Decentral Block Post

Bitcoin (BTC) price dropped from $87,241 to $81,331 between March 28 and March 31, erasing gains from the previous 17 days. The 6.8% correction liquidated $230 million in bullish BTC futures positions and largely followed the declining momentum in the US stock market, as the S&P 500 futures fell to their lowest levels since March 14.

Despite struggling to hold above $82,000 on March 31, four key indicators point to strong investor confidence and potential signs of Bitcoin decoupling from traditional markets in the near future.

S&P 500 index futures (left) vs. Bitcoin/USD (right). Source: TradingView / Cointelegraph

Traders fear the global trade war’s impact on economic growth, especially after the March 26 announcement of a 25% US tariff on foreign-made vehicles. According to Yahoo News, Goldman Sachs strategists cut the firm’s year-end S&P 500 target for the second time, lowering it from 6,200 to 5,700. Similarly, Barclays analysts reduced their forecast from 6,600 to 5,900.

Regardless of the reasons behind investors’ heightened risk perception, gold surged to a record high above $3,100 on March 31. The $21 trillion asset is widely considered the ultimate hedge, especially when traders prioritize alternatives over cash. Meanwhile, the US dollar has weakened against a basket of foreign currencies, with the DXY index dropping to 104.10 from 107.60 in February.

Venture capital funding continued to pour into the blockchain and cryptocurrency industry in March, even as market commentators sensationalized the end of the bull market amid Bitcoin’s 30% retracement. 

VC flows are considered a vital sign for the blockchain industry, with higher deal activity indicative of strong investor appetite and growing innovation in the space.

As Cointelegraph reported, blockchain startups raised a combined $1.1 billion in February alone, with projects spanning decentralized finance, decentralized physical infrastructure networks and payments attracting the lion’s share of capital flows. 

Despite fear and trepidation in the crypto market, February was a strong month for blockchain VC. Source: The TIE

Early signs suggest that March was arguably a stronger month for crypto VC deals, as evidenced by the growing size of the investment rounds and the number of investors participating. 

Bitcoin (BTC) price dipped below its ascending channel pattern over the weekend, dropping to $81,222 on March 31. The top cryptocurrency is set to register its worst quarterly return since 2018, but a group of whale entities are mirroring a 2020-era bull run signal.

Bitcoin 1-day chart. Source: Cointelegraph/TradingView

In a recent quick take post, onchain analyst Mignolet explained that “market-leading” whale addresses holding between 1,000 to 10,000 BTC exhibited a high correlation with Bitcoin price. The analyst said that these entities are resilient to market volatility and show accumulation behavior, mirroring patterns of the 2020 bull cycle.

Bitcoin whale accumulation analysis. Source: CryptoQuant

In the current bull market, this distinct pattern emerged three times and is marked by Bitcoin whales’ rapid BTC accumulation, even as retail investors doubted a positive directional bias.

The top Democrat on the US House Financial Services Committee issued a warning after reports suggested that Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s “government efficiency” team would be given access to data and systems at the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

In a March 31 notice, Representative Maxine Waters reiterated a warning from a letter she sent to acting SEC Chair Mark Uyeda in February in response to the Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency’s reported access to sensitive SEC information. DOGE is an advisory body to US President Donald Trump rather than an official department established by Congress. According to the California lawmaker, giving Musk such access would have “dire consequences” for US investors and present conflicts of interest.

“[...] as a result of this takeover, the agency is at greater risk of data breaches and market disruptions, both of which could result in investors, including retirees, losing their hard-earning savings,” said Waters, adding:

“Not only that, Musk, who has been the subject of repeated SEC enforcement actions for breaking securities laws and regulations, can benefit his own businesses and harm his competitors by using his access to confidential business information and his influence over the agency’s operations.”

Waters’ warning followed multiple reports suggesting that Musk’s DOGE team contacted the SEC and would be given access to the commission’s systems and data. Since joining the Trump administration as a “special government employee,” Musk has spearheaded efforts to fire staff at multiple government agencies, including the US Agency for International Development (USAID) and the watchdog Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). Many of DOGE’s actions face lawsuits in federal court from parties alleging the group’s actions were illegal or unconstitutional.

Related: Can the law keep up with Musk and DOGE?

Bitcoin (BTC) fell 4.29% last week, but the bulls started a recovery by pushing the price back above $83,500 on March 31. However, traders are likely to remain on edge until April 2, when new US trade tariffs are set to kick in. The event could trigger a sharp, knee-jerk reaction on either side of the market.

Traders remain cautious in the near term, but a minor positive is that lower levels are attracting buyers. Cryptocurrency exchange-traded products (ETPs) witnessed modest inflows of $226 million last week, CoinShares reported on March 31. 

Daily cryptocurrency market performance. Source: Coin360

Strategy took advantage of the pullback in Bitcoin by adding 22,048 Bitcoin for $1.92 billion at an average price of $86,969. After the latest purchase, the company holds 528,185 Bitcoin bought for roughly $35.63 billion.

Could Bitcoin break above the stiff overhead resistance, pulling select altcoins higher? Let’s analyze the charts to find out.

The US dollar could lose its status as the world’s reserve currency to Bitcoin or other digital assets if the United States does not get its debt under control, according to BlackRock CEO Larry Fink.

Fink wrote in his Annual Chairman’s Letter to Investors that “decentralized finance is an extraordinary innovation” that makes “markets faster, cheaper, and more transparent.” But “that same innovation could undermine America’s economic advantage if investors begin seeing Bitcoin as a safer bet than the dollar.”

According to Trading Economics, the US debt equaled 122.3% of the country’s gross domestic product in 2023. That is a considerably higher percentage than the 105% observed in 2018. Moody’s Ratings retains the US’s AAA credit rating but has downgraded its outlook to negative, indicating a possible future rating downgrade.

The US’s Joint Economic Committee wrote that as of March 5, the country’s gross national debt was $36.2 trillion, growing $1.8 trillion, or roughly $4.9 billion per day, over the past year and $12.8 trillion in the past five years. The Bipartisan Policy Center warned this month that the US could default on its debt as early as July 2025.

Bitcoin (BTC) has been branded as a safe haven for investors who are looking to avoid the perils of fiat currency, including inflation. Some believe that the end of the debt ceiling suspension could lead to a Bitcoin price boom. Others think, as Fink has stated, that the dangers of the national debt could increase Bitcoin adoption.

On March 19, Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse announced that the company had been cleared by the US Securities and Exchange Commission regarding an alleged $1.3 billion unregistered securities offering. Following the news, XRP (XRP) surged to $2.59, but the gains gradually faded as the cryptocurrency experienced a 22% correction, dropping to $2.02 by March 31.

Investors worry that a deeper price correction is imminent, as XRP is trading 39% below its all-time high of $3.40 from Jan. 16. Additionally, XRP perpetual futures (inverse swaps) indicate strong demand for leveraged bearish bets. 

Demand for bearish bets increased amid XRP’s decline

The funding rate turns positive when longs (buyers) seek more leverage and negative when demand for shorts (sellers) dominates. In neutral markets, it typically fluctuates between 0.1% and 0.3% per seven days to offset exchange risks and capital costs. Conversely, negative funding rates are considered strong bearish signals.

XRP futures 8-hour funding rate. Source: Laevitas.ch

Currently, the XRP funding rate stands at -0.14% per eight hours, translating to a 0.3% weekly cost. This indicates that bearish traders are paying for leverage, reflecting weak investor confidence in XRP. However, traders should also assess XRP margin demand to determine whether the bearish sentiment extends beyond futures markets.

Opinion by: Genny Ngai and Will Roth of Morrison Cohen LLP

Since taking office, the Trump administration has designated several drug and violent cartels as Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs) and Specially Designated Global Terrorists (SDGTs). US President Donald Trump has also called for the “total elimination” of these cartels and the like. These executive directives are not good developments for the cryptocurrency industry. On their face, these mandates appear focused only on criminal cartels. Make no mistake: These executive actions will cause unforeseen collateral damage to the digital asset community. Crypto actors, including software developers and investors, may very well get caught in the crosshairs of aggressive anti-terrorism prosecutions and follow-on civil lawsuits.

Increased threat of criminal anti-terrorism investigations 

The biggest threat stemming from Trump’s executive order on cartels is the Department of Justice (DOJ). Almost immediately after President Trump called for the designation of cartels as terrorists, the DOJ issued a memo directing federal prosecutors to use “the most serious and broad charges,” including anti-terrorism charges, against cartels and transnational criminal organizations.

This is a new and serious development for prosecutors. Now that cartels are designated as terrorist organizations, prosecutors can go beyond the traditional drug and money-laundering statutes and rely on criminal anti-terrorism statutes like 18 U.S.C. § 2339B — the material-support statute — to investigate cartels and anyone who they believe “knowingly provides material support or resources” to the designated cartels. 

Why should the crypto industry be concerned with these developments? Because “material support or resources” is not just limited to providing physical weapons to terrorists. “Material support or resources” is broadly defined as “any property, tangible or intangible, or service.” Anyone who knowingly provides anything of value to a designated cartel could now conceivably violate § 2339B. 

April 2 is shaping up to be a pivotal moment in global trade policy. US President Donald Trump has dubbed it “Liberation Day,” in reference to when new tariffs—exceeding 20%—will hit imports from over 25 countries. According to The Wall Street Journal, the administration is also weighing “broader and higher tariffs” beyond this initial wave, meaning that April 2nd is unlikely to be the end of economic uncertainty.

Markets reacted negatively over the past week, with the S&P 500 dropping 3.5%, while the Nasdaq 100 slid 5%, underscoring investor anxiety. At the same time, gold surged 4%, reaching a record high above $3,150 per ounce. The yield on the 10-year Treasury dropped to 4.2%, even as recent inflation data showed an uptick in some of the core components. 

The markets’ is a classic sign of a risk-off environment—one that often precedes economic contraction.

Throughout the volatility, Bitcoin (BTC) dropped 6%—relatively modest compared to its historical volatility, but this does not make it a reliable hedge just yet, although its growing role as a reserve asset suggests this could shift over time.

Bonds and gold lead the flight to safety.

In periods of macroeconomic and geopolitical instability, investors typically seek yield-bearing and historically stable assets. Both US government bonds’ decreasing yield and gold prices’ increase signal an increasing demand for these types of assets.

The market for tokenized real-world assets (RWAs) is growing by the day, but contrary to belief, the biggest hurdle to broader adoption isn’t regulation, but a lack of dedicated secondary markets for buying and selling tokenized securities, according to Prometheum founder and co-CEO Aaron Kaplan. 

In an interview with Cointelegraph, Kaplan drew attention to ARK Invest CEO Cathie Wood’s recent appearance at the Digital Asset Summit in New York, where she said that a lack of regulatory clarity is preventing her company from tokenizing its funds.

“Contrary to popular belief, however, the hurdle isn’t ambiguous regulation,” said Kaplan, who noted that the US Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) special purpose broker-dealer framework and Alternative Trading System (ATS) licensing “already provide a regulated pathway for issuing blockchain-native funds that offer efficiency advantages over traditional issuances.”

“The real bottleneck lies in the limited market infrastructure for delivering tokenized securities trading to a broad investor base,” he said.

Excluding stablecoins, the value of tokenized RWAs has increased by nearly 8% to $19.5 billion over the past 30 days, according to industry data. Private credit and US Treasury debt remain the two largest use cases. 

Bitcoin (BTC) ticked higher at the March 31 Wall Street open as traders stayed risk-averse on the short-term BTC price outlook.

BTC/USD 1-hour chart. Source: Cointelegraph/TradingView

Bitcoin RSI teases bearish continuation

Data from Cointelegraph Markets Pro and TradingView showed local highs of $83,914 on Bitstamp, with BTC/USD up 1.5% on the day.

With hours to go until the quarterly candle close, Bitcoin saw some much-needed relief, even as US stocks opened lower.

Market momentum remained tied to upcoming US trade tariffs set to go live on April 2, with gold also slipping after touching fresh all-time highs of $3,128 per ounce.

Opinion by: Igor Zemtsov, chief technology officer at TBCC

Following “Libragate,” memecoin prices crashed, with their market cap falling nearly 60% from 2025’s highs. But meme tokens, dead? They’ve got more lives than a cat on caffeine.

Despite the chaos, memecoins were still holding a $47.9-billion market cap as of March 10. It’s not exactly spare change. Meanwhile, degens are still out here “buying the dip” like it’s a Black Friday sale, convinced that absurdly named tokens like Unicorn Fart Dust, Fartcoin and Buttcoin will print them a 100x profit before year’s end.

Some call it irrational. Others call it degeneracy. But when has that ever stopped anyone in crypto?

Down bad, but not dead yet

Sure, memecoins aren’t exactly outshining Bitcoin (BTC), Ether (ETH) or Solana (SOL) right now. They’ve been getting absolutely obliterated. Prices have tanked, liquidity has dried up, and traders who thought they’d be sipping cocktails on a yacht by now are busy coping in Telegram groups.

March was a rough month for markets — US President Donald Trump’s uncertain tariff policies created volatility in Bitcoin and crypto markets; meanwhile, decentralized finance (DeFi) struggled with security concerns.

Retaliatory tariffs on US goods in China and the European Union hit markets on March 10 and 12, respectively. Amid the tête-à-tête between the United States and its largest trade partners, Bitcoin managed to recover on March 24 to $88,0000 before slumping down again to around $82,000 at the time of writing.

A number of state legislatures are considering Bitcoin- and crypto-related legislation, from bills that would establish a Bitcoin reserve to crypto tax forces and exploring pension fund investment. Such bills moved forward, either in voting or in committee, in 13 US states this month.

The cool-down in memecoin markets has major revenue implications for Solana. After reaching eye-watering highs of $34 billion in January, Solana volumes on decentralized exchanges fell drastically. In March, volumes rarely exceeded $1 billion. 

Here’s March in numbers.

BNB Chain, the EVM-compatible network tied to cryptocurrency exchange Binance, is experiencing a resurgence in the decentralized finance (DeFi) and memecoin spaces just as some of its rivals face an identity crisis.

For most of 2024 and into early 2025, Solana dominated the retail DeFi narrative. It became the network of choice for memecoins tied to celebrities, influencers and political figures, including US President Donald Trump.

However, the ecosystem took a reputational hit after Argentine President Javier Milei jumped on the memecoin bandwagon. His associated project, “Libra,” was accused of insider trading. The controversy dented trust in Solana’s memecoin sector and opened the door for competitors.

BNB Chain has seized the moment, capturing displaced memecoin volume. The chain has its own memecoin platform, Four.Meme — comparable to Solana’s Pump.fun — and introduced daily competitions to promote new projects and subsidize their liquidity. Some of these memecoins have even gone on to secure listings on Binance itself.

This momentum is clearly reflected in the trading volume of the network’s top decentralized exchange (DEX), PancakeSwap. In a two-week stretch from March 15, PancakeSwap led all EVM chains’ DEX volume on nine separate days, according to Dune Analytics data.

XRP (XRP) has lost more than 40% since hitting a multi-year high near $3.40 in January, and onchain data suggests the downtrend could deepen in the weeks ahead.

“Denial” preceding past 75-90% XRP crashes is back

XRP’s Net Unrealized Profit/Loss (NUPL) data from Glassnode suggests the token may be heading for another extended downturn.

The metric, which gauges the aggregate unrealized gains or losses of XRP holders, has historically served as a reliable barometer of potential trend reversals. In past market cycles, NUPL has peaked in the so-called “euphoria” zone just before major price tops.

In 2018, XRP soared above $3.00 as NUPL signaled extreme optimism, only to collapse 90% to below $0.30 as sentiment deteriorated through “denial” and into “capitulation.”

XRP NUPL historical performance chart. Source: Glassnode

Non-fungible token (NFT) marketplace X2Y2 announced it is shutting down after three years of operation.

According to a March 31 announcement, X2Y2 will shut down on April 30, with the team switching its focus to an artificial intelligence project. The team shared its enthusiasm for the rapidly growing sector:

“It’s a pivot. Over the last 12 months, we’ve been diving deep into AI—hands down the biggest paradigm shift we’ll see in our lifetimes—and how it can transform crypto. We’re building something new.“

Token Terminal data shows that X2Y2 saw $53.6 million worth of trading volume over the last 365 days. While this is a far cry from market leader Blur with its $3 billion worth of trading volume, it still awards the protocol fourth place behind Blur, OpenSea and Immutable.

X2Y2 365-day trading volume chart. Source: Token Terminal

Charu Sethi, president at NFT-focused Polkadot and Kusama chain Unique Network, said the decision is not a sign of decline in the NFT market. She told Cointelegraph:

Ethereum’s native token, Ether (ETH) has lost almost half its value two months after Eric Trump, son of US President Donald Trump, told his 5.7 million followers that it was a “great time” to add the biggest altcoin to their portfolios.

Source: X/Eric Trump

President Trump spoils son’s bullish ETH outlook

As of March 31, Ether was trading for as low as $1,820, down approximately 40% since Eric Trump’s bullish tweet.

ETH/USD daily price chart. Source: TradingView

Meanwhile, Ether’s crypto market share has plunged from 10.28% at the time of Eric Trump’s X post to 8.39% as of March 31, the lowest since 2020.

Michael Saylor’s Strategy bought nearly $2 billion of Bitcoin, taking advantage of a recent price dip despite growing market concerns tied to US President Donald Trump’s upcoming tariff announcement.

Strategy, formerly MicroStrategy, acquired 22,048 Bitcoin (BTC) for $1.92 billion at an average price of $86,969 per Bitcoin.

The company now holds over 528,000 Bitcoin acquired for $35.63 billion at an average price of $67,458 per BTC, announced Saylor, the co-founder of Strategy, in a March 31 X post.

Source: Michael Saylor

Strategy is the world’s largest corporate Bitcoin holder and surpassed the 500,000 Bitcoin holdings milestone on March 24, days after Saylor hinted at an upcoming Bitcoin buy as the company announced the pricing of its latest tranche of preferred stock on March 21.

Metaplanet — a Japanese firm following in Strategy’s footsteps by focusing on accumulating Bitcoin — issued 2 billion Japanese yen ($13.3 million) of bonds to buy more BTC.

According to a March 31 filing, Metaplanet issued the zero-interest bonds by allocating them via its Evo Fund to fuel its Bitcoin purchases. Investors will be allowed to redeem the newly-issued securities at full face value by Sept. 30.

The firm’s CEO, Simon Gerovich, wrote in an X post that the company was taking advantage of the recent downturn in Bitcoin prices. The announcement comes as Bitcoin changed hands for about $82,000 at the time of writing, down 25% from its all-time high of over $109,000.

Related: Metaplanet share price rises 4,800% as company stacks BTC

Source: Simon Gerovich

Cryptocurrency investors are increasingly moving capital into stablecoins and tokenized real-world assets (RWAs) in a bid to avoid volatility ahead of US President Donald Trump’s widely anticipated tariff announcement on April 2.

Increasingly, more capital is flowing into stablecoins and the real-world asset (RWA) tokenization sector, which refers to financial products and tangible assets such as real estate and fine art minted on the blockchain.

“Stablecoins and RWAs continue to see steady inflows of capital as safe havens in the current uncertain market,” crypto intelligence platform IntoTheBlock wrote in a March 31 X post.

“However, because these assets reside on-chain, even slight shifts in sentiment can trigger significant price movements, driven by the lower barriers to reallocating capital in real time,” the firm noted.

Stablecoins, total market cap. Source: IntoTheBlock

Cryptocurrency exchange-traded products (ETPs) continued to see modest inflows last week, extending a reversal from a record-breaking streak of outflows.

Global crypto ETPs posted $226 million in inflows in the last trading week, adding to the prior week’s $644 million inflows, CoinShares reported on March 31.

Despite the two-week positive trend after a five-week outflow streak, total assets under management (AUM) continued to decline, dropping below $134 million by March 28.

Weekly crypto ETP flows since late 2024. Source: CoinShares

Last week’s inflows suggest positive but cautious investor behavior amid core Personal Consumption Expenditures in the US coming in above expectations, CoinShares’ head of research James Butterfill said.

Several members of US President Donald Trump’s family are backing a new venture to launch what aims to become the world’s largest Bitcoin mining firm.

Hut 8, a digital asset mining and infrastructure company, announced on March 31 that it is acquiring a majority stake in American Bitcoin, formerly known as American Data Center. The firm was founded by a group of investors, including Trump’s sons, Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump.

Related: Bitcoin miner Hut 8 argues to toss ‘short and distort’ shareholder suit

As part of the deal, American Bitcoin will take ownership of Hut 8’s Bitcoin (BTC) mining hardware. Donald Trump Jr. said that the entrepreneurs behind American Data Centers have backed their conviction in Bitcoin personally and through their businesses.

The new venture “aims to become the world’s largest, most efficient pure-play Bitcoin miner while building a robust strategic Bitcoin reserve,” the announcement said. Mining operations will remain under Hut 8’s compute segment but will operate through the American Bitcoin brand. Donald Trump Jr. added:

Key takeaways

US crypto investors must file their 2024 tax returns by April 15, 2025, ensuring all crypto transactions are accurately reported to the IRS.

Crypto held for less than a year is taxed as ordinary income (10%-37%), while holdings over a year qualify for lower capital gains rates (0%, 15%, or 20%).

Selling, trading, or spending crypto triggers taxes, while holding or transferring between wallets does not.

Mining, staking, airdrops, and crypto payments are taxed as income at applicable rates.

The world of cryptocurrencies can indeed be an exciting space for investors, but as the tax season approaches, many US investors find themselves grappling with confusion and uncertainty. 

Coinbase users may have lost as much as $46 million to suspected phishing scams over the past two weeks as rising crypto prices continue to attract bad actors to the industry.

Scams such as address poisoning and wallet spoofing involve tricking victims into sending assets to fraudulent wallet addresses that closely resemble legitimate ones.

According to blockchain investigator ZachXBT, multiple Coinbase-linked wallets have been targeted this month. A screenshot from blockchain explorer Blockchair shows a suspected 400 Bitcoin (BTC) theft from a single wallet address.

“It is suspected a Coinbase user was scammed yesterday for $34.9M (400.099 BTC),” the investigator wrote in a March 28 Telegram post. “After uncovering this theft I noticed multiple other suspected thefts from Coinbase users in the past two weeks bringing the total stolen this month to $46M+,” he added.

Suspected 400 BTC phishing theft victim. Source: Blockchair

Bitcoin (BTC) limps into the end of Q1 on 13% losses as fresh macroeconomic volatility looms.

BTC price action risks a fresh dip below $80,000 as new US trade tariffs weigh on risk-asset sentiment.

Crypto traders’ tariff woes focus on April 2, dubbed  “Liberation Day” by US President Donald Trump, while gold heads higher.

Despite the doom and gloom, Bitcoin has had a relatively mild March, while Q1 threatens to be its worst in seven years.

Profitability currently points the way to a bull market drawdown with no realistic bottom in sight.

Opinion by: Andrey Sergeenkov, researcher, analyst and writer

Crypto founders love big promises: decentralized finance, banking the unbanked and freedom from intermediaries. Then hacks happen. In some cases, billions vanish overnight. 

On Feb. 21, 2025, the North Korean Lazarus Group stole $1.46 billion from Bybit. They sent phishing emails to staff with cold wallet access. After compromising these accounts, they accessed Bybit’s interface and replaced the multisignature wallet contract with their malicious version. When Bybit attempted a routine transfer, the hackers redirected 499,000 Ether (ETH) to addresses they controlled.

This wasn’t just a human error. This was a design failure. A system that allows human factors to enable a billion-dollar theft isn’t innovative — it’s irresponsible.

People are not protected

In just 10 days, the hackers converted all 499,000 ETH into untraceable funds, using THORChain as their primary channel. The decentralized exchange processed a record $4.66 billion in swaps in a week but implemented no safeguards against suspicious activity.

Crypto exchange users in South Korea have crossed over 16 million after receiving a boost following US President Donald Trump’s election win last November. 

Data submitted to representative Cha Gyu-geun of the minor opposition Rebuilding Korea Party found over 16 million people had crypto exchange accounts out of a total population of 51.7 million, according to a March 30 report from local news agency Yonhap. 

This would be equivalent to over 30% of the population. 

All the data was taken from the top five domestic virtual exchanges in South Korea: Upbit, Bithumb, Coinone, Korbit and Gopax. Individuals with multiple accounts were only counted once.

Industry officials are reportedly speculating the number of crypto users could hit 20 million by the end of the year, with one unnamed official being cited by Yonhap saying:

Japan’s finance regulator is planning to change the country’s laws to classify cryptocurrencies as financial products as early as 2026, according to the local outlet Nikkei.

The Financial Services Agency (FSA) plans to submit a bill to parliament to revise the Financial Instruments and Exchange Act as early as next year after having considered the changes through internal study groups, Nikkei reported on March 30 without citing a source.

The outlet reported that the details are still being finalized, but the change would see cryptocurrencies likely put under insider trading laws that currently apply to other financial products, such as stocks, which outlaw trades based on insider information.

However, cryptocurrencies are likely to be put in a separate category from securities such as stocks and bonds.

If the changes go through and crypto is regulated under the country’s finance laws, companies offering crypto would have to register with the FSA.

A Californian lawmaker has just added Bitcoin and crypto investor protections to a February-introduced money transmission bill aimed at securing crypto self-custody rights for the US state’s nearly 40 million residents.

California’s Assembly Bill 1052 was introduced as the Money Transmission Act on Feb. 20, 2025, but was amended by Democrat and Banking and Finance Committee chair Avelino Valencia on March 28 to include several Bitcoin (BTC) and crypto-related investor protections.

The amendments cross out “Money Transmission Act,” with the legislation now called “Digital assets.”

“California often sets the national blueprint for policy, and if Bitcoin Rights passes here, it can pass anywhere,” Satoshi Action Fund CEO Dennis Porter said in a March 30 statement.

“Once passed, this legislation will guarantee nearly 40 million Californians the right to self-custody their digital assets without fear of discrimination.”

Source: Satoshi Action Fund