Invest ideasNews
20 Mar 2026, 13:40
Coinbase Expands Into Stock Perpetual Futures With 24/7 Trading
Coinbase has introduced stock perpetual futures that allow traders to access major US equities through a crypto-native structure. The rollout targets eligible users outside the United States and reflects a broader push to unify different asset classes within a single trading environment. This development positions the platform closer to its goal of building an “everything exchange,” where users can trade crypto, equities, and other assets in one place. Moreover, the move responds to rising global demand for continuous market access and flexible trading tools. Expanding Access to Global Equity Exposure According Coinbase blog post , the new product enables traders to gain leveraged exposure to leading US stocks without owning the underlying shares. Besides, it opens access to popular names such as Apple, Tesla, Nvidia, and Microsoft, often referred to as the “Magnificent 7.” Traders can also access ETF perpetual futures linked to major indices like the SPY and QQQ. Consequently, the platform provides 24/7 trading, including weekends. This feature addresses a key limitation in traditional stock markets, which typically operate only during weekdays. Additionally, the system allows traders in regions with limited access to US markets to participate more easily. Hence, Coinbase creates a pathway for global investors to engage with US equities in real time. Key Features and Trading Structure Coinbase offers leverage of up to 10x on single stocks and up to 20x on ETF perpetuals. This structure increases both opportunity and risk, requiring careful position management. Moreover, all trades settle in USDC, allowing seamless interaction with crypto-based assets. Additionally, the platform integrates cross-margining across both spot and derivatives markets. This design improves capital efficiency for active traders. It also allows users to manage multiple positions using shared collateral. Consequently, traders gain more flexibility when adjusting exposure across different assets. The product operates on Coinbase’s existing perpetual futures infrastructure. Therefore, it benefits from established risk management systems and liquidity frameworks. This consistency strengthens reliability and supports both retail and institutional participation. Strategic Push Toward an “Everything Exchange” Coinbase continues to expand its derivatives offerings beyond crypto. Significantly, this move brings traditional financial instruments into a centralized, regulated environment. As a result, the platform aims to compete with decentralized exchanges that already offer similar perpetual products. Furthermore, institutions gain tools for real-time hedging and portfolio management. Retail traders also benefit from access to tools that were once limited to professional markets. Besides, the unified structure reduces friction between different asset classes. However, the product remains unavailable to users in the United States due to regulatory limits. Coinbase plans to expand access to more regions over time. Consequently, the launch represents a step toward a broader, globally integrated trading ecosystem.
20 Mar 2026, 13:40
Bitcoin whale holding $147M wakes after 13 years, makes tiny $56 transfer
A Bitcoin wallet that has sat untouched since 2012 has suddenly sprung back to life, moving just $56 worth of BTC from a stash now valued at roughly $147 million.
20 Mar 2026, 13:38
Iran Wants to Turn the Strait of Hormuz Into a Toll Road and it Could Reshape How the World Pays for Oil
The Iran war is now entering twenty days and until yesterday, the conflict looked like a conventional military standoff with strikes, retaliation and a rise in oil prices. This has effectively changed this week. Iran International reported that Iranian lawmakers are proposing a bill to charge transit tolls on every ship passing through the Strait of Hormuz, the vital passageway in the Gulf responsible for nearly 20% of the world’s oil supply. Adding to this, an adviser to the Supreme Leader has also signaled that “a new regime for the Strait” would follow the war, one where Tehran gets to decide who passes, who pays and on what terms. Iran is considering charging transit fees on ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz, a lawmaker said on Thursday, as officials in Tehran stepped up rhetoric over the strategic waterway after this week’s attacks on energy sites in the Persian Gulf. https://t.co/au2XPCRYnt pic.twitter.com/DWo6UvXXJo — Iran International English (@IranIntl_En) March 19, 2026 Uncertainty around the region is further compounded by the fact that Iran has rejected all ceasefire talks. Simultaneously, six nations, the UK, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Japan, issued their first joint statement calling for the Strait to be opened, but with caveats large enough to render the coalition largely symbolic for now: no military deployment without a ceasefire in place and parliamentary approval from each member state. Shipments passing through Hormuz have collapsed since the start with reports from Euronews suggesting that only around 90 tankers have cleared the region since March 1. This development means that the conflict poses a new risk of shifting from who controls the Strait militarily to who controls it economically and the question of how a sanctioned state gets paid in such a situation. From Blockade to Toll Road: Iran’s Strategic Pivot Iran’s strategy in using the Strait of Hormuz as a lever has shifted in a dramatic way this week with news of Tehran actively pursuing to pass a legislation that would require all nations to pay transit tolls and taxes for shipping through the Strait. This was put forth not as a hostile measure but rather as a fee to be paid for the security that Iran would provide. As lawmaker Somayeh Rafiei put it, “the security of the strait will be established, and countries must pay a tax in return”. This news dropped around the same time as an advisor to Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei hinted that this shift is not intended to be a temporary measure. Such a reality would enable Iran to allow or restrict access based on who they are aligned with geopolitically. The potential of this pivot being seen as a possible ceasefire agreement was almost immediately thwarted by Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and adding that “the United States must be held accountable” as reported by the Time. What makes this pivot significant is the logic behind it. A permanent military blockade is unsustainable, it invites escalation, drains resources, and gives the coalition forming against Iran a cleaner justification to act. A toll regime, on the other hand, preserves Iran’s strongest bargaining chip while replacing brute force with institutional leverage. The numbers on the ground reflect how much control Tehran already has: only 90 tankers have passed through the Strait since March 1, almost entirely vessels from India and China that received explicit Iranian permission. The blockade is already functioning as a selective access system. Formalizing it through legislation doesn’t change the reality on the water, it just gives Iran a legal and economic framework to sustain it indefinitely, without the optics of an outright military standoff. Six Nations Form a Coalition but It’s Not Ready to Act This week also saw the first signs of a coordinated response taking shape, albeit still not decisive. Al Jazeera reported that the UK, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Japan have put out a joint statement that highlights a “readiness to contribute to appropriate efforts to ensure safe passage” through the Strait. The statement also calls for “an immediate comprehensive moratorium on attacks on civilian infrastructure, including oil and gas installations”. Despite this joint statement being the first real signal from nations coordinating toward a plan rather than pure diplomatic concern, the willingness to act seems to be far away at this stage. For instance, Italy has emphasized that this is “not a war mission” and stated that it would not enter the Strait without a ceasefire coming into effect. Similarly, Germany will not act until a parliamentary approval comes in and Japan has signaled that it is not currently considering any maritime operations. Therefore, operationally, the coalition is still not ready to act and this, in turn, is creating a deadlock while adding to the evermounting uncertainty around the region. Iran is attempting to impose economic control through tolls, while the coalition is pushing for free navigation without committing to enforce it militarily. With Iran rejecting a ceasefire and the coalition unwilling to act without one, Hormuz remains locked between two incompatible endgames. The market is already pricing in this uncertainty as these events develop. Brent Crude rose to a high of $119 per barrel yesterday and continues to trade above $110 at the time of writing. The Sanctions Payment Problem: Why Crypto May Be the Only Answer If Iran’s toll regime becomes a reality, the immediate question will be regarding payment. Iran is a sanctioned state, cut out from the global financial system, how then would they be able to collect any payment from the rest of the world? This is where crypto comes into the picture. Currently there is no clean way for most of the world to pay Iran for transit. This is not a new problem by any means though. Venezuela has used stablecoin rails to collect its oil revenue with nearly 80% via USDT. Tolls on every ship passing through a passageway that accounts for nearly 20% of the global energy supply would be the largest real world use case stablecoin payments we’ve ever seen. Bitcoin and the broader crypto market’s resilience since the war broke out has also not gone unnoticed. Bloomberg has described Bitcoin as an “an oasis of calm” in the midst of an active war and when you look at the numbers, this statement holds some truth to it. Despite a decline post-FOMC of around, BTC is still above the $70K mark and is still outperforming Gold which has had its worst week since 1983, down roughly 10% from the highs to lows and currently over 12% down since the conflict began. Equity markets have performed in a similar wane as well with the S&P 500 down over 4% since the start of the month. If the toll bill is enforced, the reality is that crypto becomes a viable solution. This is not to say that Iran will use crypto, but the structural reality exists. The sanctions payment problem has no traditional solution, and in every recent case where states needed to transact outside the dollar system, crypto has emerged as the only viable workaround. What to Watch: The Three Paths from Here Three distinct paths are forming from here, each carrying a very different set of implications for energy markets and crypto. The first is that Iran’s toll regime becomes a functioning reality, friendly nations like China and India, already operating within Iranian-permitted shipping lanes, formalize payment arrangements in non-dollar currencies or stablecoins, while Western nations refuse and Hormuz effectively splits into a two-tier shipping lane. Oil stays above $100, the sanctions payment infrastructure built around crypto expands, and Bitcoin’s role in geopolitical finance becomes harder to dismiss. The second path is that the six-nation coalition moves beyond joint statements and into actual deployment following a ceasefire, Hormuz reopens under international escort, and oil pulls back to the $80–90 range. In that scenario, Bitcoin loses the war outperformance narrative but gains a different tailwind entirely, lower energy prices ease inflation, the Fed gets room to cut, and liquidity returns to risk assets. The third path, and arguably the most likely given where both sides currently stand, is continued deadlock: Iran holds the blockade, rejects any ceasefire, the tolls bill stalls in the legislative process, and oil grinds above $100 indefinitely while both sides continue targeting energy infrastructure. Gold keeps failing as a safe haven. Bitcoin holds above $70K as the only major asset that has consistently outperformed since the conflict began. For BTC specifically, the next 48 hours matter. The post-FOMC dip window, which runs roughly through today, is overlapping directly with the Hormuz developments, compressing two major macro catalysts into the same narrow timeframe. If $70K holds as support and the situation around the Strait shows any sign of stabilization, even the ambiguous kind that comes with a toll framework rather than a full reopening, Bitcoin is likely retesting $75K in short order. If $70K breaks on further escalation or a new round of infrastructure strikes, the next meaningful support sits in the $67K region. The war started as a military event. It’s becoming an economic and financial one. Bitcoin’s performance across both phases has made one thing increasingly difficult to argue against, that crypto’s role in how the world manages geopolitical risk is no longer a thesis. It’s a track record. Want your project in front of crypto’s top minds? Feature it in our next industry report, where data meets impact.
20 Mar 2026, 13:36
Morgan Stanley Is Making a Move No Major U.S. Bank Has Done Before — Will MSBT ETF Change Bitcoin Forever?
Morgan Stanley wants to be the first major U.S. bank to launch a spot Bitcoin ETF. The investment giant just filed an amended S-1 with the SEC. Ticker is locked in: MSBT. Listing target is NYSE Arca. This is not a exploratory move. This is a bank actively pushing toward approval. What makes this different from BlackRock and the rest? Morgan Stanley has a massive advisory network and plans to use it for direct distribution. That is a serious edge if this gets the green light. The filing includes seed capital and custody details. That is usually the last step before a launch decision gets made. The window is closing fast. Key Takeaways Ticker & Listing: The Morgan Stanley Bitcoin Trust will trade under MSBT on the NYSE Arca with an initial seed basket of 50,000 shares. Infrastructure: BNY Mellon will handle cash custody and administration while Coinbase serves as the prime broker for Bitcoin holdings. Market Position: This marks the first major U.S. bank to attempt direct issuance of a spot Bitcoin ETF rather than merely distributing third-party products. The Mechanics of the Morgan Stanley S-1 Amendment Filing Explained An amended S-1 is not just paperwork. It means the SEC is asking questions and Morgan Stanley is answering them. That is an active conversation, not a waiting game. Morgan Stanley reveals MSBT as the ticker for its spot Bitcoin ETF in latest SEC filing. pic.twitter.com/DSrZhbvFbN — TFTC (@TFTC21) March 19, 2026 The latest filing gets specific. Basket size is set at 10,000 shares. Seed basket is 50,000 shares, expected to raise around $1 million. They even bought 2 shares on March 9 just for auditing. Small moves, but these are exactly what happens right before a listing. Custody is sorted too. BNY Mellon handles cash and transfers. Coinbase holds the Bitcoin. That split model is becoming the industry standard and the SEC likes it. Here is the bigger picture though. BlackRock and Fidelity own the asset management lane. Morgan Stanley owns wealth management. Over $1.8 trillion in assets and a direct line to advisor-managed portfolios. By issuing its own ETF, it keeps the management fee instead of handing it to someone else. The bank is not just selling other people’s products anymore. It is building its own. The ticker is claimed, the infrastructure is ready, and the distribution network is just waiting to be switched on. Discover: The best new crypto in the world The post Morgan Stanley Is Making a Move No Major U.S. Bank Has Done Before — Will MSBT ETF Change Bitcoin Forever? appeared first on Cryptonews .
20 Mar 2026, 13:31
Expert Has Urgent News for XRP Holders: Banks Forced to Adopt XRP
The financial world is on the verge of a significant transformation. Crypto expert CryptoSensei (@Crypt0Senseii) recently addressed the growing tension between banks and emerging blockchain technologies. In a video on X, he emphasized the economic pressure traditional financial institutions face. According to him, banks “understand that this technology will have a giant impact on them.” Banks have long profited from fees and low-interest products, but the rise of digital assets and stablecoins is changing the landscape. CryptoSensei highlighted how banks earn tens of billions of dollars annually through wire transfer charges, late fees, and minimal interest of around 0.08% on savings accounts. He contrasted this with modern alternatives, noting that “these stablecoins give you 3%.” The disparity shows why banks must reconsider their current models . URGENT #XRP NEWS (Banks Forced to Adopt XRP) pic.twitter.com/foTJNOeN1a — CryptoSensei (@Crypt0Senseii) March 19, 2026 The Necessity for Change CryptoSensei explained that banks resist competition but cannot ignore it. He stated, “They don’t want the competition, but they need the competition.” This statement signals that the adoption of blockchain solutions, including XRP, may become unavoidable. Banks must evolve to meet consumer expectations for higher yields and more efficient transfers. His comments suggest that XRP occupies a central role in this transition. As a liquidity solution with fast transaction capabilities , XRP provides a competitive alternative to existing banking processes. CryptoSensei emphasized that banks will have no choice but to incorporate technologies that improve service efficiency. XRP Adoption and Market Potential Widespread adoption of XRP by banks could drive significant price growth. The cryptocurrency already benefits from its reputation as a bridge asset for cross-border payments. As more institutions integrate XRP into their operations , demand could increase sharply. The comments also suggest that XRP’s role is not optional. Banks must adapt to meet consumer expectations and remain competitive. The pressure from rising alternative financial products makes XRP an essential component for modernization. CryptoSensei noted that financial institutions have to improve because “people deserve more.” We are on X, follow us to connect with us :- @TimesTabloid1 — TimesTabloid (@TimesTabloid1) June 15, 2025 Outlook for Investors XRP holders may view this as a positive signal for the token’s market trajectory. If banks embrace XRP, liquidity will expand, and transaction volume will increase. This adoption could trigger upward price movement, potentially reflecting both institutional demand and broader market interest. Analysts already note that XRP’s scalability and efficiency make it suitable for large-scale banking applications. The video from CryptoSensei reinforces the idea that the shift is imminent. Banks face structural challenges that require immediate solutions. XRP presents a practical tool to address these challenges while maintaining profitability and competitiveness. Disclaimer : This content is meant to inform and should not be considered financial advice. The views expressed in this article may include the author’s personal opinions and do not represent Times Tabloid’s opinion. Readers are advised to conduct thorough research before making any investment decisions. Any action taken by the reader is strictly at their own risk. Times Tabloid is not responsible for any financial losses. Follow us on X , Facebook , Telegram , and Google News The post Expert Has Urgent News for XRP Holders: Banks Forced to Adopt XRP appeared first on Times Tabloid .
20 Mar 2026, 13:30
Bitcoin Just Got A $1 Million Nudge, But Will Morgan Stanley’s MSBT ETF Really Move The Needle?
TradFi is taking another step into fully embracing bitcoin as an asset. Morgan Stanley is creating its own Bitcoin investment fund that will trade on the stock market like a regular exchange‑traded fund (ETF) share. To get it started, the lender is putting in about $1 million of its own money as seed capital. Related Reading: Legendary Bitcoin Trader Says HYPE Will Soar To $150, Here’s Why A TradFi Bitcoin Trust Morgan Stanley has filed another amended S‑1/A for the Morgan Stanley Bitcoin Trust (MSBT), confirming ticker MSBT on NYSE Arca. The bank outlined the ticker symbol in a new submission to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, revising the Bitcoin fund proposal it first filed in January. The Morgan Stanley Bitcoin Trust would be the first spot Bitcoin ETF not just distribute but directly issued by a major U.S. bank. It would also mark the first time that the seed basket cash will be used to acquire spot BTC before trading begins. We are talking about a 50,000‑share seed basket and roughly $1 million in initial capital. The trust is set to hold bitcoin via custodians (Coinbase Custody and BNY Mellon under the broader ETF plan), with assets stored primarily in cold storage, and shares reflecting the underlying BTC held. Once it launches, regular investors (especially Morgan Stanley clients) will be able to buy and sell MSBT through their normal brokerage accounts, getting regulated, brokerage‑account exposure to bitcoin’s price without touching self‑custody or spot exchanges directly. The trust will also to support both cash and in‑kind creations/redemptions, giving authorized participants (APs) flexibility, just like the main spot Bitcoin ETFs that launched in 2024 Trading And Risk Assessment However, it is worth noting custodians are not FDIC‑insured. This means that if something goes wrong (hack, theft, failure), you don’t have the government safety net that protects U.S. bank deposits up to a certain amount. Besides that, insurance is through private policies, and the ETF still faces market, regulatory and operational risk, especially in a crowded field dominated by BlackRock’s IBIT and other early movers. Related Reading: Hyperliquid Breaks Crypto Wall? Fiat On-Ramp Lets Anyone Trade With Bank Card Morgan Stanley already holds hundreds of millions in existing BTC ETFs and is building a broader crypto stack (Ethereum and Solana filings, trust‑bank application for custody, advisor access to BTC products). A bank‑issued MSBT product could normalize bitcoin exposure for traditional wealth‑management clients, strengthen the “Bitcoin as strategic asset” narrative, and extend the institutional ETF cycle. MSBT’s launch timeline, fee level and early inflows will be key sentiment catalysts. Strong demand could reinforce BTC’s ETF‑driven structural bid, while a lukewarm debut would signal saturation in the U.S. spot Bitcoin ETF trade. At the moment of writing, BTC trades on the highs $70k. Source: BTCUSD on Tradingview Cover image from Perplexity, BTCUSD chart from Tradingview
