Category: Peer to Peer

Bhutan has continued reducing its national bitcoin stockpile after transferring another tranche of digital assets valued at millions of dollars, extending a year-long drawdown that has cut the country’s sovereign holdings by more than half. Blockchain monitoring data shows that the Himalayan kingdom moved about 175 bitcoin in early March, worth roughly $11.8 million at prevailing market prices. The transaction forms part of a broader liquidation pattern that has seen Bhutan sell about $42.5 million worth of bitcoin during 2026. The transfers

Oil’s sharp rise above the $100-a-barrel threshold has shaken global markets, yet digital asset markets have shown unexpected resilience, with bitcoin stabilising alongside segments of Wall Street as investors weigh the limited direct exposure of the United States economy to energy supply shocks. Crude prices surged after escalating tensions in the Middle East disrupted shipping routes and threatened flows through the Strait of Hormuz, a passage responsible for roughly a fifth of global oil transit. Brent crude approached $120 a barrel

Debate over how regulators should define profit in crypto-asset markets has intensified as policymakers confront a structural divide between issuer-generated returns and market-emergent gains. The distinction, increasingly discussed in legal and financial circles, is reshaping how authorities interpret investor protection rules, securities law, and the broader economic role of digital assets. Authorities across major jurisdictions are examining whether returns tied to an asset’s creator should be treated differently from gains produced by market trading activity. Issuer-generated returns generally refer to rewards

Ripple is repositioning XRP as a core collateral asset for institutional decentralised finance, signalling a strategic shift beyond its long-standing role in cross-border payments and liquidity services. Senior executives at the company say the plan centres on transforming the token into a foundational layer supporting tokenised financial markets, where banks, asset managers and financial institutions can use blockchain infrastructure for lending, trading and settlement. Ross Edwards, a senior director overseeing decentralised finance initiatives at Ripple, outlined the approach during a blockchain

Ethereum’s market price has shown muted momentum across parts of the digital-asset market, yet underlying indicators suggest a steady expansion in the network’s financial infrastructure as tokenised real-world assets and Layer-2 platforms gather pace. Data tracking blockchain-based financial products indicates that tokenised real-world assets—commonly known as RWAs—have climbed to roughly $20.4 billion in value across decentralised networks, reflecting growing institutional participation and experimentation with blockchain settlement systems. Analysts say Ethereum continues to host the largest share of these tokenised instruments, positioning

Heavy selling by large Bitcoin holders while smaller investors accumulate has raised concern among market analysts that the cryptocurrency’s price decline could extend further, highlighting a divergence that has often signalled deeper volatility in past market cycles. Blockchain data shows large holders, commonly referred to as “whales,” have been reducing positions while smaller investors continue to buy during price dips. Analysts monitoring wallet activity say the pattern reflects a shift in market dynamics, with experienced investors locking in gains or limiting

Circle moved about $68 million within half an hour using its own stablecoin infrastructure, offering a glimpse of how digital assets could reshape internal corporate payments traditionally handled through banks. The payments were carried out through the company’s Mint platform, a system designed to allow businesses to create and redeem the USDC stablecoin while managing liquidity across accounts. Chief executive Jeremy Allaire said the transfers took roughly 30 minutes to complete, far faster than conventional bank wire settlements that can take

Pi Network’s token price has climbed about 15 per cent over the weekend, drawing renewed attention from traders as transaction volumes expand across crypto exchanges. Market participants say the move reflects a broader pattern of speculative interest surrounding the project’s ecosystem, though analysts argue that a key price level around $0.28 remains critical in determining whether the rebound can evolve into a stronger trend. The token associated with Pi Network, a blockchain initiative that promotes mobile-based cryptocurrency mining, recorded a steady

  Kraken has gained access to the Federal Reserve’s core payments infrastructure, marking a milestone for the digital asset sector as a cryptocurrency exchange moves closer to the centre of the United States financial system. The development places the San Francisco-based platform among institutions able to connect directly with the Federal Reserve’s payment rails, a step long sought by digital asset firms seeking to bridge traditional banking and crypto markets. The move centres on access to the Federal Reserve’s payment network, which

Tether has appointed Deloitte to provide an independent attestation of reserves backing its new USAT stablecoin, marking a notable step in the issuer’s long-running effort to bolster transparency around its dollar-linked tokens. The engagement, confirmed by the company, will result in a third-party report verifying assets held against USAT at a specified date. Unlike a full financial audit, the attestation offers a point-in-time snapshot of reserves and does not examine broader aspects of Tether’s operations, liabilities or internal controls. USAT is Tether’s

Crypto exchange OKX has launched a developer-focused toolkit designed to power autonomous artificial intelligence agents on blockchain networks, marking a decisive step in the race to merge decentralised finance with machine-driven decision-making. The new framework, branded OnchainOS, is positioned as a programmable layer that allows developers to stitch together wallets, token swaps and real-time data feeds into self-operating bots capable of executing transactions without continuous human input. The company says the system is intended to lower the technical barriers for building

Bitmine Immersion Technologies has disclosed the purchase of 50,928 Ethereum, significantly boosting its position in the second-largest cryptocurrency by market capitalisation as global markets weigh broader geopolitical tensions and digital asset volatility. The acquisition pushes the publicly traded firm’s total ETH holdings to approximately 4.47 million tokens, equivalent to about 3.71 per cent of the total Ethereum supply, underscoring an aggressive treasury strategy that seeks to scale exposure to the asset and harness staking yields. The Las Vegas-based company, listed

BlackRock’s transfer of more than $74 million in bitcoin to Coinbase has drawn scrutiny across cryptocurrency markets, highlighting institutional behaviour and sparking fresh debate on the purpose of large-scale asset movements among major financial players. On the blockchain, wallets linked to the world’s largest asset manager deposited 1,134 bitcoin — valued at roughly $75 million — into Coinbase Prime over a brief window, an action that analysts and traders say could reflect a range of strategic motives beyond simple buying

A prominent XRP investor has publicly defended an ambitious $31 price projection for Ripple’s XRP token, arguing that long-term technical indicators and structural shifts in the digital-asset market could propel the cryptocurrency into a new valuation range. The projection, which has circulated widely across trading forums and social media platforms, suggests XRP may be approaching what chart analysts describe as a “springboard” formation. Supporters of the view point to multi-year consolidation patterns and improving regulatory clarity around Ripple’s operations in the

Crypto markets are drawing fresh attention towards supply-focused narratives as Hyperliquid’s native HYPE token climbed about 5 per cent in tandem with strong weekly gains in Jupiter’s JUP token, propelled by strategic supply interventions that traders believe could tighten circulation and support prices. HYPE’s uptick came despite a significant unlock of tokens this week, raising questions about market resilience around deflationary mechanisms as Bitcoin continued range-bound trading. Activity on Hyperliquid’s decentralised perpetual futures exchange has become a focal point for

  Bitcoin’s steep fall from its record highs has wiped out trillions of dollars in market value across the digital assets sector, yet some of the world’s largest financial institutions are signalling that their appetite for the asset class remains intact. At the iConnections Global Alts conference in Miami, attended by hedge funds, private equity firms and institutional allocators, speakers described digital assets as an established component of alternative portfolios rather than a speculative side bet. The tone marked a shift from

Strategy, the Nasdaq-listed company widely known for its bitcoin treasury focus, increased the annual dividend on its perpetual preferred stock, known as STRC or “Stretch,” to 11.50 per cent, as its common share, MSTR, recorded its eighth consecutive monthly decline. Led by Executive Chairman Michael Saylor, the board approved a 25-basis-point rise in the STRC payout rate for March 2026, marking the seventh adjustment of the variable yield since the security’s launch in July 2025. The move comes amid sustained

Polymarket has drawn record global trading activity after a contract tied to possible military strikes involving the United States and Iran surged past $529 million in cumulative volume, placing it among the most heavily traded markets in the platform’s history. Data published on the decentralised prediction platform show that wagers on whether the United States would carry out military action against Iran before a specified deadline eclipsed volumes typically associated with presidential election cycles. The contract, structured as a binary bet,

Block, Inc. disclosed a strategic increase in its Bitcoin holdings during the fourth quarter of 2025, purchasing 340 bitcoins valued at roughly $22 million and bringing its total treasury reserve to about 8,883 BTC. The acquisition forms part of the fintech company’s long-term asset allocation strategy, underscoring its continued commitment to digital asset accumulation even as broader market conditions fluctuate. This move emerged alongside earnings results that met analysts’ expectations, providing a boost to investor sentiment and lifting Block’s share

Trading activity across major perpetual-futures decentralized exchanges has weakened, with key protocols reporting lower volumes as market sentiment across digital assets shows persistent strain. Data compiled by industry trackers indicates that the leading perpetual DEX, Hyperliquid, saw its trading volume fall by about 15.5 per cent over one 24-hour period, even as it remained by far the largest venue by daily activity. Hyperliquid processed roughly $60.3 billion in perpetual DEX volume over the most recent reporting period, with total value

Bitcoin weakened sharply amid a broader shift in investor sentiment after the release of United States inflation figures that showed producer prices rising more than expected, prompting traders to dial back risk exposure and temper expectations of near-term interest rate cuts by the Federal Reserve. The world’s largest cryptocurrency slipped back toward the key $65,000 level, erasing much of the mid-week rally that had pushed prices toward $70,000 and highlighting lingering headwinds for digital assets as macroeconomic pressures intensify. Prices for

Treasury manager FG Nexus has intensified its reduction of ether holdings, selling 7,550 ETH valued at about $14 million as part of a strategic unwind that has now crystallised more than $80 million in losses on its corporate crypto portfolio. The firm’s move marks a continuation of a reversal from its earlier accumulation strategy, leaving observers scrutinising the viability of concentrated digital-asset reserves on corporate balance sheets. FG Nexus, which had amassed a sizeable position in Ethereum during a bullish

Hong Kong will begin issuing its first licences for fiat-backed stablecoin issuers in March, advancing its ambition to position the city as a regulated global hub for digital assets and virtual finance. Financial authorities have confirmed that the new regime will allow approved companies to issue stablecoins pegged to fiat currencies under a structured supervisory framework. The move follows months of consultation led by the Hong Kong Monetary Authority and the Financial Services and the Treasury Bureau, which have sought to

Adoption of Bitcoin is expanding across institutions, banks, corporations and retail investors even as sharp price fluctuations continue to test market confidence, according to new research from River, a US-based Bitcoin financial services firm. River’s latest report argues that Bitcoin’s long-term trajectory is being shaped less by short-term volatility and more by structural shifts in how capital allocators, payment companies and sovereign actors perceive digital assets. The firm says participation is broadening across multiple fronts, from listed companies adding Bitcoin to