Mainstream Crypto News and Updates

Pi Network has launched the "Security Circle Activation Protocol," aimed at enhancing network resilience and trustworthiness, and promoting integration toward DeFi and Web3. The new protocol introduces a decentralized governance layer, strengthens transaction validation and participant identity verification, and provides a framework for institutional participation. The community is optimistic about rumors of well-known institutions joining, but caution should be exercised pending official confirmation. This technical upgrade is viewed as an important step in driving Pi Coin toward a mature financial ecosystem.

Bitcoin faces potential resistance between $75,000 and $85,000 if its current rally continues, according to onchain analytics firm CryptoQuant, even as derivatives markets show traders positioning aggressively long ahead of the Federal Reserve's March 18 interest rate decision.

Gate News bot message, the Royal Government of Bhutan transferred 596 BTC (valued at $44.44 million) to 2 wallets. Over the past 19 hours, the government has moved a total of 973 BTC ($72.32 million), which includes 20.5 BTC ($1.52 million) sent to QCP Capital.

U.S. SEC Chair Paul Atkins proposed launching a "safe harbor" exemption program to provide flexible compliance pathways for cryptocurrency companies, including "startup exemptions" and "financing exemptions." The SEC plans to release relevant rule drafts in the coming weeks to clarify the regulatory scope of crypto assets, which could attract more institutional capital into the market.

On March 17th, Ethereum spot ETFs saw a total net inflow of $138.28 million, with BlackRock's ETHA and ETHB recording net inflows of $81.72 million and $67.18 million respectively. Grayscale products also saw modest inflows on certain products, while Fidelity's FETH experienced a net outflow of $35.46 million. Net inflows from other brand products were zero.

Gate News reports that on March 18, according to Trader T's monitoring, Bitcoin spot ETF saw total net inflows of $198 million yesterday. Among these, BlackRock's IBIT had net inflows of $168 million, accounting for over 80% of the day's total inflows; Fidelity's FBTC had net inflows of $24.39 million; VanEck HODL had net inflows of $3.17 million; ARK's ARKB had net inflows of $2.48 million; other ETFs had zero inflows for the day.

A crypto-focused commentator has flagged a notable shift in U.S. state-level policy: Missouri is advancing a bill that would let its treasurer hold XRP alongside bitcoin, ether, solana and USDC as part of an official “Digital Asset Reserve Fund.” In a recent video,

Citigroup has lowered its price forecasts for Bitcoin and Ethereum over the next 12 months due to the stagnation of U.S. cryptocurrency market legislation, with the Bitcoin target price reduced to $112,000 and Ethereum to $3,175, and has also revised down its expectations for ETF demand. Regulatory developments have a significant impact on the market.

Tether's QVAC division announced on March 17, 2026, the launch of the world's first cross-platform LoRA fine-tuning framework for Microsoft's BitNet models (1-bit LLMs), enabling billion-parameter AI training and inference on consumer GPUs and smartphones.

Gate News reports that on March 18, on-chain analysts monitoring showed that 6 hours ago, a wallet believed to belong to Cumberland withdrew a total of 543.5 BTC from a certain CEX, valued at approximately $40.58 million. The destination and purpose of the funds remain unclear.

Gate News bot message, a wallet associated with Rudy Kadoch (@KadochRudy) made its first deposit of $3 million USDC into HyperLiquid and purchased 50,330 HYPE tokens for $2.018 million. The wallet maintains an open order to acquire additional HYPE tokens worth $981,987.

Gate has recently launched the new Gate Card, offering up to 5% cashback and a dual-tier upgrade system, supporting over 100 countries and 130 million merchants. Users can select their preferred cashback currency and enjoy a monthly spending limit of 1.3 million USD, making it suitable for high-net-worth individuals. The card's 1% processing fee can be offset by cashback earned by premium users, enabling positive returns, and encouraging users to accumulate rewards through spending and VIP upgrades.

Data from Xinfire Research Institute shows that from March 11-18, the Nasdaq index declined 1.26%, Bitcoin rose 5.66%, and Ethereum gained 13%. The Fear and Greed Index has exited the extreme fear zone. The Federal Reserve will release statements related to rate cuts tomorrow.

Ethereum founder Vitalik Buterin has proposed a new fast finality rule that guarantees Ethereum transactions become irreversible within 12 seconds, aiming to improve the current mechanism that requires 6.4 minutes for final confirmation. This proposal relies on the majority of validator nodes being honest and network latency being below 3 seconds. If these conditions hold, it could effectively enhance user experience.

XRP gains clearer regulatory footing as U.S. authorities explicitly include it among digital commodities in new SEC guidance, aligning it with major crypto assets like bitcoin and ether while reinforcing a shift toward function-based oversight that could reshape how investors evaluate risk, value d

On March 18, Gate News reported that the overall crypto market pulled back, with Bitcoin declining 1.92% to below $74,000 and Ethereum falling 1.30% to above $2,300. RWA, PayFi, and other sectors experienced widespread declines, though individual projects like Siren and River rose against the trend.

Global cryptocurrency exchange Gate announced the official launch of its new Gate Card, a crypto payment product featuring up to 5% cashback, a dual-track tier upgrade system, and elevated spending limits of up to $500,000 per transaction.

On March 18, Bitcoin consolidated at higher levels, and HYPE surged above $42. Trader "Maji" reduced HYPE long positions and increased BTC long positions, with total holdings reaching $33.61 million, profiting $2.4 million over the past week. Positions include ETH, BTC, and HYPE.

Circle announced the appointment of Microsoft executive Kirk Koenigsbauer as a board member, enhancing its governance and risk management capabilities. Koenigsbauer's Microsoft background will help Circle navigate compliance and security challenges as it transitions from a startup to a mature public company, and will strengthen market confidence in USDC and its ability to expand into traditional enterprises.