The SEC's digital asset market taxonomy, which classifies most cryptocurrencies and tokens as non-securities, is a major step for US regulators. The recent guidance from the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission establishing a taxonomy for digital assets put a “final nail” in the coffin of SEC policy under former Chairman Gary Gensler, according to Alex Thorn, the head of firmwide research at investment firm Galaxy. The SEC guidance, published on Tuesday, established a taxonomy for digital assets, dividing them into five categories, including digital commodities, digital collectibles like non-fungible tokens (NFTs), digital tools, stablecoins, and tokenized securities. Under the old SEC policy framework, the regulations governing which cryptocurrencies met the legal criteria of “investment contracts” were legislative rules, as opposed to the new 2026 guidance that was filed as an interpretive rule, Thorn said. He explained the significance: Read m...
Bitcoin ETF outflows are too small to signal a bearish pivot from traders, but worsening US macroeconomic conditions and high oil prices keep BTC traders on the hedge. Key takeaways: Bitcoin traders are turning cautious as high oil prices and Middle East tensions fuel inflation and stall US interest rate cuts. The $254 million in spot Bitcoin ETF outflows is too small to confirm a bearish flip, yet options markets show heavy hedging. Read more
ETH price could climb toward $2,750 by June and above $3,200 by September if the historical whale-profit signal plays out again. Ethereum’s native token, Ether (ETH), may rise by around 25% in the coming months as its richest whale group becomes profitable for the first time since early February. Key takeaways: ETH gained 25% in three months and 50% in six months on average after top whales returned to profit in past cycles. Read more
Hong Kong police say a 66-year-old retiree was duped three times in six months by self-styled “crypto investment experts,” as scammers promised easy gains and help to recover losses. A 66-year-old Hong Kong retiree lost 6.6 million Hong Kong dollars (roughly $840,000) in a string of three related crypto investment scams after repeatedly trusting self-proclaimed “virtual currency experts” who reached out via WhatsApp, according to Hong Kong police’s CyberDefender unit. In a March 20 Facebook post, police said the victim was first approached in September 2025 by a scammer who cold messaged, claiming to be a “virtual currency investment expert” and promising steady gains if the victim followed his advice. The retiree then transferred $180,000 and deposited crypto into a wallet the scammer controlled, only to watch him disappear, prompting the filing of a police report. The case shows how fraudsters can recycle the same victim through successive schemes that start with “guaranteed profit” pitches and escalate int...
Bitcoin’s mining difficulty just logged its second sizeable cut of 2026, easing conditions for remaining miners as competition from artificial intelligence data centers rises. Bitcoin’s mining difficulty fell by around 7.7% at the latest adjustment on March 20 to 133.79 trillion at block 941,472, the sharpest drop since February, according to CoinWarz data. The latest move takes difficulty down from around 145 trillion in mid-March and roughly 148 trillion at the start of the year. A lower difficulty means it takes less computational work to earn the same block reward, slightly improving revenue per unit of hashrate for firms that stay online. The adjustment followed slower-than-target block production over the prior 2,016 blocks. CloverPool data showed average block times at about 12 minutes 36 seconds, well above Bitcoin’s 10-minute target, forcing the network to recalibrate lower. Read more