Month: March 2026

Ethereum Builders Propose ‘Economic Zone’ to Fix L2 Fragmentation

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Developers from Gnosis and Zisk, with backing from the Ethereum Foundation, have proposed a new framework aimed at unifying Ethereum’s fragmented layer-2 ecosystem by enabling rollups to interact seamlessly with each other and the mainnet in a single transaction. According to an announcement shared with Cointelegraph, the proposed “Ethereum Economic Zone” (EEZ) would allow smart contracts on different rollups to execute synchronously across networks without relying on bridges. The initiative targets a key trade-off in Ethereum’s scaling strategy, where dozens of layer-2 networks have improved throughput but split liquidity, infrastructure…

Ethereum May Get ‘Flipped’ in 2026 Without Bitcoin’s Involvement

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Ether’s (ETH) grip on the cryptocurrency market’s number-two spot is weakening, not because it is getting any closer to overtaking Bitcoin (BTC), but because the stablecoin economy is booming. Key takeaways: Ethereum’s No. 2 ranking at risk in 2026 In the past five years, Ether has vastly underperformed its top competitors for the no. 2 spot, primarily Tether’s stablecoin USDT (USDT). On a five-year rolling basis, ETH’s market capitalization grew by roughly 11.75% to around $240 billion. ETH/USD five-year market cap performance vs. USDT, XRP, and USDC. Source: TradingView In…

France’s largest bank to debut Bitcoin, Ether ETNs for French retail clients tomorrow

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France’s largest lender BNP Paribas is bringing six new crypto exchange-traded notes (ETNs) tied to Bitcoin and Ethereum to its exchange platform in France, starting tomorrow March 30, according to a recent announcement. Exchange-traded notes (ETNs) are tradeable debt products that give investors exposure to the underlying markets through index tracking. They provide liquid and diversified exposure without direct ownership, though investors face issuer credit risk and potential market losses. Offered under MiFID II, which is designed to boost transparency standardize market operations, and protect investors, the ETNs let millions…

World Foundation Sells $65M in WLD as Token Hits Record Lows

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Sam Altman’s World Foundation has raised $65 million through an over-the-counter (OTC) sale of its WLD token, which has hit new record lows. In a Saturday post on X, the foundation said its token issuance arm, World Assets, completed the sale to four counterparties over the past week, with the first tranche settling on March 20. The transactions were priced at an average of roughly $0.27 per token, suggesting that around 239 million Worldcoin (WLD) changed hands. “This sale funds the project’s core operations and activities, R&D, orb manufacturing, ecosystem…

Institutions Are Paying Bitcoin Custodians For The Privilege Of Added Risk

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Opinion by: Kevin Loaec, CEO of Wizardsardine For decades, institutions have followed a familiar pattern when managing assets. They choose a large, regulated custodian. Then, institutions transfer responsibility. Institutions rely on the assumption that scale, compliance and insurance equate to safety. In traditional finance, this approach holds. Transactions are reversible, central banks provide backstops and regulators can intervene. When something breaks, there are mechanisms to absorb, unwind or redistribute the damage. Bitcoin changes those assumptions completely because it is a bearer asset. Control is defined by cryptographic keys, and not…

Onchain Commodity Trading Grows, but Liquidity still Favors TradFi

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Onchain commodity trading is proving it’s more than a short-term spike, but limited liquidity continues to hold the market back from competing with traditional venues. Hyperliquid’s HIP-3 market recorded a new all-time high on March 23, with roughly $5.4 billion in perpetual futures volume across commodities and macro assets. Silver led the activity at $1.3 billion, followed by WTI crude oil at $1.2 billion, Brent crude at $940 million and gold at $558 million. Equity indices, including the Nasdaq and S&P 500, also saw notable volumes. HIP-3 per volume. Source:…

BNP Paribas Adds Bitcoin, Ether ETNs for France Retail Users

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French multinational universal bank BNP Paribas is expanding its investment offering to include six crypto-linked exchange-traded notes (ETNs), giving retail clients in France access to Bitcoin and Ether exposure through regulated products. The new ETNs, indexed to the price of Bitcoin (BTC) and Ether (ETH), will be available from Monday via standard securities accounts, according to the company. The products are open to individual investors, entrepreneurs, private banking clients and users of the bank’s digital platform, Hello bank!. The rollout may later extend to wealth management clients outside France. Unlike…

Future US Crypto Crackdowns Could Happen Without Clear Rules

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Failing to pass the crypto market structure bill, known as the CLARITY Act, could leave the door open for a future less industry-friendly US government to crack down on crypto again, Peter Van Valkenburgh the executive director of advocacy group Coin Center says. In an X post on Friday, Van Valkenburgh argued that rejecting developer protections in legislation like the CLARITY Act and the Blockchain Regulatory Certainty Act in favor of “short-term business interests” and the “continued goodwill of those in charge” could lead to a “grim” future for the…

Canada Eyes Ban on Crypto Political Donations

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Canada’s federal government has proposed a total ban on cryptocurrency donations to political parties, citing concerns that foreign entities could exploit the technology to interfere in elections. Known as the Strong and Free Elections Act, the bill was introduced on Thursday and proposed to amend the Canada Elections Act to prohibit political parties and third parties involved in the election process from accepting donations in crypto, money orders and prepaid cards to prevent anonymous and “hard to trace contributions.” The bill’s sponsor, Steven MacKinnon, the leader of the government in…

Kalshi Hit With Washington State Lawsuit

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Kalshi is facing another state-level lawsuit after the state of Washington on Friday filed allegations that the prediction market operator violated state gambling laws with its products. The Washington Attorney General’s complaint cites the Pacific Northwest state’s existing ban on online gambling and otherwise strict oversight of the gaming market, in claiming Kalshi violated the Washington Consumer Protection Act, Gambling Act, and Recovery of Money Lost at Gambling Act. “Kalshi’s website and app show consumers a range of events that they can bet on and the odds for those various…