Bitcoin and other major cryptocurrencies surged through a volatile weekend. U.S. military strikes hit Iran’s Kharg Island. Digital assets rallied anyway.
Bitcoin’s trading at roughly $73,900. That’s up 9% over the week. Ethereum climbed nearly 14%. Solana rose 12%.
Oil briefly jumped over 25% after the strikes. The target: a hub that handles 90% of Iran’s oil exports. Traditional equities stayed flat. Oil prices softened. Crypto kept climbing.
Institutional money’s flowing in. Spot Bitcoin ETFs recorded net inflows every day from March 9–13. The total: approximately $763 million. That’s the first five-day inflow streak of 2026. Ethereum ETFs added $117 million during the same period.
The Ethereum Foundation sold 5,000 ETH over-the-counter to Tom Lee’s BitMine. The price: about $10.2 million at $2,043 per coin. The foundation says proceeds will fund research, core operations, and grants. BitMine now holds roughly 4.53 million ETH. That’s about 4% of total supply.
Billionaire investor Stanley Druckenmiller offered a bullish long-term view on stablecoins. His prediction: “In 10–15 years, payment systems could run primarily on stablecoins.” He’s skeptical about much of the broader crypto market. But stablecoins? Different story. Supply’s grown to around $315 billion.
A darker development emerged from Argentina. A judicial probe reportedly uncovered a document outlining an alleged $5 million payment structure. The tie: President Javier Milei’s promotion of the Solana-based LIBRA token. The draft allegedly split payments across three tranches. They’re linked to endorsements and advisory roles. LIBRA once spiked above a $7 billion valuation. It collapsed to about $1 million. It’s now emblematic of excesses in the 2023–2025 meme coin cycle.
Crypto’s showing strength. Traditional markets are showing caution. The divergence reinforces digital assets’ evolving role as a differentiated asset class. ETF inflows are sustained. Stablecoin adoption’s growing. Institutional participation appears to be deepening. But regulatory and governance questions remain front and center. The LIBRA scandal highlights that. The industry’s maturing. The questions aren’t going away.
