Global credit rating agency Kroll has awarded Ripple's brokerage platform, Ripple Prime, an investment-grade issuer rating of BBB. According to Foresight News, Kroll stated that the issuer rating for Ripple Prime US indicates that its business model is in the scaling phase. The focus is primarily on clearing and intermediary services within its exchange-traded derivatives (ETD) platform, set to launch in 2024, as well as similar activities in the fixed income repo sector. These activities are expected to reach significant scale by 2025, concentrating mainly on short-term U.S. Treasury and agency securities.

WTI crude oil prices experienced a significant decline, dropping nearly $5 to $108.93 per barrel. According to NS3.AI, this sharp short-term movement comes amid reports that Iran is in the process of drafting a transit agreement with Oman concerning the Strait of Hormuz. The potential agreement could have implications for oil transportation through this critical maritime passage.

According to Argus Media data, Iranian crude oil has traded at a premium to the global benchmark Brent crude for the first time since May 2022, following the temporary easing of some US sanctions on Iranian oil. On March 26, Iranian main export-grade crude was trading at a premium of approximately $1 per barrel to Brent, compared to a discount of approximately $10 per barrel earlier this year under comprehensive sanctions. This change indicates that Tehran is benefiting from its control of the Strait of Hormuz. With Brent crude holding at around $107 per barrel and global supply constrained, buyers are willing to pay a premium for crude that remains available. By blocking passage for Gulf oil-producing countries while allowing its own cargo to pass, Iran has created a transportation bottleneck, driving up global oil prices and increasing the relative value of Iranian light crude. Tanker tracking data shows that vessels associated with Iran are still transporting goods through strategic waterways and unloading from floating storage facilities. (Jinshi)

South Korea's People Power Party has put forward a proposal to eliminate a 22% tax on cryptocurrency trading profits, which is set to be implemented on January 1, 2027. According to NS3.AI, the proposed tax would apply to annual crypto trading profits exceeding $1,665. This legislative move comes just weeks before the June local elections and follows previous delays in implementing the tax in 2020, 2022, and 2024.

Aster is undergoing a transformation from a decentralized derivatives trading protocol to a Layer 1 application chain centered on privacy transactions. According to PANews, with the launch of its mainnet and the introduction of staking and governance mechanisms, ASTER is evolving from a functional token to a core asset with both income and governance rights. This article delves into Aster's transformation path, its token economic model, and market differences, focusing on how the buyback and staking mechanisms are reshaping ASTER's valuation logic. It also analyzes whether Aster can shift from being narrative-driven to fundamentally-driven in the future.

In the first quarter of 2026, 53 crypto projects secured financing exceeding $10 million, with the prediction market sector leading the way at $1.67 billion. According to PANews, this significant investment highlights the growing interest and confidence in the crypto industry. However, the quarter also witnessed a major security breach as Drift Protocol suffered a hack resulting in losses exceeding $200 million. This incident has sparked a deep reflection on the security mechanisms within the decentralized finance (DeFi) sector, emphasizing the need for enhanced protective measures to safeguard against such vulnerabilities.

Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin has detailed his exploration of localized, private, and secure AI personal use solutions. According to PANews, Buterin highlighted significant privacy and security concerns within the current AI landscape, including local open-source AI. He pointed out vulnerabilities such as OpenClaw agents modifying critical settings without human confirmation and malicious external inputs easily taking over user instances. Some skills even contain harmful instructions. Buterin advocates for prioritizing local inference and sandbox isolation for all large language models (LLMs) and documents. He conducted tests using hardware like the NVIDIA 5090 laptop and AMD Ryzen AI Max Pro, employing the Qwen3.5:35B model through llama-server and utilizing the NixOS system.

The Nasdaq index largely recovered from an initial 2% decline following reports that Iran is working on a protocol with Oman to regulate traffic through the Strait of Hormuz. According to NS3.AI, this development contributed to a decrease in WTI crude prices, which fell approximately $5 from nearly $115 per barrel. Meanwhile, Bitcoin and Ether continued to trade about 3% lower over the past 24 hours.

The Nasdaq largely erased its approximately 2% drop in early trading Thursday, easing concerns about disruptions to global oil shipments, following news that Iranian officials indicated they would draft an agreement with Oman to manage shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. WTI crude oil, which had surged to nearly $115 per barrel after President Trump pledged continued pressure on Iran, quickly fell by about $5 per barrel after the news broke. The cryptocurrency market also narrowed its losses, with Bitcoin at $66,700, down about 3%, and Ethereum at $2,060, also down 3%. Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi stated that the move was about coordination, not control, and aimed at ensuring the safety of shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and improving services, not restricting passage. Previously, President Trump had pledged to exert "extreme pressure" on Iran and stated that the Strait of Hormuz would "naturally open" after the war, causing short-term declines in Bitcoin and crypto-related stocks, including Coinbase and Robinhood, following Trump's remarks. (CoinDesk)

According to NS3.AI, the supply of non-U.S. dollar stablecoins reached $1.1 billion in February. Unfolded estimated that approximately 1.2 million addresses held these stablecoins, indicating a significant presence in the cryptocurrency market.

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