Crypto Macro News and Global Policy Updates

ARK Invest's recent sale of shares in Meta, Nvidia, and its Bitcoin ETF marks a defensive shift amid rising geopolitical tensions and market volatility, aiming to lower risk and maintain liquidity, rather than abandoning its long-term growth strategies.

Senator Warren of the Democratic Party sent a letter to the Secretary of Commerce, asking for clarification on national security concerns regarding the Chinese Bitcoin mining manufacturer Bitmain, particularly concerning the Trump family's stake in American Bitcoin's purchase of mining machines. U.S. authorities have launched an investigation, worried that the related equipment could be used for espionage activities or pose a threat to the power grid's security. Bitmain and American Bitcoin deny any security issues, stating that they comply with the law. This issue reveals the tension between politics and national security.

Gate News reports that on March 28, South Korean President Lee Jae-myung nominated Shin Hyun Song, head of the Monetary and Economic Department of the Bank for International Settlements, as a candidate for the new governor of the Bank of Korea. Shin Hyun Song is known as a "pragmatic hawk" and has a negative stance towards the Lee government’s push for a won-pegged stablecoin. Shin believes that in countries with severe exchange rate fluctuations and vulnerability to capital outflows, stablecoins can easily become tools for capital flight, and stablecoins pegged to the local currency may accelerate this trend.

Gate News reports that on March 28, according to Bloomberg ETF analyst James Seyffart, between October 2025 and the end of February 2026, Bitcoin ETFs recorded about $9 billion in outflows, of which approximately $3 billion has been recovered. Although the overall net outflow since the "1011 crash" still exceeds $6 billion, looking at the performance this year, the inflows and outflows of Bitcoin ETFs have nearly balanced out, indicating a certain recovery in market sentiment.

The US-Israeli coalition conducted airstrikes on Iran's nuclear facilities and steel mills, prompting Iran to retaliate against multiple countries, causing damage in places like Kuwait, Doha, and Tel Aviv. Financial markets were shaken, with Brent crude oil prices surpassing $106. Trump announced that the US has multiple strike targets and is considering increasing troop levels in the Middle East to respond to the situation.

Intercontinental Exchange adds $600 million investment to Polymarket, bringing the total to $1.64 billion. Trump emphasizes the importance of Bitcoin, while Yilihua states the cryptocurrency market has performed poorly for four years. The U.S. plans to release a draft of stablecoin yield provisions, and Ripple's CEO says the CLARITY Act may be delayed until May. California bans public officials from trading on insider information. The crypto industry enters the "Shirt Era," with blockchain and AI integration driving development. Lido proposes to buy back LDO tokens, and Ripple and Stellar founders jointly invest $1 billion in AGI research.

As of March 27, the SOL spot ETF had a net outflow of $7.8369 million for the day, mainly caused by the Bitwise Solana Staking ETF, with a total net asset value of $810 million and historical net inflows reaching $986 million.

Ripple Labs CEO Brad Garlinghouse stated that the company is driving business growth through mergers and acquisitions, expecting to set new records in the first quarter of 2026. Ripple invested approximately $4 billion in the crypto ecosystem in 2025 and acquired Hidden Road and GTreasury. He is generally optimistic about the outlook for U.S. digital asset policy but expects the CLARITY Act to be delayed. Additionally, he warned that the weaponization of policy could impact innovation. The cryptocurrency industry and traditional financial institutions still have ongoing negotiations regarding legislative details.

Google plans to provide over $5 billion in funding for the data center project for Nexus Data Centers in Texas, which will be leased to Anthropic. It is expected to deliver approximately 500 megawatts of computing power by the end of 2026 and will rely on natural gas to reduce dependence on the public grid.

Trump stated at the Future Investment Initiative Summit that the United States will become a global superpower in cryptocurrency, emphasizing the importance of Bitcoin and the acceleration of payment trends. He pointed out that the U.S. needs to maintain a leading position in the fields of crypto assets and financial innovation to ensure its dominance in the global financial system.

Plume legal advisor B. Salman Banaei testified before Congress, urging the SEC to expedite the development of tokenization rules and criticizing the reliance on an "innovation exemption" mechanism. He emphasized the need for public consultation to promote permanent solutions that would attract large institutions to participate in the tokenization of real-world assets, reminding SEC leadership of the urgency to act.

Citigroup lowers its 12-month target prices for Bitcoin and Ethereum, indicating that its medium-term outlook for the crypto market has turned cautious, mainly because progress on U.S. crypto-asset legislation has been slow. Its Bitcoin target is reduced from $143,000 to $112,000, and its Ethereum target is lowered to $3,175. Although there is still room for upside in the future, the lack of new policy catalysts means prices could trade within a range in the short term. Citigroup is even more cautious in its assessment of Ethereum, saying it is more heavily influenced by on-chain activity.

South Korea’s banking industry is actively strengthening cooperation with cryptocurrency exchanges to deal with constrained loan growth and to seek new profit opportunities. Several banks have established partnerships with exchanges, despite historical incidents involving mistaken Bitcoin airdrops. Regulators plan to expand their regulatory authority, which could intensify competition among banks.

Gate News report, on March 28, in Miami, Florida, President Trump stated at the Future Investment Initiative (FII) summit that Bitcoin is very powerful, and the United States must stay ahead in this trend. He emphasized that many people currently want to use virtual assets (especially Bitcoin) for payments, and the U.S. must be at the forefront of this trend.

Morgan Stanley plans to launch a spot Bitcoin ETF with a fee of 0.14%. If approved, it will become the lowest fee Bitcoin ETF in the market. Currently, most Bitcoin ETFs in the market have fees ranging from 15 to 25 basis points.

Morgan Stanley plans to offer a spot bitcoin ETF at 14 basis points, undercutting competitors and potentially igniting fee competition in the market. This strategic pricing aims to attract investments by leveraging its vast wealth management network.

Gate News: According to the latest Gate TradFi data, VIX (VIX) has surged by 9% in a short period. Current volatility is significantly higher than recent averages, indicating increased market activity.

Bitcoin's price has declined below $66,000 amid geopolitical tensions and poor U.S. market performance, leading to significant losses in the crypto market. Investor sentiment is dampened as recession fears grow.

Gate News: According to the latest Gate TradFi data, XTIUSD (WTI Crude USOIL) has surged by 6% in a short period. Current volatility is significantly higher than recent averages, indicating increased market

Gate News: According to the latest Gate TradFi data, VIX (VIX) has surged by 7.5% in a short period. Current volatility is significantly higher than recent averages, indicating increased market activity.