Live Feed

South Korea's opposition People Power Party is pushing for legislation to repeal the country's planned tax on digital assets, which is set to take effect next year, The Herald Business reported. The party's floor leader, Song Eon-seok, introduced a partial amendment to the Income Tax Act today to enact the repeal. The move is reportedly driven by a consensus within the opposition on the need to address tax fairness issues between digital assets and stocks.

Just five hours after BitMEX co-founder Arthur Hayes purchased ETHFI, South Korean crypto exchange Upbit announced it would list the token, according to Lookonchain. Hayes acquired 132,730 ETHFI today for $72,800.

A U.S. court in California has dismissed a lawsuit from a Coinbase user who sought to prevent the exchange from sharing financial records with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), Cointelegraph reported. The user had sued the IRS to invalidate a summons ordering Coinbase to turn over their financial records for a tax audit related to their 2022 federal tax return. However, the court dismissed the case, ruling that the user failed to comply with federal civil procedure rules requiring them to notify the government agency of the petition within 90 days of filing.

Fears of an oil-driven stagflation are gripping financial markets, Binance Research said in a recent report. The report noted that an energy supply shock was triggered by news that the U.S. and Israel had struck an Iranian energy complex, coupled with a de facto blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. This situation was compounded by higher-than-expected U.S. Producer Price Index (PPI) data for February and the Federal Reserve's decision to hold interest rates steady, making the market more sensitive to oil prices. Fed Chair Jerome Powell has stated he will not overlook energy-driven inflation, noting that a rate hike was discussed as an option. A concurrent sell-off is now being observed across the cryptocurrency market and commodities, including gold. Binance Research projects that if the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz continues for more than a month, Brent crude prices could approach $150 per barrel, further intensifying the risk of stagflation.

Smart contract vulnerabilities are the crypto industry's biggest weakness and a primary target for hackers, CertiK Chief Business Officer (CBO) Jason Jiang said at the Washington D.C. Blockchain Summit on March 18. Speaking at a forum on crypto infrastructure security and regulation, he noted that 2025 was the worst year for damages from supply chain attacks, with over $1.45 billion lost in just two incidents. Jiang added that phishing was the most frequent attack type last year, with 240 recorded incidents. He identified the complex validation mechanisms of cross-chain bridges and a lack of unified industry security standards as key factors threatening the ecosystem's stability. To respond to these incidents, Jiang stressed that a regulatory framework must be designed to support vulnerability disclosure, security technology research, and industry collaboration. He also discussed public-private cooperation with U.S. political figures on measures to protect consumers and prevent fraud in the crypto market.

24-hour crypto futures liquidations The following shows estimated liquidation volumes and position ratios for major crypto perpetual futures over the past 24 hours: - BTC: $151.99 million liquidated (92.91% longs) - ETH: $148.02 million liquidated (84.3% longs) - SOL: $15.17 million liquidated (91.47% longs)

The Bank of Japan has held its policy rate steady at 0.75%.

South Korean crypto exchange Upbit announced it will list Ether.fi (ETHFI) for KRW trading at 3:30 a.m. UTC today.

South Korean digital asset trust (DAT) company Bitmax has denied selling any of its Bitcoin holdings. The statement follows a local media report claiming the firm had deposited all its holdings on an exchange immediately prior to a 4-for-1 capital reduction without compensation. Bitmax CEO Hong Sang-hyuk stated that the company's digital asset holdings are transparently reported in its public business and audit reports. He added that the assets are securely stored, having undergone thorough verification and auditing by an external accounting firm, and are distributed across multiple secure wallets to enhance security and operational efficiency.

An address belonging to early Bitcoin investor Owen Gunden deposited 650 BTC, worth $46.3 million, to Kraken about 10 hours ago, Lookonchain reported. Deposits to exchanges are typically interpreted as an intention to sell. The same address previously sold approximately 11,000 BTC, valued at $1.12 billion, last November.

A family crime ring has been arrested by South Korean police for laundering tens of billions of won from voice phishing schemes through an unregistered crypto exchange, Yonhap News reported. The Seoul Jungnang Police Station announced it had apprehended 19 members of a domestic voice phishing organization and a money laundering group. The suspects are accused of violating laws governing telecommunications fraud, concealment of criminal proceeds, and special financial transactions. Operating out of Myeong-dong in Seoul, the group allegedly converted cash from the scams into Tether (USDT) and transferred the funds overseas.

Evernorth, a crypto venture strategically backed by Ripple, has submitted an S-4 merger application with special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) Armada Acquisition to the U.S. SEC, the Financial Times reported. If the merger is successful, the company will be listed on Nasdaq under the ticker XRPN. Evernorth previously announced plans to raise over $1 billion through the merger and SPAC listing to build a strategic reserve of XRP.

The market capitalization of stock tokens has increased from $100 million at the beginning of last year to $4 billion today, CoinDesk reported.

A whale address that acquired 5,000 BTC 13 years ago at an average price of $332 sold another 1,000 BTC, worth $71.57 million, seven hours ago, EmberCN reported. The address has been offloading its holdings since November 2024 and is estimated to have sold a total of 3,500 BTC for $332 million to date, at an average selling price of $94,786. The wallet now holds 1,500 BTC, valued at $106 million.

Although Bitcoin has given back some of its gains following the U.S. Federal Open Market Committee's (FOMC) interest rate announcement in March, an analysis suggests this is a healthy correction within an uptrend, citing robust on-chain data. In a contribution to CryptoQuant, analyst firm XWIN RESEARCH JAPAN explained that Bitcoin's rapid decline was a "sell the news" event. This was because weakening expectations for a rate cut dampened the outlook for a short-term liquidity injection into the market. However, the firm noted that on-chain data remains strong. Bitcoin holdings on exchanges are steadily decreasing while ETF holdings are increasing, indicating a continued trend of institutional accumulation. A shrinking supply during a correction phase could support upward momentum in the medium term. In particular, the continued accumulation by whale investors even as prices fall demonstrates long-term positioning. The analysis concluded that the market is in a phase where short-term adjustments due to macroeconomic variables are occurring simultaneously with medium-term structural strength. This is seen as a healthy correction within an uptrend, not a simple bear market.

U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, the former CEO of Cantor Fitzgerald, received a large loan from Tether while selling his stake in the company to his children to comply with federal regulations following his nomination, Bloomberg reported. The size and purpose of the loan were not disclosed, though the report raised suspicions that Lutnick used the funds to help his children purchase the stake. Both the Commerce Department and representatives for Lutnick maintain that the process was conducted legally. Bloomberg noted that Tether and Cantor Fitzgerald have had a close relationship in recent years, fueling a growing debate over potential conflicts of interest related to the Trump administration's pro-cryptocurrency policies. Lutnick was nominated in November 2024, at which time it was also reported that he was a major shareholder in Tether.

Two anonymous addresses, believed to be a single entity, have purchased 50,706 ETH, worth $111.62 million, at an average price of $2,201, Onchain Lens reported. The on-chain analysis firm noted that these addresses had consistently sold ETH over the past year but have now resumed large-scale accumulation. On-chain analyst EmberCN suggested that the two addresses are likely associated with Erik Voorhees, CEO of the cryptocurrency trading platform ShapeShift. According to EmberCN, a total of four addresses linked to Voorhees have accumulated 86,300 ETH, valued at $185 million, since March 10 at an average price of $2,152.

CoinMarketCap's Altcoin Season Index is currently at 52, the same level as yesterday. The index is calculated by comparing the price performance of the top 100 coins, excluding stablecoins and wrapped tokens, against that of Bitcoin over the past 90 days. An "altcoin season" is declared when 75% of these top 100 coins outperform Bitcoin during that period, while the opposite is considered a "Bitcoin season." A score closer to 100 indicates a stronger trend toward an altcoin season.

The U.S. Senate has rejected a war powers resolution aimed at limiting further military intervention against Iran, CBS News reported. This marks the third unsuccessful attempt by the Democratic Party to restrict President Donald Trump's military authority regarding Iran. The resolution, introduced by Democratic Senator Cory Booker, sought to prohibit military operations involving Iran without explicit congressional approval. It also called for the withdrawal of U.S. forces from any hostilities in or against the country. To date, Congress has not formally authorized military action against Iran.

Bitcoin-focused financial services application Fold (FLD) recorded a net loss of $69.6 million in 2025, The Block reported. The company's annual revenue reached $31.8 million, up 34% from the previous year. Fold currently holds 1,527 BTC, with its holdings remaining unchanged since June of last year.

The proliferation of stablecoins poses a real threat to bank profitability rather than to national security, according to a recent report from Delphi Digital. The report noted that banks currently secure substantial margins by taking in public deposits, which offer an interest rate of around 0.39%, while U.S. Treasury yields stand at approximately 3.89%. In contrast, stablecoin issuers operate by holding assets like Treasuries as collateral and are gradually introducing models that pass these returns directly to their holders. If this structure becomes widespread, it could lead to a significant outflow of deposits from the banking sector, depriving banks of a cheap and reliable source of funding and potentially weakening their ability to offer low-interest loans. Ultimately, the report explained, the rise of stablecoins threatens the risk-free profit structure long enjoyed by traditional finance and could become a factor that reshapes capital flows in the financial market.

The Fear & Greed Index from crypto data provider Alternative has fallen three points from yesterday to 23, re-entering the Extreme Fear category. The shift comes just three days after the index had moved into the Fear stage. The index measures market sentiment on a scale where zero represents extreme fear and 100 indicates extreme optimism. It is calculated based on volatility (25%), trading volume (25%), social media mentions (15%), surveys (15%), Bitcoin's market cap dominance (10%), and Google search volume (10%).

Decentralized exchange Aster (ASTER) has launched a perpetual futures market centered on USD1, the stablecoin from World Liberty Financial (WLFI), the project announced on its official X account. Alongside its existing USD1 spot pair trading competition, Aster is also holding a new competition for the perpetual futures pairs. Traders can participate in a monthly incentive program offering up to 2.5 million WLFI, which will be distributed weekly starting with the BTC/USD1, ETH/USD1, and SOL/USD1 pairs. Aster plans to add more than 10 additional USD1 pairs in the future. Monthly incentives will also be provided to users who hold USD1 on the exchange. The USD1 pairs feature a 0.005% taker fee and a 0% maker fee, lower than the 0.05% fee for USDT pairs. Like USDT, USD1 can be used as collateral or as an asset for margin trading.

Coinbase has announced support for USDT deposits and withdrawals on the Polygon (POL) and Arbitrum (ARB) networks.

The Algorand (ALGO) Foundation has cut its workforce by 25%, Decrypt reported. The foundation attributed the move to the prolonged downturn in the crypto market and macroeconomic uncertainty.