Bitcoin

Bitcoin is a new electronic payment system that removes the need for third party financial institutions. It speeds up transactions while reducing costs and minimizing the potential for fraud. The name “cryptocurrency” points to how it uses “cryptographic proof” to work, AKA a blockchain.

Bitcoin’s concept was first introduced in 2008 when a person going by the pseudonym Satoshi Nakamoto shared a white paper titled “Bitcoin: A Peer-to-Peer Electronic Cash System.” In January 2009, the Bitcoin blockchain was launched. 

A new electronic payment system called Bitcoin removes the need for third-party financial institutions. It speeds up transactions while reducing costs and fraud-risk. The name “cryptocurrency” points to how it uses “cryptographic proof” to work, AKA a blockchain.   

Bitcoin has a finite supply of 21 million, which is expected to be reached by the year 2140. Currently, 18.8 million are circulating in the market. Note that Bitcoin represents the concept of the network, while bitcoin (lower-case ‘b’) represents the currency.

Bitcoin is one of the most well-known cryptos as it was the first decentralized currency. 

Currently, BTC’s dominance is above 40%. Bitcoin Dominance is a measure of how much of the total market cap of crypto is made up of Bitcoin. Bitcoin’s influence in the crypto ecosystem could be vulnerable to competition as alternative coins grow in popularity and utility.

Bitcoin traded around $69,800 as open interest rose to $102 billion, suggesting defensive, bearish bets while altcoins outperformed in a risk-off macro backdrop.

Bitcoin steady near $70,000 as rising open interest hints at cautious, bearish positioning

VanEck's Matthew Sigel argued miners are redirecting infrastructure to AI while trading at a discount to traditional data-center peers.

Bitcoin Miners ‘Sitting on a Gold Mine' as AI Demand Ramps Up: VanEck

Tokyo-listed Metaplanet is expanding beyond holding BTC into funding, incubating, and granting to companies building bitcoin financial infrastructure.

Asia's biggest bitcoin buyer now wants to build the BTC ecosystem

Zcash

Barry Silbert, CEO of cryptocurrency conglomerate Digital Currency Group, hailed the growth of financial privacy on Wednesday after mining giant Foundry announced plans to launch a Zcash (CRYPTO: ZEC) mining pool. A Mining Pool For ZEC?

Barry Silbert Sees 'Financial Privacy' Becoming More Important As Leading Bitcoin Mining Pool Operator Dives Into Zcash

Eskom, South Africa's state-owned power utility, is reversing its previous stance by targeting high-intensity energy consumers, specifically bitcoin mining companies. Nyati announced plans to sell excess electricity generated during the day due to increased solar power usage.

From Blackouts to Bitcoin: South African Power Utility's Surreal Pivot to High-Intensity Power Sales

Metaplanet is launching two subsidiaries and backing Japan's first licensed yen stablecoin as it bets on the country's digital asset infrastructure.

Metaplanet Deepens Bitcoin Strategy With $25M Investment Plan, New Venture Arm

Brent crude surged 10% after attacks on two oil tankers in Iraqi waters, with the prompt spread hitting levels not seen in years and MSCI Asia Pacific stocks falling 1.8%.

Bitcoin slips below $69,500 as tanker attacks send oil back above $100

Renowned author and statistician Nassim Nicholas Taleb found Elon Musk's widely touted X Money payments service better than Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC) on Wednesday. X Money A ‘Private' Currency?

Elon Musk's X Money 'Smarter' Than Bitcoin, Says 'Black Swan' Author Nassim Taleb: 'Private Currencies Must Compete With One Another'

Dogecoin

Ethereum

Leading cryptocurrencies traded flat, while stocks fell further on Wednesday as President Donald Trump authorized tapping the strategic reserve to lower oil prices.

Bitcoin, Ethereum, XRP Flat, Dogecoin Slides Amid Trump Moves To Combat Iran War Oil Spike: Analyst Says BTC Downside Won't Be 'Heavier'

Jack Dorsey urged Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong to confirm support for de minimis relief on Bitcoin payments, following reports the exchange favors stablecoins-only treatment.

Coinbase CPO Rejects Claims of Opposing Bitcoin Tax Relief as Jack Dorsey Demands Clarity from Brian Armstrong

Bitcoin is up about 7% from the Sunday lows, even as equities and gold tread water. Analysts point to seller exhaustion, shifting gold correlation and improving ETF flows.

Bitcoin holds $70,000, starting to show relative strength versus stocks, software sector, and gold

Bloomberg Intelligence senior commodities strategist Mike McGlone predicts Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC) will fall to $10,000, calling the crypto asset class “dead” as unlimited token supply and five years of underperformance versus the S&P 500 make it uninvestable for institutional risk managers. The $10,000 Target Explained McGlone defines $10,000 as the most widely traded price for Bitcoin since 2019-2020, similar to how crude oil has traded around $57 per barrel for almost 10 years.

'Bitcoin Is Going To $10,000,' Bloomberg's McGlone Says: Crypto Is A 'Dead' Asset Class

Cosmos Health Inc. announced it has purchased $600,000 in Bitcoin as part of its ongoing digital asset treasury strategy.

Cosmos Health (COSM) Buys $600K in Bitcoin, Expands Digital Asset Treasury

Bitcoin's (CRYPTO: BTC) macro behaviour is increasingly tied to global liquidity and energy markets, which increases its correlation with the Nasdaq, according to VanEck's Matthew Sigel. Bitcoin's Correlation With Nasdaq Rising Speaking on Squawk Box on CNBC on March 11, Sigel said oil shocks and geopolitical tensions, including risks around the Strait of Hormuz, can tighten liquidity and put pressure on risk assets such as Bitcoin.

Bitcoin's Correlation With Stocks Rises During Geopolitical Tensions, Says VanEck's Matthew SIgel

Bitcoin is holding $70,000 as oil price continue to remain elevated. Cryptocurrency Ticker Price Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC) $70,461.60 Ethereum (CRYPTO: ETH) $2,070.06 Solana (CRYPTO: SOL) $87.36 XRP (CRYPTO: XRP) $1.39 Dogecoin (CRYPTO: DOGE) $0.09438 Shiba Inu (CRYPTO: SHIB) $0.055823 Notable Statistics: Coinglass data shows 95,278 traders were liquidated in the past 24 hours for $190.53 million.

Bitcoin, Ethereum, XRP, Dogecoin Trade Sideways As Geopolitical Caution Caps Momentum

Bitcoin hovered in a narrow band between $69,000 and $71,000 as traders weighed mixed diplomatic signals over a possible Middle East ceasefire. Divergent Signals From Washington Bitcoin maintained a tight consolidation pattern between $69,000 and $71,000 Wednesday as market participants grappled with conflicting diplomatic signals regarding a potential ceasefire in the Middle East.

Bitcoin Holds $69K–$71K Range Amid Middle East Ceasefire Confusion

The following article is adapted from The Block's newsletter, The Daily, which comes out on weekday afternoons.

The Daily: Binance sues WSJ over Iran-linked report as DOJ probes alleged sanctions evasion, Bitwise CIO explains how bitcoin could reach $1 million, and more

Strategy Inc.'s bitcoin-backed preferred equity STRC crossed a notable milestone this week after Chairman Michael Saylor announced the instrument had delivered one of the strongest risk-adjusted performance metrics in the market. Saylor Promotes STRC as Digital Credit With Sharpe Ratio Over 3 Strategy Inc. issued the preferred security STRC—short for Strategy Inc.

Strategy's Bitcoin-Backed STRC Outperforms Tech Stocks on Risk-Adjusted Returns

Strategy has reportedly bought roughly 1,200 bitcoin today through STRC.

Michael Saylor's Strategy (MSTR) Estimated To Have Already Bought Over 1,200 Bitcoin Today

Bitcoin is crossing a structural threshold, evolving from an experimental digital asset into a massive global financial instrument.

Bitcoin is Now a Global Financial Player as Institutions Take the Helm: Bitwise

Fundstrat's Tom Lee says the crypto market has moved past its winter phase, with reduced speculation and leverage creating a healthier foundation for future gains. Markets Could Move Higher Through March Markets, including crypto and major tech stocks, appear to have emerged from a recent bear phase, Lee said in a CNBC interview on Tuesday.

Tom Lee: Bitcoin Has Exited 'Crypto Winter,' Will Rise In March

Bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs) continued their inflow streak on Tuesday with a $251 million addition led by Blackrock's IBIT. Ether funds also posted modest gains, while XRP ETFs slipped into outflows, and solana ETFs saw no trading activity. XRP Sees $3.

Bitcoin ETFs Add $251 Million as Institutional Demand Holds Strong

The longtime bitcoin bear's gloom-and-doom call met with fierce rebuttal from industry analysts.

Bloomberg strategist doubles down on $10,000 bitcoin call but peers say it would take a nuclear war to get there

Foundry Digital said it plans to offer a mining pool for Zcash next month, enabling people to earn the coin using shared resources.

Top Bitcoin Mining Pool Operator Foundry Is Getting Into Zcash

From The Core Issue: A breakdown at the optimizations and fine-tuning done to speed up Initial Block Download for Bitcoin Core users.

News for Bitcoin Crypto (BTC)