The crypto market has recovered 2.34%, lifting total capitalization to $2.43 trillion while approaching key resistance. Stablecoin supply has climbed to a record $315.37 billion after $2.53 billion was minted in seven days, indicating ample liquidity even as thin weekend trading and volatility still pose downside risks.

Bitcoin climbed to $74,000 for the second time in ten days after US PCE data for January, but the move was swiftly rejected and the price dropped by more than $2,000 while Middle East tensions escalated. Over the week, BTC still gained about 6%, with Ethereum up nearly 10% and BlackRock’s new staked ETH ETF recording $15.5 million in first-day trading volume. Other notable developments included Ripple’s $750 million share buyback targeting a $50 billion valuation and a sharp rebound in the TRUMP memecoin price.

Artificial intelligence and data center expansion are driving renewed interest in nuclear power across the United States, with Bitcoin miners identified as early adopters of nuclear-supplied high-performance computing. Industry data indicate nuclear energy’s share of Bitcoin mining rose from about 4% in 2021 to nearly 10% in 2022, while overall sustainable sources now provide just over half of the network’s electricity use.

The XRP Ledger Foundation has announced XRPL Software version 3.1.2, an update to the rippled server that addresses an edge-case bug capable of causing outages on public-facing nodes. The new release follows February's emergency 3.1.1 patch for the Batch amendment issue, while a revised BatchV1_1 amendment and a lending protocol proposal continue to move through the network's voting process. Validators are also urged to trust a new GPG signing key introduced on Feb. 18 to ensure future upgrades work smoothly.

Broadridge's integration of Crypto.com into its NYFIX network allows institutional brokers to route crypto orders over the same FIX infrastructure used for equities and bonds, while Ripple's $1.25 billion purchase of prime broker Hidden Road in April 2025 further embeds digital assets into traditional finance. Parallel regulatory moves in the US, EU, Japan, South Korea, Dubai, Singapore and Hong Kong, alongside rapid growth in tokenisation and record Bitcoin ETF inflows, indicate that major institutions are now focused on implementation rather than debating crypto's legitimacy.

In March 2026, the European Central Bank released a working paper arguing that growing stablecoin use is linked to bank deposit outflows, weaker credit provision and reduced effectiveness of eurozone monetary policy. Eco CMO Jay Kurahashi-Sofue told 99Bitcoins that stablecoins and banks are likely to coexist in a hybrid financial system, and said governments that engage with the technology could use it to reinforce rather than undermine monetary sovereignty.

XRP Ledger validators are currently voting on the v3.1.0 SingleAssetVault and Lending Protocol amendments, which aim to enhance lending features and vault capabilities on the network. With only eight and six validator votes recorded so far and consensus at 22.86% and 17.14%, respectively, the proposals remain far from the 28-vote (80%) threshold required for activation. If support does not increase before the activation window closes, the timer may reset and the amendments could be reconsidered at a later time.

Donald Trump has scheduled an exclusive Mar-a-Lago gala and conference for leading Official Trump (TRUMP) meme coin holders in April 2026, sparking a sharp market reaction. After touching a new all-time low of $2.73 on March 12, the token briefly spiked above $4.5 and later hovered near $4, marking strong short-term gains despite still being far below its January 2025 peak.