The reopening reduces immediate oil price volatility but highlights the 
fragility of geopolitical stability affecting global markets.
The post Strait of Hormuz reopens, easing oil supply concerns amid US-Iran 
tensions appeared first on Crypto Briefing.

Strait of Hormuz reopens, easing oil supply concerns amid US-Iran tensions

The potential agreement could stabilize regional tensions, but without a 
uranium deal, the ceasefire&#8217;s durability remains uncertain.
The post Iran hopeful for preliminary agreement with US to extend ceasefire 
appeared first on Crypto Briefing.

Iran hopeful for preliminary agreement with US to extend ceasefire

A recent report has suggested that the digital assets market has likely 
entered its “crypto winter” after the sector’s market capitalization and 
trading volume continued to decline for a second consecutive quarter. Related 
Reading: Solana-Based Drift Protocol Announces $150M Recovery Fund, New Token 
Following Tether Collab Crypto Winter Arrives As Volumes Drop On Thursday, 
CoinGecko affirmed that the market transitioned from a sharp correction to a 
“sustained” crypto winter in Q1 2026. This shift occurred as the late 2025 
bearish momentum collided with the onset of global geopolitical tensions in 
the first quarter of the year. According to its 2026 Q1 Crypto Industry 
Report, the total crypto market capitalization dropped around 20.4%, roughly 
$622 billion, ending the first quarter at $2.4 trillion and marking the second 
consecutive quarter of decline. This contraction, which accelerated between 
mid-January and early February, left the market around 45% below its October 
peak of $4.27 trillion. During this period, daily trading activity also 
declined by 27.2% Quarter-over-Quarter (QoQ), with an average daily trading 
volume of $117.8 billion. Meanwhile, spot trading volume on the top 10 
centralized exchanges (CEXes), including Binance, MEXC, KuCoin, and Bybit, 
decreased 39.1% QoQ to $2.7 trillion, seeing a notable decline by the end of 
Q1. Per CoinGecko data, volumes held above the $1 trillion mark in January, 
but fell throughout the quarter. With only $0.8 trillion in trading volume, 
March was the weakest month of Q1, recording the lowest levels since November 
2023. While Binance maintained its dominance, with a 37% market share, MEXC 
was the only other exchange with a double-digit market share in Q1, at 10%. 
“All top 10 spot CEXes saw trading volume decline in Q1, with drops ranging 
from -23% to -55%. HTX saw the biggest slump, with its quarterly trading 
volume dropping to $133.6 billion in 2026 Q1 from $294.4 billion in 2025 Q4. 
Its market share fell to 4.9%, placing it in #10,” the report added. Majors 
Decline, Stablecoins Remain Flat Crypto market-wide declines continued in Q1, 
as majors pulled back for a second consecutive quarter. Bitcoin (BTC) fell 22% 
during the quarter but outperformed the other top five crypto assets by a 
narrow margin. However, it continued to underperform other major assets, 
including Oil, Gold, and the S&amp;P 500. Ethereum (ETH), BNB, XRP, and Solana 
(SOL) recorded similar drawdowns as Bitcoin, which “weighed heavily on total 
market capitalization.” Legacy tokens such as Uniswap (UNI) and Chainlink 
(LINK) also faced continued pressure despite institutional adoption and 
gaining “digital commodity” status under the SEC-CFTC Joint Interpretive 
Guidance issued last month. The report noted that relative strength emerged 
amongst some altcoins after the Q4 2025 sell-off, including Hyperliquid (HYPE) 
and Bittensor (TAO), which outperformed the broader sector. Related Reading: 
Bitcoin Double Bottom Formation Eyes $82,500 Rally – Breakout Or Rejection 
Next? Meanwhile, the total stablecoin market capitalization stayed mostly flat 
in Q1, seeing a marginal 0.5% increase to end the quarter at $309.9 billion. 
During this period, Tether’s USDT saw its supply decline 1.6% to $184.1 
billion, the first meaningful drop since Q2 2022. Circle’s USDC grew 2.4% to 
hit $77.1 billion, while Sky’s USDS and WLFI’s USD1 recorded double-digit 
growth. Nonetheless, stablecoin’s stability despite the challenging landscape 
for the broader crypto market in Q1 highlighted “the sector’s role as a 
liquidity anchor,” CoinGecko emphasized. Featured Image from Unsplash.com, 
Chart from TradingView.com

A ‘Sustained’ Crypto Winter? Trading Volume Hits Lowest Levels Since 2023 – Report

The growing preference for Bitcoin over gold among Americans highlights 
shifting investment trends, yet price recovery confidence remains low.
The post Americans own more Bitcoin than gold, 50M holders surpass 37M gold 
owners appeared first on Crypto Briefing.

Americans own more Bitcoin than gold, 50M holders surpass 37M gold owners

Anthropic&#8217;s valuation surge highlights the growing strategic importance of AI 
in national security, potentially reshaping global tech dynamics.
The post Anthropic valuation hits $800B amid US strategic asset recognition 
appeared first on Crypto Briefing.

Cryptocurrency price in CNY