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In brief Bitcoin is trading near $69,240 following an IEA proposal to release over 182 million barrels of oil to rein in prices. Surging oil prices elevate inflation concerns, potentially leading to higher interest rates that pressure risk assets. Derivatives data show traders paying a premium for downside protection, with further slides toward $54,000 possible. Bitcoin retreated below $70,000 on Tuesday as the International Energy Agency proposed the largest release of strategic oil reserves in its history to counter soaring crude prices.The proposed market intervention would exceed the 182 million barrels of oil that member nations deployed in 2022 following…
Trusted Editorial content, reviewed by leading industry experts and seasoned editors. Ad Disclosure A Democratic U.S. Senator from California is introducing new legislation targeting crypto‑driven prediction markets An Act Against Death On March 10, Democrat U.S. Senator Adam Schiff (California) and Representative Mike Levin (CA-49) introduced the DEATH BETS Act, a bill aimed explicitly at banning prediction market contracts tied to terrorism, assassination, war or an individual’s death on any platform registered in the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CTFC). This includes regulated venues like Kalshi or Polymarket’s newly U.S. licensed arm, plus other designated contract markets (DCM) that list event…
The infrastructure race for agentic commerce is already producing winners.Anthropic’s Model Context Protocol now runs on more than 10,000 public servers and pulls 97 million monthly SDK downloads, connecting AI applications to external tools and data.Google’s Agent-to-Agent protocol launched in April 2025 with 50 partners and scaled to more than 100 supporting companies before moving under Linux Foundation governance.On Jan. 11, Google unveiled the Universal Commerce Protocol, pulling in Shopify, Walmart, Target, Mastercard, Stripe, Visa, and American Express as early supporters, aiming to standardize how agents navigate live checkout flows.Coinbase’s x402 protocol handles the payment transport layer, enabling automatic stablecoin…
In brief U.S. prosecutors in Massachusetts have filed a civil forfeiture complaint targeting $3.4 million in USDT tied to an alleged investment scam. Investigators say victims were approached via “misdirected” texts and DMs, then steered into a fake ETH investment “backed by physical gold.” This is the latest in a series of civil forfeiture actions involving crypto allegedly linked to fraud, including a record $14 billion action allegedly tied to a Cambodian scam network. Federal prosecutors in Massachusetts have filed a civil forfeiture action seeking to recover approximately $3.4 million worth of the stablecoin USDT alleged to be the proceeds of…
Washington sent two messages about crypto privacy in the same week.Treasury told Congress that lawful users of digital assets may leverage mixers to protect personal wealth, business payments, charitable donations, and consumer spending habits from public view on transparent blockchains.Days later, SDNY prosecutors filed a letter proposing to retry Tornado Cash co-founder Roman Storm in October 2026 on the two counts where jurors deadlocked last August: conspiracy to commit money laundering and conspiracy to violate sanctions. Each count carries a maximum of 20 years.The policy thaw is real. It may just stop where privacy tools begin.For retail investors, what matters…
Trusted Editorial content, reviewed by leading industry experts and seasoned editors. Ad Disclosure Ripple CEO stated that 2026 will be a “defining year” for the company, with XRP at the center of its strategy, emphasizing the importance of steady adoption growth through partnerships and innovation. XRP At The Center Of Ripple’s Strategy Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse declared that 2026 is poised to be another pivotal year for the crypto giant, noting that the company has strategically positioned itself in the right markets and is equipped with the necessary capabilities in payments, custody, liquidity, and treasury management. In a Tuesday X…
Trusted Editorial content, reviewed by leading industry experts and seasoned editors. Ad Disclosure The US Treasury told Congress this month that crypto mixers have legitimate uses — including protecting consumer privacy. Days later, federal prosecutors in Manhattan moved to put the man who built one of the most-used mixers back on trial. A Split Jury, A Second Chance Manhattan US Attorney Jay Clayton filed a letter Monday asking federal Judge Katherine Polk Failla to schedule a retrial for Roman Storm, co-founder of Tornado Cash, on two counts where jurors deadlocked last year. Clayton’s office is pushing for trial dates between…
The blockchain data and intelligence firm Glassnode says that indicators show buying interest in Bitcoin (BTC) leveraged markets as the flagship crypto asset pulls back from $74,000. In its weekly BTC Market Pulse published on March 9th, Glassnode says that the Cumulative Volume Delta (CVD) indicator is showing signs of renewed buy-side interest. CVD serves as a tool for analyzing market order flow by tracking the difference between buying and selling volumes over a specific time. An increasing CVD means that more people are buying aggressively. The analytics firm says that perpetual CVD, which measures the buying and selling volume…
In brief Lawmakers Mike Levin and Adam Schiff introduced the DEATH BETS Act on Tuesday, targeting prediction contracts on war, death, and assassination. The bill comes as CFTC Chairman Selig announced plans to expand the regulatory framework for prediction markets. Schiff previously led a Senate letter urging the CFTC to enforce existing prohibitions on war and death contracts. Two Democratic lawmakers introduced legislation on Tuesday to ban prediction market contracts tied to war, death, and assassination, even as the CFTC announced plans to expand the regulatory framework governing the sector.Rep. Mike Levin (CA-49) and Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) unveiled the…
In brief Ripple plans to secure an Australian Financial Services License by acquiring BC Payments. APAC payments volume nearly doubled in 2025, with several Australian firms already using the platform. Expansion raises questions about blockchain settlement inside regulated banking systems. Ripple said Tuesday it is seeking an Australian Financial Services License through the acquisition of BC Payments, a move that would place the crypto firm within Australia’s regulated financial services framework.The license will allow Ripple to oversee settlement, connect customers with local payout partners, and route transactions through a single integration rather than multiple intermediaries.“Australia is a key market for…
Trusted Editorial content, reviewed by leading industry experts and seasoned editors. Ad Disclosure A new Bank of International Settlement (BIS) paper argues that self-custodied crypto could become the next weak point in anti-money laundering enforcement if regulators tighten rules around other payment rails without closing the gap around user-controlled wallets. The core concern is straightforward: when one channel becomes harder to use, illicit flows do not disappear. They move. BIS Warns About Self-Hosted Crypto Wallets Using the EU as its main case study, the paper says self-hosted wallets occupy a particularly sensitive position because they do not rely on an…
In brief Brookings says China’s AI industry is advancing through efficiency, global adoption, and integration into physical machines. While U.S. firms chase artificial general intelligence, the report said, Chinese firms aim to spread AI across devices, manufacturing, and global markets. Future of Life Institute’s Hamza Chaudhry suggests that a greater focus should be put on distillation attacks. The global AI race may not be unfolding the way policymakers in Washington had hoped.A new Brookings Institution report, published Monday, says the U.S. has framed the AI race as one driven toward artificial general intelligence, while Chinese companies are prioritizing efficiency, global…
In brief Bitwise CIO Matt Hougan thinks Bitcoin can get to a price of $1 million as the broader store of value market cap grows. The top crypto asset would need to jump more than 14x in order to reach the mark. Declining volatility, ETF inflows, and institutional acceptance will help position BTC’s growth as gold and the store of value market cap grows, he argued. Bitcoin to $1 million per coin? Some “reasonably conservative assumptions” can get it there, Bitwise Chief Investment Officer Matt Hougan said in new market commentary shared Tuesday, despite a long road ahead to that…