This monthly review examines the top cryptocurrency news stories from March. The top cryptocurrency news stories in March revolved around the US bitcoin reserve, corporate bitcoin purchases and purchase plans, the SEC dropping its lawsuit against Ripple, and CME Group launching Solana futures.
March in the cryptocurrency market Cryptocurrency prices fell in March, mirroring the stock markets. The prices of the largest cryptocurrencies by market cap, Bitcoin and Ethereum , fell by about 6% and 22%, respectively. However, within Northcrypto’s sample, some cryptocurrencies performed better in March, as decentralized exchange Curve (CRV) and smart contract platform EOS (EOS) saw gains of about 7% and 6%, respectively. Cryptocurrency News from the USA In early March, US President Donald Trump signed an executive order to establish a strategic bitcoin reserve and a separate digital asset repository for the United States. In practice, the creation of a strategic bitcoin reserve means that the US will not sell approximately 200,000 seized bitcoins and can acquire more bitcoins through budget-neutral means, ensuring no cost to taxpayers. On the other hand, the digital asset repository consists of other cryptocurrencies owned by the US, but there are no current plans to expand it. The United States was also in the spotlight for cryptocurrency when President Trump spoke via video at the Digital Asset Summit, a cryptocurrency conference held in New York. Trump stated that he aims to make the United States the undisputed Bitcoin superpower and the crypto capital of the world. He also called on Congress to pass groundbreaking legislation to create simple and common sense regulations for stablecoins pegged to the US dollar. This was the first time a sitting US president has spoken at a cryptocurrency conference. Corporate bitcoin purchases and purchase plans March saw several reports of companies’ bitcoin purchase plans and actual bitcoin purchases. US-based firm Strategy announced three bitcoin purchases in March, acquiring a total of 29,089 bitcoins for just over €2.3 billion. In March, Strategy’s holdings surpassed the 500,000 bitcoin milestone, and with the latest purchase, their holdings increased to 528,185 bitcoins, valued at over €40 billion at the end of the month. In addition, Strategy revealed plans to raise $21 billion primarily for bitcoin purchases, primarily through a share issue. Similarly, Japanese company Metaplanet, which had previously acquired bitcoin, announced three bitcoin purchases in March, increasing its holdings by 959 bitcoins. These purchases brought Metaplanet’s total bitcoin holdings to 3,350, worth over €250 million at the end of the month. In addition to these purchases, Metaplanet made a notable addition to its strategic team in March by appointing Eric Trump, son of US President Donald Trump, as a strategic advisor. A new company joined the ranks of bitcoin buyers in March, when video platform Rumble, known for its focus on free information sharing, announced its bitcoin purchase. Rumble acquired 188 bitcoins for just under €16 million. This was the first major step in Rumble’s Bitcoin strategy, which was announced in November 2024. In the purchase announcement, Rumble CEO Chris Pavlovski spoke about Bitcoin’s potential as an inflation hedge. The most talked about bitcoin buying news in March involved US gaming retailer GameStop (GME). GameStop is well-known due to the massive media coverage it received in 2021, when its stock price skyrocketed in a short squeeze driven by private investors. In March, GameStop made headlines again when it announced its decision to add bitcoin to its treasury reserve assets. Shortly after, GameStop revealed plans to raise $1.3 billion through convertible bonds, with the funds likely to be used primarily for bitcoin acquisitions. SEC drops its lawsuit against Ripple The price of XRP , known for its fast payments, surged in March after Brad Garlinghouse, CEO of Ripple, announced that the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) had dropped its lawsuit against Ripple, the company behind the cryptocurrency XRP. The lawsuit had created long-term uncertainty around XRP, as it was filed back in 2020. The SEC had accused Ripple of violating US securities laws by selling XRP without registering it with the SEC. CME Group launches Solana futures CME Group, the world’s leading derivatives marketplace, launched Solana futures in March. A futures contract is a derivative contract between two parties that agree to buy or sell an asset, in this case Solana, at a predetermined price on a future date. This was a significant milestone for Solana, as the introduction of Bitcoin futures in late 2017 is still considered a major event in Bitcoin’s history. According to comments from CME Group, Solana futures were introduced to meet increasing customer demand. Summary As seen earlier this year, March once again brought cryptocurrency news related to US President Donald Trump and the new US administration. The strategic bitcoin reserve can be seen as the first major step in the competition between global superpowers in cryptocurrency markets. Although the US has not yet announced plans to buy bitcoin, this is still a strong possibility for the future, as several policymakers in the current administration support such a move. March also marked a historic moment in another way, as a sitting US president spoke at a cryptocurrency conference for the first time. In his speech, Trump emphasized his administration’s goal of making the US a leader in both cryptocurrency innovation and regulation. March saw an unusually high number of reports of companies buying and planning to buy bitcoin. Strategy made history by becoming the first company to surpass 500,000 bitcoins in holdings. The company continues to develop new ways to raise money for bitcoin acquisitions, so its bitcoin holdings are expected to grow further. Japanese company Metaplanet is following in Strategy’s footsteps, although it lacks the resources to make purchases on the same scale as Strategy. However, Metaplanet has quickly increased its bitcoin holdings to over 3,300 bitcoins, with a goal of 10,000 bitcoins by the end of the year still appearing possible. Rumble’s announcement of its first bitcoin purchase was not surprising, given its previously announced Bitcoin strategy. The news that GameStop, a leading video game retailer, would add bitcoin to its treasury reserve received a lot of attention, even in traditional media, due to GameStop’s global recognition following the events of the early 2020s. Acquiring bitcoin can be seen as a logical step for both Rumble and GameStop, as Bitcoin, being a naturally digital asset, fits well with companies operating in the digital space. It is also very likely that other similar companies are currently considering bitcoin acquisitions. The SEC dropping its lawsuit against Ripple and the launch of Solana futures by CME Group are both positive developments for the cryptocurrency market as a whole. The SEC’s action indicates that the attitude of US securities regulators towards cryptocurrencies has become more favorable in recent times. Meanwhile, CME Group’s launch of Solana futures demonstrates growing institutional interest in cryptocurrencies beyond Bitcoin and Ethereum. Ville Viitaharju Cryptocurrency specialist The original post is written in English. Translated with Google translator.