Markets open the week with macro risk in focus as March 30 brings a scheduled Powell appearance and fresh attention on the Iran conflict alongside rising energy prices. In crypto, key dates include EthCC[9] running March 30–April 2, FTX’s fourth distribution starting March 31 for about $2.2 billion, and Based launching its token on March 30 with BASED/USDT trading set for 10:00 UTC.

Market commentator Will Taylor says XRP is nearing a technical inflection point as a descending wedge tightens and weekly momentum looks oversold. In "The Weekly Insight—Week 188," he argues liquidity and positioning suggest downside may be tiring, even if crypto sees one more modest dip. XRP was trading at $1.35 at press time.

Standard Chartered digital assets research head Geoffrey Kendrick said Ethereum could climb to $40,000 by 2030 and potentially beat Bitcoin as institutional on-chain adoption accelerates. He argued tokenization, stablecoin expansion, and early-stage compliance-focused deployments are more likely to begin on Ethereum’s mainnet before spreading to other chains and layer-2 networks.

In a March 26 video, Digital Ascension Group CEO Jake Claver said XRP’s ability to handle bank-scale payments depends less on market cap and more on whether liquidity can absorb large transfers without excessive costs. He argued that higher XRP prices could reduce the token quantity needed to settle transactions such as $100 million and help limit slippage that he claimed could be around 10% for trades of that size. XRP was trading at $1.3337 at press time.

Crypto markets weakened on Friday as traders refocused on rising Treasury yields rather than crude. Bitcoin fell back below $69,000 while ether also declined, with the U.S. 10-year yield hovering around 4.42% and hopes of near-term Iran de-escalation fading.

US spot Bitcoin ETFs absorbed 62,986 BTC between February 24 and March 25, lifting cumulative ETF holdings to 1,326,874 BTC while BTC traded near the $70,000 area. Over the same window, short-term holders kept sending coins to exchanges at a loss, with loss-side flows at 15,500 BTC per 24 hours, as CoinGlass data highlighted resistance around $72.3k–$72.6k.

Bitcoin rebounded toward $70,000 after dropping to roughly $67,000, but Glassnode says the move still lacks the demand conditions needed for a lasting recovery. In a March 25 weekly note titled "Awaiting Liquidity," the firm said sell-side pressure, ETF outflows, and dealer-driven imbalances have eased, yet spot volumes and leverage remain muted amid heavy overhead supply. BTC was last quoted at $69,961 at press time.

Bitcoin miners appear to be holding less off-exchange inventory than in prior cycles, but the setup still falls short of a definitive supply shock. The latest Bitcoin Morning Brief by Axel Adler Jr. points to elevated miner-to-exchange inflows while miner-linked OTC balances remain meaningful at about 152.6K BTC. Adler characterizes the combination as tighter structural supply alongside persistent near-term selling pressure.

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.