Ripple has announced plans to secure a critical Australian Financial Services License (AFSL) by acquiring BC Payments Australia, a subsidiary of the Banking Circle Group. Expected to close on April 1, 2026, this move allows Ripple to bypass a lengthy application process and manage the "full lifecycle" of transactions—from compliance to final payout—directly within Australia’s regulated financial system.

A federal judge in Ohio has denied Kalshi’s request to block state regulators from enforcing gambling laws against its sports-event contracts. The court rejected Kalshi’s argument that its prediction markets are "swaps" under exclusive federal CFTC jurisdiction, ruling instead that there is no evidence Congress intended to override state sports betting laws. This decision allows the Ohio Casino Control Commission to treat these contracts as illegal, unlicensed gambling while the broader lawsuit continues.

• In this episode, we break down the recent Bitcoin volatility and why long-term investors are staying steady. Plus, the impact of the latest ETF inflows.

Bitcoin is ending the week with a strong push, successfully reclaiming the $71,000 support level. This relief rally comes amidst a backdrop of weak US economic data and shifting political tides.

Ethereum’s perpetual funding rate has dipped into negative territory for the first time in weeks, signaling that short sellers are now paying long traders to maintain their positions. While this often points to bearish sentiment, analysts suggest this "positioning imbalance" could act as "coiled energy" for a massive short squeeze, especially as spot ETH ETF inflows reached $185 million this week.

Circle Internet Group (CRCL) shares have surged nearly 50% year-to-date, recently hitting $118 as analysts at Bernstein set a bullish $190 price target. This rally is driven by the "decoupling" of stablecoins from broader crypto volatility, fueled by the 2025 GENIUS Act's regulatory clarity and USDC’s expanding role in global payments, cross-border settlements, and emerging AI-agent transactions.

In a major institutional move this March 2026, BitGo has been appointed as the official custodian for StableX Technologies' ambitious $100 million digital asset treasury. StableX, a Nasdaq-listed firm (SBLX) that recently pivoted from electric vehicles to crypto infrastructure, is focusing its "pureplay" strategy on acquiring tokens that power the stablecoin ecosystem, such as Chainlink (LINK) and FLUID, signaling a shift in corporate treasury strategies beyond just Bitcoin.

SEC Chairman Paul Atkins and CFTC Chairman Michael Selig have signed a historic Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to end the "regrettable era" of regulatory turf wars. This March 2026 agreement establishes a Joint Harmonization Initiative to align product definitions and enforcement strategies, aiming to provide a "fit-for-purpose" framework that prevents crypto firms from being shuffled between conflicting agency rules.