This article summarizes cryptocurrency news on March 18, 2026, focusing on the latest Bitcoin updates, Ethereum upgrades, Dogecoin trends, real-time crypto prices, and price forecasts. Major Web3 events today include:
- TransFi raises $19.2 million to expand global stablecoin payment market, transaction volume expected to reach $5 billion
Stablecoin payment infrastructure company TransFi announced a new funding round of $19.2 million to accelerate its global expansion of cross-border payment platforms. The funding was led by Turing Financial Group, with $14.2 million in equity and $5 million for liquidity support.
TransFi stated it will use the funds to expand into Southeast Asia, South Asia, the Middle East, Latin America, and Africa, seek deeper regulatory licenses, and grow enterprise merchant partnerships. The platform supports global payroll, remittances, fund transfers, and payments, positioning itself as an alternative to traditional correspondent banks and SWIFT, enabling cross-border settlement via stablecoins.
Co-founder and CEO Raj Kamal said, “Stablecoins are no longer just theoretical tools—they are becoming part of global financial infrastructure. This funding will help us build infrastructure in high-friction markets and demonstrate that stablecoin-based payments are a reality.” TransFi expects to process about $5 billion in transactions in fiscal year 2026. Since its seed funding in 2024, revenue has grown 16-fold, with over 2 million end users. The company operates in more than 70 countries, supporting over 40 fiat currencies and 100 cryptocurrencies.
The adoption of stablecoins in real-world payments is accelerating. A Boston Consulting Group report predicts stablecoin payments will exceed $350 billion by 2025. Major global financial institutions are building stablecoin-based payment infrastructure. Recently, Mastercard announced plans to acquire stablecoin infrastructure firm BVNK for up to $1.8 billion, including a $300 million contingent payment; PayPal is also expanding the scope of its stablecoin PYUSD to 70 markets.
Additionally, Hong Kong-based stablecoin payment company RedotPay is reportedly raising $150 million and planning an IPO in the U.S., with a valuation potentially exceeding $4 billion. This indicates a new wave of growth in the global stablecoin payment market as companies and institutions ramp up their investments. (The Block)
- Bitrefill attacked by North Korea’s Lazarus hackers, 18,500 purchase records leaked, operations restored
Crypto payment and gift card platform Bitrefill announced that part of its infrastructure and crypto wallets were targeted by Lazarus, a North Korea-linked hacking group, resulting in the leak of approximately 18,500 purchase records. These records include email addresses, payment addresses, and IP information, with about 1,000 involving crypto usernames. Affected users have been notified, and the company says it will use operational funds to cover losses. Operations have now fully resumed.
The attack began when an employee’s laptop was compromised, leading to the leak of old credentials. Attackers gained access to Bitrefill’s database and hot wallets, attempting to drain some funds. The platform quickly took systems offline to contain the damage. Bitrefill stated that customer data was not the main target; the attack mainly focused on crypto holdings and gift card inventories, not full database theft.
Lazarus Group has previously attacked projects like Ronin Network, Harmony Horizon Bridge, WazirX, and Atomic Wallet. The recent attack involved malware, on-chain tracking, and reused IP and email addresses, closely matching Lazarus’s typical tactics.
Bitrefill has implemented multiple security measures, including external penetration testing, enhanced internal access controls, improved logging, and refined incident response protocols. The company notes this is its first major attack in over ten years, and it remains financially strong and profitable enough to absorb losses. Payment, inventory, and account systems are back online, and sales have stabilized.
The company urges customers to stay vigilant for suspicious communications related to Bitrefill or crypto, and commits to ongoing security improvements to protect user assets and privacy. (CoinDesk)
- Federal Reserve’s March 2026 rate decision imminent; Powell’s comments will influence Bitcoin and markets
The Federal Reserve will announce its March 2026 interest rate decision on Wednesday, with expectations to keep the target range at 3.5%–3.75%, maintaining the rate for a second consecutive meeting. The decision seems settled, but investors are watching the updated dot plot and Fed Chair Powell’s press conference, especially comments on inflation and future rate cuts.
Data shows core PCE inflation rose to 3.1% in February, well above the Fed’s 2% target, leaving little reason to cut rates. Middle East conflicts, especially the US-Iran war and rising oil prices, further limit room for rate cuts. According to Polymarket, traders now see only a 30% chance of a rate cut this year, with a 23% chance of no change, both lower than pre-Iran conflict expectations. Futures markets suggest the Fed may not consider policy adjustments until September or October.
Market strategist Kathy Lien suggests Powell may adopt cautious language in the press conference, balancing inflation concerns with employment pressures. Former Fed Vice Chair Roger Ferguson also said the committee will be very cautious in describing the economic outlook, with inflation remaining the primary concern.
Political pressures are also notable. Trump has publicly called for Powell to cut rates, but the Justice Department has blocked his attempt to replace Powell, with nominee Kevin Wash still awaiting Senate confirmation. Powell’s term runs until May next year, making this his penultimate rate decision as Fed Chair.
Bitcoin and other crypto markets have reacted, with prices briefly surging to $75,000, but expectations for multiple rate cuts have diminished. The rate decision and Powell’s comments will directly impact risk assets and crypto prices.
- Institutional funds return; Bitcoin ETF records longest five-month consecutive net inflow
U.S. Bitcoin ETFs have resumed net inflows, marking the longest five-month streak of growth. According to SoSoValue, Bitcoin funds saw a net inflow of $199.4 million on Tuesday, with BlackRock’s IBIT adding $169 million, Fidelity’s FBTC adding $24.4 million, and funds from Ark, 21Shares, and VanEck also recording inflows. Over the past seven trading days, spot Bitcoin ETFs attracted about $1.17 billion, indicating renewed institutional confidence.
Rachael Lucas, an analyst at BTC Markets, said these funds mainly come from long-term investors rather than short-term speculators. “Seven days of net inflows, six days near $1 billion, show this is structural buying rather than impulsive trading.” This demand helps Bitcoin stay relatively stable after a 15% rally amid geopolitical tensions. Lucas noted that institutions tend to absorb supply during dips, stabilizing prices.
Meanwhile, spot Ethereum ETFs have recorded net inflows for six consecutive days, totaling $138.3 million. Solana and XRP ETFs also saw inflows of $17.8 million and $4.6 million, respectively. Analysts see this as a sign of growing institutional interest in mainstream crypto assets.
Additionally, the SEC and CFTC released a 68-page guidance document clarifying that most cryptocurrencies are not securities, providing regulatory clarity. Lucas said this will reduce compliance concerns for institutions and pave the way for more crypto ETFs and altcoin participation, further supporting long-term market growth.
These developments show institutional funds steadily flowing into Bitcoin and Ethereum, boosting trading activity and reinforcing crypto’s role in the global financial system.
- Why is Ethereum’s price “rising with the market but not fundamentals”? Bitwise reveals: 65% of movement driven by Bitcoin
Asset manager Bitwise’s latest research indicates Ethereum’s price movements are not primarily driven by its network fundamentals but by Bitcoin and macro liquidity conditions. Using data from 406 weeks since 2018, they built a model showing Bitcoin explains about 65% of Ethereum’s volatility. When Bitcoin moves 1%, Ethereum tends to move in the same direction by about 0.99%, showing a “high beta substitute asset” characteristic.
From a liquidity perspective, loose monetary conditions are the second-largest driver, explaining about 11% of price changes. When market liquidity is ample and credit expands, Ethereum tends to rise; when liquidity tightens, it faces pressure. ETF fund flows contribute about 10% to volatility, though their impact is more sustained than dominant.
On-chain fundamentals appear weak. Metrics like active addresses explain only about 6% of price changes, and fee revenue is even excluded from the model, indicating its influence is close to “noise.” Bitwise sees Ethereum more as a “networked commodity” rather than a cash-flow-generating asset.
Despite holding over $162 billion in stablecoins (more than half of the global total) and about $15 billion in real-world assets (RWA), Ethereum’s price has fallen roughly 62% from its all-time high. VanEck CEO Jan van Eck even called it “Wall Street’s token,” but market pricing has yet to shift to fundamentals.
Data also shows low network utilization but relatively high prices, indicating valuation disconnects from actual usage. Until the current structure changes, Ethereum’s short-term moves are likely to follow Bitcoin’s, with macro liquidity and capital flows dominating.
- SEC and CFTC release new regulatory framework; CLARITY Act faces challenges
The SEC and CFTC jointly issued guidance clarifying the regulation of crypto assets, seen as a substantial alternative to the “Digital Asset Market Transparency Act” (CLARITY Act). The document classifies tokens into five categories: digital commodities, collectibles, tools, stablecoins, and securities, with only securities under SEC jurisdiction. Mainstream assets like Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Dogecoin are classified as digital commodities, reducing regulatory uncertainty.
Responsibility for oversight remains divided: CFTC handles spot digital commodity markets, while SEC oversees digital securities. The guidance also clarifies rules for staking, airdrops, and mining, and introduces “add-on and separation” principles to transition projects from securities to non-securities.
Notably, this overlaps heavily with the CLARITY Act, including token classification and regulatory responsibilities. Some market observers believe regulators have already built about 80% of the rules without legislation, reducing the urgency of passing the act. Analysts MartyParty and Ryan Adams, co-founder of Bankless, say the guidance covers most of the act’s core functions.
However, the guidance has limitations. The CLARITY Act also involves registration of trading platforms, broker compliance, and AML enforcement, which are not included here. The guidance is non-binding and could change with policy shifts, whereas legislation would be more stable and enforceable.
U.S. Congress continues to debate key issues like stablecoin yield mechanisms, delaying legislative progress. While regulatory actions ease industry uncertainty temporarily, whether they can replace formal laws remains uncertain.
- Ethereum introduces Fast Confirmation Rule (FCR), reducing deposit times to around 13 seconds and reshaping Layer 2 experience
Ethereum is set to implement the “Fast Confirmation Rule” (FCR), aiming to significantly improve asset transfers from Layer 1 to Layer 2 and related platforms. Researcher Julian Ma from the Ethereum Foundation said this could become a standard for L2 ecosystems and infrastructure services.
FCR can reduce deposit confirmation times to about 13 seconds, an 80–98% improvement over current processes. This addresses longstanding delays in cross-layer transfers, providing users with near real-time experience when moving assets into L2 or related platforms.
Technically, FCR introduces “fast confirmation blocks.” Although these blocks differ from final confirmation blocks, under certain assumptions, they have a very low reorganization risk, balancing security and efficiency. This allows the network to achieve higher throughput and lower waiting costs without sacrificing security.
For participants, the impact is direct: L2 networks can reduce capital lock-up during bridging, lowering liquidity costs; infrastructure providers can offer faster responses; users benefit from quicker deposits and smoother operations.
Deployment is straightforward, requiring no hard fork. As consensus layer clients adopt the rule, nodes will automatically enforce it, easing ecosystem integration.
Industry experts believe this will improve cross-layer interactions and promote broader L2 adoption. In a multi-chain and high-frequency trading environment, faster confirmation could be a key factor influencing user choice.
- Citibank sharply cuts Bitcoin and Ethereum target prices, policy delays limit upside potential
Citi’s latest report lowers the 12-month target prices for Bitcoin and Ethereum. Bitcoin’s target drops from $143,000 to $112,000, and Ethereum’s from $4,304 to $3,175. The revision mainly reflects slower-than-expected U.S. policy progress, constraining institutional demand and market expansion.
Despite the downward revision, current prices still leave room for upside. Bitcoin at around $74,000 and the new target implies over 50% potential gains; Ethereum at about $2,300 suggests over 30%. This indicates institutions are not bearish but reassessing growth potential and ceilings.
The report notes that earlier optimism was based on regulatory improvements, ETF inflows, and user growth. However, slow U.S. legislative progress in 2026 has delayed policy benefits, weakening demand expectations.
Fundamentally, ETF inflows support prices. Recent daily net inflows of nearly $200 million into spot Bitcoin ETFs and continued positive flows into Ethereum ETFs show ongoing institutional interest. But policy uncertainty remains a key variable affecting capital flows.
Ethereum’s recent outperformance compared to Bitcoin is noted, but its target price was cut more sharply, reflecting cautious outlook on medium-term adoption and ecosystem growth. Bitcoin’s institutional logic remains more stable, but upside is now more limited.
Citi emphasizes this is a re-pricing of future potential, not a short-term price forecast. The market may still trend upward but lacks catalysts for rapid large moves.
Future trends depend on policy developments and capital inflows. If regulation improves or institutional demand accelerates, target prices could rise; if delays persist or funds slow, the current cuts are justified.
- Supply chain attack exposes: hackers disguised as security firms steal $7 million in crypto assets, wallet plugins exploited
A theft involving about $7 million in crypto assets has been revealed. Reports indicate a Chinese hacking group disguised as a cybersecurity firm targeted Trust Wallet and other wallet providers, executing systematic thefts across multiple blockchains.
The group, claiming to be from Wuhan, purportedly engaged in vulnerability research and security services but internally developed automation tools to scan mnemonics and identify high-value wallets. The attack covered Ethereum, BNB Chain, Arbitrum, and other major networks, involving dozens of tokens.
Technically, the group exploited supply chain vulnerabilities in Electron-based desktop clients and browser extensions, using reverse engineering and remote control malware to access wallet data and transfer funds. Stolen assets were then split and moved across chains to evade tracing.
The incident was exposed after an internal dispute: a member, dissatisfied with profit sharing, leaked evidence and threatened to report to authorities. Official investigations are pending, and authorities have not confirmed details.
Experts warn that such attacks highlight weaknesses in wallet supply chain security. Risks include not only private key management but also plugin extensions, client updates, and software packaging. Users relying on self-hosted wallets should be cautious of third-party components.
Strengthening supply chain audits, reducing plugin reliance, and improving endpoint security are essential to safeguard digital assets.
- NVIDIA’s Groq 3 LPU inference chip expected to launch in China by May, possibly bypassing GPU export restrictions
NVIDIA plans to launch the Groq 3 LPU inference chip in China as early as May. Sources say this chip is not a downgraded or China-specific version. It’s the first product line introduced into China after NVIDIA’s $17 billion acquisition of AI inference chipmaker Groq in late 2025, separate from the previously approved H200 GPU.
Groq 3 LPU is a dedicated inference co-processor with 500MB on-chip SRAM and a peak inference bandwidth of 150 TB/s, but lower floating-point compute power, not suited for training. Its architecture likely keeps performance below U.S. export thresholds (TPP < 21,000 and DRAM bandwidth < 6,500 GB/s), helping it evade restrictions faced by H200 GPUs. However, in NVIDIA’s original plan, Groq LPU was paired with Vera Rubin GPUs, which cannot be exported to China; the Chinese version will need adaptation to operate independently, with actual performance to be observed.
- Circle appoints Kirk Koenigsbauer, Microsoft Experience & Devices Group President, to board
Circle Internet Group (NYSE: CRCL) announced the appointment of Kirk Koenigsbauer to its board of directors, where he will serve on the Compensation and Risk Committees. Koenigsbauer brings over 30 years of experience building and scaling enterprise software and cloud services. He is currently President and COO of Microsoft Experience & Devices Group, overseeing Microsoft 365 and Copilot. During his tenure, he led Microsoft Office’s cloud transition, launched Office 365, and helped develop Microsoft 365, as well as building Microsoft’s security business. He has extensive experience leading large-scale cloud platforms, enterprise AI services, and widely used digital infrastructure.
- Trader who predicted Trump’s victory with $1.9 million profit bets $425,000 on ceasefire in Ukraine-Russia conflict this year
A trader who previously predicted Trump’s election victory and made $1.9 million profit has bet $425,000 on a ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia before 2027, with a current probability of 36%. The trader posted online: “Ukrainian war is clearly nearing its end… Russia and the U.S. are unlikely to stop the war. When Russia starts cutting Kyiv’s power, they become very efficient, and sanctions on Russian energy just got more costly. The 37-cent bet on ceasefire is very cheap.”
To ease recent Middle East tensions and soaring oil prices, the U.S. has begun relaxing some sanctions on Russian energy exports. Russia has intensified strikes on Ukraine’s critical infrastructure, causing widespread blackouts in Kyiv and elsewhere. Ukraine protests the U.S. sanctions easing and refuses to trade territory for peace. EU countries are divided, with some fearing U.S. shifting strategic focus will push the financial and military burden of aid entirely onto Europe.
Note: Based on past trading patterns, this trader is not betting on whether the event will happen but on the timing of profit-taking or stop-loss. Wallet address: 0xd7f85d0eb0fe0732ca38d9107ad0d4d01b1289e4.
- Bitcoin Depot operation suspended in Connecticut; more compliance issues with Bitcoin ATMs
Connecticut regulators have ordered Bitcoin Depot to suspend its remittance license and stop all Bitcoin ATM operations immediately. Authorities cited violations in fee charges, disclosures, and fraud refund mechanisms.
Specifically, Bitcoin Depot was found to have charged fees exceeding 15% in over 1,000 transactions involving more than 500 users, collecting about $150,000 in excess fees. The company also failed to fully refund some scam victims and had deficiencies in disclosures and compliance controls.
As a result, Bitcoin Depot must cease related activities, refund improper charges, and may face fines or license revocation. The remittance license is critical for legal Bitcoin ATM operations; losing it would impact their business in the state.
Meanwhile, Bitcoin Depot admitted in SEC filings that it has “material weaknesses” in internal controls, though it states these issues did not materially affect past financial statements.
Market-wise, the stock has fallen about 39% in the past month and 55% year-to-date. Despite projecting $615 million in revenue for 2025, recent quarterly revenue dropped from $137 million to $116 million, with a net loss of $25 million.
Analysts see this regulatory action as a structural blow. Ryan Yoon of Tiger Research suggests it reflects the difficulty of maintaining high-margin models under tighter regulation; Dominick John of Zeus Research views it as operational and reputational pressure but emphasizes the need for quick compliance fixes.
Industry experts believe this case could lead to further tightening of Bitcoin ATM regulations across U.S. states, impacting the broader crypto payment and offline entry markets.
- SEC Chair Paul Atkins proposes crypto safe harbor framework, aims to provide regulatory exemptions for token offerings
SEC Chair Paul Atkins announced at a Washington crypto event that regulators are considering a “safe harbor” exemption to offer more flexible compliance pathways for crypto firms and some token issuances. The proposal includes “startup exemptions,” “fundraising exemptions,” and “investment contract safe harbors.”
Atkins said, “Startup exemptions” would allow crypto projects to operate under regulatory buffers for a certain period or funding size to promote innovation and testing; “fundraising exemptions” would permit raising up to a certain amount within 12 months without traditional securities registration; “investment contract safe harbors” would clarify when assets are considered securities, reducing legal uncertainty.
He emphasized that if project teams cease necessary asset management commitments, such assets could no longer be classified as securities, providing clearer legal boundaries for issuers and investors. The SEC and CFTC also issued joint guidance clarifying the distinction between security tokens and non-security tokens.
Atkins expects to publish draft rules for these exemptions in the coming weeks for public comment. However, comprehensive market reforms still depend on congressional legislation. A bill to clarify SEC authority is still under Senate review, with no substantial progress.
In this regulatory environment, market participants are closely watching U.S. policy shifts. Analysts believe that if the safe harbor mechanisms are implemented, they will provide clearer compliance paths for Bitcoin, Ethereum, and new projects, potentially attracting more institutional capital.
- Arizona Attorney General files criminal lawsuit against Kalshi, alleges illegal gambling operation
Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes filed criminal charges against prediction market platform Kalshi. The complaint states: “Kalshi claims to be a ‘prediction market,’ but in reality, it operates as an illegal gambling activity, accepting bets on Arizona elections, both of which violate Arizona law. No company can unilaterally decide which laws to follow.” Kalshi is also facing other legal actions in Ohio, Tennessee, and other states.
