Coindesk

While macroeconomic uncertainty and technical indicators raise doubts about bitcoin's (BTC) recent gains, purchasing activity by some of the largest investors indicates a more optimistic outlook.Since March 11, so-called bitcoin whales have snapped up over 129,000 BTC, worth $11.2 billion at the market price of $87,500, according to data tracked by blockchain analytics firm Glassnode.That's the most significant accumulation rate since August 2024, indicating growing confidence in the largest cryptocurrency among the biggest market participants, Glassnode commented on X. BTC has regained some poise, since reaching lows under $78K roughly two weeks ago. The recovery has been led by dovish comments from Federal Reserve and optimism that impending Trump tariffs on April 2 will be more measured than expected.Glassnode's analysis...

By Francisco Rodrigues (All times ET unless indicated otherwise)President Donald Trump ramped up the trade-war hyperbole, threatening to increase import tariffs levied on the EU and Canada if they keep on working to “do economic harm” to the U.S. after announcing a 25% tariff on vehicles and foreign-made auto parts.Despite the threat, crypto markets remained stable, with bitcoin holding steady at about $87,500. Over 24 hours the largest cryptocurrency is down about 0.6% and the broader CoinDesk 20 Index some 2%.The growing threats not only raise concerns about economic growth, but also widen the gap between the U.S. and Europe, whose leaders are meeting with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky today to work on long-term security guarantees. The summit...

Crypto traders are used to seeing a price surge in non-serious cryptocurrencies such as dogecoin (DOGE) as a sign of market froth. Now it looks as though XRP, the payments-focused cryptocurrency, can also be used as an indicator for bull-market peaks in bitcoin (BTC).Unlike meme tokens like DOGE and shiba inu (SHIB), XRP has utility. It is used by Ripple to facilitate cross-border transactions, which places it in a bucket different from the memecoins.Even so, since 2017, XRP has been a contrary indicator for bitcoin bulls, tending to rally— often soaring several hundred percent in a short time — in the final stages of BTC bull runs, marking the point at which bitcoin ultimately peaked.XRP experienced a remarkable 10-fold...

Crypto regulation has come a long way. No longer is it a pass-off game between various government bodies: Digital assets now have dedicated overseers in a lot of regions. One of the pioneers in the space is Dubai's crypto regulator, the Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (VARA). What sets VARA apart is its ability to effectively communicate guidelines and regulation to crypto firms, according to its senior official."Set and forget does not work for crypto, it's all about feedback and open channels," said Sean McHugh, senior director of market assurance at VARA. "Since we are exclusively focused on crypto, it allows us to get a little deeper into the tech and our rules are written for the modern-era."Dubai has become a...

TradFi giant Northern Trust (NTRS) will provide custody and cash management services for trade finance focused stablecoin issuer Haycen, the company said in a press release Thursday.Northern Trust Asset Servicing will be responsible for providing Haycen with global custody services for its client fiat deposits, and Northern Trust Asset Management will provide cash sweep services, the company said.Stablecoins are cryptocurrencies whose value is tied to another asset, such as the U.S. dollar or gold. They play a major role in cryptocurrency markets and are also used to transfer money internationally.Haycen is a trade finance digital payments provider, with operations in the U.K. and Europe. The company offers wholesale stablecoin-based solutions for non-bank lenders in global trade.Trade finance is a vital...