On March 4, ETFs focused on Solana and XRP drew a combined $23.25 million in net inflows while major cryptocurrencies lost momentum. Solana products attracted $19.06 million and XRP ETFs added $4.19 million, highlighting selective institutional risk-taking beyond bitcoin and ether through regulated vehicles.

Ether fell 6% after briefly reaching $2,200, moving in step with declining US equities and broader risk-off sentiment as conflict in Iran extended and oil prices climbed. Derivatives data show a subdued futures premium and a 7% options skew, while weekly Ethereum DEX volumes slid to $12.6 billion and DApp revenues dropped to $14.1 million, even as the ecosystem still commands about 65% of total value locked including layer-2s.

Western Union has introduced USDPT, a $3 billion U.S. dollar-pegged stablecoin issued on Solana, alongside its new Digital Asset Network connecting digital balances to in-person cash services at more than 360,000 locations. Through an integration with Crossmint, users can move funds on Solana, hold value in USDPT, and withdraw cash globally, while analysts see room for SOL to climb toward $115 if key resistance zones between $100 and $105 are reclaimed.

Ripple's U.S. dollar-pegged stablecoin RLUSD has climbed to a market capitalization of about $1.58 billion and is approaching the $1.6 billion mark following a fresh 10 million token mint on XRP Ledger. The asset now ranks as the 52nd largest cryptocurrency and the 12th biggest stablecoin, having recently overtaken several rivals including Binance's BFUSD and Tron's USDD.

In 2025, Solana's role as a payment and settlement network strengthened, with total payment volume climbing 755.3% and surpassing the growth of many fintech platforms. The chain processed an estimated $2.61B in stablecoin transfers and captured 46% of stablecoin activity among comparable networks, supported by integrations with firms such as Revolut, VISA, Stripe, Worldpay, Western Union, and Fiserv.

Crypto commentator Zach Rector reports that Tokyo-based Vlightup Inc. has gone live with a trade finance and global payments platform running on the XRP Ledger, using decentralized escrow for letters of credit. At the same time, XRP-linked U.S. ETFs are said to hold over 800 million XRP, with assets around $1.1 billion, while new yield products and regulatory tensions in the United States shape the broader market backdrop.

On 5 March 2026, Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Mizuho Financial Group, and Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group were reported to be developing a joint stablecoin infrastructure for corporate payments, targeting commercial launch by March 2026. The yen-pegged stablecoin is issued via MUFG Trust on the Progmat Coin blockchain platform, integrates with SWIFT messaging, and is already being trialed by Mitsubishi Corporation for cross-border transfers between its subsidiaries.

CryptoQuant analyst Darkfost reports that around 38% of altcoins are trading close to their all-time lows, a deeper drawdown than after the FTX collapse. Altcoin liquidity and sentiment have deteriorated since the October 2025 crash, with capital rotating into equities and commodities while social and search interest in altcoins falls to multi‑year lows.