Weekly Rollup - March 17, 2026

Market highlights

• Crypto market sentiment improved on ETF inflows, TradFi weakness and short liquidations.
• The U.S. SEC and CFTC signed a memorandum of understanding to coordinate regulation.
• BlackRock is launching the iShares Staked Ethereum Trust (ETHB) on Nasdaq.
• TRUMP meme coin rallied after announcement of exclusive Mar-a-Lago event for top holders.
• Bank Policy Institute considers lawsuit against U.S. regulators over crypto trust charters.
• Wells Fargo filed a trademark for “WFUSD” with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

Macro market overview

Risk-off sentiment prevailed this week as the Iran war and fluctuating oil prices caused a sell off across the major indexes. Iran attacked ships attempting to navigate through the Strait of Hormuz, while the U.S. attacked military targets on Khard Island, Iran’s main oil export hub. President Trump called for a coalition of navy ships from several countries to secure the Strait, with the offer of “a lot” of support from the U.S. to those who oblige. Oil topped almost US$120 per barrel on Sunday, March 8 and has since settled around US$94. U.S. ten-year treasury yields and the two-year yield each climbed this week, closing at 4.3% and 3.7%, respectively

The growing geopolitical uncertainty coincides with a big week of rate decisions from seven of the world’s central banks, including the U.S. Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC). CME’s FedWatch tool currently places the probability of a 25-basis-point cut at the FOMC’s March 18 meeting at 0.9%. The U.S. core producer price index (PPI) on Wednesday, March 18 will also presumably provide an indication of how much cost pressure companies are facing, though the impacts of the Iran war likely won’t be fully reflected until the April reading, considering tensions escalated from late February.

Weekly performance: S&P 500 -1.6%, Dow Jones -2%, Nasdaq -1.3%.

Looking ahead:

• Rate decisions
  • Reserve Bank of Australia - Tuesday, March 17
  • U.S. Federal Reserve; Bank of Canada - Wednesday, March 18
  • Bank of Japan; Bank of England; Swiss National Bank; European Central Bank - Thursday, March 19
• U.S. core producer price index - Wednesday, March 18

Crypto Market Performance

Market Cap: $2.53T (+4%)

All sectors saw growth this week, as crypto sentiment saw an uptick following weeks of volatility and macro-driven sell pressure. Artificial intelligence (AI) was the biggest gainer, while social saw minor gains. AI presumably saw outsized gains due to Nvidia’s CEO, Jensen Huang, labelling AI as “generational infrastructure”. The crypto fear and greed index rose by over 20 points this week to land on 43, which is neutral.

Biggest gainer:

• AI: Artificial Superintelligence Alliance (FET) (+70.5%) saw significant gains as the AI sector rallied. The decentralised machine learning platform trains, deploys and utilises AI agents. Recent focus around the potential efficiencies of agentic AI and broader investor interest in both TradFi and crypto AI assets presumably sparked the gains.

Market sector performance 17 March, 2026.

Bitcoin (BTC)

• Opened the week at US$65,970, rallied to a high of US$73,968 and showed continued strength over the weekend and into the new week. The gains are presumably due to capital flows into exchange-traded funds (ETFs) recover, short positions getting liquidated around the key area of US$73,700 and those seeking a macro hedge outside of TradFi assets. Bitcoin is now trading around US$74,620 (+8.7% 7D).
• BTC dominance ranged between 58.6% and 59.4% this week.
• Bitcoin investment products saw inflows of US$793 million.

Bitcoin miners reached a major milestone this week as the 20 millionth bitcoin was mined, leaving just one million coins remaining to be issued. The final coins may take more than a century to mine, due to halving events slowing the supply of new bitcoin.

Gemini founders Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss transferred about US$130 million worth of bitcoin to Gemini hot wallets, according to Arkham. The move sparked speculation it could precede selling, though analysts note such transfers may also support exchange liquidity, custody rebalancing, or over-the-counter transactions.

Tokyo-listed Metaplanet is expanding its bitcoin strategy by launching Metaplanet Ventures and Metaplanet Asset Management, with plans to invest US$25 million over two to three years into Japan’s Bitcoin infrastructure ecosystem, including startups, development incubators, and projects spanning payments, custody, lending and compliance technologies.

In bitcoin buying news:

• Strategy bought 22,337 BTC ($1.52B), bringing its total holdings to 761,068 BTC at an average purchase price of US$75,696 per bitcoin.

Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future results.

Ethereum (ETH)

• Opened the week at US$1,933, rallied to the key level around US$2,210, sold off slightly, and showed further strength throughout the weekend and into the new week with an 8.3% rally on Monday, March 16. As mentioned above, the upward momentum is presumably due to growth in ETF inflows and improving crypto sentiment as TradFi assets show macro-driven weakness. Ethereum is now trading around US$2,360 (+17.6% 7D).
• Ethereum dominance ranged between 10.4% and 10.7% this week.
• Ethereum-focused funds saw inflows of US$315 million.

Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin proposed an update to simplify Ethereum node software, aiming to remove unnecessary complexity by merging the backend programs required to run simultaneously to complete consensus and staking. The change targets the network’s current dual-client architecture, lowering technical barriers and encouraging more users to operate their own nodes to strengthen decentralisation.

In Ethereum buying news:

• BitMine bought 5,000 Ethereum directly from the Ethereum Foundation, plus a further 60,999 ETH This week. This brings the company’s holdings to almost 4.6 million ETH, worth US$10 billion.

Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future results.

Altcoins

The altcoin season index is currently 49, which is bitcoin season.

AI gains

• Bittensor gained 44.4%. The decentralised marketplace and machine learning network saw gains as Grayscale’s Bittensor Trust gained Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) reporting status, the team announced its “Covenant-72B model” (a 74-billion parameter AI network that will run on Bittensor, and broader AI gains.
• Near Protocol gained 20.3%. The layer-1 blockchain that enables the development of usable and scalable AI applications has seen recent strength on broader AI gains and the announcement of a privacy upgrade that will enable confidential transactions.

Compute for rent

• Render gained 37.7%. The decentralised blockchain that allows users to lease their idle graphics processing units (GPUs) is seeing gains as Nvidia’s GPU Technology Conference kicked off at the SAP Centre in San Jose yesterday. Positive forecasts around GPU developments at the event may drive further upward momentum.

Very dApper

• Conflux gained 34.5%. The layer-1 chain designed for decentralised apps (dApps), e-commerce and Web3 gained following the announcement of China’s “Belt and Road Initiative” blockchain that will be led by Conflux. The new project aims to develop robust public infrastructure that makes cross-border trade more efficient.

TRUMP card

• President Trump’s Solana-based TRUMP meme coin gained 33.3%. The cryptocurrency surged 35%, with trading volume quadrupling after he announced an exclusive Mar-a-Lago event for top token holders. The top 297 holders will gain access, while the largest 29 receive VIP privileges, driving speculative buying and large on-chain gains.

Layer 2 gains

• Mantle gained 25.8%. The Ethereum layer-2 scaling solution saw gains on the launch of its institutional crypto fund in partnership with Securitise. The new fund, Mantle Index Four (MI4) Fund will offer investors exposure to bitcoin, Ethereum, Solana and U.S. Dollar stablecoins.

Crypto ETF News

Digital asset investment products saw another week of inflows, with just over US$1 billion flowing into funds. XRP funds saw outflows of US$76 million.

BlackRock is launching the first major ETH ETF with staking yield. iShares Staked Ethereum Trust (ETHB) on Nasdaq, allows investors to gain ETH exposure while earning staking rewards. The fund will distribute about 82% of staking income to investors through monthly payouts, with most of the fund’s Ethereum holdings staked to generate yield. The fund saw US$100 million of inflows on its first day of trading.

Other crypto news

• The U.S. SEC and Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) signed a memorandum of understanding to coordinate rule-making, supervision and enforcement across digital asset markets. The agreement launches a Joint Harmonisation Initiative covering product definitions, clearing rules and reporting requirements, aiming to reduce regulatory overlap and create a clearer framework for crypto.
• The Bank Policy Institute is considering a lawsuit against U.S. regulators over the approval of crypto firms’ national trust bank charters, arguing the process gives digital asset companies unfair access to banking privileges without equivalent oversight. The potential legal challenge underscores escalating tensions between TradFi and crypto firms.
• Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, a vocal critic of government-controlled central bank digital currencies (CBDCs), may sign a bill creating a state stablecoin regulatory framework. Critics argue its transaction-monitoring requirements for transfers over US$10,000 mirror surveillance tools DeSantis previously warned against. The bill passed the Florida State Senate on March 6. DeSantis hasn’t yet indicated whether he will sign the bill.
• Wells Fargo filed a trademark for “WFUSD” with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, covering services tied to cryptocurrency, stablecoins, payments and trading software. The filing suggests potential digital asset plans, though no product has been confirmed.
• Crypto firm Ripple began buying back up to US$750 million in shares from employees and investors at a US$50 billion valuation, according to Bloomberg. The offer runs through April and marks a 25% increase from its US$40 billion valuation in November, as the XRP-linked company positions itself for further growth. Also this week, Ripple applied for an Australian Financial Services License (AFSL) through the proposed acquisition of BC Payments.
• Crypto wealth manager Abra plans to go public on Nasdaq via a US$750 million SPAC merger with New Providence Acquisition Corp. III, listing under ABRX. The firm is targetting US$10 billion in assets under management by 2027, though it has previously faced SEC, CFTC and state regulatory actions over lending and licensing issues.
• Mastercard launched its Crypto Partner Program bringing together more than 85 companies, including Binance, Ripple, Circle and PayPal, to develop digital asset products integrated with traditional card networks. The initiative aims to combine blockchain capabilities with Mastercard’s global payment rails.
• The Australian Senate Economics Committee backed legislation creating a national crypto regulatory framework, recommending that the bill proceed. The proposal would classify digital asset platforms and custody services under existing Australian financial services law, requiring operators holding client tokens to obtain an AFSL and meet safeguarding and disclosure standards to strengthen consumer protection.