Illicit crypto transactions surged to record levels in 2025, yet the digital 
asset economy continues expanding as legitimate adoption accelerates 
worldwide, highlighting a rapidly growing blockchain ecosystem that still 
overwhelmingly operates within legal activity. Illicit Crypto Flows Surge 
While Global Adoption Accelerates Despite the rise in illicit activity, the 
broader cryptocurrency ecosystem continues to expand […]

Crypto Crime Hits $154B in 2025 but It’s Below 1% of Onchain Activity

Bitcoin’s latest rebound to $74,050 on Thursday is running into immediate 
selling pressure as short-term holders move coins to exchanges in large 
volumes, suggesting the market’s most reactive cohort remains unconvinced by 
the recovery. On-chain data shared by CryptoQuant contributors indicates that 
traders who bought Bitcoin only weeks ago are now locking in gains rather than 
holding through the bounce, creating a fresh pocket of supply just as the 
market attempts to stabilize. Bitcoin Short-Term Holders Cash In According to 
CryptoQuant contributor Darkfost, more than 27,000 BTC in profits were sent to 
exchanges by short-term holders (STHs) over the past 24 hours, one of the 
largest spikes recorded in recent months. The metric tracks coins moved to 
exchanges by investors who are currently in profit, often interpreted as a 
precursor to potential selling pressure. Related Reading: Bitcoin Price 
Suppressed By Shadow Banking Rehypothecation, Saylor Says “Despite the slight 
recovery of Bitcoin, STHs (Short Term Holders) do not seem convinced and 
prefer to take profits quickly,” Darkfost wrote. “Over the past 24 hours, STHs 
have sent more than 27,000 BTC in profit to exchanges, which ranks among the 
highest levels observed in recent months.” The dynamic appears concentrated 
among the most recent buyers. According to the analysis, the only cohort 
currently able to realize meaningful gains consists of investors who 
accumulated Bitcoin between one week and one month ago, with a realized price 
near $68,000. That positioning places them directly in the money after 
Bitcoin’s latest bounce toward the low-$70,000 range, creating a natural 
incentive to exit positions quickly. “STH are known for being reactive and 
emotionally driven, especially the youngest cohorts,” Darkfost noted. “Current 
news flow and macroeconomic projections remain rather negative in the short 
term, which makes this behavior relatively understandable and, in this case, 
fairly rational.” Related Reading: Bitcoin To $11 Million By 2036? This AI- 
Deflation Thesis Is Turning Heads For now, that behavior translates into near- 
term supply. “This represents selling pressure to monitor, as STH do not yet 
appear willing to hold their positions for longer,” he added. Repeated Pattern 
Around Range Highs Separate market structure analysis points to another 
pattern that may be reinforcing the selling. CryptoQuant contributor Maartunn 
highlighted a recurring technical setup that has played out multiple times in 
recent months: brief breakouts above key resistance levels followed by swift 
reversals. “Deviations above the Range High keep getting sold,” Maartunn 
wrote. “Over the last few months, BTC has shown the same pattern three times: 
break above the range high, short-lived deviation, sharp move lower.” The most 
recent instance occurred as Bitcoin briefly pushed above a range ceiling near 
$71,000 before stalling. “The latest deviation just occurred around $71K,” he 
noted. “If history repeats, this level may again act as a trap for late 
longs.” The pattern was visible in early-October 2025 and mid-January 2026. 
Breakouts above local range highs were followed by rapid pullbacks, 
reinforcing the idea that liquidity above resistance levels has been used 
primarily as an exit point for sellers. At press time, Bitcoin traded at 
$70,127. Featured image created with DALL.E, chart from TradingView.com

Bitcoin Bounce Fails As Short-Term Holders Rush To Take Profit

Dubai’s regulator warns consumers and investors to avoid crypto exchange 
Kucoin, intensifying scrutiny of unregulated digital asset platforms as the 
UAE’s multi-agency system divides oversight of virtual assets across Dubai and 
other emirates. Kucoin Ordered to Halt Operations by Dubai Regulator 
Heightened regulatory scrutiny continues to shape the global virtual asset 
sector. Dubai’s Virtual Assets […]

Kucoin Faces Cease-and-Desist Order From Dubai Crypto Regulator

Bitcoin is testing the $70,000 level after briefly surging toward $74,000, as 
the market attempts to stabilize following a volatile period marked by 
geopolitical uncertainty and rapid price swings. While the recent rally helped 
restore short-term momentum, analysts are closely monitoring on-chain data to 
determine whether the move reflects a broader shift in market structure or 
simply a temporary recovery within an ongoing consolidation phase. Related 
Reading: The $73,000 Test: Crowded Shorts And Negative Funding Fueled 
Bitcoin’s 15% Recovery According to top analyst Axel Adler, recent exchange 
flow data reveals a notable development that could signal underlying 
accumulation. An unusually large Bitcoin outflow was recorded this week, with 
approximately 31,900 BTC leaving exchanges in a single day. Historically, 
events of this magnitude have often been associated with large-scale transfers 
into cold storage, suggesting that some market participants may be moving 
coins off trading platforms for longer-term holding. Over the past seven days, 
Bitcoin netflows from exchanges have remained consistently negative. Daily 
outflows included roughly 2,867 BTC on February 27, 1,205 BTC on February 28, 
251 BTC on March 1, 6,129 BTC on March 2, 1,819 BTC on March 3, a sharp 31,900 
BTC on March 4, and 3,478 BTC on March 5. In total, approximately 47,700 BTC 
exited exchanges during the week, one of the largest weekly outflow figures 
observed over the past year. Stablecoin Flows Reveal Liquidity Deployment Into 
Bitcoin The report also examines stablecoin activity across exchanges, 
highlighting an important shift in liquidity dynamics during early March. Data 
from the All Stablecoins (ERC20) Exchange Netflow metric tracks the daily net 
movement of stablecoins across trading platforms and provides insight into how 
capital flows into and out of the crypto market. For most of 2025, stablecoin 
netflows displayed a largely neutral pattern, characterized by alternating 
inflows and outflows without a sustained directional trend. Several notable 
spikes occurred during the year, including inflows of roughly $2.7 billion in 
July and approximately $2.4 billion in September. However, a more significant 
regime shift emerged in early March 2026. Related Reading: The $1.35 Floor: 
How Extreme Negative Funding Is Priming XRP For A High-Velocity Trend Reversal 
At that time, the chart recorded a large stablecoin inflow of about $1.1 
billion entering exchanges. Within just a few days, the trend reversed, with 
netflow falling to around -$37.5 million. While the current outflow is not 
extreme relative to historical swings, the rapid transition from inflow to 
outflow suggests that incoming liquidity was quickly deployed. According to 
the analysis, this movement likely connects directly to the anomalous Bitcoin 
outflow observed on March 4. The sequence suggests that stablecoins were first 
deposited onto exchanges, converted into Bitcoin through spot purchases, and 
then withdrawn into cold storage. Large-scale accumulators trigger this 
behavior, buying Bitcoin on exchanges and immediately transferring it to long- 
term custody. Bitcoin Tests Key Level Around $70K The 4-hour chart shows 
Bitcoin consolidating near the $70,000 level after a sharp recovery from the 
late-February lows around $63,000. Following the geopolitical-driven selloff, 
BTC entered a sideways structure for several weeks before breaking higher in 
early March and briefly reaching the $74,000 region. This move pushed the 
price above the short-term moving averages, signaling improving momentum. 
Currently, Bitcoin is testing the confluence of several technical levels near 
$70K. The price has pulled back from the recent local high and is now hovering 
around the descending 200-period moving average, which is acting as immediate 
resistance. The 50-period and 100-period moving averages are slightly below 
the current price, forming a short-term support cluster in the $68,000–$69,000 
range. Related Reading: Manufacturing The Bitcoin Reserve: Inside The Trump 
Family’s 11,000-Miner Expansion At American Bitcoin From a structural 
perspective, the recent breakout shifted the market from a short-term 
downtrend into a consolidation phase with slightly higher lows. However, the 
rejection near $74,000 indicates that bullish momentum still faces overhead 
pressure. If Bitcoin manages to hold above the $69K support zone, the market 
could attempt another push toward the $73K–$74K resistance area. A decisive 
break above that region would confirm renewed bullish momentum. Conversely, 
losing the $68K support cluster could trigger another retest of the $65K–$66K 
range where strong buying previously emerged. Featured image from ChatGPT, 
chart from TradingView.com

The 31,900 Bitcoin Purge: Why March 4 Marked An Institutional Bitcoin Floor

If the crypto industry and community banks cannot find common ground on the 
CLARITY Act, the only winners will be the “big banks,” according to crypto 
executive Austin Campbell.

Cryptocurrency price in LKR