Day: March 3, 2026

What’s at Stake for Crypto as Three US States Kick off Party Primaries?

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Voters in North Carolina, Texas and Arkansas will decide on some of the first candidates for the 2026 midterm elections in the United States as primary season kicks off, potentially influencing the future of Congress and crypto legislation. In Texas, Democratic Representative Jasmine Crockett is running for Republican John Cornyn’s US Senate seat for Texas. Crockett, a member of the House of Representatives since 2023, voted for the stablecoin payments bill GENIUS Act in July and FIT21, the previous version of the digital asset market structure bill before the CLARITY…

Bitcoin Is ‘Money’ in Parts of Africa, Says Africa Bitcoin Corp Chair

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Stafford Masie, executive chairman of Africa Bitcoin Corporation, said Tuesday that Bitcoin functions as everyday money in parts of Africa rather than primarily as a store of value. Speaking to Natalie Brunell on the Coin Stories podcast on Tuesday, Masie said the framing of Bitcoin (BTC) differs sharply across regions. “Where I come from, Bitcoin is money,” he told Brunell, adding that in some circular economies in Africa, merchants “won’t accept dollars — they accept satoshis.” While investors in developed markets often emphasize its role as an inflation hedge, he…

Bitwise CIO says weekend Iran strike exposed advantage of 24/7 markets like Hyperliquid

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Bitwise CIO Matt Hougan said the weekend US strike against Iran highlighted how quickly global finance could shift toward blockchain-based systems. Hougan said crypto markets became the main venue for price discovery while traditional exchanges were closed. In a memo published Tuesday, Hougan described how onchain platforms handled trading activity in the hours following President Donald Trump’s announcement of a strike on Iran. US equity markets, futures exchanges, and major currency trading desks were closed at the time, leaving investors without conventional outlets to react to the news. “As this…

CFTC Chair Teases Crypto Perpetual Futures in ‘the Next Month or so‘

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SEC Chair Paul Atkins and CFTC Chair Michael Selig addressed market structure, prediction markets and perpetual futures at a Tuesday event. Michael Selig, chair of the US Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), said the agency will soon address how to handle perpetual futures contracts for cryptocurrencies. In a Tuesday panel hosted by the Milken Institute in Washington, DC, Selig said that the CFTC was working toward getting “true perpetual futures” in the United States “within the next month or so.” The CFTC chair is currently the only Senate-confirmed commissioner, with…

MARA Clarifies Bitcoin Strategy After 10-K Misinterpretation

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MARA Holdings, one of the world’s largest Bitcoin mining companies, has rejected claims that it plans to unload the majority of its Bitcoin holdings following speculation about a shift in its treasury policy. The clarification came in a post on X from MARA vice president for investor relations Robert Samuels, who said the company has not altered its core Bitcoin (BTC) treasury approach.  His remarks were a direct response to SwanDesk adviser Jacob King, who claimed Tuesday that MARA had shifted toward a sell-down strategy, citing filings with the US…

Google launches Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite as fastest and cheapest Gemini 3 model

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Google today introduced Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite, a new artificial intelligence model designed to deliver faster responses and lower operating costs within the company’s Gemini 3 model family. The model is rolling out in preview to developers through the Gemini API in Google AI Studio and to enterprise customers through Vertex AI. Google described Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite as the fastest and most cost-efficient model in the Gemini 3 series, built specifically for high-volume workloads where latency and cost are critical. Pricing for the model starts at $0.25 per million…

OpenAI releases GPT-5.3 Instant with fewer refusals and improved web answers

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OpenAI today released GPT-5.3 Instant to all users of ChatGPT, introducing a new version of its most widely used conversational model designed to deliver more accurate responses and smoother everyday interactions. The model is now available across ChatGPT on web, mobile, and desktop, replacing the previous GPT-5.2 Instant model for most users. According to OpenAI, the update focuses on improving conversational flow, response relevance, and overall usability. The company said the model delivers more accurate answers, produces better synthesized responses when using web information, and reduces overly cautious language that…

Vitalik Buterin urges Ethereum to focus on sanctuary technologies beyond finance

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Vitalik Buterin, the co-founder of Ethereum, called for the platform to move beyond its financial roots and take on a broader mission of building open systems that safeguard privacy, freedom, and coordination in an increasingly volatile digital landscape. In a post published on X, Buterin described these efforts as “sanctuary technologies”, decentralized infrastructure meant to shield users from government and corporate surveillance, geopolitical instability and the expanding reach of artificial intelligence. The Ethereum co-founder acknowledged that the network has played a limited role in tackling these challenges directly, even as…

BitGo Launches MiCA-Compliant Crypto-as-a-Service Across 30 EEA Countries

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BitGo Europe GmbH has launched its crypto-as-a-service offering across the European Economic Area, enabling fintechs and banks to integrate regulated crypto custody, trading and fiat on- and off-ramps under the EU’s Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) framework. According to Tuesday’s announcement, the expansion makes BitGo’s API-based infrastructure available in all 30 EEA countries, allowing institutions to embed wallet, onboarding and settlement services directly into their platforms. The service includes multi-asset wallets and Single Euro Payments Area (SEPA) fiat rails. BitGo said custodial wallets are insured up to $250 million, subject to…

Will Bitcoin Rise Or Fall As A Result?

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Key takeaways: Bitcoin shows resilience by decoupling from traditional equities and gold despite increasing US dollar strength. Institutional demand for Bitcoin remains robust, as evidenced by the $1.5 billion in recent ETF net inflows in 7 days. Bitcoin (BTC) successfully defended the $68,000 level on Tuesday despite a 1% decline in the Nasdaq 100 Index and a 3.6% drop in gold prices. Although Bitcoin initially decoupled from traditional markets, traders remain concerned as the US dollar strengthened against other major fiat currencies, even as the United States risks a prolonged…