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The Iran War Revealed Bitcoin’s Second Use Case: Why Price Targets Need Revising

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Bitcoin, Gold, and the S&P 500 Performance Since the US-Iran War.

Bitwise Chief Investment Officer Matt Hougan says Bitcoin’s (BTC) rally since the Iran war began is not a fluke. It reflects a structural repricing of BTC as both digital gold and a currency.

The argument centers on a framework Hougan calls “two bets in one.” For five years, the market has priced Bitcoin almost exclusively as a store of value. Iran’s decision to collect crypto tolls at one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes suggests a second, far larger use case is now in play.

Bitcoin Isn’t Just Digital Gold Anymore, And the Price Targets Haven’t Caught Up

In a recent post this week, Hougan pointed to BTC’s strength amid the war. Bitcoin has rallied 12.25% since the US and Israeli airstrikes on Iran began on February 28. 

The cryptocurrency has vastly outperformed gold (down 8.69%) and the S&P 500 (up just 1.29%), defying expectations that BTC would sell off as a risk asset during geopolitical turmoil.

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“Some have argued that geopolitics is irrelevant for bitcoin, while others have pointed out that war often leads to money printing, which tends to boost bitcoin in the long term. Both arguments are wrong. Bitcoin’s strength during this crisis stems directly from the conflict itself,” he said.

Bitcoin, Gold, and the S&P 500 Performance Since the US-Iran War.
Bitcoin, Gold, and the S&P 500 Performance Since the US-Iran War. Source: TradingView

Hougan argued that every Bitcoin buyer is making two simultaneous wagers. The first is the familiar digital gold thesis. 

“You’re betting that bitcoin will become ‘digital gold’ and compete with physical gold in the $38 trillion ‘store of value’ market. That’s bitcoin’s current use case, and I consider it a very attractive bet. As I’ve explained here in the past,  bitcoin can reach $1 million by capturing just 17% of this market over the next decade,” he added.

But the second bet is where things get interesting. It hinges on the possibility that Bitcoin “might act like a traditional currency.”

“I’ve historically thought of this second bet as an out-of-the-money call option: a speculative bet on an unlikely future,” Hougan remarked.

Until recently, that idea seemed remote. However, Hougan pointed to the 2022 decision by the US, the European Commission, France, Germany, Italy, the UK, and Canada to remove selected Russian banks from SWIFT. 

In response, countries like China developed alternative financial systems, with Russia shifting nearly all its transactions to these networks.

“I mused at the time that the weaponization of SWIFT might one day open up space for bitcoin: If countries grew reluctant to deal in dollars, it stood to reason that they might prefer an apolitical alternative at some point. And indeed, during the Iran conflict, we saw one of the earliest (and more uncomfortable) examples of this happening,” Hougan explained.

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Iran’s Bitcoin Toll Activated the Currency Thesis

BeInCrypto reported that Iran planned to collect a $1-per-barrel toll on ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz, payable in Bitcoin. The move raises sanctions compliance concerns. However, according to Hougan,

“At the same time, it points to a reality that transcends the current conflict: In a world where countries have weaponized their financial rails, bitcoin is emerging as an apolitical alternative.”

Hougan framed BTC’s potential as a currency through options pricing theory. An out-of-the-money call option gains value when two things happen: the probability of hitting the strike price improves, or volatility in the underlying market increases.

The Iran conflict delivered both. The probability of Bitcoin functioning as a currency jumped with Iran’s toll system. In addition, the volatility of the global monetary order spiked.

Hougan argued that this perspective highlights two key implications for Bitcoin’s trajectory. For one, it suggests the asset could gain during periods of geopolitical tension, especially in regions caught between the US and Chinese spheres. It also indicates that Bitcoin’s potential market extends well beyond gold’s $38 trillion valuation.

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“We’ve spent the past five years talking about bitcoin exclusively as a ‘store of value.’ If bitcoin starts to take on a dual role as both a store of value (like gold) and an actual currency (like the dollar), we may need to revise our targets higher,” Hougan stated.

Thus, the five-year “store of value” narrative served Bitcoin well. What comes next could dwarf it.

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The post The Iran War Revealed Bitcoin’s Second Use Case: Why Price Targets Need Revising appeared first on BeInCrypto.

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Dogecoin stays below $0.10 despite deflationary model

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A consolidating DOGE chart
A consolidating DOGE chart

Key takeaways

  • DOGE is down 0.5% and continues to trade below the $0.10 psychological level.
  • The coin has been consolidating and could rally higher in the near term. 

Dogecoin (DOGE), the largest meme coin with a market capitalization of $14.27 billion, represents over 0.50% of the $2.49 trillion cryptocurrency market as of Wednesday. 

Dogecoin underperforms despite a disinflationary model

Dogecoin defends its inflationary model, stating that inflation will decrease gradually to 3.1% from 3.6% as the total DOGE supply increases. 

The assumption driving this claim is that demand for the meme coin will remain steady, supported by its robust community that uses DOGE for tipping, institutions launching DOGE-focused Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs), and its growing use in Decentralized Finance (DeFi) services.

While the narrative suggests a stable demand, it may not guarantee sustained positive pressure on DOGE’s price.

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While Dogecoin’s fixed issuance model reduces inflation relative to the increasing supply, it does not necessarily reduce the overall supply, as deflation would. The continued minting of 5 billion DOGE per year could become a persistent downside risk, especially during periods of low demand.

Dogecoin’s strategy emphasizes practical usage as a currency rather than hoarding, and it incentivizes miners to secure the network. However, the ongoing supply pressure may limit the effectiveness of this disinflationary model in the long term.

In addition to this, institutional demand for DOgecoin remains muted. Since the launch of DOGE spot ETFs on November 24, there have been just 15 days of inflows, totaling a net asset value of $10.80 million. With 79 days showing no flows and two days with net outflows, institutional interest in DOGE remains limited.

The Dogecoin Treasury currently holds just over 780.54 million DOGE, which represents 0.51% of the total DOGE supply. Gaining further institutional support is key for Dogecoin to progress into the global financial system, providing the demand necessary to support the disinflationary model.

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DOGE could rally above $0.10 if the bulls regain control

The DOGE/USD 4-hour chart remains bearish and efficient despite the broader crypto market rallying recently. At press time, DOGE is trading at $0.094 after rejecting at the $0.098 swing high earlier this week.

The RSI of 55 is above the neutral 50, indicating a fading bearish momentum. The MACD lines are also above the zero region, adding further bullish narrative to the pair.

DOGE/USD 4H Chart

If the bulls regain control, DOGE could surpass the $0.098 swing high and hit the $0.10 psychological level for the first time since March 16.

However, if the bearish correction persists, DOGE could retest the Sunday low of $0.09012 in the near term.

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Justin Sun Just Revealed a Quantum-Resistant Roadmap for Tron: Is TRX About to Break $0.40?

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👨‍🚀

Justin Sun just dropped a new strategic framework for Tron and TRX is responding.

The token is trading at $0.3234, up 1.1% in 24 hours. The modest price move understates what the roadmap is actually signaling if it gains traction.

The detail most headlines are missing is the quantum angle. Sun is positioning Tron as a quantum-resistant Layer-1, with protocol-level upgrades targeting post-quantum cryptographic standards alongside expanded DeFi and stablecoin settlement rails. That reframes the entire long-term infrastructure thesis for the network.

The announcement hit Sun’s official channels and immediately split crypto Twitter between technical optimism and the skepticism that follows any Sun-led initiative. Both reactions are predictable. The more important context is that Tron’s stablecoin volume is already among the highest of any chain. This roadmap is building on a concrete base, not a whitepaper premise.

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The broader market is recovering on macro tailwinds, which gives this announcement better timing than it might otherwise deserve. TRX price action now becomes the cleanest read on whether the market is pricing the roadmap as signal or noise.

Can Tron (TRX) Crypto Price Hit $0.40 This Week?

TRX is holding $0.32 as immediate support, a level it has defended across multiple sessions. CoinLore’s forecast data places near-term resistance in the $0.34–$0.36 band, a range that has capped rallies throughout the current consolidation phase. Volume on the 24-hour print remains moderate, suggesting accumulation rather than a momentum-driven breakout, for now.

Moving average structure is constructive. Price sits above the 50-day MA, and short-term momentum indicators have not flashed overbought conditions, leaving room for a leg higher without immediate mean-reversion risk.

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Projections flag $0.38–$0.42 as achievable within a 30-day window under a sustained bull scenario.

Tron (TRX)
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TRX is still orbiting that same decision zone, and $0.36 is the trigger, because if price breaks and holds above it with real volume, that is where momentum unlocks and a quick push toward $0.40 becomes realistic.

For now though it still looks like digestion, with price stuck between $0.32 and $0.36 while the market processes the news, so instead of a breakout you get a slow grind as long as sentiment does not fade.

The level that really matters underneath is $0.30, because as long as it holds, structure is still intact, but if it breaks, things flip bearish fast and $0.27 comes into play, especially if the broader market weakens.

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What makes this more interesting is the longer term angle, because expectations are still leaning bullish, but it all depends on execution, and that is the part the market will price in quickly, not months later.

So in the short term, $0.34 is the tell, because how price reacts around that level this week will show whether buyers are actually stepping in or just waiting.

Maxi Doge Targets Early-Mover Upside as TRX Tests Key Resistance

TRX at $0.32, with a clear ceiling at $0.36, means the upside for late entrants is capped at 10–12% to the next resistance band. For traders who missed the base, the broader bull market setup raises an obvious question: where does the asymmetric risk actually sit right now?

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One answer generating traction in presale circles is Maxi Doge (MAXI), a meme token built on Ethereum that packages the 1000x leverage trading mentality into a community-driven ecosystem.

The concept (a 240-lb canine juggernaut who never skips leg day, never skips a pump) is absurd by design, which is exactly the point.

The presale has now raised $4,734,794.34 at a current token price of $0.0002813, with staking rewards distributed daily via smart contract.

Features include holder-only trading competitions with leaderboard rewards, a Maxi Fund treasury backing liquidity and partnerships, and futures platform integrations built for the ROI-hunter demographic. Early-stage meme tokens carry substantial risk of total loss, that’s the trade-off for the entry price. For those who’ve done the research, the Maxi Doge presale is live now.

Visit Maxi Doge Here

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The post Justin Sun Just Revealed a Quantum-Resistant Roadmap for Tron: Is TRX About to Break $0.40? appeared first on Cryptonews.

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Pakistan ends seven-year crypto restriction, allows banks to serve licensed providers

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Pakistan ends seven-year crypto restriction, allows banks to serve licensed providers

Pakistan’s central bank notified all banks and financial institutions in the country that the ban on providing crypto services has been lifted.

However, according to the new state bank rules, banks are banned from investing, trading or holding crypto assets using their own funds or customer deposits.

The State Bank of Pakistan’s move follows the recent enactment of the 2026 Virtual Assets Act, which establishes Pakistan’s Virtual Asset Regulatory Authority (PVARA to license, regulate and supervise the sector.

The central bank replaced its 2018 ban on crypto with new rules that permit regulated banks and other financial institutions to open accounts for crypto firms approved under PVARA.

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Under the new state bank framework, banks can provide services to virtual asset service providers (VASPs) licensed under the new crypto act, as well as to those seeking approval, subject to strict compliance with anti-money laundering (AML), know-your-customer (KYC), and other counter-terrorism financing regulations.

“Subject to strict compliance with the conditions outlined herein, SBP Regulated Entities (REs) may open bank accounts of entities duly licensed by PVARA as Virtual Asset Service Providers (VASPs),” the State Bank of Pakistan said.

The central bank’s rules also set out detailed conditions for onboarding crypto firms, which include mandatory verification of licenses, enhanced due diligence and ongoing supervision of all their transactions.

In December, the government of Pakistan and Binance signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) allowing the world’s largest crypto exchange by trade volume to explore the tokenization of up to $2 billion in bonds, treasury bills and commodity reserves in Pakistan.

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That same month, the Chairman of Pakistan’s Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (VARA), Bilal Bin Saqib, announced in a video interview with CoinDesk his country’s plans to accelerate crypto adoption, leverage Bitcoin mining, and launch a national stablecoin.

Roughly 40 million or about 17% of the Pakistani population are involved in crypto trading, the government said in February. The country is the third-largest crypto market by retail activity, ahead of places like Germany and Japan.

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End of ‘Mini Crypto Winter,’ as Bitmine Posts $3.8B Quarterly Loss

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End of ‘Mini Crypto Winter,’ as Bitmine Posts $3.8B Quarterly Loss

Bitmine Immersion Technologies chairman Tom Lee said Wednesday that the recent crypto slump was a “mini crypto winter” that may already be ending, in comments that came shortly after the company disclosed a multibillion-dollar quarterly loss tied largely to unrealized markdowns on the company’s Ether holdings.

During a keynote speech at Paris Blockchain Week 2026, Lee said that equity markets have bottomed due to the US-Israel war with Iran, and that Ether (ETH) will emerge from its “massive consolidation,” driven by tokenization and agentic artificial intelligence initiatives tied to the smart contract network.

Lee argued that equities have reached their bottom, leading to a recovery from what he called an “unusual” crypto market downturn, which didn’t coincide with a wider bear market in stocks for the first time. “Equity markets bottom on bad news. And we’ve had a lot of bad news,” said Lee, citing historical examples of stock markets bottoming out after the outbreak of wars.

Lee also said ETH is “probably on its way to 60,000” if his market thesis is correct and later described $62,000 as a fair-value scenario over the next few years, based on Ethereum reaching roughly one-quarter of Bitcoin’s (BTC) long-term value.

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His comments come amid a wider crypto market downturn that has seen Ether’s price fall 43% since October 2025 to trade around $2,327 at the time of writing, significantly below Bitmine’s average cost basis of $3,660, according to data from Bitminetracker.

Thomas Lee, the co-founder, keynote speech at Paris Blockchain Week 2026. Source: Cointelegraph

Bitmine posts $3.8 billion quarterly loss on Ether holdings

Lee’s comments also follow Bitmine’s posting of a $3.82 billion loss on its Ether holdings during the first quarter of the year, according to a Tuesday filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission.

Bitmine form 10-q filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Source: sec.gov

The figure was mainly driven by the company’s over $3.78 billion in unrealized losses on its crypto holdings. Bitmine also reported $11 million in revenue, including $10.2 million from ETH staking.

Related: Ether treasuries need liquid staking edge to beat ETFs, says Lido exec

Despite the mounting losses, Bitmine announced a purchase of 71,524 Ether on Monday, with the company now holding roughly 4.04% of the total Ether supply. The latest acquisitions came shortly after Bitmine debuted on the New York Stock Exchange on April 9, uplisting from NYSE American.

Bitmine and Exodus Movement are the only two Ether treasury companies to publicly disclose Ether investments over the past 30 days.

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The top 10 largest corporate Ether holders. Source: StrategicEthReserve

Bitmine is the largest corporate Ether holder with 4.6 million ETH currently valued at over $10 billion, while SharpLink Gaming is second, with 863,000 Ether worth $1.89 billion, data from StrategicEthReserve shows.

Magazine: Sharplink exec shocked by level of BTC and ETH ETF hodling — Joseph Chalom