Fake Microsoft Teams website spreading malware, beware of wallet theft risk
PANews, March 20 - Scam Sniffer posted a phishing alert on the X platform, detecting a fake Microsoft Teams website that is spreading malware. Risks include data leakage, credential theft, session hijacking, and wallet theft. Please verify the source before installation.
Czech central bank official "skeptical" about Bitcoin as a reserve asset
PANews, March 20 - According to Reuters, Czech National Bank (CNB) board member Jan Kubicek is "skeptical" about including Bitcoin in the bank's large reserve assets, mainly concerned about its legal uncertainty and the volatility of digital currencies. Earlier this year, CNB Governor Ales Michl proposed considering Bitcoin for inclusion, and the bank has begun analyzing the possibility of expanding the asset classes in its reserve portfolio. However, CNB Vice Governor Eva Zamrazilova previously stated that Bitcoin is not a suitable reserve asset. Kubicek said in an interview on Tuesday: "We will evaluate different asset categories, and Bitcoin is just one of them. I have a fairly skeptical attitude towards Bitcoin." He pointed out that the legal status of Bitcoin is an issue, and directly holding Bitcoin would mean needing to develop many new processes in areas like accounting or auditing. He also mentioned volatility as another concern, and it is difficult to assess the market price trend. He said: "We cannot be sure that the volatility of Bitcoin in the next few years will be similar to what we have observed in the past decade, because I suspect that if more institutional investors accept Bitcoin as an investment asset, its performance will be different from what we have seen so far." Kubicek said the bank's research on new asset classes may be completed before October, and these studies may explore the possibility of holding international corporate bonds, as well as investing in more targeted stock indices (such as technology) and real estate investment funds.
PANews, March 20 - According to Forbes, based on a registration statement filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on Friday, three senior leaders of Trump Media & Technology Group have established a new blank check company (SPAC) aimed at acquiring cryptocurrency or related industry companies - while the Trump administration is trying to shape the landscape of this industry.
PANews, March 20 - According to on-chain analyst Yujian, the "Hyperliquid 50x whale" frantically traded around the Federal Reserve's rate announcement from 12am to 3am, making long and short trades on BTC and turning 690,000 USDC into 1,826,000 USDC, a 164% profit.
Decentralized trading protocol Hibachi completes $5 million seed round funding
PANews, March 20 - According to official information, the decentralized trading protocol Hibachi has announced the completion of a $5 million seed round, with investments from Dragonfly, Electric Capital and echo.
10x Research: Bitcoin is currently in a minor bear market, $90,000 is a key support level
PANews, March 20 - 10x Research posted on the X platform stating: "Based on multiple indicators, Bitcoin is currently in a minor bear market, as we previously emphasized, $90,000 is a key support level. The recent price movement is a short-term countertrend rally, providing an opportunity to profit during this broader consolidation phase. As we expected, the FOMC meeting was slightly dovish."
PANews, March 20 - According to the official announcement, Binance is now inviting users to vote on the first batch of voting listing projects through the official post on Binance Square. The initial voting listing pool only includes BNB Smart Chain tokens in the Binance Alpha. Future voting rounds will expand to all tokens in the Binance Alpha. Multiple factors will be considered to determine the voting listing pool, including project fundamentals and performance metrics, token economics, secondary market performance, technical risk assessment, team background, and compliance review.
Trump to attend New York digital asset summit and deliver a speech this Thursday
PANews reported on March 20 that, according to Blockworks, US President Trump will deliver a speech at the New York Digital Asset Summit (DAS) this Thursday, which is the first time a sitting president has spoken at a major cryptocurrency industry conference. Previously, Bo Hines, executive director of the White House Presidential Digital Assets Advisory Council, said the Trump administration plans to establish a strategic Bitcoin reserve and actively accumulate Bitcoin "to build assets for the American people." The conference will also attract several political and industry leaders, including Congressman Ro Khanna, Tom Emmer, and MicroStrategy CEO Michael Saylor and Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse. Trump's speech will be live-streamed on X and YouTube.
PANews reported on March 20 that, according to The Block, the Uniswap community has voted to pass two governance proposals aimed at driving the development of the recently launched Unichain Layer 2 and Uniswap v4 protocols through new funding programs and other liquidity incentive measures. Notably, this governance decision lays the groundwork for activating the long-awaited "fee switch." The Uniswap Foundation wrote on the X social media platform that these two proposals are part of the "Uniswap Unleashed" initiative, aimed at expanding the Uniswap ecosystem and marking "the beginning of the next era of our community," by unlocking "new opportunities to build, grow, create and capture value."
Volatility Shares to launch two Solana futures ETFs on March 20
PANews reported on March 20 that, according to Cointelegraph, Volatility Shares will launch two Solana (SOL)-based futures ETFs on March 20, the Volatility Shares Solana ETF (SOLZ) and the Volatility Shares 2X Solana ETF (SOLT). According to the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filing, the management fee for the Volatility Shares Solana ETF (SOLZ) is 0.95% until June 30, 2026, after which the management fee will be increased to 1.15%. The Volatility Shares 2X Solana ETF will provide 2x leverage for investors, with a management fee of 1.85%. This application is the first Solana-based ETF in the US, after the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) Group launched SOL futures contracts.
PANews reported on March 20 that, according to Jinshi, Federal Reserve Chairman Powell said the Fed does not need to adjust its policy stance quickly and needs to wait and see based on data. It can relax or maintain a restrictive stance as needed. It is now in a stage where it can cut interest rates or maintain the current clearly tightening policy stance. Inflation is still slightly higher. The progress of inflation this year may be delayed. The baseline forecast is that inflation will be temporary. The US economy is strong, and surveys show increased economic uncertainty. Recent signs indicate a slowdown in consumer spending. Will closely monitor signs of weakness in hard data. Forecasters have to some extent increased the likelihood of a recession, but it is still not high. The labor market situation is stable, and the overall labor market remains balanced. Hiring rates and layoff rates are both low, and a significant increase in layoffs could quickly translate into unemployment. Layoffs are important for those affected, but not significant at the national level. Slowing the balance sheet reduction is a technical adjustment. Slowing the balance sheet reduction means a slower speed but a longer duration. There are currently no plans to slow the pace of MBS reduction, and there is a tendency to exclude MBS from the balance sheet. The impact of tariffs is uncertain, and the focus is on the net impact of policies, with short-term inflation expectations rising. If commodity inflation data remains strong in the near term, it is certainly related to tariffs. Staff simulations predict that the US will be subject to comprehensive retaliatory tariffs.
The Fed significantly lowered its 2025 growth forecast and raised its inflation forecast
PANews reported on March 20 that, according to Tonghuashun Finance, the FOMC's economic expectations show that the median GDP growth forecast for 2025-2027 is 1.7%, 1.8%, and 1.8% respectively, compared to 2.1%, 2.0%, and 1.9% in December. The median federal funds rate forecast for 2025-2027 is 3.9%, 3.4%, and 3.1% respectively, the same as in December. The median unemployment rate forecast for 2025-2027 is 4.4%, 4.3%, and 4.3% respectively, compared to 4.3%, 4.3%, and 4.3% in December. The median core PCE inflation forecast for 2025-2027 is 2.8%, 2.2%, and 2.0% respectively, compared to 2.5%, 2.2%, and 2.0% in December.
PANews reported on March 20 that, according to Jinshi, the Fed's dot plot shows that among the 19 officials, 4 officials believe there should be no rate cut in 2025 (1 in December), 4 officials believe there should be a cumulative 25 basis point rate cut in 2025, i.e. 1 rate cut (3 in December), 9 officials believe there should be a cumulative 50 basis point rate cut in 2025, i.e. 2 rate cuts (10 in December), 2 officials believe there should be a cumulative 75 basis point rate cut in 2025, i.e. 3 rate cuts (3 in December), no officials believe there should be a cumulative 100 basis point rate cut in 2025 (1 in December), and no officials believe there should be a cumulative 125 basis point rate cut in 2025 (1 in December).
PANews reported on March 20 that, according to Wall Street Insight, the Fed stood pat - maintaining the federal funds rate target range at 4.25%-4.50%, in line with market expectations. Starting April 1, it will slow the pace of balance sheet reduction, lowering the monthly cap on US Treasury reduction to $50 billion while keeping the monthly cap on mortgage-backed securities (MBS) reduction at $35 billion unchanged. The statement said the economic uncertainty has increased, lowering the 2025 growth forecast and raising the inflation forecast. The phrase about the Fed's (price stability + full employment) targets facing roughly balanced risks was omitted. Fed Governor Waller supported the FOMC's interest rate decision but dissented on the balance sheet decision.
Sources: Kraken is considering acquiring trading platform NinjaTrader for $1.5 billion
PANews reported on March 20 that, according to the Wall Street Journal citing sources, Kraken is considering acquiring the foreign exchange and futures trading platform NinjaTrader for $1.5 billion. The announcement is expected to be made as early as Thursday. This deal would allow Kraken to leverage NinjaTrader's futures commission merchant (FCM) license to offer cryptocurrency futures and derivatives in the US.
Bitnomial plans to withdraw lawsuit and launch $XRP futures contract
PANews, March 19 - According to Eleanor Terrett, after the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) agreed to withdraw its appeal against Ripple, the cryptocurrency derivatives exchange Bitnomial plans to withdraw its lawsuit against the SEC. Bitnomial had sued the SEC last October, disputing the SEC's claim that it had jurisdiction over Bitnomial's planned $XRP futures contract. In addition, Bitnomial will officially launch the $XRP futures contract tomorrow morning, having received approval from the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC).
PANews, March 19 - According to Crypto In America, Hester Peirce, the Republican SEC commissioner appointed by President Trump in 2018, said in an interview that she hopes to complete her work as soon as possible before her term expires, hinting that she will not seek reappointment. Peirce currently also serves as the head of the SEC's cryptocurrency task force, dedicated to providing regulatory clarity for digital assets. She stated that although her term will expire in June, she hopes to resolve issues early to avoid setting up a dedicated cryptocurrency task force again. Peirce also emphasized that she highly values protecting the peer-to-peer interaction between developers and users, and supports providing clearer regulations for the cryptocurrency market, especially in areas like Staking.
Telegram's monthly active users exceed 1 billion, becoming the world's second largest messaging app
PANews, March 19 - Telegram founder Pavel Durov posted on his personal channel that Telegram now has over 1 billion monthly active users, making it the world's second largest messaging app (excluding WeChat in China). User activity is also on the rise, with the average user opening Telegram 21 times a day and using it for 41 minutes a day. Meanwhile, Telegram's revenue growth is significant, with projected profitability of $547 million in 2024. Durov also stated that compared to WhatsApp, the latter is just a cheap imitation of Telegram, and although WhatsApp has tried to copy its innovations and invest heavily in lobbying and public relations, Telegram has remained independent and successful.
Decentralized prediction market developer Opinion Labs announces the launch of Monad testnet
PANews, March 19 - According to official information, the decentralized prediction market developer Opinion Labs has officially launched on the Monad testnet. Opinion Labs aims to build an open prediction market solution and infrastructure, allowing anyone to create and trade any prediction market using any token. It is also reported that Opinion Labs recently announced the completion of a $5 million seed round, with participants including the angel investment platform Echo.
Crypto wallet infrastructure company Privy raises $15 million, led by Ribbit Capital
PANews, March 19 - According to Fortune, blockchain infrastructure company Privy has raised $15 million in a new round of funding, led by Ribbit Capital, with participation from Sequoia Capital, Paradigm and Coinbase. This latest round of funding brings Privy's total funding to over $40 million. Privy provides enterprises with tools to connect crypto wallets to their applications or websites, aiming to simplify the use of crypto wallets to make it easier for mainstream users to enter the blockchain world. Privy plans to use the funds to double its team size within the next 18 months, currently serving around 50 million accounts and partnering with over 1,000 companies.
DWF Labs receives 3.6B $X for market making
PANews, March 19 - According to Lookonchain, DWF Labs has just received 3.6B $X (about $307K) for market making. $X (X Empire) has seen its price rise by over 100% this week.
Ripple CEO: SEC will abandon appeal against Ripple
PANews, March 19 - Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse announced that after more than four years of litigation, the SEC will abandon its appeal against Ripple, marking the end of this four-year-long lawsuit. Garlinghouse stated that this case was doomed to fail from the beginning, and Ripple has always believed it is on the right side of the law, and will ultimately be proven correct. He also pointed out that this victory is not only significant for Ripple, but also has broad implications for the entire cryptocurrency industry.
Blockdaemon acquires DeFi connectivity company Expand to drive institutional adoption of Web3
PANews, March 19 - According to CoinDesk, crypto infrastructure provider Blockdaemon has acquired the DeFi connectivity platform expand.network, aiming to help large financial institutions seamlessly access on-chain transactions. Expand provides API access, connecting to over 170 DeFi endpoints, including decentralized exchanges (DEXs), bridges, lending protocols and oracles. The acquisition amount was not disclosed, but Blockdaemon stated the transaction was worth tens of millions of dollars. Blockdaemon currently supports around 70% of the top 500 crypto institutions, helping them operate over 250,000 nodes and handle Staking rewards and other businesses.
Standard Chartered: Coinbase actively sold 12,652 ETH (around $37 million) in Q4 2024
PANews, March 19 - According to Decrypt, analysts at Standard Chartered Bank believe that the cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase "actively sold" 12,652 Ether (around $37 million) in Q4 2024. The analysts explained that Coinbase's Layer-2 network Base has driven demand for Ethereum, but its profit-taking behavior is impacting the underlying blockchain (ETH)'s price trend. Standard Chartered has recently lowered its 2025 Ethereum price target from $10,000 to $4,000, citing the large-scale selling of Ether profits generated by the Base network. The analysts pointed out that Coinbase does not hold the ETH profits generated by Base, but chooses to sell these assets as a normal risk adjustment decision.
Pluralis Research completes $7.6 million seed round, led by CoinFund and Union Square Ventures
PANews, March 19 - According to Fortune, Pluralis Research has raised $7.6 million in seed funding, led by CoinFund and Union Square Ventures, with other investors including Topology, Variant, Eden Block, Bodhi Ventures and renowned crypto investor Balaji Srinivasan. Pluralis aims to provide computing power through a decentralized blockchain network, challenging the dominance of large enterprises in the AI field. The company plans to use the funds to conduct research on whether it is possible to train AI models through a distributed network, avoiding the centralization of computing resources. Founder Alexander Long, a former AI engineer at Amazon, and his team are working to enable smaller companies to also participate in the AI race.
Digital asset wallet provider Utila completes $18 million Series A round, led by Nyca Partners
PANews, March 19 - According to CoinDesk, digital asset platform Utila has raised $18 million in a Series A round, which will be used to expand its multi-party computation (MPC) wallet services to address the growing institutional demand for digital asset management. The round was led by Nyca Partners, with participation from Wing VC, NFX, Haymaker Ventures, Gaingels and Cerca Partners. Since its emergence last year, this latest round of funding has brought the startup's total venture capital to around $30 million. Utila's CEO Bentzi Rabi stated that payment providers, fintech companies and emerging banks are increasingly using digital assets, including stablecoins and tokenized assets. Utila's platform has processed $8 billion in monthly digital asset transactions, up significantly from $3 billion at the beginning of 2024. This funding will help Utila expand globally and enhance its product features, including advanced Gas management, API integration and smart contract support. Last year, institutional crypto platform Utila completed a $11.5 million seed round led by Framework Ventures.
Turkish lira crash triggers surge in Bitcoin-lira trading volume
PANews reported on March 19 that according to CoinDesk, after the arrest of Ekrem Imamoglu, the rival of Turkish President Erdogan, the Turkish lira plunged to a historic low against the US dollar, dropping nearly 10%. This event led to a surge in Bitcoin-Lira (BTC/TRY) trading volume on the Binance platform. Between 7:00 and 8:00 UTC on March 19, 2025, the BTC/TRY trading volume reached 93 BTC, the highest level in at least a year.
The SEC Cryptocurrency Working Group's first roundtable meeting will be held on March 21
PANews reported on March 19 that according to Solid Intel, the first roundtable meeting of the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Cryptocurrency Working Group will begin on March 21, 2025, and the meeting will discuss important issues related to the regulation of cryptocurrency assets.
PANews reported on March 19 that according to MELANIA (@qwatio) on Twitter, the allegations by ZachXBT (that the Hyperliquid 50x leverage whale is a cybercriminal) are disappointing and unexpected, calling them "baseless speculation". He hopes that ZachXBT can at least specify the so-called "stolen funds", and mentioned that their wallets have received a large number of transactions from scammers. ZachXBT later responded that he will release detailed information at 9 PM UTC+8 tonight, and emphasized that he does not spread false information.
Russia and Bolivia use Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies to pay for international oil transactions
PANews reported on March 19 that according to The Bitcoin Historian (@pete_rizzo_), Russia and Bolivia are using Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies to make payments for international oil transactions.
Hyperliquid 50x whale account name changed to MELANIA and linked to Twitter account @qwatio
PANews reported on March 19 that according to on-chain analyst Ember, the Hyperliquid 50x whale has changed their account name on DeBank DeFi to MELANIA and linked their Twitter account @qwatio. Their position on Hyperliquid is still maintaining a 5x Longing leverage under the MELANIA account.
Tether Treasury mints 1 billion USDT on the Tron network
PANews reported on March 19 that according to Whale Alert, at 18:05 Beijing time, Tether Treasury minted 1 billion USDT (approximately $10.01 billion) on the Tron network. Tether CEO responded that this was an authorized but unissued transaction, meaning the amount will be used as inventory for the next issuance request and chain swap.
