In partnership with
Good afternoon,
Bitcoin slipped below $70K as geopolitical tensions escalated, with the Pentagon reportedly preparing a “final blow” in Iran, while options markets brace for a massive Q1 expiry with a $75K max pain level in focus. Meanwhile, Fannie Mae is set to accept Bitcoin- and USDC-backed mortgages in a first for U.S. housing finance, Google has set a 2029 deadline to address quantum computing threat, and Brazil has passed legislation allowing seized crypto to be used for public security funding.
Let’s unpack this and more! 👇
f you work in fintech or finance, you already have too many tabs open and not enough time.
Fintech Takes is the free newsletter senior leaders actually read. Each week, I break down the trends, deals, and regulatory moves shaping the industry — and explain why they matter — in plain English.
No filler, no PR spin, and no “insights” you already saw on LinkedIn eight times this week. Just clear analysis and the occasional bad joke to make it go down easier.
Get context you can actually use. Subscribe free and see what’s coming before everyone else.
News Roundup
Artificial Intelligence
Robot Joins Melania Trump at White House Event to Tout AI Teachers (Reuters)
Google Shrinks AI Memory With No Accuracy Loss—But There's a Catch (Decrypt)
Musk’s xAI ‘Doubling Down’ on AI Videos After OpenAI Nixes Sora (Bloomberg)
Introducing the OpenAI Safety Bug Bounty Program (OpenAI)
Nvidia to Face Class Action Lawsuit Over Alleged Crypto Mining Revenue Gaps (Decrypt)
Vibe Coding XR: Accelerating AI + XR prototyping with XR Blocks and Gemini (Google Research)
Google AI Launches Lyria 3 Pro for Music Generation (Google)
Decentralized, Centralized, & Traditional Finance
Mastercard Set to Be Crypto-Fiat 'Network Connector' Following BVNK Acquisition (The Block)
Circle Unfreezes One of 16 Blacklisted USDC Wallets Following Backlash (The Block)
Introducing MemWal: Long-Term Memory for AI Agents (Walrus Foundation)
Revolut to Base 40% of its Global Workforce in India by 2026 (Reuters)
Resolv Labs Removes ~57% of Illicit USR Supply Following Exploit (Resolv Labs)
Fannie Mae to Accept Bitcoin and USDC-Backed Mortgages in First for US Housing Finance (The Block)
Cardano Partner Chain Midnight Inks £250m Tokenisation Deal (DL News)
DeFi Lender Moonwell Faces Governance Attack as $1,800 Vote Push Threatens $1 Million in Funds (The Block)
USDT0 Expands to Payments-Focused Blockchain Tempo (The Block)
Stablecoin Giant Tether Expands Leading Gold-Backed Token to BNB Chain (Decrypt)
BlackRock's Tokenized BUIDL Fund Taps Chronicle For New 'Verification Layer' (The Block)
Exchanges
Exchange-Traded Funds
Ondo Tokenizes Five Franklin Templeton ETFs (The Defiant)
CoinShares Files for Bitcoin Volatility ETF Suite, Targeting BTC Price Swings (Decrypt)
U.S. Bitcoin spot ETFs recorded $7.81 million in net inflows on Mar. 25.
On Mar. 25, U.S. Ethereum spot ETFs posted $8.51 million in net outflows.
U.S. XRP spot ETFs saw $1.26 million in net inflows on Mar. 25.
On Mar. 25, U.S. Solana spot ETFs logged no flows.
Hashdex Nasdaq ETF Exposes Investors to XRP, Solana and Cardano (U Today)
Infrastructure
Google Sets 2029 Deadline to Deal With Quantum Threat (Decrypt)
Solana Foundation Says Network is Becoming Core Infrastructure for ‘Agentic’ Internet (CoinDesk)
Trust Wallet Launches AI Agents That Can Execute Crypto Trades (The Block)
Goldman Sachs-Backed Canton Chain Integrates with LayerZero (The Block)
XRP Gets AI-Driven Security Boost as Threat From Hackers Using the Technology Grows (DL News)
Anchorage Brings Tron 'Inside The Regulatory Perimeter' (The Block)
Markets
Over $17B in Crypto Options to Expire This Week (DL News)
Bitcoin Slips Under $70K as Pentagon Prepares ‘Final Blow’ in Iran (Decrypt)
Bhutan Moves $37M in Bitcoin to Exchanges, Holdings Down Two-Thirds From Peak (Decrypt)
MARA Stock Pops on $1.1 Billion Bitcoin Sale as BTC Miner Buys Back Convertible Debt (Decrypt)
Bitcoin Trades Narrow Corridor as Macro Pressures Throttle Liquidity (The Block)
Bitcoin Options Face Massive Q1 Expiry as $75K ‘Max Pain’ Level Looms (GreeksLive)
Mining
Politics & Regulation
UK’s Starmer Backs Pause on Crypto Political Donations, Citing 'Illicit Finance' Risks (The Block)
U.S. Lawmakers Weigh Tokenization Push as SEC Preps Innovation Exemption Plan (The Block)
Australia Lays Groundwork for Tokenized Asset Markets After RBA Project (Decrypt)
Coinbase Again Declines to Support Updated Clarity Act Draft (The Block)
New Bernie Sanders AI Safety Bill Would Halt U.S. Data Center Construction (Wired)
Proposed Bill Seeks to Ban US president, Congress From Prediction Markets (Cointelegraph)
US Congressman Moves to Ban Staff From Trading on Prediction Markets (Decrypt)
US Indicts Chinese Nationals Using Crypto in Global Fentanyl Trafficking (The Block)
Stand With Crypto Launches Voter Hub, Endorses Candidates (The Block)
UK Sanctions Crypto-Linked Marketplace Xinbi Amid Crackdown on Southeast Asia Scam Centres (The Block)
Brazil Passes Law Turning Seized Crypto into Public-Security War Chest (CoinDesk)
Venture Capital
Circle Ventures Leads Tazapay Series B Extension, Bringing the Round to $36 Million (The Block)
Other News
SBF Stumbles in Error-Ridden Trial Push as Judge Tells His Mother to Step Aside (DL News)
F1 Champion McLaren Racing Joins Hedera Council to Help Govern Network (Decrypt)
Elon Musk Taps Former Base, Aave Exec Benji Taylor to Lead Design on X (The Block)
Crypto Case Over Money Transmitter Laws Dismissed by US Judge (Decrypt)
How an Attacker Spent Just $1,808 to Hold an Entire Crypto Project Hostage (DL News)
Crypto Hackers Armed with AI Stand to Make Millions of Dollars Attacking Old Code (DL News)
Fenbushi Capital Founder Offers Up Lucrative Bounty to Track Down His Stolen Bitcoin (DL News)
A Web3 Person's Account: Why I Ultimately Left Singapore (Wu Blockchain)
Check This Out!
Rising production costs are putting pressure on Bitcoin miners, with the high-end average cost of producing one BTC nearing $400K.
Source: Bloomberg, CoinShares
Meme of the Day
Source: Crypto Tea
Rate Today’s Edition
What do you think of today's edition?
Share this newsletter, claim your reward! 🎁
Participate in the On & Off Chain referral program by sharing the newsletter with your friends to claim your reward:
✌️2 referrals: A personal shoutout in On & Off Chain
Must be subscribed
