Hostplus, which oversees more than A$150 billion, is preparing to add Bitcoin exposure for members through its Choiceplus platform as early as July 2026, subject to regulatory approval. The article also points to growing institutional involvement, including corporate treasury accumulation and a tokenized real-world asset market that reached about $36 billion by the end of 2025.

XRP rose 6.06% in the last 24 hours to $1.44, briefly touching $1.46 and pushing above the $1.40 level. The move helped XRP turn March positive at +2.74% after five straight red monthly closes, but analyst CasiTrades warns the bounce could fade unless price can break $1.51–$1.55 and hold above $1.65.

The New York Stock Exchange is working with Securitize to build a blockchain-based platform for issuing and trading tokenized securities, with the goal of enabling 24/7 markets and near-instant settlement. Securitize is set to serve as NYSE's first digital transfer agent, helping convert stocks and ETFs into on-chain tokens while preserving shareholder rights such as voting and dividends.

AI-focused tokens and stablecoins have been more resilient than most crypto sectors in 2026, even as Bitcoin is down 18.5% and the total market falls to $2.42 trillion. In Q1/2026, the AI sector had the smallest decline at 14%, while stablecoin market cap reached a record $320 billion on March 23 and monthly volumes hit $1.8 trillion in February. Data also shows USDC supply at $78 billion and AI usage metrics such as ChatGPT weekly active users rising to 900 million in March 2026.

The Solana Foundation released a report on Monday describing a "full-spectrum" privacy framework that lets enterprises adjust what data is visible while aiming to keep performance and compliance intact. The model spans pseudonymity, confidentiality, anonymity, and fully private designs, with options such as auditor keys for legally required access. In market trading, SOL was at $91.83 at press time with $5 billion in 24-hour volume, up 1.10% on the day and down 2.18% over the week.

Bitcoin (BTC) has climbed about 12% since the U.S.-Iran conflict began on February 28, 2026, trading near $71,144 as of March 24, 2026. Over the same period, gold (XAUT) is down 16% to roughly $4,420, while the S&P 500 (SPX) was off 4% from the conflict's start, at about 6,580.99 as of March 23, 2026.

OKX has rolled out more than 20 equity perpetual swaps, letting eligible users trade major stocks around the clock while posting crypto as margin. Launched on March 24, 2026, the USDT-settled contracts are available across Asia, Latin America, Türkiye, and the CIS, and include exposure to the “Magnificent 7” and other large tech names. The products offer up to 5x leverage and support cross-margin using BTC and ETH as collateral.

Fidelity's Q2 2026 crypto livestream positioned the quarter as a transition phase, citing macro, regulatory, and on-chain factors that could influence market direction. Speakers said bitcoin has fallen from about $126,000 to roughly $60,000 and is now consolidating around $60,000–$70,000, while stablecoins and tokenization may become key themes. They also pointed to AI potentially boosting developer productivity and, in turn, affecting smart-contract platforms' momentum.