The UK Treasury Department selects HSBC blockchain platform for pilot issuance of digital government bonds

The White House warns staff not to use inside information from the Iran conflict for futures speculation

The Office of Management and Administration at the White House sent a warning email to employees on March 23, prohibiting the use of their position to speculate in the futures market. The warning came after the announcement by Trump of a pause in attacks on Iran, and suspicious trading appeared in the market. Senior officials described the email as a timely “reminder.”

Jefferies: The U.S. is likely to be the party with the least economic damage from a potential Middle East conflict, while Russia is the geopolitical winner

Jefferies’ economists report that the Middle East conflict affects all parties. The United States is the least affected, due to oil and gas price increases, Russia is the winner, and Iran may lift sanctions. The main losers are the Gulf states and Asia, which relies on Middle East oil and gas, while Europe has lost ground geopolitically.

The Strait of Hormuz is open! Iran demands tolls be paid in Bitcoin, and the Persian Gulf still has “big ships”

The Iranian government charges oil tankers a $1 per-barrel toll for passage through the Strait of Hormuz and requires payment in bitcoin to bypass U.S. sanctions. This move has caused extreme volatility in the cryptocurrency market, with bitcoin’s price surging, highlighting the importance of digital assets in geopolitics. Global shipping has been disrupted, Iran and the United States have taken differing positions in ceasefire talks, and financial markets have also roiled in response to this event.

France Passes Custodial Wallet Declaration Law, Tax Authorities Warn of Potential Hacker Attacks

The French National Assembly has passed a rule requiring mandatory reporting of crypto assets held in self-custody wallets above 5,000 euros, applicable to multiple mainstream wallets. The DGFIP opposes this, arguing that enforcement will be difficult and that data centralization will increase user risk. Experts say the law may be hard to implement and urge users to closely monitor subsequent developments.

Crypto investment scams are rampant! FBI report: Americans were tricked out of $11.4 billion last year, up 22% year over year

An FBI report shows that in 2025, the United States lost $11.4 billion due to cryptocurrency scams, up 22% from the previous year. Many of the scams are controlled by criminal groups in Southeast Asia. Victims lose an average of more than $60k each, and many even lose their life savings.

U.S.-Iran ceasefire for 2 weeks! Bitcoin surges past $72,000, with shorts getting forcibly liquidated—liquidations exceeding $400 million.

Middle East conflict turned for the better after the U.S. and Iran agreed to a two-week ceasefire, with market risk sentiment recovering. U.S. stock index futures jumped sharply. Bitcoin broke through the $72,000 high, while oil prices plunged. Although the current rebound is significant, analysts warn that uncertainty around how the ceasefire agreement will be carried out and the overall economic pressure may still limit how long the rally can last.