In a March Truth Social post, President Donald Trump accused banking groups of trying to weaken the GENIUS Act, a stablecoin regulation law passed in July, and of blocking broader U.S. crypto market structure legislation. He argued that banks, despite strong profits, should not influence rules for digital assets and warned that delays could drive crypto firms to move to countries like China with clearer regulations. At the center of the dispute are restrictions on stablecoin yield payments, which have divided banks and crypto industry representatives and slowed progress in the Senate.

Kraken’s banking unit has reportedly obtained a Federal Reserve master account, becoming the first crypto-native company to gain direct access to the U.S. central bank’s core payment systems. The approval enables direct U.S. dollar settlement on Fed infrastructure but does not grant full banking privileges such as earning interest on reserves.

Kraken’s banking subsidiary, Kraken Financial, has obtained a limited-purpose master account from the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas, becoming the first crypto-linked firm with this type of access. The account lets Kraken connect directly to core Fed payment rails and reduce dependence on intermediary banks, although it does not include commercial-bank privileges such as interest on reserves or Fed lending facilities. The move is seen as a key infrastructure milestone for integrating digital asset businesses into the traditional US dollar payments system and broader financial markets.

SoFi Technologies' share price closed at $18.61 on March 3, 2026, after announcing an expanded partnership that will allow its SoFiUSD stablecoin to be used as a settlement option on Mastercard's global payments network. The company also disclosed that CEO Anthony Noto purchased roughly $1 million of SOFI stock in the open market, coinciding with a premarket rise to $19.23 on March 4. SoFiUSD, issued by SoFi Bank, N.A., is fully cash-reserved and is expected to support around-the-clock settlement for SoFi's card transactions.

Dycom Industries, Bath & Body Works, and Abercrombie & Fitch all posted fourth‑quarter results that came in ahead of analyst expectations, with revenue and EPS generally beating forecasts. Dycom reported record contract revenue and EPS, Bath & Body Works delivered higher‑than‑guided profitability despite slightly lower sales, and Abercrombie achieved record quarterly and full‑year net sales. Each company also issued full‑year outlooks, with Dycom and Abercrombie projecting continued growth and Bath & Body Works guiding to lower sales but resilient earnings.

Analyses by TRM Labs and Chainalysis indicate that Nobitex, Iran's largest crypto exchange, did not experience a prolonged user-driven run following US-Israeli strikes on Feb. 28, despite an initial spike in onchain activity and wider outflows from Iranian platforms. TRM attributed more than $35 million in transfers from Nobitex hot wallets to cold storage to internal liquidity management, while Chainalysis tracked about $10.3 million leaving Iranian exchanges and suggested users, exchanges or state-linked actors may be repositioning funds.

In the first week of March 2026, BlackRock's spot Bitcoin and Ethereum ETFs attracted roughly $654 million in combined net inflows. Its iShares Bitcoin Trust and iShares Ethereum Trust together accounted for the bulk of U.S. spot crypto ETF demand over March 2 and March 3, as Bitcoin funds rebounded and the BTC price moved back above $71,000.

Crypto-linked stocks led by MicroStrategy (MSTR) surged in pre-market trading on March 4, 2026, as Bitcoin (BTC) reclaimed the $71,000 mark. With msx.com reporting strong decentralized RWA trading volume and MSTR expanding its holdings to 720,737 BTC, the sector is showing renewed resilience despite recent geopolitical volatility. Discover the key drivers behind today’s crypto-equity rally.