Bitcoin reached $76,000 before dropping back, while Nasdaq's SEC approval for tokenized stocks marks a significant regulatory shift.
Bitcoin briefly reached $76,000 for the first time since February, but its gains evaporated amid geopolitical tensions and uncertainty surrounding the Federal Reserve's interest rate decisions. The leading cryptocurrency started the week at $71,000, climbing to $74,000 on Monday, and hitting $76,000 the following day. However, by Thursday, it fell back to around $69,000, closing the week at approximately $68,800, marking a 4% decline.
Ethereum's performance mirrored Bitcoin's, remaining stable around $2,000 but recording a minor weekly decline of 1%. Despite Bitcoin's drop, inflows into spot exchange-traded funds (ETFs) linked to the asset continued, totaling $95 million from March 16 to 20, while Ethereum funds saw outflows of $59 million.
The total cryptocurrency market cap is currently $2.44 trillion, with Bitcoin's dominance at 56.5% and Ethereum's at 10.3%. The Crypto Fear and Greed Index indicates a state of extreme fear at 10 points.
Mining Difficulty Sees Significant Drop
In a noteworthy development, Bitcoin's mining difficulty decreased by 7.76% to 133.79 TH on March 21, marking the second-largest decline this year. This change comes as the network's hash rate has also been falling, currently at 940 EH/s, down from a peak of 1.15 EH/s in October 2025. The decline in mining difficulty has led to a slight rebound in the hash price, now at $32 per PH/s per day, although miners are still facing losses due to production costs exceeding $82,000 per Bitcoin.
SEC Approves Tokenized Stocks on Nasdaq
In a significant regulatory move, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has approved Nasdaq's plan to trade tokenized stocks, including products from the Russell 1000 index and various ETFs. These tokenized assets will maintain the same rights and trading characteristics as traditional stocks, with settlements processed through conventional market frameworks. Analyst Crypto Patel remarked on this as a pivotal moment for tokenization on Wall Street.
SEC Chair Paul Atkins also introduced a new framework for categorizing tokens, distinguishing between digital securities and other asset types, including digital goods and collectibles. This new taxonomy aims to establish clearer legal pathways for capital raising within the crypto industry.
Concerns Over OpenClaw in China
Meanwhile, in China, there has been a mass abandonment of the AI tool OpenClaw after warnings about its weak security. Users have been offering paid services to remove the application, reflecting a sharp decline in interest. Concurrently, the Chinese Academy of Information and Communication Technologies is working on developing standards for AI agents like OpenClaw to improve their decision-making transparency.
Reports indicate that OpenClaw has been associated with phishing scams targeting cryptocurrency developers, further highlighting security concerns around the application.
Growing Interest in Tokenized Markets
Tokenization continues to gain traction, with the HIP-3 exchange Hyperliquid reaching an open interest of $1.43 billion in tokenized assets, a significant increase since its launch. The platform's success is attributed to its 24/7 trading model, which appeals to a broader audience beyond traditional crypto traders. Recently, Trade.xyz secured a license to launch perpetual contracts on the S&P 500 index, demonstrating the increasing integration of traditional financial markets with blockchain technology.
In addition, the cryptocurrency exchange Grinex has introduced a bank card top-up option for purchasing digital assets, initially enabling users to buy a ruble stablecoin with a card.
