OpenAI has again postponed the launch of ChatGPT's adult mode, a feature for verified adults to access erotica and other mature content, after it was first announced in October and initially targeted for a December release. The company is prioritizing upgrades to ChatGPT's intelligence, personality, and proactivity, while the feature remains scheduled for the first quarter of the year. Former product policy VP Ryan Beiermeister had raised objections to adult mode before her January dismissal, which OpenAI says was unrelated to her internal concerns.

On Friday, Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin said he is no longer closely aligned with the Future of Life Institute, which received Shiba Inu (SHIB) tokens from him in 2021 that were later cashed out for around $500 million. He explained that the group’s focus shifted from a wide agenda on existential risks to cultural and political advocacy around AI, and he criticized proposals that rely on safeguards in biosynthesis tools and AI models as too fragile. Buterin added that he had expected the institute to liquidate no more than $10–25 million worth of the SHIB instead of the much larger amount it ultimately realized.

On Wednesday, Eightco Holdings (ORBS) announced it had raised $125 million led by Bitmine, with additional capital from Ark Invest and Kraken's parent Payward, sending its shares up more than 11% by Thursday's close. The company said the funds will back new investments in artificial intelligence, blockchain infrastructure and digital consumer platforms, including a $50 million allocation to OpenAI and $25 million to MrBeast's Beast Industries.

Andreessen Horowitz partner Noah Levine reported that AI agents processed about $1.6 million in payments over the past month, far below earlier estimates of $24 million from other data sources. He attributed the lower figure to adjusted data from Allium Labs and highlighted that, while volumes are still small, major firms including Coinbase, Stripe, Cloudflare, Vercel and Google are building payment infrastructure such as the x402 standard and its new Polygon support.

DeepSeek AI outlines bullish scenarios for XRP, Bitcoin and Ethereum by the end of 2026, pointing to improving technical structures and shifting fundamentals. Its projections include XRP potentially climbing from about $1.40 toward $8, and Bitcoin targeting as high as $266,000 by 2027 if certain macro and policy conditions play out. The analysis also sees Ethereum advancing toward $7,500 if it can clear the $5,000 resistance and if U.S. regulation becomes more supportive.

On March 11, 2026, Swedish legal tech startup Legora announced a $550 million Series D round that lifted its valuation to $5.55 billion, tripling its worth since an October 2025 raise. The Accel-led funding, with participation from existing and new investors, brings Legora's total capital raised since 2023 to $816 million and will support its AI-driven legal platform and expansion in key US cities.

On 11 March 2026, Binance founder Changpeng Zhao argued that traditional banks cannot support the speed and scale of payments expected from autonomous AI agents, which he believes could process up to 1 million times more transactions than humans. As the AI agent market is projected to reach $47.1 billion by 2030, industry leaders highlight crypto’s low fees, near-instant settlement, and 24/7 availability as the only practical rails for this machine-driven economy, while warning that security incidents, liability questions, and evolving regulation will shape how this transition unfolds.

On 11 March 2026, Elon Musk confirmed that X Money, the payments arm of his social media platform, will open early public access in April 2026. The service will start with fiat-only features such as a 6% APY savings product, P2P payments, bill pay, and debit cards, while crypto and stock trading are planned for later in 2026. X has already secured money transmitter licenses in more than 40 U.S. states, though New York remains under regulatory review.