Bitrefill said it was hit by a cyberattack on March 1 that led to stolen crypto funds after attackers accessed a compromised employee laptop and expanded access across internal systems. The company said the intruders abused gift card supplier purchasing flows, drained some hot wallets, and accessed about 18,500 purchase records, while it believes customer data was not the primary target. Bitrefill said most services have been restored and losses will be covered from operational capital.

Bitcoin has rebounded to $75K, but analysts say the move may be unstable because order book liquidity remains structurally weaker than pre-October conditions. Amberdata highlighted that a more durable recovery would likely need liquidity at $35M or above $40M, while depth below $25M alongside rising volume could raise liquidation-cascade risk.

Strategy (formerly MicroStrategy) said its Bitcoin stash reached 761,068 BTC as of March 16, 2026 after a recent buy pushed it beyond 760,000 BTC. The company's latest weekly purchase was listed as 22,3337 BTC for about $1.57 billion, and AI projections outlined multiple timelines for reaching 1 million BTC. Estimates ranged from late 2026 to early 2027 depending on assumed weekly purchase pace and funding capacity.

Ripple said it is expanding across Brazil with a unified institutional platform spanning custody, prime brokerage, stablecoin settlements and treasury tools, and it plans to apply for a VASP license with Brazil's central bank. SHIB derivatives activity accelerated as open interest climbed more than 26% in 24 hours to about 12.24 trillion SHIB, valued above $75 million. XRP traded around $1.53, staying above the $1.43 area while testing nearby moving-average resistance as exchange reserves ticked higher.

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission approved a Nasdaq rule change on Wednesday, clearing the exchange to support trading and tokenized settlement of shares. In a DTCC-run pilot operated by the Depository Trust Company, eligible participants can choose tokenized settlement while keeping the same order book and execution priority as conventional shares.

The Federal Open Market Committee said on Wednesday it will keep the federal funds rate unchanged at 3.5%-3.75% while assessing the economic effects of the ongoing Middle East conflict. Chair Jerome Powell said growth remains solid and consumers are resilient, but housing is weak, the labor market is softening and inflation is still above the 2% goal. Market pricing for the April 2026 meeting shows 97% expect no change and 3% expect a 25-basis-point hike.

Solana's SOL pushed back above the $93 area, a level some analysts say has flipped from a 39-day selling zone into potential support. The move put focus on upside targets around $103 and $113, while traders also watch whether price can stay in the mid-$90s after briefly touching $95 before slipping below $90. Market context includes compressed volatility between $80 and $87 and Solana spot-product flow data showing nearly $1 billion in net inflows as of March 17.

Hong Kong-based stablecoin payments firm RedotPay is pursuing a $150 million pre-IPO raise at a targeted $4 billion valuation ahead of a potential U.S. listing that could happen as early as this year. The company says it is already profitable, while citing annualized total payment volume reaching $10 billion in December with year-over-year growth above 300%. The fundraising effort comes amid senior executive departures and the absence of a sitting CFO.