Cryptopolitan

Crypto users are facing a new security threat via fake Cloudflare CAPTCHA pages. The attack leads to the installation of a new infostealer called Infiniti Stealer built to siphon crypto wallet data from macOS systems. 

This means any developer or crypto user who has a MacBook or Mac desktop computer is at risk of being infected by this malware.

ClickFix attack starts macOS system infection

Security researchers from Malwarebytes discovered this campaign. The malware’s operator panel was later exposed, revealing the name, Infinite Stealer.

The infostealer is delivered through a ClickFix attack. A ClickFix attack is classified as a social engineering attack. It tricks users into running a harmful command themselves. Instead of hacking your computer directly, it convinces you to do it for them.

The attack starts with a fake CAPTCHA page from update-check[.]com. The page looks like a Cloudflare human verification page, but it’s not. After clicking the fake CAPTCHA, the user is instructed to open Terminal and paste a command.

The command is not verification. It’s a hidden installer script that downloads and runs the malware on the user’s computer.

Fake Cloudflare captcha that tricks users into running a malicious command, installing the infostealer. Source: Malwarebytes.

The attack works because the user executes the command. It bypasses traditional defenses since there’s no exploit.

Once the command is executed, it connects to a remote server controlled by the attacker that downloads Infiniti Stealer and installs it quietly on the Mac. No pop-ups, no warnings, just silent installation.

Security researchers say it’s difficult to analyze and detect this malware because it’s compiled into a native macOS binary. It’s not just a Python script that can be easily read and understood.

The malware is designed to steal sensitive data from Macs, including crypto wallet data, credentials from browsers and the macOS Keychain, plaintext secrets in developer files, and even screenshots captured during execution.

It also checks if it’s running in an analysis environment to avoid detection, and it sends stolen data to the attacker’s server. Telegram notifications are sent to the attacker when data extraction is complete, and captured credentials are queued for server-side password cracking.

ClickFix attacks are common on Windows, but now hackers are adapting them for Apple machines. MacOS systems are no longer considered safe from malware. Crypto users should be cautious when browsing the web and should never paste commands into Terminal from untrusted sources.

Crypto personal wallets compromise rise sharply

This is not the first sophisticated attack targeting crypto users on macOS. Cryptopolitan reported in March about GhostClaw, a new macOS malware that steals private keys, wallet access, and other sensitive data.

The malware is listed on npm, a popular package manager for JavaScript. It posed as a real OpenClaw tool but instead ran a multi-stage attack. A total of 178 developers downloaded the malicious package before it was removed from the registry.

A total of $3.4 billion was stolen from the cryptocurrency industry in 2025.

“Personal wallet compromises have grown substantially, increasing from just 7.3% of total stolen value in 2022 to 44% in 2024,” according to a report from blockchain security firm Chainalysis.

The magnitude of hacks on personal wallets would have reached 37% in 2025 if it weren’t for the outsized impact of the Bybit attack.

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Key takeaways:

 

DOGE price may reach $0.16865 by the end of 2026.

By 2028, DOGE may potentially achieve a peak price of $0.356039.

By 2032, DOGE might touch $0.730818 with an average trading price of $0.702709. 

 

Propelled by a dedicated community of part-time developers and enthusiastic internet supporters, Dogecoin is poised for significant growth in the coming years. Despite relying on borrowed code due to limited resources, its popularity continues to soar, with tens of thousands of social media followers advocating for supply limitations. However, the Dogecoin ecosystem is expected to develop and expand over time. Having touched its ATH at $0.7376, will DOGE reach $1?

Let’s get into the Dogecoin price prediction and technical analysis.

Overview

Cryptocurrency

Dogecoin

Token

DOGE

Price

$0.0908 (-0.02%)

Market Cap

$15.42B

Trading Volume (24-hour)

$1B

Circulating Supply

169.31B DOGE

All-time High

$0.7316 May 08, 2021

All-time Low

$0.00008547 May 07, 2015

24-hour High

$0.09473

24-hour Low

$0.0906

Dogecoin price prediction: Technical analysis

Current Price

$0.0908

Price Prediction 

$0.1047 (14.67%)

Fear & Greed Index 

9 (Extreme Fear)

Sentiment 

Bearish

Volatility 

2.91%

Green Days 

15/30 (50%)

50-Day SMA 

$0.09676

Dogecoin price analysis

TL;DR Breakdown:

Dogecoin price analysis confirmed a correction as its price decreased to $0.0908.

The coin reports 0.02% losses in its value for the past 24 hours.

The DOGE coin faces immediate resistance around the $0.0925 level.

 

As of March 29, 2026, Dogecoin’s price analysis reveals a bearish trend. The memecoin’s value slightly decreased to $0.0908 today, and it shows 0.02% losses over the last 24 hours. The current situation suggests the formation of selling pressure around the recent high, as the memecoin found resistance and is correcting today.

Dogecoin 1-day price chart analysis

The one-day chart for Dogecoin indicates a bearish trend with selling pressure mounting near local highs for the altcoin. The memecoin’s price slightly decreased to $0.0908 today, as red candlesticks on the 1-day chart shows the continuation of the bearish momentum. The immediate support for Dogecoin is also present at the $0.0885 level.

DOGE/USD 1-day price chart. Source: TradingView

The distance between the Bollinger Bands defines the intensity of volatility. This distance is limited, leading to comparatively mild volatility levels. Moreover, the upper limit of the Bollinger Bands indicator, indicating the resistance level, has shifted to $0.0990, whereas its lower limit, indicating support, has moved to $0.0885.

The Relative Strength Index (RSI) indicator is trending in the neutral area. The indicator’s curve has reached 44 in the past 24 hours. The indicator gives a sell indication as it moves downward, hinting at the presence of bearish elements.

DOGE/USD 4-hour price analysis

Buyers’ support is present below the SMA, which is evident from the appearance of green candlesticks, as bulls are trying to take the lead. The DOGE/USD pair is facing low volatility as it approaches the $0.0908 level. This comparatively decreased volatility signals less volatile price movements in the coming hours. The increasing number of buying positions is currently pushing the DOGE price toward the local resistance of $0.0918.

DOGE/USD 4-hour price chart. Source: TradingView

The Bollinger Bands have converged, and the distance between the indicator’s arms is narrow, leading to low volatility levels. This situation signifies decreased market movements. The upper Bollinger Band is now at $0.0932, which indicates a resistance level. Conversely, the lower Bollinger Band is at $0.0890, showing the support level.

The Fear and Green Index, a price prediction tool, shows a reading of 9 (Extreme Fear); however, the RSI indicator is in the neutral region on the 4-hour chart as well. Over the last four hours, its value has increased to 44. This situation hints at the presence of support from the buying side, and further appreciation seems possible if bulls succeed in a break above the current price level of $0.0908.

Dogecoin technical indicators: Levels and action

Daily simple moving average (SMA)

Period

Value ($)

Action

SMA 3

 0.1131

SELL

SMA 5

 0.1041

SELL

SMA 10

 0.09420

SELL

SMA 21

 0.09521

SELL

SMA 50

 0.09676

SELL

SMA 100

 0.1136

SELL

SMA 200

 0.1461

SELL

Daily exponential moving average (EMA)

Period

Value ($)

Action

EMA 3

 0.09521

SELL

EMA 5

 0.09912

SELL

EMA 10

 0.1087

SELL

EMA 21

 0.1189

SELL

EMA 50

 0.1332

SELL

EMA 100

 0.1536

SELL

EMA 200

 0.1758

SELL

What can you expect from the DOGE price analysis next?

Dogecoin price analysis gives a bearish prediction following current market sentiment, as the coin’s value slightly decreased to $0.0908 in the past 24 hours. If sellers keep dominating and overwhelm the market, DOGE’s price might trigger further losses and retest the $0.0885 support. Conversely, if the bullish trend revives, the meme coin may recover toward the $0.0925 resistance zone.

Is DOGE a good investment?

Dogecoin has strong potential for growth due to its high adoption and strong community. However, DOGE is highly volatile, and its unlimited supply raises questions about its future price. Social media news and trends also highly affect the meme coin, so diversification and your own research are advised. The coin is expected to touch the $0.206128–$0.262345 level by 2027.

Why is DOGE down?

DOGE’s price has been trading at $0.0908 over the last 24 hours, with selling pressure intensifying. After the DOGE price found resistance around local highs, sellers took control and pushed the price toward support levels. 

What is the expected value of Dogecoin in 2026?

Dogecoin is expected to trade at an average price of $0.140542 in 2026.

Will DOGE reach $0.50?

If the broader cryptocurrency market turns bullish, DOGE will join the rally. As a meme coin, it runs mostly on positive speculation. It’s expected that the coin will touch this level by November 2030, which makes it worth the effort to explore Dogecoin.

Will DOGE reach $1?

Considering Dogecoin’s current value, $1 is still a far-reaching target. However, robust community support can push this meme coin near $1, but not before 2032. However, this is not investment advice, and one must seek professional consultation or carry out their own research to create an investment strategy. As all cryptocurrency investments carry risk, due to the market volatility that may affect the future performance of the crypto assets.

Will DOGE hit $10?

Despite the risk involved with meme-based crypto pairs like Dogecoin, they can still shoot up on positive momentum. However, the market speculates that DOGE cannot reach the $10 level in the foreseeable future.

How much is $500 worth of Dogecoin right now?

$500 is worth nearly 5,333 DOGE in March; however, this amount changes based on day-to-day price fluctuations.

Does DOGE have a good long-term future?

Most well-known altcoins are trading at lower levels, but looking at DOGE, it’s trading below its average price of the last year. Currently, the coin is trading below the previous year’s peak price of $0.434, which was observed in January 2025, but the trend is expected to change, and a positive outbreak can be expected. The DOGE/USD pair is expected to reach the $0.730818 mark by 2032, so holding it for longer can be beneficial. 

Recent news/opinions on Dogecoin

Paulo Vidal, a developer at Dogecoin Foundation, introduced DogeBox OS, a community-focused, open-source platform to build a practical software ecosystem for Dogecoin. Vidal said it will help add more utility for everyday use.

Dogecoin Foundation debuts DogeBox OS.

Dogecoin price prediction March 2026

In March 2026, DOGE could maintain a trading range of $0.0771 to $0.127. The current Dogecoin price prediction suggests an average price of $0.097.

DOGE price prediction

Minimum price

Average price

Maximum price

DOGE price prediction March 2026

$0.0771

$0.097

$0.127

Dogecoin price prediction 2026

In 2026, DOGE could maintain a trading range of $0.0719 to $0.16865, with an average price of $0.140542.

DOGE price prediction

Minimum price

Average price

Maximum price

DOGE price prediction 2026

$0.0719

$0.140542

$0.16865

Dogecoin price predictions 2027 – 2032

Year

Minimum price

Average price

Maximum price

2027

$0.206128

$0.234236

$0.262345

2028

$0.299823

$0.327931

$0.356039

2029

$0.393517

$0.421626

$0.449734

2030

$0.487212

$0.51532

$0.543429

2031

$0.580906

$0.609015

$0.637123

2032

$0.674601

$0.702709

$0.730818

Dogecoin price prediction 2027

Dogecoin’s forecast for 2027 presents an optimistic outlook for the coin. Traders can expect a maximum price of $0.262345, an average trading price of $0.234236, and a minimum price of $0.206128.

Dogecoin price prediction 2028

In 2028, DOGE could reach a maximum price of $0.356039, an average trading price of $0.327931, and a minimum price of $0.299823, which is quite higher than the current Dogecoin price.

Dogecoin price prediction 2029

According to the Dogecoin price forecast for 2029, traders can expect a maximum price of $0.449734, an average trading price of $0.421626, and a minimum price of $0.393517.

Dogecoin price prediction 2030

Dogecoin’s forecast for 2030 presents a positive outlook for the memecoin. The maximum expected price is $0.543429, with an average trading price of $0.51532. The predicted minimum price for Dogecoin is $0.487212.

Dogecoin price prediction 2031

According to the Dogecoin price forecast for 2031, traders and investors can anticipate a maximum market value of $0.637123, a minimum price of $0.580906, and an average trading price of $0.609015.

Dogecoin price prediction 2032

According to the Dogecoin price forecast for 2032, traders can expect minimum and maximum prices of $0.674601 and $0.730818, and an expected average DOGE price of $0.702709. 

Dogecoin price prediction 2026-2032. Source: Cryptopolitan

Dogecoin market price prediction: Analysts’ DOGE price forecast

Firm Name

2026

2027

DigitalCoinPrice

$0.12

$0.14

CoinPedia

$1.25

$1.50

Cryptopolitan’s Dogecoin (DOGE) price prediction

Cryptopolitan’s Dogecoin price predictions for 2026 suggest a minimum of $0.0719, an average of $0.140542, and a maximum of $0.16865. Our analysis shows that DOGE could cross $0.730818 by 2032.

Dogecoin historic price sentiment

DOGE price history. Chart by Coingecko

2013 was the beginning of Dogecoin, and it surged to $0.0004 in the first days of trading. By March 2014, the coin attempted a breach of $0.001 but failed, closing the year at $0.0001.

In the subsequent years, Dogecoin faced immense competition from new coins, including Stellar, Neo, and Monero, which dragged the coin’s price further down.

According to the Dogecoin price history, it traded in a strict range of $0.002 to $0.0036 for most of 2019.

In January 2021, DOGE saw significant gains, closing the month at $0.037. Subsequently, Dogecoin attained an ATH of $0.7376 on May 8, 2021, but lost 76% of its value, closing the year at $0.1703.

In 2022, Dogecoin maintained an average market price of about $0.07. The coin began trading around $0.08 in 2023 and closed the year at $0.08955, as per crypto market records.

In 2024, Dogecoin (DOGE) began consolidating around $0.08, surged above $0.2 during March’s bull run, fluctuated between $0.1011 and $0.1759 through mid-year, spiked to $0.4312 in November, and ended the year at $0.314.

In January 2025, DOGE clocked the highest price of $0.41; however, after shedding 38% value, it stepped down to $0.258 in February.

In March, DOGE’s value decreased further as it dipped to the $0.20 range, and April saw the lowest DOGE price of $0.142. However, in May, the meme coin recovered to the $0.249 mark, as the bearish momentum faded.

On July 20, 2025, Dogecoin peaked at $0.274, and at the start of August, DOGE was trending near $0.214.

At the start of October, Doge was trading above $0.21, and at the start of November, it hovered near $0.187.

By the end of December, the price of Dogecoin declined toward $0.122. 

At the start of 2026, Dogecoin was trading near $0.118, and in March it came down to $0.093; the current DOGE sentiment is bearish.

 

 

 

Rubedo Life Sciences has just announced positive early results from its first human clinical trial of anti-aging treatment, RLS-1496. The biotech company said the drug worked “even better than should be expected” in the short 4-week trial in Europe. 

RLS-1496 is a potential first-in-class drug that is meant to selectively target zombie or “aged” cells cause skin aging and other diseases associated with biological aging processes. 

In an announcement on Friday, Rubedo said it successfully completed Phase 1 clinical trial for the senotherapeutic drug candidate, which was meant to assess the safety and tolerability of the treatment in human patients. RLS-1496 showed “early signs of efficacy,” it said.

RLS-1496: Why does it matter?

The drug was tested on people with skin conditions such as eczema, psoriasis, and sun-damaged skin. Rubedo said it was well-tolerated with no serious side effects. 

The patients treated with mid- and high-dose saw an overall reduction in those zombie cells. In one month of treatment, 25% of those with eczema saw a significant decline in skin itching. Those with psoriasis saw an average 20% drop in the thickness of their skin. Those with sun-damaged skin saw an increase in collagen gene and protein expression, which are good for skin firmness. 

“We’re pleased by the positive safety and tolerability seen in the trial, with the additional preliminary results exceeding our expectations,” said Frederick Beddingfield, the CEO of Rubedo. “It’s uncommon to see clinical effect in a Phase 1 dermatology study given the shorter study duration and smaller sample size.”

Rubedo is also set to complete its second study of RLS-1496 in the United States later this year, according to the announcement. The study seeks to uncover if RLS-1496 will also help treat precancerous skin spots, also known as actinic keratosis. 

The two trials will cumulate approximately 70 human subjects. Rubedo expects to have even more data by the end of 2026 from these trials to not just fight but also reverse skin aging. 

Longevity startups are making decent progress

The fight against aging is gaining ground. Longevity research is continually moving from mostly theories to clinical trials, with a number of biotech firms noting encouraging results. 

Cryptopolitan recently reported a partnership between Aubrey de Grey’s LEV Foundation and Human Longevity, Inc. Both firms are looking to harness AI to probe into why humans age at different rates by studying the “oldest old.” They believe results from the study could help inform the creation of drugs that can slow down aging. 

Last year, biotech startup NewLimit, which was co-founded by Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong, successfully developed its first prototype medicine that can restore multiple youthful functions in old human hepatocytes, and overall progress in epigenetic reprogramming.

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China has begun training its robot wolves to conduct attack missions. Binance founder Changpeng Zhao fears that such unmanned robots are inevitable for every country.

Chinese state-run China media outlet Central Television (CCTV) recently released a 5-minute video, showing the robot wolves running a simulated street battle. Some were equipped with guns, while others carried micro-missiles and grenade launchers.

China flaunts its combat-ready robot wolves

The robots can carry up to a 25 kg load and manoeuvre obstacles 30 cm high. They could smash through doors and steadily move across uneven terrain at a top speed of 15 km/h, as seen in the footage. The units also feature enhanced AI capabilities that allow for real-time data, which enables them to coordinate on their own. 

The footage also showed that the robot wolves are able to coordinate with other aerial units for a reconnaissance mission. While they can autonomously coordinate and identify threats or targets, only the human operators at the command centre can authorize final engagement, according to reports.

First footage just dropped: China's robot wolves have been put through a simulated street battle.
You might remember their debut at China's V-Day parade last year. It seems that they are no longer a showpiece.

Here’s what’s new:
• Heavier loadouts: can be equipped with… pic.twitter.com/TUFtPTJ93a

— Sinical (@Sinical_C) March 27, 2026

The Chinese military first showcased the robot wolves, alongside other land-based unmanned machines, during China’s V-Day military parade in September last year. Speaking with the Global Times, a Chinese military affairs expert, Wang Yunfei, said the use of the robots is to provide situational awareness support for human troops and reduce the risks of casualties.

“From another perspective, when adversaries realize they are facing not only fearless soldiers but also relentless machines, they often experience immense psychological pressure,” another expert told the Global Times. 

Binance’s CZ says it’s scary

The Chinese-Canadian founder of Binance, Changpeng Zhao, reacted to the footage on X Saturday, saying it’s scarier than nuclear. He said that the advancements in artificial intelligence will inevitably lead to similar developments in every country, where robots are armed with different firepower.

CZ fears that combat robots can get dangerous with just one hacker. “Sadly, I don’t see a way to avoid it,” he added. 

AI inevitably leads to this, in every country. IMO, this is more scary than nuclear. One hacker …

Sadly, I don't see a way to avoid it. https://t.co/VIn4fKeCxe

— CZ 🔶 BNB (@cz_binance) March 28, 2026

The U.S. already has similar robots in use for commercial and defense needs. Long before China introduced its robot wolves, the U.S. had already been testing armed four-legged machines, which it mostly refers to as “robot dogs.” The U.S. Tyndall Air Force Base deployed a robot dog in 2021 for base security and reconnaissance purposes.

In 2024, the military also conducted a test on Ghost Robotics Vision 60 robots armed with guns at the Red Sands Integrated Experimentation Center in Saudi Arabia.

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The parliament in Turkey has removed provisions introducing cryptocurrency taxation from a massive bill designed to regulate a range of matters related to tax collection and government spending.

The texts, which proved contentious as they envisaged imposing a levy on all transactions through crypto platforms, were withdrawn after a strong pushback from opposition lawmakers and stakeholders.

Crypto tax provisions dropped from Turkish law

Members of Turkey’s legislature have withdrawn provisions aimed at taxing cryptocurrency transactions following talks between the parliamentary majority and other factions.

The articles were part of a sweeping bill covering not just tax policy, but other economic regulations as well and defense spending, the English-language edition Hürriyet Daily News unveiled on Saturday.

The last-minute agreement for their deletion was reached ahead of a formal meeting presided over by the Deputy Speaker of the Grand National Assembly, Celal Adan, the report detailed.

The provisions would have slapped a 0.3% transaction tax on sales and transfers of digital assets processed by crypto service providers in Turkey, collected and paid to the state each month.

They were also introducing taxation for crypto-related earnings, obliging intermediaries to withhold 10% on the capital gains of their clients on a quarterly basis, as reported by Cryptopolitan earlier in March.

The texts, strongly criticized by the opposition, had been added to the omnibus bill by the ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party.

While the proposals have been removed now, their representatives indicated they may file a revised draft as part of a separate legislative initiative.

The government in Ankara is still hoping to tap into the massive financial flows generated by the country’s growing cryptocurrency sector.

The Turkish crypto market expanded significantly over the past few years, marked by high inflation of the national fiat currency, the lira.

Turkey wanted to tax even crypto withdrawals

By all indications, Turkey’s tax authority has played a leading role in drafting the controversial legislation as crypto assets are treated mainly from its own perspective.

That resulted in two main issues, according to Ussal Sahbaz, managing partner at Ussal Consultancy & MnP Istanbul Hub, who took to X to explain thoroughly.

The first stems from the intention to apply the suggested transaction tax to all transfers via service providers, including those to self-custody wallets, he pointed out and elaborated:

“In practice, this is equivalent to taxing cash withdrawals from a bank. Globally, this type of approach is extremely rare—reportedly seen only in Kenya.”

Introducing withholding tax on crypto income creates the other problem, noted Sahbaz, whose efforts are focused on bridging the gap between business and policy in Turkey.

“For an asset class with near-zero mobility costs, this would likely push users toward offshore platforms where taxation is declaration-based,” the expert warned.

He reminded that similar developments have already been observed in India and South Korea, “both of which are now trying to correct for unintended capital outflows.”

I the case of cryptocurrencies, “poorly designed taxation does not increase revenues—it shifts the tax base elsewhere,” added the Turkish analyst who specializes in emerging markets.

Ussal Sahbaz recalled that the government-proposed bill quickly passed through parliamentary committees, which approved it without much consultation with interested parties.

Its crypto provisions were only withdrawn at the last moment, thanks to the active efforts of a small group of lawmakers and under pressure from stakeholders.

The remaining part of the broad bill still contains other significant fiscal measures, the Hürriyet news outlet highlighted in its report.

For example, it introduces a 20% “special consumption tax” on diamonds, pearls, and other precious stones, including products made from them.

It also bans companies in Turkey’s gambling and betting industry from deducting advertising expenses from their taxable income.

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The Kansas City Federal Reserve Bank is being investigated by Senator Maxine Waters for granting Kraken access to a limited-purpose master account.

On the other hand, an investigation into Balmain’s ties to President Trump’s family has been launched just days after Eric Trump publicly claimed the family’s crypto ventures have generated over $1 billion in revenue.

Rep Waters pushes investigation into Kansas City Federal Reserve Bank 

Representative Maxine Waters, the ranking Democrat on the House Financial Services Committee, has launched an investigation into the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City over its decision to grant the crypto exchange firm, Kraken, a limited-purpose master account. 

In a letter sent to Kansas City Fed President Jeff Schmid, Waters pointed out that neither federal statute nor the Federal Reserve Board’s Account Access Guidelines mentions a “limited purpose account” as a valid account type. 

She requested that Schmid clarify the account’s terms and provide information about the approval process.

Waters’ questions include whether Kraken’s account gives it access to FedACH, Fedwire, or FedCash services, and whether the exchange faces any balance limits, overdraft restrictions, or enhanced supervisory requirements beyond Wyoming’s Special Purpose Depository Institution rules.

The Kansas City Fed granted the account to Payward Financial, which does business as Kraken Financial, for an initial one-year term. The regional bank said at the time it was trying to maintain a system that “supports a level competitive field and reinforces the stability and resilience” of Fed payment systems.

The Bank Policy Institute said it was “deeply concerned” that the approval came before the Federal Reserve concluded on a policy framework for such accounts. The group criticized the lack of transparency around both the approval process and risk measures.

Waters gave the Kansas City Fed until April 10 to respond. She described the matter as one of “critical importance to the development and oversight of our financial system.”

Bitmain and Trump family ties under scrutiny

Senator Elizabeth Warren has written to the Commerce Department specifically requesting for records of communications between Bitmain and Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr., as well as communications between the company and Commerce Department officials. 

She also requested information about the specific actions the agency has taken to keep the Commerce Department’s national security decisions uninfluenced by firms that have business ties to the Trump family.

In late 2025, the Department of Homeland Security reportedly launched an investigation codenamed “Operation Red Sun” to examine whether Bitmain’s ASIC miners could be remotely accessed for espionage or to disrupt the U.S. power grid. 

Previous shipments of Bitmain equipment have been halted, and the use of its mining machines near U.S. military bases has been flagged as a significant national security concern. 

Bitmain has so far denied the allegations. American Bitcoin Corp, a Trump-backed company, previously purchased 16,000 Bitmain mining machines for $314 million. 

The senator is in the minority in the Senate, so she cannot force a response from the Commerce Department, but her request for documents puts public pressure on the agency.

Trump family’s billion-dollar crypto earnings 

Days before either investigation was launched, Eric Trump publicly claimed that his family’s crypto projects, including a memecoin, NFT collections, and the World Liberty Financial platform, have brought in over $1 billion in revenue 

The TRUMP memecoin, launched in early 2025, contributed approximately $350 million in revenue from token sales and trading activity.

The family also entered the NFT market between 2022 and 2024, releasing four collections of Trump-themed digital collectibles. 

World Liberty Financial (WLFI), a crypto platform associated with the family that includes a governance token and a dollar-backed stablecoin called USD1, has reportedly raised substantial funds through token sales and partnerships.

“Crypto’s been incredible and it came out of us being debanked,” Eric Trump said. “It is the future of finance and as a family we’re all in.”

There’s a middle ground between leaving money in the bank and rolling the dice in crypto. Start with this free video on decentralized finance.

The Kansas City Federal Reserve Bank is being investigated by Senator Maxine Waters for granting Kraken access to a limited-purpose master account.

On the other hand, an investigation into Balmain’s ties to President Trump’s family has been launched just days after Eric Trump publicly claimed the family’s crypto ventures have generated over $1 billion in revenue.

Rep Waters pushes investigation into Kansas City Federal Reserve Bank 

Representative Maxine Waters, the ranking Democrat on the House Financial Services Committee, has launched an investigation into the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City over its decision to grant the crypto exchange firm, Kraken, a limited-purpose master account. 

In a letter sent to Kansas City Fed President Jeff Schmid, Waters pointed out that neither federal statute nor the Federal Reserve Board’s Account Access Guidelines mentions a “limited purpose account” as a valid account type. 

She requested that Schmid clarify the account’s terms and provide information about the approval process.

Waters’ questions include whether Kraken’s account gives it access to FedACH, Fedwire, or FedCash services, and whether the exchange faces any balance limits, overdraft restrictions, or enhanced supervisory requirements beyond Wyoming’s Special Purpose Depository Institution rules.

The Kansas City Fed granted the account to Payward Financial, which does business as Kraken Financial, for an initial one-year term. The regional bank said at the time it was trying to maintain a system that “supports a level competitive field and reinforces the stability and resilience” of Fed payment systems.

The Bank Policy Institute said it was “deeply concerned” that the approval came before the Federal Reserve concluded on a policy framework for such accounts. The group criticized the lack of transparency around both the approval process and risk measures.

Waters gave the Kansas City Fed until April 10 to respond. She described the matter as one of “critical importance to the development and oversight of our financial system.”

Bitmain and Trump family ties under scrutiny

Senator Elizabeth Warren has written to the Commerce Department specifically requesting for records of communications between Bitmain and Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr., as well as communications between the company and Commerce Department officials. 

She also requested information about the specific actions the agency has taken to keep the Commerce Department’s national security decisions uninfluenced by firms that have business ties to the Trump family.

In late 2025, the Department of Homeland Security reportedly launched an investigation codenamed “Operation Red Sun” to examine whether Bitmain’s ASIC miners could be remotely accessed for espionage or to disrupt the U.S. power grid. 

Previous shipments of Bitmain equipment have been halted, and the use of its mining machines near U.S. military bases has been flagged as a significant national security concern. 

Bitmain has so far denied the allegations. American Bitcoin Corp, a Trump-backed company, previously purchased 16,000 Bitmain mining machines for $314 million. 

The senator is in the minority in the Senate, so she cannot force a response from the Commerce Department, but her request for documents puts public pressure on the agency.

Trump family’s billion-dollar crypto earnings 

Days before either investigation was launched, Eric Trump publicly claimed that his family’s crypto projects, including a memecoin, NFT collections, and the World Liberty Financial platform, have brought in over $1 billion in revenue 

The TRUMP memecoin, launched in early 2025, contributed approximately $350 million in revenue from token sales and trading activity.

The family also entered the NFT market between 2022 and 2024, releasing four collections of Trump-themed digital collectibles. 

World Liberty Financial (WLFI), a crypto platform associated with the family that includes a governance token and a dollar-backed stablecoin called USD1, has reportedly raised substantial funds through token sales and partnerships.

“Crypto’s been incredible and it came out of us being debanked,” Eric Trump said. “It is the future of finance and as a family we’re all in.”

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Richard Teng, the co-CEO of Binance, has confirmed on X that the world’s largest crypto exchange by trading volume has already done 25% of the total OTC volume they achieved in 2025 in just two months of 2026.

However, this announcement, which was first documented in the second issue of Binance’s OTC digest that was published on March 20, comes at a time when the crypto spot market is enduring a sustained downturn.

The seeming success of Binance’s OTC arm is now raising questions about where and how institutional money is moving. Another question market observers now have to answer is if exchange spot volumes remain a reliable gauge of market health.

What is happening in the spot market?

According to industry data, the combined trading volumes across centralized crypto exchanges (CEXs) fell to $5.61 trillion in February 2026. Spot trading volume for the same month fell by 3% to $1.5 trillion.

The spot market is not also rosy for decentralized exchanges (DEXs) with activity dropping by 15.5% to $287 billion in February, which was its first monthly decline in three months.

Binance continues to lead the spot market, although its market share has shrunk to 22%, which is reportedly its lowest since 2020.

The market capitalization of the spot market is currently around $2.3 trillion, down by over 2.5% over the past month.

The retreat in spot trading volumes saw an increase through the final months of 2025. 

US-listed spot Bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs), usually a bellwether of institutional sentiment, registered net outflows of $4.57 billion across November and December, their worst two-month stretch since launch, as Bitcoin’s price dropped 20% over the same period.

Where has institutional demand migrated?

According to Binance March OTC digest, Bitcoin’s share of OTC volumes rose from 4.91% in January to 45.81% in February, which is nearly a ten-fold increase, while stablecoin and fiat-to-crypto volume went up by more than double, rising from 21.43% to 48.95%. 

Binance says that the activities that occurred during this period may be a result of bullish repositioning among institutional and high-net-worth clients.

Industry-scale participants are moving large sums through back channels, while retail traders sit on the sidelines, and the recent data shared by Binance places it as one of the choice platforms.

However, Binance’s OTC volume numbers do not tell the whole story about the market since its dynamics operate quite differently from public market sentiment.

The latest growth may be as a result of a change in the routing preferences of institutional traders, instead of net new demand, and this could be a plausible reason why the spot market is where it is now.

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President Donald Trump made light of a global crisis Friday when he jokingly called the Strait of Hormuz the “Strait of Trump” during a speech in Miami, even as Iran’s blockade of the waterway threatens to trigger the biggest financial shock since the pandemic.

The president drew laughs at the Future Investment Initiative when he said Iran must “open up the Strait of Trump, I mean, Hormuz.”

He later insisted it was no accident, saying “there’s no accidents with me, not too many.” The New York Post reported Friday evening that Trump is actually considering taking control of the strait and renaming it after himself.

But there’s nothing funny about what’s happening in global markets. The strait normally moves 20 million barrels of oil each day. With that flow blocked as the war enters its second month,

Brent crude prices have jumped nearly 50% to over $110 per barrel. The S&P 500 has fallen more than 7% this year. The Nasdaq has entered correction territory. The VIX fear gauge has climbed above 30 as of March 27, its highest level in a year.

Wall Street’s biggest worry isn’t the stock market, though. It’s what’s happening in private credit, the $3 trillion shadow banking sector that operates outside traditional banks.

Shadow banking’s broken business model exposed

The industry was already struggling before the war started. Now, soaring oil prices threaten to push it over the edge.

Private credit has grown by more than a trillion dollars since 2020, with Morgan Stanley predicting it could hit $5 trillion by 2030. But the business model has a fatal flaw when oil prices spike. Many lenders borrow short-term and invest long-term, which works fine when interest rates are falling.

Rising oil prices mean rising inflation, which means higher interest rates, and that leaves private credit funds paying more to borrow money than they earn from their loans.

The numbers tell a grim story. Defaults on loans among mid-sized companies jumped from 8.1% in 2024 to a record 9.2% in 2025, according to Fitch Ratings. This includes shadow defaults where creditors extend deadlines or swap debt for equity to avoid calling a loan.

Lloyd Blankfein, the former Goldman Sachs boss, has warned of a fire risk in the sector. Jamie Dimon at JP Morgan said there would likely be more cockroaches, as reported by Cryptopolitan previously.

Investors are running for the exits

More than $13 billion has been pulled from private credit funds run by BlackRock, Apollo, Morgan Stanley and others since January, Bloomberg reported. Over $4.6 billion is now trapped by withdrawal limits that funds imposed to stop the bleeding.

Stock prices for private credit firms have collapsed. Blackstone is down 31% this year. Apollo has fallen 25%. KKR dropped 30%. Blue Owl plunged 41%.

The withdrawal caps only last three months, and few expect the rush to get out will stop when the limits lift. That’s when things could get really bad.

Private credit funds can’t easily sell their loans to raise cash. They’ll have to turn to US regional banks for emergency credit lines.

Higher oil prices also raise recession risks

The probability of a US recession in the next 12 months jumped from 35% in January to 49% in February, according to Moody’s Analytics. That was before oil prices spiked.

Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody’s Analytics, said the fallout from the war makes things worse for highly leveraged companies. “I would expect defaults and maybe at some point bankruptcies. If you’re thinking about what fissure could turn into a fault, could turn into an earthquake, that would be one place to look, for sure.”

A recession would be new territory for private credit. The sector was much smaller during the COVID crisis and had massive government support backing it up.

Robin Brooks at the Brookings Institution wrote that highly leveraged positions in all corners of the market blow up as volatility increases. “It looks to me like we’re nearing a breaking point on this front.”

Global contagion risks loom as crisis spreads

If private credit collapses in the US, the damage will spread globally. Private equity invests heavily in Europe. Insurance companies in the US, Europe and the UK have large exposures to private credit.

Some voices on Wall Street are trying to calm nerves. Torsten Sløk, chief economist at Apollo, argued markets are overreacting to what will likely be a four to six-week period of volatility.

But Zachary Griffiths at CreditSights offered a darker view. “The longer we are in this situation, the more vulnerable and the bigger risk it becomes to private credit and the overall economy.”

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Leading European bank BNP Paribas is adding several exchange-traded notes (ETNs) based on major cryptocurrencies to its financial products.

The move is part of the banking behemoth’s push to grow its presence in a space occupied by decentralized digital assets and technologies.

BNP Paribas issues six cryptocurrency ETNs in France

The French retail banking arm of BNP Paribas has introduced six crypto ETNs to expand its stock market offering, an announcement unveiled before the weekend.

The financial instruments are pegged to Bitcoin and Ethereum, the digital currencies with the biggest market capitalization.

Individual investors in France will be able to gain exposure to the performance of the two assets without directly buying or holding BTC and ETH.

BNP Paribas already offers customers access to stocks, bonds, exchange-traded funds (ETFs), French real estate investment trusts (SCPIs), and structured products.

It’s adding the new instruments to its portfolio to “meet the growing interest of some investors in the crypto market,” according to the press release.

The six crypto ETNs are regulated securities issued by recognized asset managers, selected after assessment of their risk management frameworks.

They will be available through a securities account in France, starting March 30, 2026, and will eventually be offered to clients outside the country.

The Paris-headquartered BNP Paribas is Europe’s second-largest bank by assets, after the U.K.-based HSBC, and the largest within the EU, ahead of another French giant, Crédit Agricole.

BNP Paribas dives deeper into the crypto world

The ETN debut comes after BNP Paribas recently tokenized a money market fund on the Ethereum blockchain, using its AssetFoundry platform.

The launch is another demonstration of the group’s commitment to integrating decentralized crypto technologies while adhering to the strict regulations governing traditional finance, the French crypto news outlet Journal du Coin commented in a report, noting:

“The crypto-TradFi merger is progressing slowly but surely. BNP Paribas continues its foray into the world of Bitcoin.”

The ETNs give “a secure and regulated entry point for individuals interested in this rapidly expanding asset class” within the banking giant’s strategy for “responsible innovation,” the article elaborated.

While exposing investors to the dynamic markets of BTC and ETH, they keep them away from the various risks and complexities of owning the volatile digital assets.

BNP Paribas is gradually establishing itself as a European leader when it comes to compliant integration of cryptocurrencies into fiat finance that ensures investor protection.

Analysts say the move will attract traditional customers seeking to diversify their portfolios and will strengthen its position as an innovative bank on the Old Continent.

Exchange-traded notes are part of a broad category of exchange-traded products (ETPs) that also includes exchange-traded funds (ETFs).

The offering of such financial instruments tied to major cryptocurrencies has been growing around the world, bringing more capital into the digital-asset space.

Last month, the Warsaw Stock Exchange (WSE), Eastern Europe’s largest stock market, approved the launch of four ETNs linked to leading digital coins, as reported by Cryptopolitan.

The instruments, based on Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH), Solana (SOL), and Ripple’s XRP, are issued by the Swedish company Virtune AB and support staking.

The ETNs offer Polish investors a chance to put money into crypto without direct exposure, even as the country’s government continues to struggle with the adoption of proper regulations for the sector.

EU member states like Poland and France are obliged to implement the latest European rules under the Union’s Markets in Crypto Assets (MiCA) law.

The framework is expected to increase the offering of regulated crypto-based financial products across the 27-strong bloc in the coming years.

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The issuance of new stablecoins has surged since the GENIUS Act was signed into law last year. At the moment, there are over 17 million new stablecoins active across various blockchains.

However, this growth has been accompanied by a sizable rise in fraudulent tokens masquerading as legitimate coins like USDT and USDC and fake dApps.

Stablecoin clones skyrocket since July 2025

According to Blockaid’s research, there are over 54,000 bogus tokens impersonating known stablecoins. A total of 2.1 million fake stablecoin instances have been detected across 17 million total token deployments since the GENIUS Act was instituted in July 2025.

Most of these clones target USDT, with over 34,000 fake tokens detected, followed by USDC with around 12,000. PayPal’s PYUSD has an impersonation count of 1,600 while DAI follows with 400 tokens.

Cloned stablecoins are distributed across various networks. Around 41.3% of fake stablecoin tokens were found on Ethereum, followed by 28.6% on BNB Smart Chain, and 14.8% on Base. More clones were found on layer-2 networks. Arbitrum recorded 6.9% of fake stablecoins, Polygon had 6.7%, and Optimism had 0.6%. Avalanche had the lowest share with 0.5% of fake stablecoin tokens.

The total of stablecoins impersonation by network. Source: Blockaid.

Dusting and memo injection were the most common techniques used to distribute these fake tokens. In dusting, scammers send small amounts of fake tokens to active wallets, hoping users will attempt to swap them on DEXs and discover they have no value.

Memo injection involves inserting fake token symbols or malicious contract addresses into a transaction’s memo field. This attack is common on networks like Solana and Hedera. In this attack, the victim may copy-paste this information and unawarely interact with a malicious contract.

Rogue stablecoin dApps spread across several chains

In addition to cloning stablecoins, hackers have also been deploying rogue dApps.

Over 4,200 malicious dApps have exploited stablecoin branding within their URLs and page titles. Around 80 new malicious dApps using stablecoin branding were detected per week throughout 2025, with a sharp spike in Q4.

A total of 661 new malicious dApps were deployed in a single month between October and November of 2025. 2,100 unique victim addresses have interacted with these malicious dApps according to Blockaid.

The research found that 87% of dApp impersonation cases targeted Ethereum, followed by 10% on BNB Smart Chain and 1% on Polygon. Ethereum is targeted the most due to its high volume of DeFi activity and the maturity of its stablecoin ecosystem.

After creating websites that mimic legitimate stablecoin platforms, attackers run social media campaigns.

They exploit trending topics on platforms like X and Telegram. They also try to phish people through direct messages and emails. They exploit YouTube and create deepfake celebrity endorsements and fake tutorials.

Once a victim interacts with a malicious dApp, the attack can take several forms, including seed harvesting and compromised transaction approvals.

President Donald Trump signed the GENIUS Act into law in July 2025. The bill faced opposition from bankers and lawmakers.

Bankers feared that the legislation could mark the end of banking as people know it. They also warned that it would create a “Wild West” of unregulated stablecoins and threaten financial stability.

Senator Elizabeth Warren warned that the GENIUS Act could enable tech giants and wealthy financiers to create crypto-based currencies capable of tracking user behavior.

“If Congress doesn’t fix the GENIUS Act, billionaires like Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos could launch stablecoins that track your purchases, exploit your data, and squeeze out competitors,” Warren said on X (formerly Twitter) in June 2025.

However, the GENIUS Act created new opportunities for scammers to exploit the market.

The stablecoin market cap is standing at over $309 billion according to data from CoinGecko. Tether’s USDT leads with a market cap of $184 billion, followed by Circle’s USDC with $77 billion.

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Morgan Stanley is about to enter the Bitcoin ETF space with a fee arrangement that will significantly undercut nearly everyone else. According to an updated SEC filing, the bank will set its annual spot ETF fee at 14 basis points for its MSBT.

At that price level, this fee will be much lower than the annual spot ETF fee of 0.25% that BlackRock currently charges for its largest fund, the iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT). It even edges out Grayscale’s Bitcoin Mini Trust ETF, beating their 0.15% rate, currently the lowest in the market.

With this approach, market observers say the bank is trying to expand its large advisor base and add independent investors. Historically, cheaper products attract more assets, while high-fee funds grow worse off over time.

The New York Stock Exchange approved the bank’s application to list shares of its MSBT

The bank’s recent SEC filing comes on the heels of the New York Stock Exchange issuing a listing notice for MSBT, signaling the product may begin trading soon if cleared. After the listing announcement, Bloomberg senior analyst Eric Balchunas even projected that the ETF would start trading momentarily. If approved, Morgan Stanley will be the first direct bank issuer of spot BTC ETFs. 

Marty Party, a crypto commentator on X, shared that the combination of a low fee and the NYSE listing will redefine how Bitcoin ETFs compete for both price and investor attention. Other analysts also contended that the bank’s low-cost option could reshuffle the leaderboard for Bitcoin ETF inflows. Phong Le, CEO of Strategy, recently highlighted the product as a potential “Monster Bitcoin” catalyst, predicting that a 2% allocation from the bank’s clients would trigger demand of over $160 billion. That amount would easily surpass any current spot Bitcoin ETF.

The bank’s MSBT is designed along the same structural lines as current spot Bitcoin ETFs. Coinbase will serve as the prime broker and custodian for the coins, while BNY Mellon will handle the admin and transfer work. The Trust will also take a passive investment approach, tracking Bitcoin instead of actively trading it. Additionally, Morgan Stanley Investment Management noted it will not attempt to profit from price swings by trading highs and lows.

Oldenburg says they’ve been working to join crypto for years

Some analysts have been bashing banks for getting involved in crypto for the hype rather than for infrastructure development. Nonetheless, Amy Oldenburg, the head of digital asset strategy at Morgan Stanley, dismissed the notion that banks are just now jumping on the crypto bandwagon, noting they’ve actually been laying the groundwork for years.

She commented, “TradFi is getting FOMO and is now getting involved … it really isn’t accurate. We’ve been on a journey around the entire modernization of financial infrastructure for years.”

So far, the bank has built a huge $729 million position in Bitcoin ETFs, with nearly $667 million in BlackRock’s flagship fund.

Moreover, Oldenburg asserted they want to work on the tech to support digital versions of equities on their platform, starting in the second half of the year. With a platform already full of equities, she added, they have the perfect infrastructure to grow from. Internally, however, the shift means tearing down and rebuilding the core tech, forced to rethink how their basic “pipes and plumbing” actually work.

She also drew attention to the mismatch between how crypto-native companies and big banks conduct business. “There are so many other connectivity points that we need to plug in around it,” she explained that founders tend to underestimate just how intricate banking systems can be.

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The United States and China are two countries most closely watched in the emerging robotics race, even though Japan is a larger market than America in terms of its operational stock of industrial robots. It’s not really surprising though, when you look at the broader AI race. 

The competition, talents, and funding on AI models have overwhelmingly centered on the U.S. and China. But in this terrain, the U.S. clearly dominates China. 

America attracted $109.1 billion in private AI funding two years ago, against $9.3 billion in China, although Beijing partly makes up for the low private funding with government-led initiatives. Epoch Capabilities Index showed Chinese AI models have lagged behind U.S. models since 2023 by an average of seven months. 

U.S. vs. China ECI. Source: Epoch.ai.

U.S. AI founders have been vocal about it. But it’s a different story when it comes to physical AI. Both techno-nations are racing to lead the global robotics industry, but it would seem the goal lines are different for each country.

It’s premature to choose winners, however, China is already doing more numbers than the U.S. in terms of working industrial robots. It makes sense quickly when you look at what goes on in the Chinese robotics ecosystem.

The state of the Chinese robotics ecosystem

China installed nearly 10x more robots in its factories last year, compared to the U.S. The Chinese are rapidly expanding and making so many cheap robots that U.S. robotics companies, including South Koreans, had to push for tariffs to level the playing field for local makers.

An insight by Chang Che, a writer covering Chinese politics, society, and technology, tells why China is running at this pace. 

The takeaway is that Beijing is keen on pursuing robotics, or “embodied intelligence” as described in Chinese policy documents, even down to the provincial level.

Interest in robots ballooned in China right after the government began introducing embodied AI in its paper – still did in its most recent “Five-Year Plan (2026–2030),” reviewed by the National People’s Congress earlier this month. Professors turned to robot entrepreneurs, Che wrote. Students and VCs wanted consultations. Even officials were equally eager to bring robotics down to their localities. 

It became a competition sort of among the local governments, with officials propping up local companies for their personal interest, given that career advancement within the Communist Party is heavily tied to economic performance metrics, like GDP, investments, and industrial output, among other things. 

In one case, Che mentioned Viktor Wang, co-founder of PsiBot, who had gotten unsolicited offers from municipal governments to help him set up teleoperation centers to train robots. The collective result of the competition among the governments adds, if not solely responsible, for the fast-paced robotics development we see today in China. 

But why is China all-in on robotics?

Two reasons immediately come to mind, even cited in government papers. One is a labor shortage, and the second is industrial automation. 

China faces one of the fastest-aging populations in history. On top of that, its population keeps dropping. Reuters reported a third consecutive drop in the population in 2024, all-round meaning fewer workers and consumers. The country is expected to face a shortage of 50 million blue-collar workers. So, it’s looking at industrial and humanoid robots to fill roles where young people no longer want to work.

The demographic crisis is closely tied to why China is also pursuing industrial automation, which is where Chinese robots are finding the most application – 295,000 robots were installed in Chinese factories last year, the highest annual total on record, per the International Federation of Robotics.

China makes more useful industrial robots than it does for other purposes, and there is a reason behind it. The focus for Beijing is to make commercial robots that can find practicality in the real world. Remember, there are reasons in the first place why the government is heavily pushing for robotics. 

Che wrote that there are commercialization requirements attached to those fundings provided to Chinese robot makers. So, they cannot afford to chase frivolities, so to speak. And that is where China diverges from the U.S. in the global robotics war.

The U.S. and China have different goal lines

For China, the focus is on making commercializable robots that fit into the real economy. The Chinese manufacturers are mostly building humanoids and industrial robots that can perform one specific task very well, whether it’s installing and handling car parts, sorting items, welding, or assembling parts.

The U.S., however, is racing towards general-purpose robots, humanoids that can compete with humans, with a focus on homes and manufacturing. Figure 03, the humanoid robot that accompanied the U.S. first lady, Melania Trump, to a White House event, is one example. 

Figure 03 is built by Figure AI. The Chicago-based robotics firm introduced the robot, its 3rd generation humanoid, in October for use in home environments and handling high-volume manufacturing. Tesla’s Optimus takes on a similar direction, although the primary focus will be on the factory. Elon Musk said Optimus’s home use will follow factory success.

I’ve been working on my figure pic.twitter.com/u7trMda7eM

— Tesla Optimus (@Tesla_Optimus) September 6, 2025

There are a lot of promises with Optimus. Musk said in February that Optimus will be the “biggest product ever” and make up 80% of Tesla. He went on to say that the solar-powered Optimus+PV would become the first real-world version of sci-fi robots capable of replicating itself with materials from space. 

Whilst the Chinese are already deep into deployments, the U.S. is only warming up to commercial production. Figure AI launched a high-volume manufacturing facility, BotQ, last year, with a capacity to make up to 12,000 humanoids per year. Tesla is preparing for the first line of production later this summer. It targets making 1 million robots per year when large-scale production begins in 2027. 

It also seems most of the big-name U.S. companies are mostly pushing humanoids as their flagship products. Aside from Figure 03 and Optimus, there are humanoids like Digit by Agility Robotics and Apollo by Apptronik. Boston Dynamics also now has Atlas. Earlier this year, OpenAI was reported to have built its humanoid lab. 

It’s left to see how well the U.S. does pursuing general-purpose humanoids, but fellows like Mark Cuban are not particularly optimistic. Cuban said during a livestream with TBPN that he thinks humanoids “might have a 5-year lifespan, and then they’ll fail miserably. Maybe 10.”

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An ongoing dispute between Coinbase and regulators over how stablecoin rewards should be spread across cryptocurrency networks is creating turbulence in the Bitcoin industry. 

For others working in this domain, one route is to lobby against some of the most important provisions of the CLARITY Act, legislation that will officially become law in the USA soon. 

Regulatory bodies and cryptocurrency companies are at war over the future of the policy for sure. Stablecoins are financial investment products in an economy tied to the dollar. All platforms offer customers small rewards for idle balances, and the CLARITY Act prohibits companies from doing so. 

Companies can only reward users for participating in specific activities, not just for holding stablecoins. These rewards must also be clearly different from the interest people earn in bank accounts.

Industry leaders are now working together on a counterproposal, according to crypto journalist Eleanor Terrett. The aim is to clearly explain why parts of the bill need to change, especially to protect users and keep reward systems fair and sustainable.

The industry is afraid that rewards lead people to desert crypto platforms, but they live in different, more distant places.

Lawmakers move forward despite ongoing disagreements

Despite the challenges, lawmakers remain eager to move forward with the bill. Thom Tillis will release a draft of the CLARITY Act in a couple of months, which includes information on stablecoin rewards and potential regulations. 

Members of Congress and industry stakeholders have been talking while markup, a formal review of the bill, is scheduled for April. And in recent weeks, all of these groups have been working with the White House, including Republicans and Democrats led by Sen. Tim Scott, the chairman of the Senate Banking Committee. 

That shows clear political support for the bill, despite some versions still under discussion. It also signals that regulators are working to see whether banks’ concerns, not just developers’, have been factored into the legislation.

This is the biggest fight between stablecoins and banks. Banks fear that generous crypto rewards will entice customers to use their services without engaging in crypto finance. There is also concern among many bitcoin companies that the rewards users offer don’t encourage innovation. When the bill is passed, in terms of the incentives, we already have baked in that the final bill could transform substantially.

Debate grows over DeFi protections and future impact

Another key issue in the debate is decentralized finance (DeFi). This refers to financial services that run on blockchain networks without banks or other central intermediaries.

She urged market participants not to believe the FUD, stating that they have been working on a bipartisan basis over the last few weeks to make changes to Title 3, thereby making the crypto bill the “strongest protection for DeFi and developers.” We have to pass the Clarity Act to get these protections.

She added that the votes of both sides would be important to ensure the bill is passed. That bipartisan agreement is important for her, but nothing else happens besides getting that legislation passed.

Even so, the process is still ongoing. Some experts believe it may be difficult to reach a final agreement, especially given the crypto industry’s ongoing instability. Because of this, it is not yet clear how industry players feel about the latest version of the bill.

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The Governor of California, Gavin Newsom, recently signed an executive order that introduces additional regulations to prohibit public officials and their close associates from profiting from insider trading in prediction markets linked to economic or political events they can influence or are aware of.

To demonstrate the intensity of the situation, sources familiar with the matter said this order prevents gubernatorial appointees from using insider knowledge acquired through their positions for personal gain in prediction markets. Notably, Gubernatorial appointees are individuals selected by the Governor to lead state departments and agencies and to serve on boards, commissions, and judicial benches, often requiring Senate confirmation. 

Meanwhile, in addition to this regulation, Newsom’s executive order also restricted family members, spouses, or former business partners of appointed officials from using non-public information for self-enrichment. According to the Governor, public service should not be viewed as a means for rapid financial gain.

“While Trump’s Washington is filled with ethical problems and insider profits, California is setting a clear standard: If you work for the public as a political appointee, your duty is to serve the public—end of story. We won’t accept this type of corruption in California,” he added. 

California strengthens its oversight of prediction markets

Newsom’s statement outlined several incidents in which political insiders use private information from prediction markets for personal gain. An example of this case is the reported incident of six suspected insiders who gained significant amounts of money from the US strikes on Iran.

Another case of potential insider trading occurred earlier this year, when reports revealed that a trader on Polymarket secured around $410,000 by betting on the arrest of former Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro a few hours before it happened.

In the meantime, sources highlighted that these issues are also gaining attention in Congress, citing the introduction of the PREDICT Act by lawmakers from both parties this week.

The main aim of this proposal is to prevent members of Congress, federal officials, and their families from trading event contracts based on the outcome of policy decisions, political events, and other government actions.

To emphasize the critical nature of the circumstances, the proposal stressed that those breaching this regulation would be required to surrender all profits to the US Treasury, in addition to a 10% penalty.

Responding to the situation, major players in the prediction market, Polymarket and Kalshi, imposed several measures to mitigate these issues. For instance, they implemented restrictive measures to limit the engagement of individuals with direct influence over outcomes, while strengthening existing regulations against insider trading and market manipulation this week.

Meanwhile, despite the insider trading challenge, several individuals have shown heightened interest in prediction market platforms over the past year, thereby increasing their popularity and driving a continuous upward trajectory. To support this claim, data from reliable sources disclosed that both Kalshi and Polymarket achieved more than $20 billion in combined monthly trading volume for the first time this month, extending a record-setting streak to seven consecutive highs.

At this moment, sources noted that Newsom is widely seen as a contender for the presidency in 2028, with his chances of becoming the Democratic nominee currently pegged at 24% on Polymarket and 27.4% on Kalshi.

Regarding these results, several reporters reached out to the California governor for comment about his potential presidential run and Kalshi’s odds identifying him as the frontrunner for the Democratic nomination during his visit to San Francisco on February 19th. In response to the request, Newsom described the speculation as wildly premature, choosing instead to focus on prediction markets, arguing that “Kalshi is interesting for different reasons.”

Kalshi achieves a significant milestone in its operation 

While California strengthened oversight of prediction markets, sources noted that Kalshi secured a license that allowed it to offer margin trading to its users. Regarding this significant milestone, several analysts noted that this addition would enhance the platform’s appeal to institutional investors.

This announcement was made public after a filing with the National Futures Association on March 24 highlighted that the firm has received authorization to operate as a futures commission merchant through an affiliate, Kinetic Markets LLC. 

Nonetheless, reports highlighted that Kalshi still requires the Commodity Futures Trading Commission’s approval for rule changes that would allow non-full collateralized trading.

This situation unveils that while prediction platforms seek to attract institutional investment, regulatory uncertainty regarding the definition and treatment of these markets persists.

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Rivian cleared a major checkpoint in its Volkswagen partnership. The electric vehicle maker wrapped up winter testing on the first cars using Rivian’s software and electrical setup, which unlocks another $1 billion from the German automaker.

The tests involved Volkswagen’s ID.EVERY1. It’s the first vehicle under their deal getting Rivian’s technology. Volkswagen said Friday the testing went well.

The $1 billion payment is split two ways. Rivian gets $750 million in equity. The remaining $250 million is either equity or convertible debt, depending on which prototype vehicles Volkswagen provided for testing. The companies didn’t spell that part out.

Volkswagen’s already invested more than $3 billion in Rivian. And there’s more lined up. Starting in October, Rivian can borrow up to $1 billion from Volkswagen. Once the first vehicle with their technology goes on sale, Rivian receives another $460 million in equity. Total potential: $5.8 billion.

Winter testing happened in Phoenix and Arjeplog, Sweden. Teams put the ID.EVERY1 through its paces, plus vehicles from Audi and Scout. Scout is Volkswagen’s American brand, making off-road trucks and SUVs.

Software performs in harsh conditions

Volkswagen said the software held up fine in harsh winter weather and demanding driving. They called it groundwork for what comes next in the partnership.

Oliver Blume, Volkswagen Group’s chief, talked about “accelerating toward the future” and praised how fast the joint venture is moving. His comments came after some reports suggested the partnership was running into delays over software integration issues.

The money arrives just ahead of Rivian’s R2 SUV launch. Company founder and CEO RJ Scaringe has called the R2 “maybe the most important thing we’ve launched to date.” Rivian’s betting on a quick R2 production ramp-up and strong sales.

Rivian recently presented at the RSA Conference on vehicle cybersecurity. The appearance signals how the company positions itself as a tech and software outfit, not just another automaker. That’s part of why Volkswagen is pouring billions into access to Rivian’s technology.

Additional funding sources emerge

Rivian shares edged up Friday morning, trading around $15.21. Analysts peg the stock at $17.50 on average, about 15 percent higher than current levels.

Wall Street’s divided. Out of 22 analysts covering the stock over three months, nine rate it a buy, seven say hold, six recommend selling. The consensus lands at hold.

Rivian also pulled in $300 million recently through a private placement with SMB. They’ve got a $1.25 billion deal with Uber for robotaxi vehicles too.

The company has been working to diversify its revenue streams. Earlier this year, Rivian’s stock surged 27 percent after reporting better-than-expected earnings, though the company remains unprofitable. Forecasts show they won’t turn a profit for at least three years.

There’s a middle ground between leaving money in the bank and rolling the dice in crypto. Start with this free video on decentralized finance.

Armani Ferrante, the founder and CEO of Solana-based exchange Backpack, has moved to quell a wave of community anger, allegations of insider selling, and market manipulation as the BP token shed more than half its value from its peak just a few days after launch.

Backpack launched its BP token on Solana on March 23 with 25% of the one billion total supply distributed to users via an airdrop.

According to its tokenomics, no allocation was made to its founders, team members, or investors at inception. The remaining supply is tied to long-term lockups linked to company milestones and a potential initial public offering.

However, despite its “community-friendly” tokenomics, BP has not fared so well, having reached an all-time high of $0.4499 before sliding to $0.1404, a fall of more than 68% at the time of writing.

In a lengthy post on X, Ferrante addressed what he called a tide of misinformation circulating in the days after the token generation event, taking on allegations of over-the-counter insider sales, discriminatory Sybil enforcement, and the management of the token’s price decline.

What are the specific allegations Backpack is pushing back against?

There were allegations that Backpack executives were using OTC transactions to offload their own tokens. Ferrante flatly denied this, saying, “I can’t believe I have to say this, no, we aren’t OTCing our own tokens to cash out. See the tokenomics. Fake news. End of story. What is true: buyers reached out to me and asked for OTC.”

Ferrante acknowledged that the optics were damaging, given the history of other crypto projects deploying OTC deals to cash out.

In a separate incident that occurred on March 25, Backpack confirmed that a trader attempting to manipulate BP token prices on the decentralized prediction platform Polymarket was not affiliated with its team, writing on X, “These traders are not insiders. They are not employees, directors, officers, advisors, or in any way affiliated with Backpack. We have zero tolerance for insider trading of any kind.”

Ferrante also addressed concerns from some of the holders of the platform’s Mad Lads NFT collection, who were upset that newly acquired NFTs would not carry the same VIP status as those held before the token launch.

He defended the decision as consistent with Backpack’s approach of rewarding long-term product users over new holders, tracing the collection’s evolution through airdrops, whitelist mechanics, NFTs, and VIP points programs, among others.

Where did Backpack admit it got things wrong?

The Sybil controversy was an area where Ferrante made his only admission of error.

Ferrante stated that their goal was to protect retail users competing for points against sophisticated players who were splitting accounts and giving themselves an unfair advantage over those that didn’t.

According to the Backpack founder, the mistake they made was that their process was too rigid. “From the team’s point of view, we had a line, and we stuck to it. From the community’s point of view, the line is nuanced. We did not sufficiently take that into consideration,” he wrote, adding that they are reviewing the cases around Sybils.

Many users flagged as Sybils had their points slashed or zeroed, including long-term small-scale participants and high-volume traders, with the Chinese community disproportionately affected.

The Sybil criteria were never publicly disclosed, and the resulting opacity triggered a trust crisis.

Ferrante tried to downplay the fully diluted valuation (FDV) after the post-token generation event (TGE) as a metric that’s not meaningful, stating that they are building for the long term.

Can Backpack survive this turbulence?

So far, Backpack’s token is taking a hit, as it seems Ferrante’s explanation is not having the desired results on its fortunes yet.

However, despite the turbulent few days since launch, there are some features of the BP tokens that may help survive the test of this time. Users who stake BP for a minimum of one year have the opportunity to convert their tokens into actual Backpack company equity, a mechanism with few precedents in crypto.

As of early 2026, Backpack Exchange has reportedly reached about $400 billion in cumulative trading volume, sometimes exceeding $1 billion in daily volumes. This shows that the platform has genuine commercial traction beneath the launch noise.

Beyond the particulars, Backpack, which was repeatedly pressed by its community to launch its token, now has to turn to them to get the token back to a promising start. Ferrante called on the community to take a look at the tokenomics, writing, “Every project goes through trials and tribulations. This is certainly a moment for us. We are nothing without our community, and we will serve it in the best way we know how.”

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Two of DeFi’s established governance tokens are now in the red zone, forcing their respective DAOs to move capital in an effort to change that. 

Today, March 27, Lido’s Growth Committee proposed a direct LDO accumulation strategy using treasury stETH.

At the same time, 1Inch DAO announced the launch of a new structured incubator to fund teams building revenue-generating strategies for its Aqua protocol.

1Inch bets on Aqua to open a new revenue pipeline

The 1inch DAO’s Aqua Revenue Stream Incubator is accepting applications until April 8 and offers up to $400,000 for external teams to build revenue-generating strategies on Aqua, the protocol’s latest shared liquidity platform. 

Each team gets a grant of up to $50,000, but unlike typical ecosystem grants, the participating teams are expected to share a portion of the revenue they generate with the DAO treasury.

Once selected, funding is unlocked after hitting certain milestones, tying the DAO’s capital directly to outcomes, which is particularly important considering 1inch’s history with grant programs. 

Some delegates at the DAO have previously stated that its former grant programs were somewhat unsuccessful due to the lack of reporting and accountability from recipients. One delegate even went as far as saying that the DAO has “effectively become a front for portraying a sense of decentralisation.”

Aqua is 1inch’s shared liquidity platform, which launched developer access in November 2025 with a public frontend initially expected to launch this quarter. 

The 1INCH token is currently trading at around $0.28, with a market cap of approximately $245.5 million. Its all-time high of $7.87 came as far back as May 2021, putting the current price about 96% below that level. 

The token’s all-time low of $0.08 came more recently in October 2025, and the incubator is its latest attempt to rebuild to past peaks.

Lido shopping with its own treasury?

Lido’s move is a bit more direct. The project published a proposal today on its Lido Research portal that will authorize the Growth Committee to use up to 10,000 stETH from the Lido DAO Treasury, which will operate separately from the automated NEST format that Lido is also developing as the long-term solution to its revenue issues.

The conversion will be executed through different on-chain exchanges, including CoW swap, 1inch, and Uniswap, as well as off-chain exchanges like Binance, Bybit, and OKX. 

Funds would then be deployed in 1,000 stETH batches, each requiring a published execution price cap before an Easy Track motion is initiated. 

According to the proposal, net protocol rewards are down approximately 20% over the same period in which the LDO:ETH ratio fell by almost 50%. 

Essentially, LDO is undervalued because its price dropped much further (50%) than its actual revenue (20%). 

Despite a tough market, the protocol actually became more efficient by cutting costs and increasing its fee percentage. As the dominant leader in liquid staking, the DAO believes the market has overreacted, creating a perfect opportunity for the treasury to buy back its own assets.

But what do these moves mean?

DAOs spending treasury capital to support their own tokens is not new, but it does not come without controversy. 

Some argue it is a sign of desperation, and a use of community funds to boost prices rather than build a product. Others argue it is rational capital allocation derived from the same logic that drives public company share buybacks when management believes the stock is mispriced.

What makes the Lido and 1inch moves notable is that both protocols can make a credible case. Lido commands $18.98 billion in TVL with a market cap of over $244.5 million, and a market cap to TVL ratio of 0.0128, which is one of the most compressed in DeFi. 

1inch, despite its token price collapse, remains a top-tier DEX aggregation layer processing a large daily volume across Ethereum and multiple other chains. 

Right now, neither DAO is deploying treasury capital out of strength, but they both have a strong argument that their current prices do not reflect what the protocols actually are.

Want your project in front of crypto’s top minds? Feature it in our next industry report, where data meets impact.

Trump pushed a new White House app live on Friday, putting his second-term record and selected news stories into one place on people’s phones. But of course, its just another platform for MAGA propaganda, much like his so-called Truth Social.

The launch is coming after a string of short teaser clips posted earlier in the week on official government accounts.

“The conversation everyone’s watching is now at your fingertips,” said the White House X account in a post announcing the launch.

Cryptopolitan took a look at the app, and here are what we saw:

Screenshot showing White House app. Source: Cryptopolitan

Trump’s White House app centralizes MAGA messaging through built-in sections

As you can see up there, the main screen says in all caps “AMERICA IS BACK,” with a picture of Trump, and shows blocks for Trump’s policy plans and another for what he has done in office. Each block sends users to pages that already exist on the White House website, so the app mostly pulls together content that is already live.

One section says “Investment Boom,” then another “Priorities,” then “Affordability,” and of course a section for “Border.”

The affordability page lists a 0.7 percent drop in prescription drug costs over the past year. Trump has said his policies pushed drug prices down, including plans tied to “most-favored nation” pricing deals.

The Investment Boom mentions [all unverified] investment commitments from foreign governments and large companies. It points to money pledged for projects inside the United States. A separate border page shows a line that reads “0 Illegals Released in Past 10 Months,” presenting a single figure without added detail.

The next page is news, and it just tells the latest news of things going on in the Trump administration, largely sourced to Fox News because, of course, they are.

Then we get to the third page called “LIVE” where all press briefings from anyone in the Trump inner circle, like Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, Speaker Mike Johnson, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and the president himself.

The fourth page on the app is “Social” and it includes a direct link via that ‘Get in touch’ you see above for users to send information to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) so they can continue their illegal rampage on people.

There is a pre-written message that shows up, saying, Great President Ever! in the one absolutely hilarious aspect of this whole thing.

This page also shows curated posts and updates tied to Trump, placing that reporting tool right next to political content.

Another page in the app focuses on money and prices. It highlights basic items like eggs, milk, bread, butter, and potatoes. The app shows lower prices for those items compared to a year ago.

Source: Cryptopolitan

The numbers line up with data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. One detail stands out. The milk data matches low-fat and skim categories, not whole milk, which dropped less over the same time.

The same page leaves out items that went up in price. Ground beef, coffee, and orange juice are not shown. Oil is also missing, even though prices have jumped by double-digit levels since late February, when the United States and Israel launched strikes on Iran, killing nearly 200 little girls in an illegal war that violates multiple Amendments in the US Constitution.

The last page on The White House app just shows pictures of Trump and others. But mostly Trump, naturally.