Cryptocurrency punters ramped up expectations of a U.S. ground invasion of Iran, while lowering the likelihood of a diplomatic truce between the two nations.

Crypto Prediction Market Heats Up

The market remains one of Polymarket’s top draws, attracting $51.34 million in wagers so far. U.S. military personnel must physically enter Iran’s land territory to qualify. Operations limited to air or sea will not qualify.

Meanwhile, expectations for peace have declined. Bettors priced in a 32% odds of a U.S.-Iran ceasefire by the end of April, down from 40% last week.

US Boots On The Ground Likely?

These developments follow a report that the Pentagon is preparing for ground operations in Iran that…

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Michael Saylor may have gone all-in on Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC), but his path there, as he describes, was riddled with “despair” and self-doubt.

A Decade Of ‘Despair’

In an interview with Natalie Brunell on Nov. 18, 2024, Saylor revealed he had spent a decade trying to do “everything under the sun” at his firm, back when it was called MicroStrategy.

“I was in despair. I had spent 20,000 man-years attempting to do everything under the sun,” he said. “I could not get ahead.”

Saylo said his problem wasn’t that he was “stupid” or lacked work ethic, yet these setbacks sowed seeds of self-doubt.

“The most pernicious thing you can do to someone is you make them think that…

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This week in the world of cryptocurrency was nothing short of eventful. From a crypto exchange gaining unprecedented access to Federal Reserve services to Ethereum outperforming the S&P 500 during wartime, the crypto market has been buzzing with activity. Here’s a quick recap of the top stories that made headlines.

Maxine Waters Questions Fed’s Approval Of Crypto Exchange

Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) has sought further clarification on the decision to grant cryptocurrency exchange Kraken access to Federal Reserve services. This approval, a first in U.S. history for a cryptocurrency company, gives Kraken direct access to Fedwire, a core payment infrastructure used by thousands of…

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Venture capital legend Tim Draper has a one-line verdict on the future of banking, likening the evolution of the financial system to the historical shift from horses to automobiles.

Is the Horse Running Out of Road?

“After the automobile, people still ride horses for a while,” he told Benzinga, addressing whether AI will transform banking or replace it entirely. Draper argues that all major innovations follow the same pattern. The old system lingers even as the new one takes hold and everyone benefits from the change.

Evidence of this can be seen in the fintech world. In November 2025, industry executives at Benzinga’s Fintech Day and Awards confirmed that most firms remain in AI’s…

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Bitcoin’s (CRYPTO: BTC) price action is pointing to late-cycle signals as macro conditions tighten and a key metric has trended lower since 2021, according to analyst Benjamin Cowen.

Late Business Cycle

In a March 26 podcast, Cowen says the current setup reflects a late business cycle, where capital rotates away from risk and toward safer and defensive assets like gold. That shift helps explain why altcoins have underperformed Bitcoin and why crypto overall has lagged broader defensive moves like gold.

He notes that while Bitcoin still follows its historical pattern of peaking in post-halving fourth quarters, this cycle stands out. Social interest has been fading, and market breadth has…

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Ripple is rolling out an AI-driven security upgrade across the XRP Ledger (CRYPTO: XRP) as it prepares the network for the next phase of global payments and tokenization.

AI-Driven Approach

With more than a decade of continuous operation and billions of transactions processed, the network is now focusing on maintaining resilience as it scales for global financial use cases.

A major shift involves adopting an AI-driven approach to security. By integrating artificial intelligence into the development lifecycle, XRPL aims to identify vulnerabilities earlier through automated code reviews, adversarial testing, and simulation of complex edge cases.

The initiative also includes a dedicated…

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Economist Peter Schiff is sounding the alarm over a new housing finance initiative. The plan allows borrowers to use digital assets for home purchases. Schiff argues the move creates a “free ride” for crypto holders at the expense of the public.

The Crypto-Collateral StructureSchiff Critiques Downside Risk

Schiff took to X on Friday to criticize the government-sponsored enterprise (GSE) involvement.

“Fannie and Freddie guaranteeing mortgages with pledged Bitcoin as the only down payment means HODLers get a free ride. If Bitcoin keeps going up, they keep all the gains. If Bitcoin crashes, they walk away from their mortgages, sticking the GSEs and taxpayers with huge losses.”

The…

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