In 2021, Ethereum cofounder Vitalik Buterin received 500 trillion SHIB, or half of the initial Shiba Inu supply, from project founder Ryoshi and later explained how he handled those meme tokens. He stated that he sold part of the SHIB and other dog-themed coins for ETH to fund donations, sent some to Crypto Relief in India, Sandeep and the Future of Life Institute, and burned about 410 trillion SHIB to permanently remove them from circulation.

Data from the U.S. Treasury Department show the US national debt has increased by about $543,000,000,000 since December 12th, with the total now reported at $38.88 billion, roughly 7% higher than a year ago. Former Representative Ron Paul warns the ongoing confrontation involving Iran, the US and Israel could intensify borrowing, pressure the Federal Reserve to cut interest rates and expand bond purchases, and potentially set the stage for a downturn more severe than the Great Depression.

The second week of March 2026 solidified a New Floor for digital assets. As Bitcoin (BTC) defended the $71,000 level despite escalating U.S.-Iran tensions and a stall in the D.C. Clarity Act, the market’s focus has shifted to institutional utility. With Solana (SOL) cementing its role as a global payment rail via Western Union and spot ETFs seeing a $1.7B weekly reversal, the February Freeze has officially thawed. Explore the technical pivots for BTC, Gold’s geopolitical coiling, and the mid-cap gems emerging in this week’s definitive market roundup.

Singapore-based MetaComp announced on Friday that Alibaba took part in its Pre-A+ funding round, lifting the stablecoin firm's total capital raised over the past three months to $35 million. MetaComp plans to use the new funds to scale its StableX Network for compliant, real-time cross-border payments across Asia, the Middle East, Africa and Latin America.

Bitcoin's market structure is flashing a potential bottom as a macro model based on the US and China 10-year yields issues a fresh bullish crossover. Large Bitcoin holders holding between 1,000 BTC and 10,000 BTC have resumed accumulation during the latest price drop, while key weekly moving averages and an oversold RSI suggest room for a rebound toward the $100,000 area in the coming months.

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.

Tether has joined Ark Labs's $5.2 million funding round to help expand USDT's reach on the Bitcoin network via Arkade, a financial infrastructure platform on BTC. With USDT already representing over 55% of the $320 billion stablecoin market, its growing on-chain activity has increasingly coincided with Bitcoin relief rallies, hinting that stablecoin liquidity may be shaping BTC's future price moves.

On 13 March 2026, the crypto market's total value reached about $2.43 trillion, up 2.39% over the previous day, while Bitcoin traded near $71,484 with a $1.43 trillion market cap. Ethereum, BNB, XRP, Solana, Dogecoin, Cardano, and Hyperliquid showed varied daily and weekly performance, as sentiment indicators like a Fear & Greed reading of 15 and an Altcoin Season Index of 40 pointed to ongoing caution and Bitcoin-led dominance.