Morgan Stanley's proposed spot bitcoin ETF, the Morgan Stanley Bitcoin Trust (MSBT), has received an NYSE Arca listing notice, a development that typically comes shortly before trading begins. An SEC filing dated March 17 says the fund is designed to hold bitcoin directly and track its price without leverage or derivatives, with a 50,000-share seed structure worth about $1 million. Fees have not been disclosed publicly, but the move could add competitive pressure as BlackRock's IBIT and Fidelity's FBTC each charge 0.25%.

On Tuesday, bitcoin and ether ETFs swung back to net outflows, while solana and XRP ETFs recorded small net inflows. Bitcoin ETFs saw a $74.53 million exit and ether ETFs lost $40.80 million, even as solana ETFs added $4.64 million and XRP ETFs took in $1.40 million. Trading volumes stayed elevated, but net assets for the major funds ended lower.

Bitcoin moved back above $70,000 early in the week as a lull in Middle East tensions improved risk sentiment and cooled oil-related inflation worries. Wintermute said BTC rebounded from the low $68,000s, briefly neared $71,000, and could retest $74,000–$76,000 if oil stabilizes and shipping routes normalize. Ethereum led institutional inflows during the volatility, while gold fell more than 10% in its weakest week in over four decades.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren is seeking details from Beast Industries after its acquisition of teen-focused fintech app Step, raising questions about whether crypto or NFT investing could return for under-18 users. In a March 23 letter, she asked founder Jimmy Donaldson (MrBeast) and CEO Jeff Housenbold to explain the company's plans and to respond by April 3, 2026. Warren also highlighted Step's ongoing partnership with Evolve Bank & Trust and broader issues around protections for young users.

Tether said it has engaged a Big Four accounting firm to carry out its first full independent financial audit, expanding beyond the reserve attestations it has used in the past. The company said the audit will review complete financial statements covering digital assets, traditional reserves and tokenized liabilities, as USDT’s market value sits above $184 billion.

Bitcoin spot ETFs started the week back in positive territory, posting a $167.23 million net inflow after three straight days of redemptions. IBIT led with $160.81 million and FBTC added $41.70 million, while ether ETFs logged a fourth consecutive outflow day of $16.18 million and XRP and Solana ETF segments showed zero flows.

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.