Bitcoin's network hashrate fell below 1 ZH/s for the second time in 2026 as difficulty was cut by nearly 8% at block 941,472 on March 20, 2026. The adjustment brought difficulty to 133.79 trillion and the network's computing power to 933.51 EH/s. Large miners are increasingly redirecting energy and data-center capacity toward AI workloads as profitability pressure persists.

Bitcoin fell below the $73,000 level after a stronger-than-expected February US Producer Price Index report unsettled risk markets. February headline PPI rose 0.7% m/m and 3.4% y/y, while core PPI increased 0.5% m/m and 3.9% y/y. Traders are now focused on the Fed's policy statement, Powell's press conference, and any shift in the dot plot for 2026 rate-cut expectations.

On March 2, the US Senate voted 84-6 to move forward with consideration of H.R. 6644, a broader housing-and-banking package that includes language barring the Federal Reserve from issuing a CBDC through Dec. 31, 2030. The procedural motion drew six "no" votes, one senator voting "present," and nine not voting, underscoring how the digital dollar debate has entered the mainstream.

Bitcoin’s move during the US-Iran conflict has resembled its first-month reaction after Russia’s February 24, 2022 invasion of Ukraine: a sharp sell-off, a quick rebound, then choppy consolidation. After US and Israeli strikes against Iran that began around February 28, 2026, BTC recovered back into the $70,000–$73,000 range in the following weeks. RSI, CMF and price action collectively point to dip buying and volatile range trading rather than a sustained breakdown so far.

Playnance launched G Coin on March 18, 2026, positioning it as the utility and settlement token for its already-running Web3 entertainment ecosystem. The company says the network supports 10,000+ on-chain games, averages 1.5 million on-chain transactions per day, and has 203,732 holders with up to 13 billion tokens previously distributed in presale.

The United States Attorney's Office has filed a civil forfeiture action to seize about USDT 3.4 million in Tether tied to a crypto investment scam conducted on Ethereum. Authorities say the scheme targeted at least four victims in Massachusetts, Utah and South Carolina, with the funds later converted into USDT and confiscated in February and March 2025.

John Daghita, known online as "Lick" and the son of a US government contractor, was arrested on the Caribbean island of Saint Martin in a joint operation by the FBI and the French Gendarmerie, over allegations he stole more than $46 million in cryptocurrency from the US Marshals Service. On-chain investigator ZachXBT had previously traced suspicious movements of government-linked funds, helping uncover a broader theft scheme that may exceed $90 million and raising new concerns about insider risk in US digital asset custody.

On 5 March 2026, Backpack Exchange appointed former CFTC acting chairman Mark Wetjen as president of Backpack US to lead its regulated entry into the American crypto market. The move anchors the final phase of a three‑year global licensing roadmap, including prior European approvals and the acquisition of FTX EU, and launches physical offices and local hiring in the United States.

In March 2026, crypto holder Sillytuna suffered a combined on-chain and physical attack that drained about $24 million in aEthUSDC after an address poisoning scam. The thief rapidly moved the funds into 20.34 million DAI, routed part of the assets to Arbitrum and Hyperliquid, and allegedly aimed to convert them into Monero to hinder tracing. The case, which also involved weapons and kidnapping threats, underscores growing physical risks for large cryptocurrency holders and has prompted a 10% reward offer for any recovered funds.