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Investment bank Cantor Fitzgerald is among the firms that have submitted proposals for a potential initial public offering (IPO) by crypto prime brokerage FalconX, CoinDesk reported, citing sources. FalconX had previously announced its intention to pursue an IPO last year. While no bank has been officially selected, the company has reportedly held preliminary discussions with potential advisors. Last year, Cantor Fitzgerald partnered with FalconX and Maple Finance to launch a $2 billion Bitcoin-backed lending program. The report suggests that if Cantor is chosen to lead the IPO, it would likely be due to this existing partnership.

According to CoinNess market monitoring, BTC has risen above $70,000. BTC is trading at $70,014.99 on the Binance USDT market.

The World Gold Council (WGC) has announced a framework to standardize tokenized gold. According to Decrypt, the WGC identified the management of gold reserves as a major barrier to entry for issuers of gold-backed tokens and has established a concept called "Gold as a Service." This platform is designed to allow companies issuing gold-linked tokens to use a shared network for managing physical gold reserves. The goal is to enhance trust in tokenized gold through features like continuous audits and to ensure a certain level of fungibility between different products. The media noted that until now, the tokenized gold market has been primarily shaped by cryptocurrency companies that have built their own custody systems and issuance pipelines. The WGC currently has 29 member companies.

Singapore-based ride-hailing software firm Ryde has announced the adoption of a cryptocurrency accumulation strategy. According to Cointelegraph, the company plans to invest a portion of its reserves in BTC, ETH, and SOL, with the specific allocation and purchase timing to be determined by its governance. Ryde explained that the decision was made amid a changing macroeconomic environment, adding that the option to invest a portion of its financial assets in crypto provides greater flexibility in managing its corporate financial operations.

The decentralized exchange (DEX) Hyperliquid is gaining popularity among crude oil futures traders, according to JPMorgan analysts. In a report on March 18, the analysts noted that traders from traditional, non-crypto assets are flocking to the 24-hour perpetual futures market to bet on oil price movements during off-market hours and on weekends, The Block reported. As an example, the analysts pointed to a surge in trading volume for oil-linked perpetual futures on Hyperliquid during a weekend of escalating conflict in Iran, a time when platforms like the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) were closed. The report also observed that DEXs have recently begun to erode the market share of centralized exchanges (CEXs), a trend particularly noticeable among mid-sized exchanges.

Global investment bank Morgan Stanley has filed a second amended S-1 registration statement with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for a spot Bitcoin ETF, BeInCrypto reported. If approved, the ETF is expected to trade on the NYSE Arca under the ticker MSBT. If launched, the product would become the first spot ETF issued by a major U.S. bank. This would change Morgan Stanley's position from a distributor of spot Bitcoin ETFs to an issuer. The latest amendment reportedly includes additional details related to the product's operation, such as settlement standards, initial issuance volume, and custody arrangements. Meanwhile, as of March, the SEC is reportedly reviewing more than 126 crypto ETF applications.

Whale Alert reported that 3,122 BTC has been transferred from an unknown wallet to Coinbase Institutional. The transaction is valued at about $218 million.

U.S. SEC Chairman Paul Atkins stated on X that the agency's interpretation of crypto assets is just the beginning and that the SEC will act as a bridge while Congress works to pass a market structure bill known as the Clarity Act. His comments follow the SEC's recent official announcement that most crypto assets, including Bitcoin, are considered commodities rather than securities. Atkins emphasized that regulations must be clear enough to guide the market, flexible enough to accommodate innovation, and firm enough to protect investors. He added that the SEC is moving away from past practices and is now providing clear standards on what constitutes a security from its perspective.

Bryan Tan, a trader at crypto market maker Wintermute, said that with public opinion swaying on every headline about the U.S.-Iran war and a high correlation between oil prices and asset markets, the best option is to maintain the status quo and wait. In an interview with CoinDesk, he added that it is better to preserve investment capacity until there is a basis for conviction in either direction or a significant change in market conditions.

The UK is set to strike crypto exchange Zedxion from its corporate register over allegations it helped Iran evade sanctions, Decrypt reported. The UK's Companies House stated that Zedxion is in the process of being dissolved for submitting false and misleading documents during its incorporation. Both Zedxion and another UK-registered crypto exchange, Zedcex, were previously sanctioned by the U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC).

Bitcoin could see increased price volatility today, which is Quadruple Witching Day, CoinDesk reports. The event, which occurs on the third Friday of March, June, September, and December, marks the expiration of four major types of U.S. stock market derivatives. CoinDesk noted that in March 2025, approximately $4.7 trillion in derivatives expired, pushing S&P 500 trading volume to a yearly high, with above-average volume also observed on other Quadruple Witching Days. The outlet explained that while this is a traditional finance event, its effects can spill over into the cryptocurrency market. Historically, Bitcoin has tended to be subdued on Quadruple Witching Day itself, but a consistent bearish pattern has often emerged in the subsequent days and weeks, warranting caution about potential market turbulence.

Bitcoin is holding up well against other major assets amid a surge in oil prices driven by geopolitical tensions, The Crypto Basic reported. The outlet noted that while Bitcoin is showing weakness like most other major global assets, its correction has been relatively mild. On March 19, the price of Brent crude briefly surpassed $116 per barrel, leading to a downturn across all asset markets. The Crypto Basic suggested that Bitcoin's performance signals its resilience in the face of macroeconomic uncertainty. From a technical standpoint, the zone between $69,000 and $70,000 is acting as a key support level. If this level holds, the correction could halt. However, a break below this support could see prices fall to the low $60,000s or even lower.

Cryptocurrency phishing scams targeting developers using OpenClaw are on the rise amid a surge in interest in "vibe coding," a term for AI-assisted coding via natural language, CoinDesk reported. According to a blog post by Israeli cybersecurity firm OX Security, scammers on GitHub are impersonating OpenClaw to lure victims. The scheme involves promising a fake airdrop of a "CLAW" token, which directs users to a malicious website designed to drain their crypto wallets. The phishing site closely resembles the official OpenClaw website but prompts users to connect wallets like MetaMask, WalletConnect, and Trust Wallet. Once a user grants access, their assets are stolen. Previously, OpenClaw founder Peter Steinberger had banned all discussion of cryptocurrency on the project's Discord server in an effort to prevent such scams.

The People's Bank of China (PBOC) plans to add approximately 12 commercial banks to its digital yuan system, local media outlet Caixin reported. These banks will handle functions including wallet creation, currency exchange, payment processing, and operational maintenance. Currently, 10 banks participate in the system, including the country's six major state-owned banks. The report noted that commercial banks' enthusiasm for participation is growing as the digital yuan's status evolves from digital cash to a digital deposit currency.

Embedded crypto wallet infrastructure provider Privy has launched a new savings feature powered by Ethena (ENA), the company announced on its official X account on March 19. The update allows users to access the Ethena-based savings function across all services built on Privy's infrastructure. It also enables app developers to offer sUSDe rewards that automatically accrue over time within Privy wallets.

According to CoinNess market monitoring, BTC has fallen below $69,000. BTC is trading at $68,952.14 on the Binance USDT market.

Iran has launched a missile attack on the Haifa refinery of Israel's largest oil company, Bazan, Axios reported. There were no casualties from the attack, according to local Israeli media.

The European Central Bank (ECB) is recruiting experts to help draft rules for integrating the digital euro with ATMs and card payment terminals. According to CoinDesk, the specialists will be tasked with defining how ATMs and point-of-sale terminals process digital euro payments. This work will include device connectivity, offline transaction support, and adapting existing payment standards to support the new currency. The goal is to enable users to pay with the digital euro at checkouts and withdraw it from cash machines across the eurozone.

The Bitcoin price is now more influenced by the derivatives market and institutional investor positioning than by spot demand, according to a new analysis. CoinDesk reported that global crypto commentator "Dumpling Bullish" explained that for most of Bitcoin's history, its price was determined by simple logic: limited supply and increasing demand. However, the commentator noted that this spot-driven market has evolved into a derivatives-heavy ecosystem. The influence of products like futures, perpetuals, options, exchange-traded funds (ETFs), structured products, and prime brokerage loans is growing. Consequently, the three most important variables for Bitcoin's price today are: - Investor risk appetite based on macroeconomic conditions - Derivatives market indicators such as open interest and funding rates - ETF fund inflows and outflows

Global investment platform Republic announced on its official blog that it has secured a strategic investment from Hamilton Lane, a Nasdaq-listed asset manager specializing in private markets. The specific amount of the investment was not disclosed. Through the investment, the two companies plan to strengthen their partnership and support ongoing innovation in tokenization, asset distribution, and access to private markets for individual investors. Republic will also use the funds to enhance its tokenization and on-chain infrastructure capabilities.

Bitcoin put options with a $20,000 strike price have attracted the third-largest amount of capital in the options market, CoinDesk reported. Citing data from the world's largest crypto options exchange, Deribit, the report noted that these put options hold a notional value of $596 million ahead of the first-quarter expiration. While call options with strike prices of $125,000 and $75,000 have the highest notional values, the extreme $20,000 strike price is drawing significant funds among put options. This suggests an increasing number of traders are preparing for an extreme downside scenario amid escalating conflicts in the Middle East, which would require the market to fall over 70% for the options to be profitable. However, the report also suggests that a significant portion of this capital is likely part of a strategy to collect premiums or capitalize on volatility, rather than a direct hedge against a crash. This activity is often a strategic move by options investors rather than a purely bearish outlook. The put/call ratio for expiring Bitcoin options on Deribit is currently 0.63, indicating a prevalence of call options.

Major League Baseball (MLB) has entered into agreements with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) and Polymarket regarding prediction markets. According to CoinDesk, MLB signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the CFTC to share information aimed at enhancing consumer protection. Simultaneously, it secured an exclusive prediction market partnership with Polymarket. This marks the first-ever agreement between a U.S. derivatives regulator and a professional sports organization. CFTC Commissioner Michael Selig said the MOU will help the agency protect markets and users from fraud, manipulation, and other abuses, describing it as a measure to promote the integrity and stability of professional baseball prediction markets.

Crypto asset manager Grayscale has identified Zcash (ZEC) as a noteworthy cryptocurrency, according to a post on its official X account. Grayscale noted that while Bitcoin still leads the crypto market with a share of about 90%, Zcash is a coin to watch for its potential to gradually erode this dominance. The firm explained that unlike Bitcoin, whose transaction history is completely public and transparent, Zcash allows users to conceal transaction-related information. This privacy feature is seeing increasing use, attracting new capital into the ecosystem, Grayscale added. Currently, ZEC's market capitalization is only about $4 billion, representing a market share of approximately 0.3%. However, if its market share were to expand to 5%, the value of ZEC could increase 18-fold, the asset manager projected.

Layer 1 blockchain Sui announced on March 19 that it plans to launch Hashi, a primitive for Bitcoin-backed lending built on its network. According to an official blog post, Hashi is a decentralized primitive designed to enhance the capital efficiency of Bitcoin through a trustless smart contract structure on Sui. The platform aims to improve Bitcoin's access to decentralized finance (DeFi), allowing users to leverage native BTC as collateral for on-chain financial services such as stablecoin loans, structured products, and automated collateral management. Furthermore, it offers a more secure and flexible cross-chain transfer function that moves beyond traditional wrapping methods. Hashi is scheduled to launch its devnet soon. Even before its official launch, major industry institutions including BitGo, Bullish, FalconX, and Ledger have reportedly expressed their intention to participate.

DeFi protocol Ether.fi (ETHFI) has announced a $25 million strategic investment in Nest, the tokenized real-world asset (RWA) yield protocol from Plume, to provide users with access to RWA-based yield opportunities. The integration will proceed in two stages. First, Ether.fi will focus on reallocating assets to the nBASIS vault, which is based on the USCC fund from RWA asset manager Superstate. Later, Nest's curated, custom RWA vaults will be integrated into the Ether.fi interface, offering eligible users easier exposure to institutional-grade investment returns from real-world assets. Plume co-founder Teddy Pornprinya said that while neobanks like Ether.fi attract significant retail funds, users are looking beyond simple DeFi for sustainable and diversified yield sources like RWAs. He added that trends such as increasing regulatory clarity in the U.S. and the proliferation of stablecoins will lead to greater demand for RWA vault infrastructure like Nest.