Institutions Are Paying Bitcoin Custodians For The Privilege Of Added Risk

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…

BNP Paribas Adds Bitcoin, Ether ETNs for France Retail Users

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…

Bitcoin Recovery Time Extends If Selloff Deepens Below $60K

Bitcoin (BTC) has shed all its March gains, currently down 1.40% on the monthly chart and 24.6% for the first quarter of 2026. Bitcoin’s longer-term performance aligns with a deep drawdown cycle for BTC, which may extend until the end of 2026 and many analysts expect another 40% drop in price. This scenario pushes Bitcoin’s recovery into Q2 2027, as a deeper BTC price drop tends to take longer to recover from. Bitcoin drawdown depth extends the recovery timeline Ecoinometrics data shows a clear link between the drawdown depth and…

Spot Bitcoin ETFs Break 4-Week Inflow Streak with $296M Outflows

Spot Bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs) snapped a four-week inflow streak, posting $296.18 million in net outflows for the week ending Friday. The reversal follows a sustained run of inflows totaling more than $2.2 billion across four consecutive weeks, including $787.31 million, $568.45 million and $767.33 million in early March, before slowing to $95.18 million in the prior week, according to SoSoValue data. The weekly outflow followed back-to-back daily withdrawals on Thursday and Friday totaling more than $396 million, including a $225.48 million outflow on Friday alone, their biggest day of…

Morgan Stanley Sets Bitcoin ETF Fee at Ultra-Low 0.14%

Investment bank Morgan Stanley is seeking to launch its spot Bitcoin exchange-traded fund at a 0.14% fee, which would make it the cheapest in the US market and potentially force rivals to cut fees to stay competitive. The 0.14% fee, proposed in Morgan Stanley’s latest S-1 registration statement on Friday, would be one basis point below the Grayscale Bitcoin Mini Trust ETF (BTC), currently the cheapest in the US market, and 11 basis points below the BlackRock-issued iShares Bitcoin Trust ETF (IBIT). “Big move here. They are not messing around,”…

Bitcoin, Altcoins Give Back March Gains As Investors Cut Risk

Key points: Bitcoin’s fall below the $66,000 support heightens the risk of a drop to the $62,500 level. Select major altcoins have broken below their immediate support levels, opening the gates for further downside. Bitcoin (BTC) is under pressure from the bears, who are attempting to sustain the price below the $66,000 level. The uncertainty regarding the US and Israel-Iran war is capping the upside and putting downside pressure. US spot Bitcoin exchange-traded funds recorded $171 million in outflows on Thursday, the biggest since the $348 million in redemptions on…

BlackRock sends $181 million in Bitcoin, Ether to Coinbase amid crypto sell-off

BlackRock deposited $181 million in digital assets on Coinbase Prime today during a slump in crypto markets that pushed Bitcoin and altcoins lower. According to Arkham Intel data, 612 BTC, worth around $41 million, and 68,567 Ethereum, worth approximately $140 million, were transferred from a wallet owned by the leading asset manager. While BlackRock’s transfers may not involve selling and could be part of a dip-buying strategy, they have caught notice amid mixed demand for exchange-traded products and ongoing geopolitical uncertainty. The deposit took place amid a sharp crypto market…

Bitcoin Slumps on Oil Fears as March Monthly Close Risks Deeper Sell-Off

Bitcoin grabbed downside liquidity as oil-supply pressure sent BTC price action below $66,500 to its lowest levels since March 9. Bitcoin (BTC) neared three-week lows into Friday’s Wall Street open amid reports of Iran closing the Strait of Hormuz oil route. Key points: Bitcoin reacts badly to fresh oil-supply threats ahead of Friday’s Wall Street open. BTC price action hunts bid liquidity, continuing a week of low-time frame liquidity grabs. Another bear flag threatens to send the market below $50,000, analysis says. Bitcoin eyes range lows into monthly close Data…

Bitcoin Drops Below $68K but Long-Term Holder Buying Accelerates

Bitcoin (BTC) dropped toward $67,000 during the European trading session on Friday despite an increase in long-term buying. Exchange withdrawals also increased to 16-month highs, suggesting reduced “immediate selling pressure,” a new analysis said. Key takeaways: Bitcoin withdrawals from exchanges increases, reducing BTC available for sale. Long-term holders accelerate accumulation, adding 155,450 BTC over the past 30 days. Bitcoin analysts view $65,000–$66,000 as a potential support zone for a bounce. Bitcoin supply tightens as long-term buying accelerates CryptoQuant’s exchange flow data highlighted “renewed signs of supply tightening,” as large Bitcoin…

Bhutan moves $45 million worth of Bitcoin in two days

The Royal Government of Bhutan, which became one of the first sovereign Bitcoin miners by using surplus hydroelectric power, has moved 643 BTC worth over $45 million to external wallets over the past two days, according to Arkham Intel data. Bhutan once held more than 13,000 BTC and now appears to be systematically converting its digital reserves into capital. Bitcoin traded at $66,500 at press time, down 4% in the last 24 hours, per TradingView. Despite recent Bitcoin sales, Druk Holdings, the investment arm of the Bhutanese government, still holds…