The potential impact of Ripple securing a full banking license is gaining significant traction after Teucrium Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Sal Gilbertie discussed the crypto company’s massive holdings and the XRP price. Analysts are now weighing what it could mean if the XRP price climbs to $3 on the back of Ripple’s potential transformation from a crypto-focused firm into a top licensed bank. The XRP Price If Ripple Becomes A Top Bank In a recent X post, a crypto market commentator announced that Ripple could become a top-20 bank globally by market capitalization if it secures a full banking license. She published a video interview featuring Teucrium CEO Paul Barron and the host of the Paul Barron Network. Related Reading: Inside Ripple’s Buying And Selling Cycle — And Its Impact On XRP During the interview, Gilbertie laid out a scenario in which Ripple could become one of the largest banks in the world by simply maintaining its existing XRP holdings. He emphasized that if the crypto company obtains a full banking license, its 40 million XRP held in escrow could dramatically increase its balance sheet value and elevate its market position. By retaining the tokens, Ripple could automatically leverage them as a strategic asset in a regulated banking environment. Gilbertie also highlighted that if the crypto company becomes a licensed bank, it could propel the XRP price to $3, and from there, Ripple could be ranked among the top 20 banks globally by capitalization. The interview also explored the potential scaling if XRP reaches “multiples of $3.” The Teucrium CEO emphasized that Ripple’s valuation would expand in proportion to the cryptocurrency’s price, potentially propelling it to the top as the world’s leading bank. The interview also addressed on-chain operations and traditional financial infrastructures such as ETFs. When Barron asked whether leveraged ETFs could ever be on-chain, Sal confidently said yes, noting that all financial instruments will eventually operate on-chain. His response suggests a future in which traditional finance could be fully integrated with digital assets and blockchain technology. Update On Ripple’s Banking License Status Ripple has continued to progress through regulatory pathways that would allow it to operate with bank-like authority in the US. The crypto company previously received conditional preliminary approval from the United States Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) for a national trust bank charter. Related Reading: Inside Ripple’s Buying And Selling Cycle — And Its Impact On XRP This approval places Ripple alongside a handful of other crypto firms that have also taken steps toward becoming regulated banks under US law. While full approval has not yet been granted, Ripple continues to develop its payment rails through acquisitions, partnerships, and share buybacks. At the same time, XRP, the primary token supported by Ripple, is currently trading at $1.43 after rallying 14% this week to $1.6. Although it has given up most of its gains, analysts still maintain a bullish outlook for the cryptocurrency. Featured image from X, chart from Tradingview.com
Bitcoin’s fear gauge plunged back into “Extreme Fear” on Wednesday — the same day traders flooded social media with bullish calls following the US Federal Reserve’s decision to hold interest rates steady. Related Reading: Ripple’s $500M Raise And Institutional Ties Keep XRP Firmly In Place Sentiment Shoots Up Despite Grim Market Signals The Crypto Fear & Greed Index, a widely tracked measure of overall market mood, had briefly climbed into plain “Fear” territory the day before, only to reverse course hours later. Yet traders appeared unfazed. According to sentiment platform Santiment, bullish chatter on social media spiked hard after the Fed announced it would keep rates unchanged at 3.5–3.75%. The platform’s social media discussion score shot from roughly nine to 71 within hours of the announcement. Bitcoin itself told a different story. It was trading at around $70,150 at the time of the Fed’s announcement, down more than 4% in the prior 24 hours. ???????? Today’s FOMC meeting has resulted in the expected outcome of interest rates holding steady at 3.50-3.75%. There is an expectation that there will be one further cut sometime in 2026, and one in 2027. ???? For now, traders are expecting a bullish relief rally in spite of no… pic.twitter.com/oBqLTcv3Ni — Santiment (@santimentfeed) March 18, 2026 Traders See Rate Hold As A Window For Gains Santiment attributed the surge in positive sentiment to a simple shift in trader thinking. The bearish price action tied to the absence of rate cuts had already played out a day earlier, the platform said, leaving room for traders to reframe the unchanged rate decision as a net positive. Holding rates steady, the logic goes, at least keeps the door open for cuts down the road. Fed policy has long shaped how crypto market participants read the broader economic environment. Rate cuts, in particular, are seen as fuel for risk assets like Bitcoin. Reports indicate traders had been watching the Fed’s moves closely throughout 2025 as a potential trigger for a bull run that never fully materialized. The S&P 500 has shed 3.70% over the past 30 days, according to Google Finance data, adding pressure to an already skittish crypto market. Analysts Warn A False Rally Could Be Taking Shape Not everyone is buying the optimism. Onchain analysts warned that what looks like an uptrend could be a bull trap — a false signal that draws buyers in before prices reverse lower. Related Reading: XRP Moves Into ‘Scarce Zone’ As Exchange Supply Dries Up Some market observers expect Bitcoin and the broader market to stage a sharp rally once equities find a floor. Others made a similar call earlier this week, saying on X that a “massive rally” is coming in the months ahead. The divide among analysts reflects how unsettled conditions remain. Social media buzz has spiked, but the fear index says something else entirely. Whether the rally traders are counting on shows up — or fades before it starts — remains an open question. Featured image from Unsplash, chart from TradingView
Data shows the Bitcoin Coinbase Premium Gap has been positive for the past 25 days, a sign that could point toward returning demand from American institutional traders. Coinbase Bitcoin Premium Gap Has Been Climbing Recently In a new post on X, CryptoQuant community analyst Maartunn has talked about the latest trend in the Bitcoin Coinbase Premium Gap. This indicator measures the difference between the BTC price listed on Coinbase (USD pair) and that on Binance (USDT pair). When the value of this metric is above zero, it means the cryptocurrency is going for a higher price on Coinbase than on Binance. Such a trend implies the users of the former may be applying a higher amount of buying pressure (or a lower amount of selling pressure) as compared to that of the latter. On the other hand, the indicator being underwater suggests the Binance traders may be the ones participating in a higher amount of accumulation as they have pushed BTC to a higher rate relative to Coinbase. Now, here is the chart shared by Maartunn that shows the trend in the 30-hour moving average (MA) of the Bitcoin Coinbase Premium Gap over the last few years: As displayed in the above graph, the 30-hour MA of the Bitcoin Coinbase Premium Gap fell deep into the negative zone during the asset’s decline from its January high, suggesting selling on Coinbase may have been the driver behind the price drop. Coinbase users affecting the asset’s trajectory isn’t anything new for the market. In fact, since the start of 2024, there has tended to be some correlation between the Coinbase Premium Gap and BTC’s spot price. This may be because of the fact that the exchange is the main destination of institutional investors based in the United States. Even the spot exchange-traded funds (ETFs) use the platform as their custodian. From the chart, it’s visible that while the metric was inside the red zone earlier in the year, a shift started to occur toward the end of February, with the indicator’s 30-hour MA value flipping into the positive region. Since then, it has steadily been going up inside the zone, indicating the cryptocurrency’s price on Coinbase has risen relative to the Binance market. “The Coinbase Premium Gap just logged 25 consecutive days in positive territory, the longest streak since October 2025,” noted the analyst. Bitcoin has shown some recovery alongside these green values, a potential sign that American institutional entities may once again be playing a role in the market. BTC Price Bitcoin surged above $75,000 earlier in the week, but the coin has since gone through a retrace as its price is now floating around $70,300. Featured image from Dall-E, chart from TradingView.com
Kalshi has raised more than $1 billion at a $22 billion valuation, roughly double the $11 billion valuation from its December round.
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The White House may be reviewing fresh legislative text, and lawmakers are reportedly weighing offers to banks of other, unrelated provisions for their support.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation warned the public on Thursday not to trust tokens claiming to be affiliated with the agency.tron
Anchorage Digital expanded Atlas with collateral management, aiming to bring regulated risk controls to institutional crypto lending.
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NASA may shift Artemis missions to SpaceX Starship, reducing Boeings role as delays and costs push changes to the moon program.
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Collateral management is the administration, monitoring, and oversight of assets pledged to a counterparty during a financial transaction.
Datavault AI signed a deal to acquire NYIAX, expanding tokenized markets for data, ads, commodities, politics, and NIL rights.
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XRP is entering a pivotal moment in its evolution as growing regulatory clarity is reshaping its position within the global financial system. The recent developments suggest that XRP is increasingly being viewed through the lens of a commodity rather than a security. This distinction could significantly impact how XRP is traded, adopted, and integrated into institutional finance. How The Regulatory Clarity Signals A Turning Point For XRP XRP has been officially designated a digital commodity by the SEC and CFTC, which is a game-changing regulatory victory for crypto. Crypto commentator Pumpius has revealed on X that the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) have released a joint interpretive guidance clarifying how federal securities laws apply to digital assets. Related Reading: XRP Moves Into ‘Scarce Zone’ As Exchange Supply Dries Up In this framework, XRP is cited among examples of digital commodities. Meanwhile, these are assets whose value comes mainly from the programmatic utility of a functional, decentralized system combined with market-driven supply and demand, rather than from expectations of profit through the effort of others. This means other assets do not meet the Howey Test for securities. Pumpius explains that this distinction is significant because it will resolve the long-standing uncertainty for XRP after years of legal questions. With this classification, the guidance implies that oversight of assets in spot and secondary markets would shift primarily toward the CFTC. This development signals a broader stance that many major non-stablecoin cryptocurrencies may not qualify as securities. Furthermore, Pumpius emphasized that this move reflects a growing effort by the SEC and CFTC regulators to coordinate frameworks and reduce overlap. Thus, this is a formal Commission-level interpretation, not just staff guidance, and it brings significant legal clarity for developers, exchanges, and investors. Why XRP Adoption Trends Continue To Build Momentum According to Evernorthxrp, the largest public XRP treasury company, investors may want to look beyond short-term macro reactions and focus on what’s happening under the hood of XRP before responding to the latest Federal Reserve decision. The data show a rapidly strengthening network that XRP has now surpassed 7.7 million non-empty wallets for the first time in its 13-year history. Meanwhile, active addresses have climbed to a five-week high of 46,767 on March 16. Related Reading: XRP Ledger Transactions Triple In One Year – What’s Going On? At the same time, the tokenized commodities on XRP have surged from $111 million to $1.14 billion in 2026, giving the altcoin a notable share of over 15% of the global tokenized commodities market. Network usage is also accelerating, and XRP daily transactions have increased to nearly 3 million over the past week, with automated market maker (AMM) pools expanding to around 27,000. Evernorthxrp’s key takeaway is that these fundamentals remain unchanged regardless of whether interest rates sit at 3.5% or 3.75%. Featured image from Freepik, chart from Tradingview.com
A study finds that mentioning a mental health condition can increase AI refusals, including on legitimate tasks.
The provision targets hardware wallet design, raising questions about whether non-custodial products could operate under the proposed rules.
Gauntlet noted that deposits are now back to same levels before the campaign, and has navigated large capital swings before due to incentive campaign endings, airdrops, and shifts in market conditions which regularly produce short-period swings in either direction.
The SEC is pivoting away from its previous regulatory strategy.
The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals denied a legal effort by Kalshi to stave off an expected temporary restraining order from the state of Nevada.
The Coinbase Bitcoin Yield Fund's tokenized share class runs on Base as the $3.5 trillion fund services giant Apex applies tokenization across its business.
Coinbase is directing some Commerce users to a seed-phrase recovery flow ahead of a March 31 migration deadline. The issue sits inside Coinbase’s shutdown plan for legacy Commerce wallets. In its transition guide, Coinbase says users with funds in a Commerce wallet must withdraw them before March 31, 2026, when the Commerce portal and withdrawal […]
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The crypto exchange is offering a yield product tied to Tether Gold (XAUT), signaling a shift toward turning traditionally passive assets like gold into income-generating instruments.
Australian researchers built a battery that charges in femtoseconds, stores energy for nanoseconds, and gets faster the larger it grows—defying every rule conventional batteries follow.
The Web3 company will provide capital, advisory support and business development to help Avalanche projects scale, with a focus on real-world assets and digital identity.
Arthur Hayes, co-founder of BitMEX, has reiterated his $250,000 year-end price target for Bitcoin. With Bitcoin trading around $70,100, that target would imply roughly 256.5% upside from current levels and a clean break above its previous peak at $126,000 from October 2025. Reiterating Bullish Predictions Arthur Hayes is one of the most outspoken bullish proponents for Bitcoin. He has, on multiple occasions, pointed to Bitcoin breaking above $200,000 among his long-term bullish expectations for the asset. That earlier stance has now been reaffirmed in a recent YouTube interview. Related Reading: Bitcoin Is Still Bearish And Price Is Headed Below $50,000; Analyst Given how Bitcoin’s price action has unfolded since those earlier calls, Hayes was pressed on whether his outlook had changed in a recent YouTube interview. Hayes was asked whether his Bitcoin prediction for 2026 has changed, and his response left little room for interpretation. He stated that he would “go the same number,” repeating his $250,000 Bitcoin target by the end of the year. The consistency in his outlook shows that his conviction has not changed despite recent price fluctuations and the inability of Bitcoin’s correction to find a bottom. Although the $250,000 prediction did not come with a direct breakdown at that moment, Hayes has always given different reasons as to why he is bullish in other similar predictions. He has previously noted that a prolonged US-Iran conflict could force the Federal Reserve to print more money, which in turn would have a ripple effect in driving the Bitcoin price higher. Can Bitcoin Reach $250,000 In 2026? At the time of writing, Bitcoin is trading at $70,100 and now seems to have registered a bottom just above $61,000. Therefore, a move to $250,000 would push Bitcoin far above its previous high at $126,000 and establish a completely new price range. Related Reading: Bitcoin Just Flashed The Most Powerful Fractal In The Market, Here’s What To Expect Recent price action shows that Bitcoin has struggled to break out of its current consolidation, repeatedly moving within a broad $60,000 to $74,000 band without a decisive trend in either direction. A rally to $250,000 would require Bitcoin to first clear its current range and then reclaim higher price zones that were lost during the correction from its 2025 peak. Technical analysis suggests that once Bitcoin breaks through certain supply gaps above $76,000, then it could rally fast due to thinner resistance. Hayes had earlier projected a bigger Bitcoin target in the $500,000 to $750,000 range by the end of 2026, with his prediction based on escalating tensions in the Middle East. However, he has also noted a bit of caution for Bitcoin while speaking at another similar podcast interview. “If I had $1 to invest right now, would I be putting it into Bitcoin? No. I would wait,” Hayes said, stating he would only become a buyer when the Federal Reserve begins easing. Featured image from Getty Images, chart from Tradingview.com
Crypto trading firm FalconX's CEO has previously said it is considering a public listing.
Apyx's strategic STRC accumulation could reshape stablecoin markets, highlighting risks and opportunities in leveraged Bitcoin exposure.
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Casimo will be responsible for growing the Dutch market maker's institutional crypto offering.
Bitcoin markets have started to turn bullish again, but data shows that a key “bull market threshold” has not been established yet.
The World Gold Council, established in 1987, counts 29 members across the gold mining industry.
Animoca Brands invests in Ava Labs and partners to expand Avalanche across Asia and the Middle East, targeting RWAs, identity, and adoption.
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Metaverse land never recovered. The numbers now show how far it fell The biggest metaverse land deals of the 2021 and 2022 boom now map to four- and five-digit values when priced against current collection floors, rather than the six- and seven-figure valuations buyers once paid. The decline runs through the entire metaverse land trade. […]
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The following article is adapted from The Block’s newsletter, The Daily, which comes out on weekday afternoons.