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From ICO hype to AI utility: The evolution of crypto agents in Web3

Explore how ICO-era dynamics apply to crypto agents, from the narrative-driven early phase to a mature state where value is created through long-term data, revenue and innovation.

The rise of AI-driven crypto agents is following a familiar trajectory that mirrors the initial boom, bust and resurgence of ICO-era projects. Just as early blockchain ventures thrived on hype before maturing into sustainable ecosystems, the current wave of AI agent projects is undergoing rapid market shifts. 

A new report by HTX Ventures and HTX Research says that investors are growing cautious as competition in the sector intensifies, liquidity disperses and many projects struggle to define clear use cases. Still, as the sector moves beyond its speculative phase, AI-driven crypto agents are expected to evolve sustainable business models underpinned by genuine utility.

To dive deeper into the evolution of crypto agents and the future of AI-driven blockchain innovation, download the full report by HTX here.

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Binance suspends staffer after internal investigation into insider trading

Binance said it launched an internal investigation after whistleblowers pointed to suspicious transactions from a Binance Wallet staff member.

Crypto exchange Binance has suspended a member of its Binance Wallet team, adding it could take further legal action after launching an internal investigation over allegations of insider trading.

The exchange’s crypto wallet business, Binance Wallet, launched an investigation on March 23 after it “received a complaint alleging that one of our staff members engaged in front-running trades using insider information to gain improper profits,” it said in a March 25 X post.

It claimed a preliminary investigation found a Binance Wallet staffer who joined the team last month was suspected of using information from a former position in a business development role at BNB Chain to “front-run” trades of a project token. 

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Massive Bitcoin whale buys $200M in BTC, another wakes up after 8 years

Bitcoin whales appear to be on the move as Bitcoin gained over 4% over the past seven days.

A massive Bitcoin whale wallet holding has just added $200 million worth of Bitcoin to its position after selling over 11,400 Bitcoin over the last few months — coinciding with a recent rebound for the original cryptocurrency. 

The Bitcoin (BTC) whale added 2,400 Bitcoin — worth over $200 million — to their stash on March 24, blockchain analytics firm Arkham Intelligence said in an X post.

Data shared by the firm shows that despite some sales in February, after the latest purchase, the whale holds over 15,000 Bitcoin in its wallet, worth over $1.3 billion, at current prices.

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Bhutan government moves $63M BTC to three wallets

The main wallet for the Bhutan government still holds $890 million worth of cryptocurrency, 99.9% of which is Bitcoin.

The Bhutan government moved $63 million worth of Bitcoin (BTC) on March 24 to three wallets, according to Onchain Lens, which analyzed data from Arkham Intelligence.

One of the wallets now holds 600 BTC worth approximately $53 million at time of writing.

Bhutan has leveraged its abundant hydroelectric power to mine Bitcoin since 2019. In September 2024, Arkham indicated that it had found the first wallet tied to the Bhutan government’s investment arm, Druk Holdings. After the March 24 transfers, the wallet holds $889.9 million invested in Bitcoin.

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Mt. Gox transfers $1B in Bitcoin in third major BTC move this month

Mt. Gox also shuffled a total of 12,000 Bitcoin worth over $1 billion on March 6 and another 11,833 Bitcoin on March 11.

Bankrupt crypto exchange Mt. Gox has just shifted 11,501 Bitcoin in its third significant transaction in less than a month.

Blockchain analytics firm Arkham Intelligence alerted the community of the transfer on March 25 on X, revealing the Japanese exchange had sent 893 Bitcoin (BTC) worth around $78 million at current prices to the Mt. Gox cold wallet (1Jbez) and another 10,608 Bitcoin, worth around $929 million, to another wallet, the Mt. Gox change wallet (1DcoA).

Source: Arkham Intelligence

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Abu Dhabi’s financial free zone signs MoU with Chainlink for tokenization frameworks

Crypto adoption is increasing in the United Arab Emirates, with crypto app downloads rising 41% in 2024 from the previous year.

Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM), a financial zone with over $635 billion in assets under management, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Chainlink in a move to connect the world of traditional finance with blockchain data.

The agreement will allow ADGM to use Chainlink’s suite of tools, such as data feeds and interoperability technology, ADGM said in a March 24 announcement. The partnership also aims to encourage further discussion around blockchain, artificial intelligence, and other emerging technologies in the region.

ADGM, which opened in 2015, is in the United Arab Emirates’ financial free zone. It operates under its own civil and commercial legal system, based on English Common Law. Designed to bolster Abu Dhabi’s status as a financial hub, ADGM plays a central role in attracting global firms and expanding the city’s financial services sector.

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3 reasons why Solana (SOL) price rallied above $140

Several Solana network-specific and broader crypto-focused factors are behind SOL’s price recovery.

Solana's native token, SOL (SOL), gained 8.5% on March 24, reclaiming the $142 mark for the first time in two weeks. This rally mirrored the gains seen across the broader cryptocurrency market as traders began to expect reduced risks of an economic downturn. The growing risk appetite can also be seen among memecoins, several of which rallied by 12% or more since March 23.

Outside of the broad market rally, SOL has its own merits, including a rise in network activity and the direct involvement of US President Donald Trump with the memecoin market. Additionally, growing interest from top traders on exchanges and the increasing likelihood of a spot Solana exchange-traded fund (ETF) approval suggest further potential for SOL’s price growth.

SOL/USD (green) vs. crypto market cap (orange). Source: TradingView / Cointelegraph

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Arizona’s strategic crypto reserve bills heads for full floor vote

Arizona will soon vote on two proposed bills to establish digital asset reserves seized through criminal proceedings and a specific Bitcoin reserve based on public funds from the state’s treasury and retirement system.

Two strategic digital asset reserve bills in Arizona cleared Arizona’s House Rules Committee on March 24 and are now headed to the House floor for a full vote.

The bills together, if passed into law, would clear the way for Arizona to establish strategic digital assets reserves composed of existing assets confiscated through criminal proceedings in addition to newly invested public funds.

The Republicans hold a 33-27 majority in Arizona’s House of Representatives, giving both bills a decent chance of passing. 

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USDC stablecoin receives approval for use in Japan, says Circle

Circle announced that its USDC stablecoin will launch on Japan’s SBI VC Trade crypto exchange on March 26.

Circle said it will officially launch its stablecoin in Japan on March 26 after one of its local partners received regulatory approval to list the US dollar stablecoin three weeks ago.

USDC (USDC) will first be listed on the “SBI VC Trade” crypto exchange under a joint venture between its parent firm — Japanese financial conglomerate SBI Holdings — and Circle’s Japanese entity Circle Japan KK, Circle said in a March 24 statement.

The news comes three weeks after SBI VC Trade secured an industry-first regulatory approval on March 4 to list USDC under the Japan Financial Services Agency’s stablecoin regulatory framework.

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Trump Media looks to partner with crypto.com to launch ETFs

Trump Media has inked a non-binding agreement with crypto exchange Crypto.com to launch a series of ETFs that will comprise of digital assets and securities.

Trump Media has signed a non-binding agreement with Crypto.com to launch a series of exchange-traded funds in the US.

Trump Technology Group Corp (TMTG) — the operator of the social media platform Truth Social and fintech brand Truth.Fi — is also part of the agreement, which is subject to regulatory approval, according to a March 24 statement from Trump Media.

The parties plan to launch the ETFs later this year through Crypto.com’s broker-dealer, Foris Capital US LLC. The ETFs will consist of digital assets and securities with a “Made in America” focus.

Crypto.com will provide the infrastructure and custody services to supply the cryptocurrencies for the ETFs, which may include a basket of tokens, including Bitcoin (BTC), Ether (ETH), Solana (SOL), XRP (XRP) and Cronos (CRO).

The parties involved expect the ETFs to be widely available internationally, including in the US, Europe and Asia across existing brokerage platforms.

”Once launched, these ETFs will be available on the Crypto.com App for our more than 140 million users around the world,” Crypto.com co-founder and CEO Kris Marszalek said.

The ETFs are anticipated to launch alongside a slate of Truth.Fi Separately Managed Accounts (SMA), which TMTG also plans to invest in with its cash reserves.

Source: Kris Marszalek

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