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South Korean crypto exchange Coinone has transitioned to a sole leadership structure under CEO Cha Myung-hoon, ending its previous co-CEO system, Digital Asset reported today. The company completed the regulatory filing for the leadership change with the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) of South Korea's Financial Services Commission yesterday. Following a board resolution and other internal procedures, the new management structure is now officially in effect. Cha is the founder and largest shareholder of Coinone.

An address believed to belong to Erik Voorhees, CEO of crypto exchange Shapeshift, purchased 17,084 ETH ($36.75 million) at $2,151 two hours ago, Lookonchain reported, citing data from Arkham.

South Korean crypto exchange Bithumb has announced a temporary suspension of deposits and withdrawals for WAX (WAXP) due to wallet system maintenance.

According to data from crypto options exchange Deribit, Bitcoin options with a notional value of $1.7 billion are set to expire at 8:00 a.m. UTC today, March 20. The put/call ratio for these options is 0.96, and the max pain price—the point at which the largest number of options would expire worthless—is $70,000. Additionally, Ethereum options valued at $378 million will expire at the same time, featuring a put/call ratio of 1.02 and a max pain price of $2,150.

Cryptocurrency exchange Gemini has reduced its workforce by approximately 30% this year through a series of layoffs. According to Bloomberg, the company is also implementing artificial intelligence systems to enhance productivity. These moves follow Gemini's earlier withdrawal from markets in the United Kingdom, the European Union, and Australia, as well as a major overhaul of its executive team that included replacing its chief operating officer (COO) and chief legal officer (CLO).

The Crypto Fear & Greed Index from data provider Alternative has fallen 12 points from yesterday to 11, continuing a state of Extreme Fear. The index measures market sentiment on a scale of zero to 100, where zero signifies Extreme Fear and 100 represents Extreme Greed. It is calculated based on several factors: volatility (25%), trading volume (25%), social media mentions (15%), surveys (15%), Bitcoin's market capitalization dominance (10%), and Google search volume (10%).

Recent selling pressure in the Bitcoin market has been primarily driven by short-term investors, according to a report from XWIN Research Japan. The analysis highlights that over the past month, as the S&P 500 and Nikkei indices fell by around 3% each, the CBOE Volatility Index (VIX) rose by approximately 18%, indicating growing market anxiety. During the same period, a strengthening U.S. dollar and rising 10-year Treasury yields have pointed to tightening financial conditions. Gold, which typically strengthens amid geopolitical risk, saw its price fall by about 3%. In contrast, Bitcoin demonstrated relative strength, rising by about 6%. However, its correlation with equities remains high at around 0.70, and it shows a negative correlation with the VIX, suggesting its characteristics as a risk asset are still prominent. On-chain data supports this view, with the Market Value to Realized Value (MVRV) ratio at approximately 1.3, a level considered neutral or undervalued with no signs of overheating. The report concludes that accumulation by long-term holders has remained relatively stable, with the recent sell-off being a trend centered on short-term investors.

Bitcoin, which had temporarily decoupled from global risk assets amid escalating conflict risk in the Middle East, is now back under the influence of macroeconomic variables and facing selling pressure, according to recent analysis. In an interview with DL News, Kraken Vice President Matt Howells-Barby said that a continued rise in oil prices could heighten concerns about an economic slowdown, which in turn could weigh on Bitcoin's price. He suggested that if Bitcoin fails to hold its short-term support at $69,000, it could fall to the $65,000 level. Sebastián Serrano, CEO of Argentine exchange Ripio, noted that if the sell-off persists, it is possible for BTC to drop below $54,000. He analyzed that the recent price volatility has been triggered by external macroeconomic variables—such as geopolitical conflict, rising energy prices, and changing inflation expectations—rather than factors internal to the cryptocurrency market.

The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has warned users about fake tokens circulating on the Tron (TRX) network that impersonate official institutions, The Block reported. In a post on X, the FBI's New York office advised users not to provide personally identifiable information to websites associated with tokens sent from certain accounts. The scam involves sending TRC-20 tokens to a user's wallet and then demanding personal information, citing potential asset freezes for alleged Anti-Money Laundering (AML) violations. The FBI stated that the extent of the damages is not yet known and urged anyone who encounters suspicious activity to report it to the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3).

A proposed cryptocurrency regulation bill in Kentucky is drawing criticism for including a provision that would effectively mandate a "backdoor" for hardware wallets, Cointelegraph reported. According to the Bitcoin Policy Institute (BPI), an amendment to House Bill 380 would require wallet manufacturers to support the resetting of user access information, such as passwords, PINs, and seed phrases. The bill also mandates an identity verification process for such requests. The BPI argued that this is technically impossible for non-custodial hardware wallets, as manufacturers cannot access or recover user seed phrases. The institute warned that such a rule undermines the core crypto value of self-custody and could inadvertently push users toward centralized custody services.

The perspective of financial institutions on stablecoin adoption is gradually being reshaped, Circle (CRCL) said on X. The company noted that recent discussions with senior banking officials in New York revealed that these institutions now view stablecoins as a core infrastructure strategy rather than a simple technological experiment. Circle added that the regulatory environment is shaping the direction of adoption rather than delaying it, and a trend is emerging where 24-hour payment systems are increasingly integrating with traditional financial infrastructure. Furthermore, the use of tokenized money is moving from the pilot phase to operational planning, with stablecoins being accepted as practical payment rails. Circle concluded that this movement is part of the process of building a new internet-based financial system and will influence the strategic competitive landscape among financial institutions.

The U.S. state of North Carolina has introduced a bill to hold Bitcoin as a strategic reserve, according to Bitcoin Magazine's X account. The bill passed its first reading on March 19.

Prediction market platform Kalshi has been valued at $22 billion in an ongoing funding round, according to The Wall Street Journal (WSJ). The company is expected to raise approximately $1 billion in the round, which is being led by Coatue Management.

A U.S. Federal Appeals Court has denied a request from Kalshi to halt administrative enforcement actions by the state of Nevada. According to CoinDesk, Kalshi filed an appeal on March 13, arguing that without the stay, it would face conflicting rulings from federal and state courts. The court's rejection now allows Nevada regulators to issue a temporary ban against the company.

Coinbase Asset Management (CBAM) has announced a partnership with global asset manager Apex Group to launch a tokenized share class of its Bitcoin yield fund on the Base platform. According to CoinDesk, the Coinbase Bitcoin Yield Fund will be offered to investors via the Base network. Apex will act as the transfer agent, managing records in line with the fund's net asset value. This move highlights a growing trend among major asset managers to bring funds onto blockchain platforms to reduce costs, increase settlement speed, and expand distribution.

The three major U.S. stock indices closed lower today. - S&P 500: -0.27% - Nasdaq: -0.28% - Dow Jones: -0.44%

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 has announced a framework for standardizing gold tokens, Decrypt reported. Identifying the process of managing gold reserves as a major barrier to entry for potential issuers, the council has established a concept called "Gold as a Service." This platform is designed to allow token issuers to use a shared network for managing physical gold reserves. It aims to strengthen trust in gold tokens through features like continuous audits while ensuring a degree of fungibility between different products. Until now, the gold token market has primarily consisted of crypto firms that built their own custody and issuance systems. The World Gold Council 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.