: Google Quantum AI paper confirms Bitcoin & Ethereum are currently secure.
Algorand already running post-quantum Falcon signatures in production since 2025.
Staying ahead by design. $ALGO https://t.co/8Kv5CUO28D
— Dagnum P.I. (@Dagnum_PI) March 31, 2026
By comparison, Solana and XRP garnered approximately half the number of citations. Networks like Hedera and Avalanche were completely absent from the research findings.
This acknowledgment provided Algorand with significant market visibility. Traders who had observed the token reaching historical lows interpreted the Google citation as an opportunity to acquire positions at heavily discounted prices.
Major Platform Integrations Fuel Additional Momentum
Two significant partnership announcements contributed additional upward pressure to ALGO’s price action.
PostFinance, a prominent Swiss retail banking institution, incorporated Algorand into its service offerings. The integration enables the bank’s 2.5 million account holders to purchase and store ALGO directly within their established banking infrastructure.
Additionally, Revolut introduced ALGO staking functionality beginning March 30. Given Revolut’s global user base exceeding 70 million individuals, this development substantially expands accessibility for retail participants. Increased staking activity removes tokens from active circulation, potentially creating upward price pressure in the longer term.
Derivatives market metrics confirmed the legitimacy of the price rally. Data from CoinGlass indicated that futures open interest for Algorand surged 55% within 24 hours, climbing to $58.9 million. The weighted funding rate simultaneously turned positive, indicating that long position holders were compensating short traders — a clear indication of bullish market sentiment.
Critical Price Levels Under Trader Scrutiny
Chart analysis reveals that ALGO escaped from a descending parallel channel formation that had constrained upward movement throughout early 2025. The price successfully breached the 20-day, 50-day, and 100-day simple moving averages in rapid succession.
#ALGO wants some pump👀
Broke out of the weekly falling wedge🚀
🎯1 target: 0.1935$
🎯2 target: 0.2460$$ALGO pic.twitter.com/oXiFVrSMbI— Alex Clay (@cryptclay) April 1, 2026
The supertrend indicator transitioned to green, suggesting sustained near-term bullish momentum.
The critical resistance threshold sits at $0.138, corresponding with the 200-day SMA. Successfully breaking through this barrier could pave the way toward retesting previous annual peaks.
Cryptocurrency analyst Alex Clay identified $0.1935 and $0.2460 as subsequent targets should buying interest persist at current levels.
Conversely, if ALGO retreats beneath the 50-day SMA positioned at $0.088, the breakout pattern would be negated, potentially triggering a retest of the all-time low price level.
As of April 2, Algorand’s market capitalization registered at $950.5 million, accompanied by 24-hour trading volume totaling $158.7 million.
Crypto hackers stole over $168.6 million in cryptocurrency from 34 decentralized finance (DeFi) protocols in the first quarter of 2026, falling significantly from the same period last year, according to data from DefiLlama.
The $40 million private key compromise of Step Finance in January was the largest exploit of the quarter, the data shows, followed by a smart contract manipulation that drained $26.4 million in ether (ETH) from Truebit on Jan. 8. The third-largest was a private key compromise targeting stablecoin issuer Resolv Labs on March 21.
The quarterly figure is low given that the industry saw $1.58 billion stolen in the first quarter of 2025, with the bulk coming from the $1.4 billion Bybit exploit. However, experts warn that crypto hacks aren’t tied to specific periods within a year.
Hackers are more active when industry is booming
Nick Percoco, the chief security officer at crypto exchange Kraken, told Cointelegraph that cybercriminal activity in crypto tends to rise around market and event-driven cycles rather than fixed periods.
Threat actors are also drawn to areas where liquidity is concentrated, meaning attack spikes often follow wherever value is accumulating fastest, according to Percoco.
“Bull markets, major product launches and fast-moving growth phases all create more attractive conditions for attackers because more value is at stake and new infrastructure can introduce risk,” he said.
“That said, attacks are not confined to just these periods. Vulnerabilities can be exploited in any market environment, particularly in complex or rapidly evolving systems, underlining that security in crypto must be continuous.”
Crypto attackers are a “broad and evolving mix”
North Korea-linked actors have been a persistent threat to crypto investors and Web3-native companies alike.
Hackers affiliated with the organization have been suspected of numerous attacks, including the Wednesday attack on Drift Protocol, a decentralized cryptocurrency exchange that lost an estimated $285 million to a private key leak.
Related: Hacked crypto tokens drop 61% on average and rarely recover, Immunefi report says
Percoco said the threat landscape is a mix of actors with different levels of sophistication, highly coordinated groups targeting core infrastructure, organized cybercriminal networks and opportunistic hackers scanning for weaknesses in smart contracts and client-facing systems.
“It is a broad and evolving mix, but they are ultimately targeting the same thing: global, liquid and accessible value. Targeting is rarely purely random. In many cases, attackers are deliberate in how they assess infrastructure, code, access controls and even human behavior,” he said.
“At the same time, crypto’s transparency makes it easier for opportunistic actors to spot weaknesses as they emerge. The most attractive targets tend to be those combining large concentrations of value, technical complexity and gaps in operational security.”
Security experts previously told Cointelegraph that 2026 would likely see an increase in sophisticated credential theft, social engineering, and AI-powered attacks.
Magazine: All 21 million Bitcoin is at risk from quantum computers
Big Tech firms have come together to back a new industry body focused on standardizing how AI agents handle payments across crypto and traditional rails.
Summary
- Big Tech firms including Google, Microsoft and Amazon Web Services backed the launch of the x402 Foundation to standardize AI-driven payment infrastructure.
- The Linux Foundation introduced the initiative with Coinbase, placing the protocol under an open source and nonprofit structure.
The Linux Foundation on Thursday announced the launch of the x402 Foundation, a governance initiative built around the x402 protocol, with early support from companies including Google, Microsoft, and Amazon Web Services.
The project has been developed with input from Coinbase, which originally introduced the x402 protocol. A number of financial and blockchain firms have also signaled early backing, including American Express, Mastercard, Visa, Stripe, Circle, Solana Foundation, and Polygon Labs.
Support has also come from infrastructure and commerce platforms such as Cloudflare and Shopify, along with developer-focused firms like Thirdweb and regional payment provider KakaoPay.
According to Coinbase, placing the protocol under the Linux Foundation gives it a “neutral, nonprofit home,” that could eventually help attract support from tech firms and developers compared to a company banner.
Jim Zemlin, CEO of the Linux Foundation, pointed to the internet’s history of shared infrastructure, stating that “the internet was built on open protocols,” as he made the case for adopting a similar model for AI-driven payments.
The x402 protocol is designed as an open standard that allows AI agents and web services to execute payments on their own, covering use cases such as paying for APIs, accessing data, or purchasing digital services without human intervention.
Momentum around the concept has been building alongside expectations that machine-to-machine transactions could become a dominant force in crypto payment activity.
Brian Armstrong said recently that “there will be more AI agents transacting online than humans very soon,” aligning with earlier remarks from Jeremy Allaire, who projected that “literally billions of AI agents” could be active on-chain within three to five years.
Similarly, former Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao has argued that crypto is the “native currency for AI agents,” particularly for automated payments ranging from ticket purchases to recurring bills.
However, activity tied to the x402 protocol has yet to show steady growth. Data from Dune Analytics indicates that usage surged late last year before tapering off.
Weekly transaction counts climbed to about 13.7 million during the week of Nov. 4–10, followed by another 13.66 million the week after. Activity has since cooled, with weekly volumes ranging from roughly 29,000 to 1.1 million so far in 2026, pointing to uneven adoption despite strong backing from major industry players.
Crypto World
Cantor Equity Partners II (CEPT) Receives Bullish Analyst Rating Before Securitize Deal
Key Takeaways
- Investment firm Benchmark starts coverage on Cantor Equity Partners II (CEPT) with bullish Buy rating and sets $16 price objective.
- The SPAC is preparing to complete a merger with Securitize, a tokenization platform valued at $1.25 billion.
- Securitize commands approximately 70% market share in U.S. tokenization and manages BlackRock’s $2.2B BUIDL fund.
- Securitize and the New York Stock Exchange unveiled plans for a joint tokenized securities platform offering 24/7 trading capabilities.
- Analyst estimates the addressable market for real-world asset tokenization at $300 trillion globally.
CEPT was trading around $11 at the time of writing.
Cantor Equity Partners II, Inc. Class A Ordinary Share, CEPT
Investment banking firm Benchmark has launched coverage of Cantor Equity Partners II with a bullish outlook, highlighting the upcoming combination with Miami-headquartered tokenization specialist Securitize as a significant growth driver. Research analyst Mark Palmer established a $16 price objective, which assumes Securitize will achieve $178 million in annual revenue by late 2026.
Securitize provides a comprehensive platform for converting traditional real-world assets — including equities, fixed income securities, and investment funds — into blockchain-based digital tokens. Benchmark characterizes the company as an attractive “pure-play investment opportunity in the tokenization sector.”
The business combination between CEPT and Securitize was publicly disclosed in October 2024, establishing a $1.25 billion enterprise valuation for Securitize. Following transaction completion, the merged entity will trade on the Nasdaq exchange under the new ticker symbol SECZ.
Palmer highlighted robust revenue predictability for Securitize, noting that origination fees charged to companies tokenizing assets plus ongoing servicing income provide dependable cash flow. The analyst emphasized that Securitize’s platform-agnostic approach across multiple industries represents a strategic advantage.
“Securitize is really focused on providing the process behind tokenization, from origination through servicing, in a way that’s applicable to a breadth of industry verticals,” Palmer said.
Strategic Partnerships with BlackRock and NYSE Strengthen Market Position
Securitize currently operates BlackRock’s BUIDL fund, which stands as the industry’s largest tokenized money-market product at $2.2 billion in assets under management, deployed across eight blockchain networks including Ethereum and Solana. BlackRock previously spearheaded a $47 million strategic investment round in Securitize, creating what Benchmark identifies as a meaningful competitive moat.
Just last week, Securitize and the New York Stock Exchange revealed a strategic collaboration to develop a dedicated platform for tokenized securities that will enable continuous trading around the clock. This partnership positions Securitize as a central player in modernizing American capital markets infrastructure aligned with the SEC’s “Project Crypto” regulatory framework.
Benchmark analyst Palmer contends that Securitize’s technology stack offers distinct advantages over rivals by eliminating reliance on traditional clearing systems like the DTCC. This differentiates the company from competitors such as Figure Technologies, which completed its Nasdaq listing in September 2025 with a narrower focus on tokenized home equity credit products.
Massive $300 Trillion Market Opportunity
Benchmark calculates Securitize’s total addressable market at approximately $300 trillion — representing the aggregate value of real-world assets worldwide. Since the platform works across diverse asset classes and industries, Palmer noted the company faces no artificial ceiling from vertical-specific limitations.
“The concept here really is better and faster across the board,” Palmer told Decrypt. “It’s just a matter of time before the market begins to recognize the benefits both in terms of efficiency and settlement times.”
According to Benchmark’s research, Securitize maintains roughly 70% control of the tokenization market in the United States. This dominant market position, coupled with prestigious institutional partnerships, should enable the company to expand its competitive advantage as adoption accelerates.
CEPT shares were changing hands near $11 when Benchmark released its research report, representing significant discount to the analyst’s $16 price target.
US households now have a larger share of their net worth tied to the stock market than at any point in modern history.
The figure stands at 25.63% of total household net worth, eclipsing the Dot-Com Bubble high of 19.56% and the 1968 peak of 22.01%.
The share of equities in household wealth has nearly tripled since the 2008 Financial Crisis low of 8.77%. Measured as a share of financial assets, FRED’s Q4 2025 reading puts the figure at 47.1%.
But why is this concerning? All major US indices have trended lower in 2026. The Nasdaq Composite leads losses, declining 5.84% year to date.
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The S&P 500 is down 4.0%, the Russell 1000 has dropped 3.93%, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average has declined by 3.24%.
The sell-off is further fueled by the conflict between the US, Israel, and Iran, which has disrupted energy markets and shaken investor confidence.
With the record exposure, these declines aren’t just a portfolio problem. They’re an economic one. Consumer expenditures currently represent roughly 69% of US GDP.
“A significant correction in stocks could trigger a sharp pullback in spending, particularly among higher-income households who drive a significant part of consumption,” The Kobeissi Letter wrote.
Goldman Sachs also echoed this concern in a note, estimating that a 10% stock drop in equity prices sustained through the second quarter could shave 0.5 percentage points off GDP growth.
Thus, with equity exposure at a record, a correction would carry outsized consequences. Whether this cycle resolves through a soft landing or a harder repricing may depend on how long the geopolitical turmoil continues to weigh on markets.
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Bitcoin price is bleeding, and, as neutral as it seems, many angles suggest the prediction is bearish. BTC trades just north of $66,000 Thursday, down almost 6% in a week, and on-chain data confirming a staggering $598.7 billion in unrealized losses across the holder base. The worst may not be over as Glassnode’s latest Week On-Chain report draws a structural parallel that no long-term holder wants to hear.
Around 8.8 million BTC are now held at a loss, a direct consequence of Bitcoin’s 47% drawdown from its October 2025 all-time high of $126,000. Glassnode explicitly flags a “structural resemblance to conditions observed in Q2 2022,” a period that preceded further capitulation before recovery.
Long-term holders (those holding more than 155 days) are realizing $200 million in daily losses, confirming active capitulation is underway. Meanwhile, Capriole Investments’ Apparent Demand metric sits at -1,623 BTC, deep in contraction territory, signaling that bears remain in control.
The macro picture also compounds the pressure. BTC is 24% below its 2026 yearly open of $87,500, the U.S. dollar is strengthening, and negative Coinbase Premium persists. These could only mean that U.S. institutional buyers have not returned at scale.
Discover: The best crypto to diversify your portfolio with
Bitcoin Price Prediction: Recover to $71,500 Is a Must, or a New Low Might Come?
At $66,000, Bitcoin sits at a technically fragile level. The ETF holder’s average cost basis of $83,408 looms as significant overhead resistance, a ceiling that any sustained rally must crack to confirm trend reversal.
U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs did record $1.32 billion in inflows during March 2026, reversing four consecutive months of outflows, but that institutional re-entry hasn’t yet translated into price recovery. Encouraging signal, deeply inadequate follow-through.
Whale behavior adds another bearish data point: large holders reduced positions by 188,000 BTC over the past year, consistent with broader distribution-phase dynamics. And just today, Nakamoto Inc. sold 384 BTC, incurring a $20 million loss.
— DustyBC Crypto (@TheDustyBC) March 31, 2026
JUST IN: Nakamoto Inc sells 284 BTC for $20M at a loss, originally bought near $118K per BTC pic.twitter.com/HGttRBjnEH
The invalidation level is simple: a close above $71,500 with sustained volume shifts the narrative. Below $64,000, the bear case accelerates.
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Bitcoin Hyper Eyes Early Positioning as BTC Tests Structural Support
When Bitcoin bleeds 47% from its high and $600 billion in unrealized losses pile up, the conversation naturally shifts: Where does the next asymmetric opportunity sit? Spot BTC at these levels carries overhead resistance all the way to $83,000. A long climb back to breakeven for top buyers.
Bitcoin Hyper ($HYPER) is positioning itself at the infrastructure layer where Bitcoin’s limitations have always lived: slow transactions, high fees, and zero programmability. The project will be the first Bitcoin Layer 2 with Solana Virtual Machine (SVM) integration, targeting faster smart contract execution than Solana, without abandoning Bitcoin’s security and trust model.
Its Decentralized Canonical Bridge enables native BTC transfers, while sub-second finality addresses the throughput bottleneck that has kept Bitcoin sidelined from DeFi at scale.
The presale has raised $32 million at a current price of $0.0136, with 36% APY staking rewards bonus for early participants.
For those researching the space, the Bitcoin Hyper presale details are available here.
This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial advice. Cryptocurrency investments are highly volatile. Always conduct your own research before investing.
The post Bitcoin Price Prediction: Holders to Lose $600B as Value Slides to $66K appeared first on Cryptonews.
Key Takeaways
- SOL declined 5.4% and broke beneath the $80 threshold as geopolitical uncertainty surrounding Iran escalated following Trump’s warnings
- Critical overhead resistance lies in the $82.22–$85.94 range; losing $78 support could trigger a descent toward $67
- Over $20 million in long positions were liquidated within a 24-hour window, indicating intensifying downward pressure
- The daily Relative Strength Index has fallen under 40, signaling strengthening bearish sentiment
- Technical analysts identify the $50–$60 zone as the next significant demand area should present support crumble
Solana (SOL) experienced a significant downturn during the last 24 hours, declining 5.4% and slipping beneath the $80 level as wider market sentiment deteriorated. The price decline was primarily fueled by escalating geopolitical concerns, particularly President Donald Trump’s statement threatening to strike Iran “extremely hard” in the upcoming weeks.
Oil prices surged toward $110 in response to the announcement. This increase heightened worries about inflationary pressures and prompted market analysts to adjust their forecasts regarding Federal Reserve interest rate reductions in 2026. When expectations for rate cuts diminish, speculative assets such as cryptocurrencies typically face selling pressure.
Immediate overhead resistance is positioned between $82.22 and $85.94. This area encompasses multiple Fibonacci retracement levels including 23.6%, 38.2%, and 50.0%. Any attempt to rally into this zone may encounter renewed selling pressure without substantial buyer support.
Trading Volume Surge and Liquidation Data Point to Heavy Selling
Solana’s trading volume surged by 30% during the past 24 hours, climbing to approximately $6 billion, which represents roughly 13% of the token’s circulating market capitalization. This dramatic increase suggests substantial selling activity in the market.
Liquidations of long positions surpassed $20 million during this timeframe. Should this figure exceed $25 million, it would mark one of the most challenging sessions for Solana bulls since early February, when SOL tumbled from $100 down to $78.
The daily chart’s Relative Strength Index has dropped below the 40 threshold, a technical indicator that generally confirms strengthening bearish momentum. Additionally, three consecutive sell signals have emerged on the 4-hour timeframe, suggesting that institutional participants are actively reducing positions.
A breach of the $78 support threshold could pave the way for a move down to $67, which would represent approximately a 13% decline from present price levels.
Long-Term Technical Structure Suggests Further Downside
Examining the extended timeframe, analyst James Easton presented a 14-day chart illustrating SOL trading within a contracting descending channel. The technical pattern reveals a series of lower highs and lower lows since reaching its peak during late 2024 through early 2025.
Solana had maintained robust support within the $110 to $120 range. However, that zone has now converted into resistance territory. Market analysts indicate that inability to recapture the $100–$110 region maintains downside vulnerability, with $60 followed by $50 marked as the subsequent major accumulation zones.
Each rebound attempt has thus far been unable to disrupt the pattern of declining highs. With SOL long liquidations surpassing $20 million in just the past 24 hours, short sellers hold a tactical advantage should the $78 level fail to provide support.
Riot Platforms (RIOT), a leading Bitcoin (BTC) mining and digital infrastructure company, revealed that it sold 3,778 Bitcoin during the first quarter of 2026.
According to the firm’s production and operations update, the move generated $289.5 million in net proceeds at an average price of $76,626 per coin.
Miners and Firms Dump Bitcoin Holdings
The sale reduced the miner’s total holdings to 15,680 BTC as of March 31, down 18% from 19,223 BTC a year earlier. Notably, according to the blockchain intelligence platform Arkham, Riot sold another 500 BTC in early April, further reducing its holdings.
Meanwhile, in Q1, the miner also produced 1,473 BTC. This represented a 4% decline from the same period in 2025.
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Riot’s liquidation is not an isolated event. MARA Holdings sold 15,133 BTC for around $1.1 billion.
Genius Group liquidated its entire 84.15 BTC treasury on April 1, while Nakamoto Holdings trimmed its reserves by approximately 284 BTC in March for about $20 million.
Bitcoin Demand Shrinks, But Buying Has Not Stopped
On-chain data reflects mounting pressure across the broader market. Analytics firm CryptoQuant reported that Bitcoin’s apparent demand fell to negative 63,000 coins as of late March.
However, buying has not disappeared entirely. Strategy (formerly MicroStrategy) purchased 44,377 BTC in March alone, representing 94% of all public-company acquisitions that month.
Meanwhile, Tokyo-listed Metaplanet acquired 5,075 BTC for approximately $398 million during Q1. The acquisition pushed its total holdings to 40,177 BTC.
The gap between aggressive institutional accumulators and firms liquidating under pressure highlights a market where demand is not absent but increasingly concentrated in fewer hands.
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The post Riot Platforms Follows MARA to the Exit, Sells 3,778 BTC in Q1 2026 appeared first on BeInCrypto.
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