NDAQ News & Events

The tape today is a live test of how much geopolitical cooling can reflate the "digital gold" and "on-chain capital markets" trades at the same time. Stay up on the crypto news that matters with "Crypto Currents," daily from The Fly. Join us at 2 PM ET for your essential briefing on the fast-moving world of cryptocurrency on FlyCast radio.BITCOIN JUMPS BACK ABOVE $70,000 AS OIL COOLS:reports that bitcoin (BTC-USD) reclaimed $70,000 and dragged ether (ETH-USD) and XRPhigher after President Trump said the Iran conflict could end "very soon," easing the war-premium pressure that had built up in oil and haven trades.Bloombergadds that bitcoin briefly pushed above $71,000 alongside a bounce in equities as crude backed off recent highs, reversing part of last week's energy-driven risk-off move.Bloombergseparately reports that many Hong Kong-based family offices plan to add exposure to digital assets and private equity over the next three years, signaling that institutional appetite in Asia is firming even as Western retail sentiment remains fragile.SPOT BITCOIN ETFS SNAP BACK TO $167M AS STRIVE AND CIRCLE GET STREET UPGRADES:says U.S. spot bitcoin ETFs pulled in about $167M of net inflows on Monday, reversing roughly $577M of outflows from the prior Thursday and Friday as BlackRock'sIBIT led with $109M and Fidelity's FBTC added $60M. Total spot bitcoin ETF assets sit near $88.3B, even as ether, XRP, and solanafunds logged a third straight day of redemptions. On the sell-side, B. Riley analyst Fedor Shabalin initiated Strive Enterprises (ASST) at Buy rating with a $12 price target, citing a dual-engine model that combines a roughly 13,100 bitcoin corporate treasury with about $2.5B of ETF assets under management across 13 products.TOKENIZED STOCKS TOP $1B AS NASDAQ AND KRAKEN BUILD THE ON-CHAIN EQUITY GATEWAY:Cointelegraphreports that tokenized stocks have crossed $1B in outstanding on-chain value for the first time, with Ondo Finance controlling about 60.5% share, roughly $605M, and Kraken's xStocks at about $232M.The Wall Street Journalcontinues to cover Nasdaq's (NDAQ) partnership with Kraken parent Payward to build an issuer-sponsored equity-token gateway using xStocks, which has processed more than $25B in cumulative volume since its June 2025 launch and now counts 85,000-plus on-chain holders. The tokens are expected to go live through DTCC settlement in the first half of 2027, putting traditional voting and dividend mechanics on-chain.BITCOIN TREASURY PLAYS DIVERGE AS HYPERSCALE STACKS AND EMPERY SELLS INTO STRENGTH:A freshpress releaseshows Hyperscale Data (GPUS) holding 617.16 bitcoin, worth about $40.7M at March 8 prices, plus $42.2M of cash and restricted cash, for total bitcoin-plus-cash of roughly $82.9M, or about 138% of its equity market cap. Empery Digital (EMPD) is running the opposite book, with adisclosing that it sold 102 bitcoin last week at an average of $71,636, raising about $7.3M to fund buybacks and bolster cash, while still holding 3,562 bitcoin and having repurchased 20.175 million shares under a $200M program. On the M&A front,notes that Signing Day Sports (SGN) expects to close its BlockchAIn Digital Infrastructure merger on March 16, with the combined company to trade as "AIB" on NYSE American and operate a 40 MW South Carolina AI/HPC data center.ETHER WHALES REPOSITION AS BITMINE MOVES $19.5M TO COINBASE PRIME:shows Bitmine Immersion Technologies (BMNR) moved 9,608 ether, about $19.5M, into Coinbase Prime in two tranches today, routing through an intermediate wallet in a pattern consistent with institutional custody or staking rather than spot selling. Bitmine still controls more than 1 million ether across tracked wallets and disclosed 4.53 million ether, 195 bitcoin, and $1.2B in cash on March 9, with Chairman Tom Lee telling investors the firm stepped up purchases to about 61,000 ether last week, its largest weekly buy of 2026. Separately, an OG whale address completed a full liquidation by sending its final 5,082 ether, about $10.3M, to Coinbase, closing out a position that traces back to a 23,300 ether withdrawal from Kraken in October 2016 at roughly $10.37 per coin for a roughly 19,383% gain, while a different whale bought 10,158 ether for $21M at around $2,069 and holds about $83.6M in 20x leveraged bitcoin and ether longs with more than $3M in floating profit.Cointelegraphframes all of this against ether's 65% underperformance versus bitcoin since the proof-of-stake transition, with the "ultrasound money" narrative fading as post-Dencun fee burns decline and supply turns modestly inflationary.SEC FILINGS ROUNDUP FROM BULLISH TO PERSHING SQUARE TO SOLUNA:Bullish (BLSH) filed its20-F annual reportshowing $84.1B in February 2026 trading volume, an adjusted revenue jump to $288.5M from $213.9M, adjusted EBITDA of $94.3M, and gross liquid assets of $3.72B, but a statutory net loss of $785.5M driven by digital-asset impairments. Teucrium Commodity Trust alsoregisteredits 7RCC Spot Bitcoin and Carbon Credit Futures ETF on NYSE Arca, targeting an 80/20 split between bitcoin and regulated carbon credit futures.The Wall Street Journalreports that Bill Ackman's Pershing Square filed its N-2 IPO registration for a closed-end fund planning to list on the NYSE under ticker 'PSUS', with $2.8B already committed toward an anticipated $5B-$10B raise, and the filing includes "cryptocurrency," "blockchain," and "digital asset" within its risk factors and investment universe language. A Lazard Fundsdisclosurerevealed holdings in Coinbase (COIN), Riot Platforms (RIOT), CleanSpark (CLSK), and MARA Holdings (MARA). Soluna Holdings (SLNH) filed an8-Ka day after putting a $1B shelf registration on file, advancing its 83 MW wind-powered bitcoin mining facility in Texas with a projected 3.5 EH/s hashrate and $17M to $20M in annual revenue, plus a 350 MW Tier 3 AI campus on more than 500 acres. BitGo Holdings (BTGO) CEO Mike Belshe is presenting at the Canaccord Genuity Digital Assets Symposium today, fresh off announcements that BitGo will provide stablecoin infrastructure for SoFiUSD, the first stablecoin from a U.S. nationally chartered bank, and completed the first tokenized equity trades with Figureon the Provenance blockchain.PRICE ACTION:As of time of writing, bitcoin was trading at$71,354.18, while ether was trading at $2,068.70,.

Oil's spike and the Iran shock are not just a macro headline, they are now the central driver of how capital is moving across bitcoin, ether, tokenized gold, and spot ETF wrappers tied to U.S.-listed names.For equity investors who traffic in Coinbase, Strategy, miners, and the new class of treasury and RWA plays, today's flows are a live stress test of whether the "digital gold" and "on-chain macro" narratives actually hold up when war, energy, and Washington collide in real time.Stay up on the crypto news that matters with "Crypto Currents," daily from The Fly. Join us at 2 PM ET for your essential briefing on the fast-moving world of cryptocurrency on FlyCast radio.BITCOIN HOLDS NEAR $66,000 AS BRENT CRUDE TOPS $119 ON IRAN WAR:reports that bitcoinrose even as Brent crude jumped above $100 and toward $119 per barrel, while stock futures and bonds retreated on fears of a prolonged conflict around the Strait of Hormuz. SeparateBloombergcoverage notes S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100 futures down about 1.1%, and strategist Ed Yardeniraisedhis odds of a U.S. market "meltdown" to 35%, putting bitcoin's resilience under a fresh macro lens. The total crypto market value sits near $2.33T and the broader digital-asset complex is down roughly 21% year-to-date and bitcoin has logged its weakest 50-day start on record with a 23% drawdown, yet real-world-asset tokens have expanded their sector footprint by more than a quarter to about $26.9B,suggesting institutional capital continues flowing into crypto-adjacent infrastructure even during the drawdown.NASDAQ TAPS KRAKEN FOR TOKENIZED STOCKS WHILE COINBASE LAUNCHES EU FUTURES:Nasdaqis advancing its issuer-centric equity tokenization blueprint through a partnership with Kraken parent Payward, according toBloomberg, with tokenized shares set to settle through DTCC while preserving traditional voting and dividend mechanics.Kraken's blogdescribes xStocks as already handling more than $25B in tokenized equity volume with 80,000 on-chain holders, forming the bridge that should allow one-to-one tokens tracking names like Nvidia and Tesla to move between on-chain venues and Nasdaq's regulated markets by 2027.Coinbaseis pushing in parallel on regulated derivatives in Europe, withCryptoNinjasreporting that the company's MiFID-licensed entity has launched futures across 26 countries, including Germany and France, on Coinbase Advanced. The newly available lineup spans perpetual-style contracts with hourly funding and daily settlement plus monthly and quarterly expiries, offering up to 10x leverage on select bitcoin, ether, and equity-index products with lower leverage on other pairs. Coinbase shares trade around $197 with 21 Buy ratings and a consensus target near $251.Broadridge Financial Solutionsalso announced the, marking NYFIX's first cryptocurrency integration in Asia and extending institutional FIX-protocol crypto order routing to Broadridge's network of over 2,200 buy- and sell-side participants.STRATEGY BUYS $1.28B IN BITCOIN IN LARGEST SINGLE-WEEK 2026 PURCHASE:Strategydisclosedthat it acquired 17,994 bitcoin between March 2 and March 8 for $1.28B at an average price of $70,946 per BTC, a 527% increase over the prior week's purchase. Total holdings now stand at 738,731 BTC with a cumulative cost basis of $56.04B and an average purchase price of $75,862. The company funded the buy by selling 3,776,205 shares of STRC preferred stock for $377.1M in net proceeds and 6,327,541 shares of MSTR common stock for $899.5M in net proceeds. Strategy also amended its Omnibus Sales Agreement to allow multiple agents to sell securities outside regular market hours, expanding its capital-raising flexibility.Bitmine Immersion Technologiesis taking an ETH-heavy approach, with its8-K filingreporting 4,534,563 ETH held at about $1,965 per coin, 3,040,483 ETH staked, 195 BTC, $1.2B in cash, and a $200M Beast Industries stake for a combined crypto, cash, and "moonshot" portfolio around $10.3B. Chairman Tom Lee told investors in the accompanyingpress releasethat Bitmine stepped up purchases to 60,976 ETH over the past week and cited DeMark Analytics work comparing current ETH behavior to S&P 500 paths in 2011 and 1987, suggesting a potential bottoming window in early-to-mid March.Sharplink, another ether treasury name, used itsto lay out 2025 results showing revenue of $28.1M vs. $3.7M last year, but a GAAP net loss of ($734.6M), driven primarily by unrealized ETH marks and an LsETH impairment while ETH per share doubled from 2.0 to 4.01 and institutional ownership climbed to 46%. The companion8-Knotes that Sharplink raised roughly $3.2B in capital during 2025 and is now the second-largest public ETH holder, with management emphasizing a focus on growing ETH per share and generating yield above native staking rates.AVAX Oneis running a treasury strategy around Avalanche, according to apress release. The company points to a $40M repurchase program with more than 2.4M shares bought back through early March, roughly $600K in AVAX staking rewards, and 2026 revenue guidance of $11M-$44M, and will present its policy agenda in Washington at the Digital Chamber's DC Blockchain Summit in a fireside chat featuring its CEO and Ava Labs' general counsel.STABLECOINS, LEGISLATION, AND THE BANK YIELD FIGHT:describes how dollar-pegged stablecoins have evolved into major buyers of U.S. Treasury bills as issuers invest reserve assets in short-dated government paper.Circle Internet Group(CRCL)filed its10-K annual report, reporting USDCin circulation of $75.3B, up 72% year-over-year, total revenue and reserve income of $2.7B, up 64%, and Q4 2025 revenue of $770M, up 77%. USDC accounted for approximately 70% of all stablecoin transfer activity, with a record $1.8  in transaction volume in February. Circle shares have rallied roughly 60% since the Q4 earnings beat.The CLARITY Act remains stalled after the American Bankers Association formally rejected a White House-brokered compromise on stablecoin yield offerings on March 5, according toReuters.Banks argue that stablecoin rewards programs offered by exchanges could siphon deposits from traditional banking accounts, while crypto firms call the proposed restrictions anti-competitive. President Trump criticized banks on Truth Social, saying they need to "make a good deal" with the crypto sector. Standard Charteredprojects that stablecoins could attract approximately $500B in deposits from U.S. banks by 2028 if yields remain competitive. The Senate Banking Committee is eyeing a mid-to-late March markup window.Separately, stablecoin payments firm KAST raised $80M at a $600M valuation, co-led by QED Investors and Left Lane Capital, with an annual revenue run rate expected to reach $100M this year,, reflecting continued VC appetite for stablecoin infrastructure despite the broader downturn.GOLD WHALES DUMP $40M IN TOKENIZED BULLION WHILE OIL SHORTS PILE INTO HYPERLIQUID:data highlight that two gold whales sold a combined nearly $40M of tokenized gold, Tether Gold and PAX Gold, over 48 hours as spot prices hovered near $5,080 per ounce equivalents, locking in more than $7M in aggregate profit. On-chain analyst coverage fromBlockchain.newsshows one whale cutting a $54.63M portfolio that paired WBTC and XAUT to roughly flat overall, with losses of around $5.15M on 264.8 WBTC offset by about $5.18M of gains on 5,809.8 XAUT, illustrating how tokenized bullion has become a direct hedge against bitcoin drawdowns during risk shocks.Oil-linked on-chain positioning has also spiked, with reports that a new address put on a 5x, $10.2M short in Hyperliquid's WTI crude perpetual just as benchmarks pushed through $108, while MakerDAO co-founder Rune Christensen's wallet shows a 7x leveraged long worth roughly $7.8M with more than $1.3M in unrealized gains and offsetting shorts in ETH and an equity-index contract, effectively implementing a long-oil/short-risk macro book using DeFi tools.adds that a well-known trader known as CBB was nearly liquidated on a separate Hyperliquid oil short that went more than 50% against him before emergency margin and partial liquidation raised his liquidation threshold, underscoring the speed with which on-chain commodity venues can move.FARAGE BACKS LONDON BTC TREASURY AS SPOT ETFs PULL $568M IN WEEKLY INFLOWS:reports that Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has acquired a 6.31% stake in Stack BTC Plc, a London-listed bitcoin treasury company run by former U.K. chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng that buys profitable U.K. businesses and deploys surplus cash into BTC.Bloombergnotes that Blockchain.com joined the 26M GBp equity raise, whilebitcointreasuries.netshows Stack BTC holding 21 BTC, turning what is a relatively small balance sheet into a politically charged signal of support for the treasury model.U.S. spot bitcoin ETFs took in about $568.45M of net inflows in the first week of March, ending a four-month streak of monthly outflows as BlackRock'sIBIT led with more than $300M on a single day and total spot ETF assets rose to roughly $87.07B, according toAInvest. Spot products now hold a low-teens percentage share of BTC supply depending on methodology, with inflows returning even as price volatility and macro uncertainty stay elevated, a dynamic that matters for U.S.-listed miners, brokers, and treasury names that trade as leveraged proxies on that flow.MINERS AND INFRASTRUCTURE:Sphere 3D(ANY)reported FY25 results showing 111.6 BTC mined and announced a definitive agreement tomerge with Cathedra Bitcoinin an all-stock deal, with the combined entity aiming to expand into AI services alongside bitcoin mining.DeFi Technologies(DEFT)received aNasdaq bid-price deficiency noticeafter shares traded below $1 for 30 consecutive business days, triggering a 180-day compliance window until September 1. Managementannouncedit will present at the Canaccord 6th Annual Digital Assets Virtual Symposium on March 11 at 2:30 PM. ET.Signing Day Sports(SGN)that its special meeting to vote on the proposed business combination with BlockchAIn Digital Infrastructure is scheduled for March 13. If approved, the merged entity trades on NYSE American under ticker AIB. BlockchAIn's 40 MW South Carolina data center generated $22.9M in revenue and $5.7M in net income in 2024.PRICE ACTION:As of time of writing, bitcoin was trading at$69,023.77, while ether was trading at$2,026.46,according to price data from TipRanks.

Nasdaq announced its intention to launch an equity token design, a new approach to tokenizing equities that puts public companies at the center of ownership rights, the investor experience, transparency, and governance. Nasdaq will facilitate the tokenization of equities, allowing public issuers to have more control over their shares in tokenized form. This also aims to introduce programmable investor engagement that modernizes the connection that issuers have with investors, notably as it relates to proxy-related actions, corporate actions, and governance rights. Nasdaq's equity token design intends to preserve the fundamental principles and benefits of regulated market infrastructure that ensures deep liquidity, investor transparency, and market integrity, while driving industry standards and interoperability to accelerate the next wave of growth and accessibility in global capital markets. "Tokenization has the potential to unlock the benefits of an always-on financial ecosystem - enhancing how investors access markets, how issuers engage with shareholders," said Tal Cohen, President, Nasdaq. "We believe that public companies should always remain at the center of the equity market ecosystem. This issuer-sponsored approach for tokenized equity securities is designed to empower public companies and enhance global accessibility to U.S. equity markets."