Written by Genny Ngai and Will Roth from Morrison Cohen LLP, the Trump administration has labeled drug and violent cartels as Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs) and Specially Designated Global Terrorists (SDGTs) since taking office. President Trump's orders to eliminate these cartels pose a significant threat to the cryptocurrency industry, potentially leading to unintended consequences for the digital asset community. The recent legal action against cryptocurrency companies, such as Binance, for aiding terrorist groups highlights the need for vigilance and compliance with anti-terrorism laws in the industry. As drug cartels are now considered terrorist organizations, crypto companies should be prepared for potential lawsuits and ensure they are not inadvertently involved in illegal activities.

Three individuals were found guilty of deceiving victims with promises of high returns through the selection of 1,000 top-tier cryptocurrencies worldwide, claiming monthly profits of up to 30%. However, it was later discovered that their "proprietary trading algorithm" was a sham, with the money being misappropriated for personal gain. The main perpetrator received a four-and-a-half-year prison sentence, while his two associates were sentenced to three-and-a-half and two-and-a-half years. The court condemned their exploitation of public interest in cryptocurrencies, emphasizing the need for a strong judicial response to such crimes.

Forbes journalist Eleanor Terrett wrote that Brian Quintenz, the nominee for chairman of the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), has started meeting with senators on Capitol Hill to prepare for his confirmation hearing. Today, he met with Republican Senator Chuck Grassley from Iowa to discuss CFTC affairs, including the issue of cryptocurrency spot trading markets.

The CEO of BlackRock highlighted the growing significance of digital assets, such as Bitcoin, as a potential threat to the global dominance of the dollar. The U.S. debt is increasing at a faster pace than the economy, with interest payments expected to exceed $952 billion this year, surpassing military spending. If not addressed, by 2030 debt service and mandatory spending could consume all federal revenue, leading to a permanent deficit. While acknowledging the role of digital assets, the CEO expressed concerns that decentralized finance could shift the balance of power in the global economy, posing challenges to the U.S. dollar's supremacy. BlackRock's Bitcoin ETF, IBIT, has achieved remarkable growth, becoming the largest ETF launch in history with $50 billion in assets under management within a year, driven by significant inflows in 2024. The CEO suggested that if more institutional and retail investors allocate a small percentage of their portfolios to Bitcoin, its price could potentially reach $700,000, positioning BlackRock as a key player in the digital asset space with offerings in Canada and Europe.

Binance founder CZ stated in a post, "Some high-value tokens (six to seven digits) on the donation address have been sent to a burn address. There are already some new AI solutions that can automate this operation, but they have not yet undergone security review. The remaining part will be handled later. Please do not send tokens to this address anymore, and look forward to any interactions."

according to Arkham monitoring, CZ's donation wallet destroyed $1.1 million worth of Broccoli (0xa14), $540,000 worth of Broccoli (0x6d5), and $1.95 million worth of Tutorial tokens.

Written by Igor Zemtsov, the chief technology officer at TBCC, the "Libragate" incident caused a significant drop in memecoin prices, resulting in a nearly 60% decrease in market cap from the highs of 2025. Despite this setback, meme tokens are showing resilience, similar to a cat with multiple lives. As of March 10, memecoins still held a market cap of $47.9 billion, a substantial amount. Despite facing challenges, enthusiasts are still buying into memecoins like Unicorn Fart Dust, Fartcoin, and Buttcoin in hopes of significant profits.

Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong stated in a post, "US stablecoin legislation should allow consumers to earn interest on stablecoins. The government should not favor a particular industry, but should allow banks and crypto companies to share interest with consumers and incentivize them to do so. Stablecoins, through digitizing the US dollar and other fiat currencies, have found a product-market fit, but we have not yet unlocked a key piece that would allow ordinary people and the US economy to fully benefit: on-chain interest."

The decision to prohibit closed pension funds from investing in crypto assets was influenced by the instability of digital currencies, particularly following Bitcoin's 120% surge in 2024, reaching approximately $80,000. This ruling mainly impacts major pension funds like Previ and Petros, which cater to millions of retirees and have traditionally favored low-risk investments like government bonds due to Brazil's 10.5% Selic rate. Despite the ban on cryptocurrencies, the council is still permitting investments in other sectors such as agro-industrial funds and infrastructure debentures to support Brazil's $150 billion export industry. This move contrasts with the trend in other countries where U.S. pension funds are embracing Bitcoin ETFs, Australia allows indirect crypto exposure, while South Korea and the Netherlands remain cautious about integrating crypto into their financial systems. Despite the ban on crypto investments, Brazil's 2022 crypto law marked a significant step towards regulating the digital asset market, with 10 million Brazilians now holding digital assets and evolving real estate regulations for pension funds.

Goldman Sachs has adjusted its GDP growth forecast for the U.S. downward to 1.5% from 2.0%, and is now anticipating inflation to potentially increase to 3.5% instead of the previous estimate of 3.0%. Despite these concerns, the financial firm is expecting rate cuts to occur sooner than originally expected, which could offer some relief. The impact of tariffs on global trade is escalating, with Trump's recent "reciprocal tariff" week marking a significant escalation. By April 2, 20% tariffs will be imposed on imports from over 25 countries, affecting an estimated $1.5 trillion worth of goods by April 2025. Canada, China, the European Union, and Mexico are all taking retaliatory measures, adding to global economic uncertainty. Bitcoin (BTC) has concluded its worst Q1 performance since 2018, and analysts are cautioning that challenges may persist. Goldman Sachs has adjusted its outlook on the U.S. economy, now forecasting more rate cuts from the Fed and ECB.