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It has been a wild few years for GameStop, the video game retailer turned memecoin stock. After being pulled from the edge of bankruptcy in 2021 thanks to a surging stock price, the company has made sensible business decisions over the years, such as shrinking its physical footprint and focusing on higher-margin items. 

Now, GameStop is trying to secure its survival by investing in Bitcoin (BTC). This approach seems to have worked for Strategy, Michael Saylor’s business intelligence firm turned Bitcoin bank. Strategy has now amassed more than 500,000 BTC through successive purchases. And despite experiencing massive volatility, Strategy’s stock has rallied more than 2,100% since acquiring its first Bitcoin back in 2020.

GameStop has memed its way back to relevance — who says it can’t secure at least the next decade of its existence by riding the Bitcoin wave?

This week’s Crypto Biz newsletter chronicles GameStop’s Bitcoin gambit, the adoption magnet that is tokenization and the recovery in Bitcoin mining revenues.

GameStop: Following the Strategy playbook

On March 25, GameStop confirmed that it had received board approval to invest in Bitcoin and US-dollar-pegged stablecoins. There’s reason to believe that the video game retailer could make a big splash, given its corporate cash balance of nearly $4.8 billion. This is a notable jump from one year earlier when the company’s balance sheet was around $922 million. 

US President Donald Trump reportedly issued pardons to three co-founders of the cryptocurrency exchange BitMEX, who had pleaded guilty to felony charges.

According to a March 28 CNBC report, Trump granted pardons to Arthur Hayes, Benjamin Delo and Samuel Reed, who were facing a range of criminal charges related to money laundering or violations of the Bank Secrecy Act. Hayes and Delo pleaded guilty in February 2022, admitting they “willfully fail[ed] to establish, implement and maintain an Anti-Money Laundering program” at BitMEX, while Reed entered a plea a few weeks later.

Source: Arthur Hayes

At the time of publication, the White House had not released a statement suggesting that Trump planned to pardon the three men. Cointelegraph contacted BitMEX for a comment regarding the pardon, but did not receive a response at the time of publication.

Since taking office on Jan. 20, Trump has issued a number of controversial federal pardons, including to more than 1,500 people facing charges related to the Jan. 6, 2021, rioting at the US Capitol and Silk Road founder Ross Ulbricht, who was in prison for more than 11 years. Reports have suggested that former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried, sentenced to 25 years in prison for his role in misusing customer funds, was also attempting to cozy up to Trump and Republicans for a potential pardon.

Ether (ETH) price fell 9.3% between March 26 and March 28, testing the $1,860 level for the first time in two weeks. This correction led to over $114 million in liquidations of leveraged ETH futures and caused the premium relative to the regular spot market to drop to its lowest level in over a year. 

Some traders have said that the rock-bottom ETH futures premium is a bottom signal, but let’s dig deeper into the data to see if this perspective makes any sense.  

ETH 1-month futures premium relative to spot markets. Source: Laevitas.ch

Ether’s monthly futures typically trade above the regular spot price as sellers demand compensation for the longer settlement period. A 5% to 10% annualized premium usually indicates neutral markets, reflecting the cost of opportunity and the exchanges’ risk. However, ETH futures dropped below this threshold on March 8, following a 24% price correction in the prior two weeks.

The current 2% ETH futures annualized premium suggests a lack of demand for leveraged longs (buys), but this measure is highly influenced by recent price movements. For example, on Oct. 10, 2024, the ETH futures premium dropped to 2.6% after a 14% price correction in two weeks, but the indicator rose to 7% as ETH regained most of its losses. Essentially, the futures premium rarely signals changes in the spot price trend.

Bitcoin price is poised to hit $110,000 before retesting the $76,500 range, according to Arthur Hayes, pointing to easing inflationary concerns and more favorable monetary policy conditions in the US that are set to bolster risk assets, including the world’s first cryptocurrency.

Still, the decentralized finance (DeFi) industry took another hit after an unknown whale exploited Hyperliquid’s algorithms to generate over $6 million in profit on a memecoin short position.

Bitcoin “more likely” to hit $110,000 before $76,500 — Arthur Hayes

Bitcoin may reach a new all-time high of $110,000 before any significant retracement, according to some market analysts who cite easing inflation and increasing global liquidity as key factors supporting a price rally.

Bitcoin (BTC) has risen for two consecutive weeks, achieving a bullish weekly close just above $86,000 on March 23, TradingView data shows.

Combined with fading inflation-related concerns, this may set the stage for Bitcoin’s rally to a $110,000 all-time high, according to Arthur Hayes, co-founder of BitMEX and chief investment officer of Maelstrom.

A portion of the Ethereum community is pressuring the Ethereum Foundation to make decisions that may “break the entire social fabric” of the smart contract network by restricting Ethereum's layer-2 (L2) networks, Polygon co-founder Sandeep Nailwal said.

Speaking during a March 28 episode of Cointelegraph's Chain Reaction show on X, the Polygon founder said that he has only seen this type of pressure and anti-L2 rhetoric during the current market cycle amid suppressed price action for Ether (ETH).

“Everybody understands that if Ethereum doesn’t survive, the layer-2s won’t survive,” Nailwal said, adding:

"The Ethereum community should not pressure the developers enough — I should not be able to pressure the developers enough — for price movements and all that, they may end up making a decision that completely breaks the social fabric of Ethereum."

The Polygon co-founder praised Vitalik Buterin’s leadership and his more active role in the Ethereum Foundation, saying he has been the biggest force in keeping Ethereum's ecosystem cohesive.

Nailwal characterized Buterin as the “DNA" of the network that has attracted many talented developers over the years who are building layers on top of the Ethereum base layer.

Bitcoin (BTC) is moving farther away from the crucial $90,000 mark, indicating that buying dries up at higher levels. Market participants seem nervous about the fresh round of US trade tariffs and the renewed inflation pressure as US Personal Consumption Expenditures data came in hotter-than-expected.

Traders are divided about Bitcoin’s price trajectory in 2025. Analyzing data from the prediction markets platform Polymarket, X user Ashwin highlighted that Bitcoin’s most bearish target for 2025 is $59,040, and the most bullish is $138,617.

Crypto market data daily view. Source: Coin360

Although the near-term remains uncertain, Real Vision chief crypto analyst Jamie Coutts remains bullish on Bitcoin. Coutts told Cointelegraph that Bitcoin could hit a new all-time high above $109,000 before the end of the second quarter. He added that a lack of clarity on the US tariffs and recession concerns are unlikely to derail the potential Bitcoin rally.

What are the important support levels to watch out for in Bitcoin and the major altcoins? Let’s analyze the charts of the top 10 cryptocurrencies to find out.

Terraform Labs — the company behind LUNA (LUNA) and algorithmic stablecoin TerraUSD (UST) — will launch its crypto loss claims portal on March 31. The portal is aimed at reimbursing individuals who lost at least $100 due to the collapse of the Terra ecosystem in 2022.

The move follows a Delaware court’s approval for Terraform Labs to wind down operations. The judge overseeing the case agreed with Terraform Labs’ bankruptcy plan, calling it a “welcome alternative” to further litigation over investor losses.

Terraform Labs settled with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in June 2024 for $4.47 billion.

To be eligible for reimbursement, claimants must submit a claim and supporting documentation through the crypto loss claims portal by 11:59 pm ET on April 30. Claims under $100 will not be accepted.

There are two types of evidence that claimants can submit: manual and preferred. Manual evidence includes transaction logs, account statements, and screenshots.

Preferred evidence refers to read-only API keys. It is considered preferred for being the most accurate and reliable data, especially for users of major exchanges.

For years, Cardano (ADA) has been a cornerstone of the crypto landscape, consistently ranking among the top digital assets by market capitalization. Yet, despite its prominence, ADA’s performance has left many investors questioning its long-term prospects.

While it recently made headlines for being included in US President Donald Trump’s initial proposal for a national crypto stockpile, its price action and onchain activity tell a different story — one that has even led some critics to brand it a “zombie.”

Recent findings suggest that the ecosystem behind ADA, the Cardano network, lags significantly behind in decentralized finance (DeFi) adoption. With only a fraction of the total value locked (TVL) compared with Ethereum and Solana, Cardano struggles to attract liquidity and stablecoin activity.

While some argue that its DeFi sector is still in its early stages, several newer blockchains have outpaced it in user engagement and trading volume. The question now is whether upcoming developments can reverse the trend.

With key catalysts on the horizon, such as a potential ADA exchange-traded fund (ETF) and its emerging role in Bitcoin’s DeFi ecosystem, 2025 could be a pivotal year for ADA. But will these developments be enough to turn the tide?

After a positive start to the week, Bitcoin price reverted to negative returns after BTC (BTC) dropped 3.5% to an intraday low of $84,120 on March 28. The price rejection occurred at the cusp of the descending trendline (black) and the upper range of the ascending channel pattern.

Bitcoin 1-day chart. Source: Cointelegraph/TradingView

On the daily chart, BTC is currently below the 200-day exponential moving average (EMA) again, and a potential close below the key indicator might trigger further downside.

  

Global liquidity expansion could help Bitcoin price

Recent analysis from macroeconomic market analyst Capital Flows pointed out that Bitcoin could correct to the $72,000-$75,000 region if liquidity conditions remain unchanged. 

Coinbase’s emergence as the Ethereum network’s largest node operator raises concerns about network centralization that could worsen as institutional adoption accelerates, industry executives told Cointelegraph. 

On March 19, Coinbase published a report disclosing that the US cryptocurrency exchange controlled more than 11% of staked Ether (ETH), more than any other Ethereum node operator. 

According to Karan Sirdesai, CEO of Web3 startup Mira Network, Coinbase’s growing dominance highlights “a systemic issue in Ethereum’s staking architecture.”

“We’re creating a system where a handful of major players control an outsized portion of network security, undermining the core promise of decentralization,” Sirdesai told Cointelegraph.

According to the report, Coinbase controlled 3.84 million ETH staked to 120,000 validators, representing 11.42% of staked Ether as of March 4. 

The Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, led by Tesla CEO Elon Musk is reportedly moving into the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

According to a March 28 Reuters report, Musk’s DOGE team contacted the SEC and was told it would be given access to the commission’s systems and data. The agency reportedly planned to establish a liaison team to work with the “efficiency” team, whose intentions were not immediately clear.

“Our intent will be to partner with the DOGE representatives and cooperate with their request following normal processes for ethics requirements, IT security or system training, and establishing their need to know before granting access to restricted systems and data,” said an email to SEC staff, according to Reuters.

US President Donald Trump in January signed an executive order allowing DOGE to implement cost-cutting measures, claiming efforts “to save taxpayers money.” However, many of Musk’s efforts — including attempting to fire staff at the US Agency for International Development, or USAID, and shutting down the watchdog Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) — face lawsuits in federal court from parties alleging DOGE’s actions were illegal or unconstitutional.

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

Opinion by: Eran Barak, CEO at Midnight 

It’s been almost 16 years since blockchain emerged from its esoteric fringes to enter global discourse, evidenced most recently by continued backing from Wall Street incumbents. Despite this remarkable ascendancy, the unfortunate truth is that this technology has yet to realize its true business potential. A core challenge persists: Too much sensitive data remains publicly unshielded.

The crux of the issue is that companies must keep business data confidential, and people strive to safeguard their personal information as best they can. Once data is put on a public blockchain, however, it becomes irreversibly and indefinitely exposed.

Even if a business takes every possible precaution to conceal data, mistakes made by others or vulnerabilities in the system can expose sensitive onchain data or metadata, including participants’ identities. This can lead to privacy breaches, compliance violations or both, undermining the foundational assumption that blockchain is trusted and underscoring the importance of robust measures to protect sensitive data.

On the other side of that coin, concealing activity on a blockchain can open the door to money laundering, triggering negative government responses. Instances in which this has occurred have led to a false impression that governments oppose Web3 privacy, a criterion businesses fundamentally need for them to adopt the technology. 

Key takeaways

Bitcoin is legal in Australia and is regulated by AUSTRAC and the Australian Taxation Office (ATO). 

You can buy Bitcoin on various platforms, including centralized exchanges, decentralized exchanges (DEXs), P2P platforms and Bitcoin ATMs

Payment options are diverse, including credit cards, debit cards, bank transfers and fiat cash deposits at ATMs

Store your Bitcoin securely and opt for cold wallets, which protect you better than custodial wallets from crypto exchanges. 

Bitcoin adoption continues to grow. More and more Australians are discovering the cryptocurrency as an investment vehicle, with ownership rising from 23% in 2023 to 32.5% in 2025, an impressive 41.3% increase. Because there are several platforms to choose from, buying Bitcoin is low-threshold and secure. 

Bitcoin (BTC) sought a local bottom on March 28 while US inflation data came in higher than expected.

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

Bitcoin wobbles as PCE comes in hot

Data from Cointelegraph Markets Pro and TradingView showed BTC/USD heading to $85,500 at the Wall Street open before reversing.

Down over 3% on the day, the pair saw lows under $84,500 on Bitstamp, marking its lowest levels since March 23.

The February print of the US Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE) Index subsequently showed inflation quickening — in contrast to the result from a month prior.

Suspicious trading activity led decentralized exchange Hyperliquid to delist the Jelly-my-Jelly (JELLY) memecoin, with details of an exploit unraveling over the course of a few days. 

The decentralized finance sector has already seen historic exploits in 2025, as the space struggles with issues of oversight and security. The Bybit hack saw North Korean hackers get away with $1.4 billion in February alone.

The JELLY incident, in which a whale exploited the Hyperliquid exchange’s liquidation parameters, getting away with millions, is just the latest exploit to rock the industry. 

Observers roundly criticized Hyperliquid’s reaction to the short squeeze, with one even comparing it to the ill-fated FTX. Here’s a look at how the incident unfolded.

Jelly token price crashes ahead of Hyperliquid exploit

Venmo co-founder Iqram Magdon-Ismail launched the JELLY token as part of the JellyJelly Web3 social media project. Following the launch on Jan. 30, the token price crashed from $0.21 to just $0.01 some 10 days later. 

Blockchain developer platform Gelato is launching a new blockchain-as-a-service solution on Avalanche to meet the growing demand for sovereign blockchain infrastructure during a crucial “tipping point” for institutional adoption.

Gelato, which previously developed blockchain solutions for companies such as Kraken and Animoca Brands, unveiled the new upgrade that aims to let developers deploy fully sovereign chains faster and cheaper with full interoperability via Avalanche InterChain Messaging (ICM).

Gelato emphasized that its service is ideal for advanced applications such as financial technology (fintech) requiring identity verification (KYC) and specialized gaming economies, according to a March 28 announcement shared exclusively with Cointelegraph.

The service lets companies quickly deploy independent (“sovereign”) blockchains with fewer costs and faster launch times.

Luis Schliesske, founder of Gelato, said previously launching a blockchain required extensive technical knowledge and significant engineering resources. Gelato’s new product reduces the complexity involved. He told Cointelegraph:

Community members backing a Broccoli memecoin on BNB Chain are outraged, claiming their project was unfairly denied victory in the network’s liquidity support program.

The BNB Chain Meme Liquidity Support Program, which kicked off on Feb. 18, offers $200,000 in permanent liquidity to the top-performing memecoins on the chain. But controversy erupted on day two of the competition on Feb. 19 when two memecoins — both inspired by Binance founder Changpeng Zhao’s dog Broccoli — went head-to-head.

In the end, the Broccoli token ending in address “714” was declared the winner over the one ending in “F2B.” However, supporters of the F2B token say the result doesn’t add up.

Related: BNB Chain scales up network as memecoin activity boosts transaction load

F2B Broccoli community investigation questions score

According to the official leaderboard, both tokens earned a daily score of 5.7 in a system where lower is better. Per competition rules, a tie is broken by comparing trading volume, and 714’s token had the edge in that category.

US stock exchange Nasdaq submitted a filing to the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) seeking permission to list Grayscale Investments’ spot Avalanche exchange-traded fund (ETF).

The document, filed on March 27, asks for a rule change to list the Grayscale Avalanche Trust (AVAX). The derivative product in question would be a conversion of Grayscale Investments’ close-ended AVAX fund launched in August 2024.

Grayscale said on its website that “its SEC-reporting Products present a strong case for uplisting when permitted by the U.S. regulatory environment.” The firm explained that, following the conversion, “the arbitrage mechanism inherent to ETFs would help the product more closely track the value” of the assets.

At the time of publication, the Grayscale Avalanche Trust holds $1.76 million worth of assets under management. The current net asset value per share is $10.86 for just over 0.49 AVAX per share, worth $10.11 according to CoinMarketCap data, which puts the fund’s current market price at a 7.4% premium to the value of its underlying assets.

Related: NYSE proposes rule change to allow ETH staking on Grayscale’s spot Ether ETFs

The XRP (XRP) market is flashing warning signs as a bearish technical pattern emerges on its weekly chart, coinciding with macroeconomic pressures from anticipated US tariffs in April.

XRP descending triangle pattern hints at 40% drop

Since its late 2024 rally, the XRP price chart has been forming a potential triangle pattern on its weekly chart, characterized by a flat support level mixed with a downward-sloping resistance line.

A descending triangle pattern forming after a strong uptrend is seen as a bearish reversal indicator. As a rule, the setup resolves when the price breaks below the flat support level and falls by as much as the triangle’s maximum height.

XRP/USD weekly price chart. Source: TradingView

As of March 28, XRP was testing the triangle’s support for a potential breakdown move. In this case, the price may fall toward the downside target at around $1.32 by April, down 40% from current price levels.

Michael Novogratz’s crypto investment firm Galaxy Digital agreed to pay $200 million in a settlement related to its alleged promotion of the now-collapsed cryptocurrency Terra (LUNA)

According to New York Attorney General’s Office documents filed on March 24, Galaxy Digital acquired 18.5 million LUNA tokens at a 30% discount, then promoted them before selling them without abiding by disclosure rules. The filing states:

“Ultimately, Galaxy helped a little-known token increase its market price from $0.31 in October 2020 to $119.18 in April 2022, while profiting in the hundreds of millions of dollars.“

As part of the settlement agreement, Galaxy will pay $200 million in monetary relief over three years: $40 million within 15 days, another $40 million within one year, and two additional payments of $60 million due within the second and third years, respectively.

Related: A beginner’s guide on algorithmic stablecoins

Galaxy Digital reportedly spread fake news

The filing also accused Galaxy Digital and Novogratz of spreading false claims about Terra’s usage. In particular, the firm allegedly stated that the South Korean payments app Chai was built on the Terra blockchain, which was not accurate.