hodler

21 Mar 2026, 05:00

Gold breaks KEY support with 3.7% drop – Will crypto face pressure next?

With gold losing its hedge status and a strong dollar attracting yields, crypto traders are going strategic.

21 Mar 2026, 05:00

UK Moves To Shut Down Crypto Exchange Tied To Iran’s Military

A blockchain analytics firm found that nearly 90% of money processed by a UK-registered crypto exchange in 2024 was connected to Iran’s most powerful military organization. A Billion Dollars And A Fake Boss TRM Labs, which tracks cryptocurrency flows, reported that Zedxion Exchange and a related platform called Zedcex moved roughly $1 billion tied to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). In 2024, IRGC-linked payments made up about 87% of all transactions the two exchanges handled. Even as that share fell to roughly 48% in 2025, the raw dollar amounts connected to the Iranian military group remained massive. Now the UK is shutting the exchange down. Britain’s Companies House — the government body that registers businesses — has started a compulsory strike-off against Zedxion Exchange Ltd. Authorities say the company filed false information, including listing a director who never existed. Stock Photo, Fake Name, Real Money The fictitious director was registered under the name Elizabeth Newman, listed as a citizen of the Dominican Republic. An investigation by the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) found that the woman behind the name was likely manufactured entirely — her image in company marketing videos traced back to a stock photo. Before Newman appeared in company records, a man named Babak Morteza held the director position. His details matched those of Babak Zanjani, an Iranian businessman who had previously been sentenced to death in Iran for stealing state oil funds. That sentence was reduced in 2024, and Zanjani resumed business operations. Morteza was listed as director and the person with significant control of Zedxion from October 2021 to August 2022. Zanjani is also said to head DotOne Holding Group, a conglomerate with operations across cryptocurrency, foreign exchange, logistics, and telecommunications — sectors that have been used in the past to sidestep international sanctions. Washington Acted First The UK crackdown follows US sanctions imposed in January by the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC). Both Zedxion and Zedcex were named in that action. OFAC said Zanjani helped fund projects supporting the IRGC and the Iranian government more broadly. Company filings for the two exchanges also showed dormant accounts, a detail that stood in sharp contrast to the enormous transaction volumes blockchain analysts traced through them. The UK passed the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act in 2023, giving Companies House new authority to verify the identities of directors and check that registered businesses were set up for lawful purposes. The Zedxion case marks one of the more visible uses of those powers. Featured image from Unsplash, chart from TradingView

21 Mar 2026, 04:55

We Asked 2 AIs: What Must XRP Do to Escape the Ongoing Crisis?

Alongside the rest of the crypto market, Ripple’s cross-border token tried to break out in the middle of the business week, surging to a monthly peak of over $1.60. However, the subsequent rejection pushed it south to under $1.50 as of press time. Even the most recent developments on the Ripple adoption and partnership front cannot truly initiate a notable leg up. As such, we decided to ask what is needed for XRP to finally break out of its current consolidation. ChatGPT’s Take OpenAI’s solution admitted that XRP has been quite sluggish as of late, trading over 60% away from its all-time high marked in July last year. Moreover, it has underperformed quite substantially even after the first spot XRP ETFs went live for trading in the US last November. Nevertheless, it remained above $1.00 even during the most intense sell-offs in early February, which is why ChatGPT said that its bear phase “may be weakening.” To break beyond $1.60, though, the token would have to first flip that level into support, not just briefly wick above it as it has done on a couple of occasions since the February low. “A clean breakout with strong volume would signal that buyers have absorbed the selling pressure at that level.” However, the AI platform also outlined the significance of the broader market’s conditions as XRP “rarely moves in isolation.” It added that a continued BTC and ETH recovery would likely “provide the momentum needed for other larger-cap alts to follow through.” Lastly, it noted that XRP has historically responded strongly to one of the following catalysts: Regulatory clarity or positive legal developments Institutional adoption or partnerships Increased utility in cross-border payments However, these catalysts have failed to impact its most recent price moves, as mentioned above. And Gemini’s View ChatGPT’s rival from Google supports much of what was written above, saying that XRP has failed to materialize on Ripple’s big partnerships and it would need a more sustained revival from bitcoin to chart some gains. The AI solution believes the $2.00 level will remain a mirage for the foreseeable future, especially since riskier assets tend to underperform when the Fed keeps the interest rates high , and uncertainty levels from wars go through the roof. “Right now, XRP isn’t just fighting technical resistance; It’s fighting the Federal Reserve. The post-FOMC hangover from March 18 made it clear: Interest rates are staying higher for longer and speculative capital is hiding out in safe-yielding Treasuries.” It explained that the macro winds “need to shift” for XRP to break past $1.60 and head for $2.00. A cooling in inflation data or an unexpected dovish pivot from the Fed later this year would “instantly inject liquidity back into the crypto markets, lifting all boats – XRP included.” The post We Asked 2 AIs: What Must XRP Do to Escape the Ongoing Crisis? appeared first on CryptoPotato .

21 Mar 2026, 04:55

Dormant BTC wallet wakes up after 14 years with 11,000x paper profit

While it isn’t clear whether the trader will offload the $148 million worth of Bitcoin, whales have been partially blamed for causing considerable sell-side pressure in recent months.

21 Mar 2026, 04:44

BNB Technical Analysis March 21, 2026: Critical Support and Resistance Levels in a Sideways Trend and Market Commentary

BNB is trading sideways at 642 dollars; if 646 resistance is broken, 764 target, if it drops below, 614 support is critical. RSI neutral, MACD with bull signal, balanced outlook prevails.

21 Mar 2026, 04:38

Bitcoin weakness deepens as war pushes traders to cut risk in BTC and stocks

Bitcoin price remains rocky, and BTC and equities ETF outflows soar as the US and Israel-Iran war enters a fourth week.