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March began in geopolitical shock as the crypto and the broader financial markets wobbled over the weekend following the U.S.-Iran counterstrikes.

How did Bitcoin do?

The OG token showed resilience amid the global crisis. After the initial shock, it dropped sharply to $63,000, but bounced back shortly, reclaiming the $68,000 level on Tuesday.

Top Stories This Week:

Other Headlines:

Breaking: Bitcoin rebounds and climbs back to $68,000 on Tuesday after a turbulent weekend drop as the market reacts to the rising U.S.-Iran war tensions.

On Saturday, the flagship coin dropped sharply to $63,000 following the U.S.-Israeli military strikes on Iran, before stabilizing near $66K on Monday.

The first strike rattled the crypto market. Nearly $128 billion in market value was wiped out within minutes, according to CoinGecko data.

Bitcoin fell by over 3%. Ethereum, the second-largest crypto, slid almost 4.5%.
Major altcoins, including Solana, DOGE, and XRP, and memecoins, declined significantly alongside BTC, while oil prices spiked amid the geopolitical backdrop.

Elliptic, in its blog post, reported that Iran’s largest crypto exchange, Nobitex, saw a 700% surge in crypto asset outflows after the strike as users rushed to shift funds offshore.

Bitcoin briefly reached $68,000 after Khamenei’s death confirmation...

On Sunday, Bitcoin rose over 2% after Iran confirmed the death of its supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Ethereum also gained 4% and traded around $2000 on the day.

After the brief Sunday rally, Bitcoin dipped around 1.1% to $66,000 on Monday as traditional markets reopened. Traders moved towards safe-haven assets with gold hitting a record high of $5,300.

What Happens Next?

Riskier assets like Bitcoin reacted sharply to the U.S.-Iran conflicts.
On Tuesday, Bitcoin traded around $68,000 and briefly touched above $69,000 despite the war-induced volatility.

The U.S. Bitcoin Spot ETFs drew a net inflow of $458.19 million on March 2, with IBIT contributing $263.19 million alone, according to SoSoValue data. The numbers suggest that Bitcoin has weathered the initial shock, and the price volatility is now contained.

According to crypto market analyst Ash Crypto, the market is recovering and the war may not be prolonged. If the tensions ease, it will boost market confidence and Bitcoin may revive further.

👉 Also Read: Strategy purchased more than $200 million in bitcoin last week.

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British multinational banking giant Barclays is the latest to join big banks like JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America, and HSBC in the race to build a blockchain-based platform for payments and other banking services.

The London-based big-shot bank is evaluating blockchain technology providers and may finalize a vendor by early April, according to Bloomberg.

With this new digital ledger infrastructure, Barclays plans to handle cross-border payments and integrate stablecoins and tokenized deposits.

Big Push Towards On-Chain Settlements

In recent years, stablecoin payments have transformed the global traditional payment industry. They are regulated, cost-effective, instant, convenient, and transcend conventional banking hours.

This is not the first time that Barclays has ventured into digital assets. In January 2026, Barclays invested in Ubyx, a stablecoin settlement firm.

In October 2025, Barclays joined major banks to explore issuing G7-pegged digital assets.

Barclays’ recent initiative into blockchain-based infrastructure aligns with its broader plans to embrace dollar-backed digital currencies like stablecoins, which can accelerate seamless cross-border payments without multiple intermediaries.

👉 Also Read: Morgan Stanley Seeks National Trust Bank Charter: What it Means & Why it Matters.

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Ethereum Foundation researcher Justin Drake has just published an ambitious long-term plan through 2029, called the “strawmap roadmap” by EF Protocol.
The technical document is a timeline that will introduce seven forks by 2029, one every six months.

Drake, in his X post, said that the technical draft sketches Ethereum’s layer-1 upgrades through a “holistic lens” and is primarily intended for researchers, developers, and entities that participate in Ethereum’s governance.

Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin, in his X post, mentioned that Ethereum transactions take around 16 minutes to reach finality. The “strawmap” roadmap could reduce the finality time to 6-16 seconds, which can be a big win for network performance.

*Note: Finality in blockchain networks like Ethereum means the point at which the transactions are confirmed and irreversible. They can no longer be altered.
The “strawmap” draft outlines five “north stars” or key goals:

Beneath the complex technical terms, “strawmap’s” main objective is to enhance Ethereum’s functionality and make it more user-friendly, stronger, and faster.

👉 Read More at CoinDesk.

Hong Kong-based leading digital asset financial services provider, HashKey Group, has launched a “Real-World Asset (RWA) One-Stop Issuance Solution.” The initiative was led by HashKey Tokenization, the organization’s digital transformation arm..

The strategic launch aligns with Hong Kong’s Digital Asset Development Policy Declaration 2.0, reinforcing the city’s goal in building a trusted, regulated, and end-to-end global RWA tokenization hub.

The compliance-first RWA issuance platform will integrate institutional-grade blockchain infrastructure to bring asset owners, professional intermediaries, financial institutions, and global investors under one roof.

Key Developments:

HashKey Tokenization plans to release its RWA One-Stop Issuance Service Manual that will help users navigate the platform.

👉 Also Read: JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon says stablecoin yields should face bank-style rules, calls for 'level playing field.'

U.S. Senators in a letter have urged Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Attorney General Pamela Bondi to investigate $1.7 billion of illicit finance linked to Iran on Binance. The letter highlighted that Binance’s recent actions violated its 2023 settlement agreement related to federal charges for money laundering and violations of U.S. sanctions laws. Reportedly, last year, Binance compliance personnel found evidence that around $1.7 billion in crypto assets were linked to Iranian terrorism entities. 👉 Read More At CoinDesk.

Public Bitcoin mining company Mara Holdings has announced a strategic partnership with Starwood Capital Group to convert and expand its existing U.S. data mining sites for AI and cloud-focused computing. Under the agreement, Starwood Digital Ventures (SDV) will provide full-scale support from design, hiring, construction, facility operations, and more. Following the announcement, MARA’s shares soared 17%. The pivot towards AI infrastructure will help MARA refurbish its mining operations, making it more cost-efficient and scalable. 👉 Read More At MARA Press Release.

Based on CoinMarketCap data, March 4, 2026, 1:44 AM, ET.