The FTC said on March 26 that it sent warning letters to Paypal, Stripe, Visa, and Mastercard over policies and practices that may limit customer access to financial services. The agency signaled that account restrictions or service denials that conflict with disclosed terms or reasonable consumer expectations could lead to investigations or enforcement actions.

Commentary shared March 25, 2026 says major financial market institutions are moving key functions onto blockchain networks to speed transactions, cut friction, and broaden access. A16z Crypto operating partner Jason Rosenthal argues this shift resembles a full migration rather than scattered pilots, pointing to tokenization features like fractional ownership and faster settlement. The discussion also cites initiatives involving DTCC and major exchanges as examples of institutional on-chain momentum.

Strategy Inc. said March 25 that it is hiring a Bitcoin Security Director and rolling out a Bitcoin Security program to coordinate with the global cybersecurity, crypto, and bitcoin security community. The initiative follows the Feb. 6, 2026 introduction of the program and a March 10, 2026 opening of recruitment for the role. The company reported holdings of 762,099 BTC valued at about $54.63 billion at a bitcoin price of $71,676, alongside $2.25 billion in USD reserves and $8.25 billion in debt.

On March 23, Grayscale research head Zach Pandl said crypto markets stayed relatively stable during the war with Iran, arguing valuations could recover more meaningfully as macro risks fade. By March 25, oil had fallen more than 5%, with Brent around $98.28 and WTI near $87.68, while Grayscale also pointed to ETP inflows, higher perpetual open interest, and improving U.S. policy signals as supportive factors.

Ondo Finance said on March 25 it partnered with Franklin Templeton to offer tokenized exposure to five ETFs through Ondo Global Markets, with Franklin Templeton continuing to manage the underlying funds. The setup issues wallet-held tokens that mirror ETF share ownership, enabling continuous trading outside traditional market hours and potential use in DeFi. The five ETFs span growth equities, large-cap stocks, gold, high-yield corporate bonds, and income-focused equities.

Ripple said on March 25 it joined the Monetary Authority of Singapore’s (MAS) BLOOM initiative, bringing XRP Ledger (XRPL) infrastructure and Ripple USD (RLUSD) into programmable settlement models. The pilot with supply chain finance firm Unloq will test conditional payment triggers for trade settlement in a regulated environment.

The White House said on March 25 that President Donald J. Trump appointed the first members to the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST), created by executive order to guide U.S. science and technology strategy. The roster includes Marc Andreessen, Sergey Brin, Safra Catz, Michael Dell, Fred Ehrsam, Larry Ellison, Jensen Huang, Lisa Su, Mark Zuckerberg and others, with David Sacks and Michael Kratsios set to co-chair. The council’s remit includes emerging-tech impacts on the workforce and economy, and the structure includes a Special Advisor for AI & crypto as a standing member and co-chair.

On March 24, the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) said Chairman Michael S. Selig created an Innovation Task Force to help define oversight for new products emerging in U.S. derivatives markets. The agency said the initiative will focus on building a clearer framework for innovators working on crypto assets and blockchain, artificial intelligence and autonomous systems, and prediction markets and event contracts. The CFTC also pointed to cross-agency coordination, including a March 17 joint interpretation with the SEC on applying federal securities laws to certain crypto assets and related activities such as staking, airdrops, and protocol mining.

SEC Chairman Paul S. Atkins said on March 24 in New York that the agency is sharpening how it determines when a token falls under federal securities laws. He described a five-category model—four categories deemed not to be securities—and said the approach is meant to clarify when fundraising around a crypto asset can trigger securities compliance obligations.