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MicroStrategy founder Michael Saylor has described Bitcoin as "digital capital" capable of withstanding the disruption caused by artificial intelligence (AI), The Crypto Basic reported. His comments came in response to remarks by former Facebook executive Chamath Palihapitiya, who suggested that the advancement of AI could erode corporate competitive advantages faster than the market anticipates, potentially making stock prices more dependent on immediate earnings than on long-term growth prospects. Saylor argued that in such an environment, investor funds might shift toward assets less sensitive to technological changes. He asserted that Bitcoin fits this profile due to its fixed supply and decentralized structure. Previously, Palihapitiya had noted that a 30% to 40% decline in the long-term expected value of assets could reshape global markets, suggesting a possible capital flight to tangible and low-risk assets like infrastructure and short-term government bonds. When Palihapitiya also raised the need for Bitcoin to address threats from quantum computing, Saylor countered that if quantum computing were to break current cryptographic systems, it would impact the entire digital ecosystem, including AI platforms, banking systems, and internet infrastructure, necessitating a comprehensive system-wide upgrade.

XRP's spot trading volume has more than doubled in the last 24 hours, with the surge being led by South Korean crypto exchange Upbit, The Crypto Basic reported. Citing data from CoinGlass, the report noted that XRP spot volume surged approximately 115% in one day to reach $1.84 billion, accompanying a rise in the asset's price. Upbit was the primary driver, recording about $452.45 million in XRP trading volume over the past 24 hours. XRP was also the most traded asset on the exchange's KRW market. Binance followed with around $397.03 million in XRP spot volume, also showing an upward trend. The Crypto Basic suggested that an increase in trading volume typically indicates heightened market interest, and a price rally backed by strong volume could serve as a foundation for future gains.

The Bitcoin Cycle Index has entered a state of extreme weakness, falling to a level 40% below its all-time high, according to on-chain analyst Axel Adler Jr. The analyst, who has around 28,000 followers on X, explained that the Bitcoin Cycle Extreme Index is currently at approximately 67.7%, a reading that corresponds to this weakness zone. He noted that this signifies an extreme downward trend across on-chain indicators. The index is designed to signal market tops and bottoms based on cyclical patterns. Adler Jr. added that historically, the entry into this zone has often coincided with the start of an accumulation phase rather than a continued decline. He concluded that a sustained downtrend for Bitcoin is unlikely, barring a black swan event.

Rumors are circulating that Tempo, a blockchain focused on stablecoins and payments, may launch its mainnet by the end of March, crypto media outlet The Rollup reported, citing sources. The mainnet is expected to launch with a dual structure tailored for both institutional and retail users, but likely without a native token. The project has also reportedly introduced its own TIP-20 token standard to eliminate gas fees for on-chain transactions. According to the report, payments company Stripe is providing full support for the launch. Tempo, which launched its public testnet last December, is a blockchain project reportedly under joint development by Stripe and Paradigm.

An address believed to belong to the Bhutanese government transferred 20.5 BTC ($1.52 million) to QCP Capital and sent 1.02 BTC ($75,900) to a new wallet, Onchain Lens reported. Onchain Lens added that the assets may be moved again.

Polymarket, a crypto-based prediction market platform, has condemned the threats and harassment directed at Emanuel Fabian, a military correspondent for The Times of Israel, the newspaper reported. Some users of the platform allegedly pressured Fabian, including issuing death threats, to alter his reporting on Iranian missile attacks in Israel in an attempt to win their bets. A spokesperson for Polymarket stated that the credibility of independent reporting is the foundation for prediction markets and that any attempt to pressure journalists to change their coverage undermines both journalism and the markets themselves.

Sagar Shah, CEO of Evernorth, a digital asset accumulation firm strategically acquiring XRP, said in a recent interview that the cryptocurrency has enormous long-term potential for use in the global financial sector. He noted that the cross-border payments market today exceeds $150 trillion, but traditional systems for such transactions are slow and expensive. Shah argued that while XRP adoption is still in its early stages, its use cases are steadily increasing. He added that moves toward regulatory clarity, such as the proposed Clarity Act in the U.S. and the implementation of MiCA in Europe, are creating a favorable environment for Ripple.

Mirae Asset Financial Group has invested in U.S. digital bank Erebor as part of its push to expand its digital asset business, Maeil Business Newspaper reported. According to investment banking industry sources on March 17, Mirae Asset Capital and Mirae Asset Venture Investment participated in Erebor's $350 million funding round last month. The specific investment amount was not disclosed. Erebor is a digital bank founded by Palmer Luckey, the founder of U.S. defense startup Anduril, and has attracted investment from Palantir co-founders Peter Thiel and Joe Lonsdale.

Bithumb has announced that it will temporarily suspend deposits and withdrawals for Casper (CSPR) at 9:00 a.m. UTC on March 23 to support the network's mainnet upgrade.

South Korean financial authorities have informed the National Assembly that they are reviewing the need to reform the current structure of virtual asset exchanges, which combines brokerage, custody, and settlement functions. According to a document from the Financial Services Commission cited by The Herald Business, the authorities plan to consider introducing a separate custody business model during the second phase of legislation. The review is based on the existence of specialized Virtual Asset Service Providers that already handle custody and the European Union's Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) regulation, which defines custody as an independent service.

U.S. Senator Tim Scott, Chairman of the Senate Banking Committee, is expected to discuss the future markup schedule for the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act at the DC Blockchain Summit today, BeInCrypto reported. A markup is a process of debate and amendment before a bill is sent to the full chamber for a vote. The bill passed the House last July but has been stalled in the Senate Banking Committee due to disagreements over interest payments on stablecoins. Meanwhile, The Digital Chamber CEO Cody Carbone reportedly told Crypto in America that negotiations between the crypto industry and banks are in their final stages. However, Senate Majority Leader John Thune has indicated that a floor vote will not occur before April. Users on the prediction market Polymarket are pricing in a roughly 60% chance of the bill passing this year.

Cryptocurrency wallet provider SafePal (SFP) announced on its official X account that it now supports the prediction market Polymarket. This allows users to trade with their EVM assets directly within the SafePal app, without needing know-your-customer (KYC) procedures or a separate application. SafePal added that it plans to provide Polymarket-related news in its app and will expand support to non-EVM assets in the future.

Robert Kiyosaki, author of 'Rich Dad Poor Dad,' argued on X that the collapse of the largest asset bubble in history is imminent, stating it is a matter of when, not if. He predicted that within one year of the collapse, gold would reach $35,000 per ounce and silver would hit $200. Kiyosaki also forecasted that Bitcoin would rise to $750,000 and Ethereum to $95,000.

South Korean financial authorities have reported to the National Assembly that they are reviewing a plan to allow banks to manage the reserve assets for won-denominated stablecoins, The Herald Business reported. The Financial Services Commission stated it plans to examine management methods for stablecoin reserves, using the current Virtual Asset User Protection Act as a reference, which requires user deposits to be held or trusted to banks. Consequently, the question of which entities will be responsible for holding and managing these reserve assets has emerged as a key issue in the design of the regulatory framework, alongside regulations on stablecoin issuers and exchange ownership.

Global cryptocurrency exchange MEXC announced the official launch of its Prediction Market service. The service covers major events in the crypto industry and other global issues, allowing users to predict outcomes and trade on them. In a post on X, MEXC explained that the service will help users adjust their portfolios or hedge risks based on the probabilities of specific events.

Whale Alert reported that 300,000,000 USDT has been transferred from Bitfinex to an unknown wallet. The transaction is valued at about $300 million.

The Bitcoin futures market is showing signs of potential price weakness, as open interest fails to grow and the funding rate remains negative, cryptocurrency analyst MAC.D said on his Telegram channel. He explained that while BTC is attempting to break the key $74,000 resistance level formed after a sharp drop in February, on-chain data shows a change of hands, with long-term investors selling to new entrants. "While the spot market is showing bullish signs, futures traders are not actively taking on risk," MAC.D noted. He warned that if bullish betting in the futures market does not follow, the current rally could become a bull trap. "The persistently negative funding rate shows that traders are not actively betting on a rise," he added.

Illegal cross-border fund transfers, including unlicensed foreign exchange schemes involving virtual assets conducted via credit and debit cards, are set to become virtually impossible in South Korea, Newdaily reported. South Korea's Financial Supervisory Service (FSS) and Customs Service signed a public-private partnership memorandum of understanding (MOU) on March 17 with the Credit Finance Association and nine domestic card companies. The plan aims to cut off funding for voice phishing and virtual asset-related crimes by linking and analyzing overseas card usage data with immigration records.

A MetaPlanet address that had been dormant for three months has transferred 4,986 BTC, worth $368.3 million, to a new address, Onchain Lens reported, citing Arkham data. Onchain Lens added that the transfer appears to be a simple fund relocation.

Bithumb has announced that it will temporarily suspend deposits and withdrawals for Starknet (STRK) at 5:00 a.m. UTC on March 18 due to a mainnet upgrade.

BTC perp long/short ratios on top exchanges by open interest The following are the 24-hour long/short ratios for BTC perpetual futures on the world’s three largest crypto futures exchanges by open interest: Overall: 51.94% long, 48.06% short - Binance: 51.29% long, 48.71% short - MEXC: 50.9% long, 49.1% short - Gate.io: 50.89% long, 49.11% short

South Korean Digital Asset Trust (DAT) firm Bitmax transferred its entire Bitcoin holdings to exchanges just before a 4-for-1 capital reduction, Maeil Business Newspaper reported exclusively. The company, which had previously disclosed holding 551 BTC as of February, reportedly moved around 550 BTC between Jan. 15 and Feb. 5. In response, Bitmax confirmed that it transferred the Bitcoin from its custodian, Coda, to exchanges including Binance and Bybit. The company stated that it still holds all the Bitcoin but could not confirm the reason for the transfer. As of this morning, Bitmax's website still displays a balance certificate based on its custody with Coda. The transfers preceded Bitmax's recent decision to implement a 4-for-1 capital reduction to improve its financial structure by covering accumulated losses. The firm has recently faced a substantive delisting review and a failed attempt to acquire Nasdaq-listed Solowin Holdings (AXG).

Sui (SUI) has announced that it has entered the testing phase for a new virtual machine (VM). The VM features a completely redesigned execution layer to increase processing speed. It also includes performance enhancements such as faster caching and new features for the next generation of the Move programming language. Sui plans to launch a bug bounty program before the VM is deployed on the mainnet. The project noted that while the VM has not yet been applied to the testnet, the bug bounty will offer rewards based on mainnet standards.

Chinese automotive transaction service platform Cango announced it sold 4,451 BTC in February to repay a loan. The company, which previously acquired BTC miners from Bitmain, also reported total revenue of $688 million and said it mined 6,594.6 BTC last year.

OKX announced it will list Katana (KAT) for spot trading at 1:00 p.m. UTC on March 18.