In the past 48 hours, Bitcoin held weekly gains after rebounding from $65.8K to $72K, while spot BTC ETFs’ 30-day rolling average inflows climbed to a record $39M since the bear market started. At the same time, CryptoQuant warned ETH could slide toward $1.5K in late 2026 as realized cap fell from $315B to $300B, and market odds for the CLARITY Act passing this year dropped to 56%.

On 12 March, the U.S. Senate voted 89-10 to add a Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) ban amendment to the 21st Century Road to Housing Act, potentially blocking the Federal Reserve from issuing a digital dollar until 2030 if the House agrees. Separately, the SEC is moving from a broad innovation safe harbor toward a limited exemption for tokenized securities, while market odds for the CLARITY Act's passage this year have fallen from 78% to 56%.

Ghana has opened a 12‑month regulatory sandbox for 11 crypto and fintech firms as part of implementing its Virtual Asset Service Providers Act, 2025. The pilot covers trading, payments, and tokenisation projects, with some products expected to graduate after 6 months and inform the country's future licensing framework for digital assets.

Binance.US has appointed Stephen Gregory as its new CEO, replacing Norman Reed who will transition into a senior advisory role. The leadership overhaul comes as the exchange faces a U.S. Department of Justice probe and mounting political scrutiny, while also experiencing notable BTC reserve outflows since late February. The platform is simultaneously pushing new products such as staking and referral programs despite the ongoing regulatory and market pressure.

Over the past 48 hours, Bitcoin's rebound has faded near the $70K level even as oil prices fell from above $100 to $85, leaving sentiment stuck in "extreme fear". In the same period, spot XRP ETFs have amassed $1.4 billion in cumulative flows since last November, while Hyperliquid has launched HIP-4 on testnet to add prediction and Options markets after HIP-3 helped real-world assets reach over 30% of its volume.

Blockchain.com has announced plans to expand its crypto exchange and brokerage services into Ghana after reporting 700% growth in Nigeria. Driven by demand for payments, remittances, savings, and protection against currency volatility, the move targets one of sub-Saharan Africa's top five crypto markets. In 2025, crypto activity across Africa grew by 52% to more than $205 billion in on-chain value, highlighting rising institutional participation.

The U.S. Department of Justice has asked Judge Katherine Polk Failla of the Southern District of New York to schedule an October 2026 retrial for Tornado Cash co-founder Roman Storm on unresolved sanctions and money laundering charges. Storm was previously convicted only for operating an unlicensed money-transmitting business and sentenced to five years, a move critics say clashes with recent Treasury language and a key Uniswap ruling viewed as favorable to DeFi developers.

South Korea's Financial Services Commission is reportedly planning to keep USD-based stablecoins like USDT and USDC out of upcoming corporate virtual currency trading guidelines. Under the draft rules, eligible companies could allocate up to 5% of their capital into leading crypto assets via regulated exchanges, while authorities continue to favor KRW-denominated stablecoins over U.S. dollar alternatives. Stablecoin use in Asia remains strong, with regional activity heavily concentrated in markets such as Singapore, Hong Kong, and Japan.

Trump’s crypto advisor Patrick Witt challenged U.S. banks’ hardline opposition to the CLARITY Act, warning their stance could backfire amid concerns about deposit flight to stablecoins. Stablecoins have purchased $153 billion in U.S. Treasury bills as of December 2025, becoming a major buyer and bolstering the White House’s push to leverage stablecoins for cheaper federal debt financing.