The Nasdaq stock exchange will offer 24-hour trading, Monday through Friday, with the change in trading hours expected to take place in the second half of 2026, subject to regulatory approval. According to a March 7 statement from Nasdaq president Tal Cohen, the growing international demand for Nasdaq-linked exchange-traded funds (ETFs) and US equities warrants an…

President Donald Trump’s executive order establishing a US Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and a National Digital Asset Stockpile is expected to be a catalyst for wider Bitcoin adoption, according to investment analysts and crypto industry leaders. On March 6, Trump acknowledged the need to “harness” the power of digital assets while signing the executive order for crypto assets,…

United States Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the US government will use stablecoins to ensure that the US dollar remains the world’s global reserve currency during the White House Crypto Summit on March 7. Bessent reiterated the Trump administration’s promise to end the war on crypto and committed to rolling back previous IRS guidance and punitive regulatory…

Pectra upgrade, explained Ethereum’s Pectra upgrade combines two separate upgrades: the Prague upgrade and the Electra upgrade. The Prague upgrade is focused on changes to the network’s execution layer, with the Electra upgrade impacting the consensus layer. These upgrades, when combined, are collectively referred to as the “Pectra” upgrade. The Pectra upgrade will follow “Dencun,”…

US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order that creates a “Strategic Bitcoin Reserve” and a “Digital Asset Stockpile,” both of which will initially use cryptocurrency forfeited in government criminal cases. “Just a few minutes ago, President Trump signed an Executive Order to establish a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve,” White House AI and crypto czar…

Emirates NBD, a Dubai government-owned bank, is offering new cryptocurrency services through its digital bank subsidiary Liv. Liv bank has enabled its customers to buy, hold and sell cryptocurrencies on its Liv X app in collaboration with Aquanow, a licensed crypto asset service provider, the companies said in a joint announcement on March 6. Introduced…

Kyrgyzstan’s blockchain strategy merges gold stability with crypto innovation. This approach ensures secure payments and transparent cross-border transactions, setting it apart from El Salvador’s faltering Bitcoin experiment. While many countries are exploring cryptocurrencies on varying scales, El Salvador took the leap in 2021 by adopting Bitcoin as legal tender. Despite offering free Bitcoin to citizens as…

Ethereum’s highly anticipated Pectra upgrade was successfully deployed on its final testnet, Sepolia, marking a major milestone in the lead-up to the mainnet activation. However, potential delays remain as developers continue to address outstanding issues from a previous testnet failure. Ethereum’s Pectra upgrade has gathered significant community support as it aims to improve Ether staking,…

RWA-focused layer-1 blockchain Mantra is the first DeFi platform to secure a license from Dubai’s virtual asset regulator, VARA. Dubai is a rising market for the blockchain industry that is quickly establishing itself as one of the world’s leading financial centers. As a result, the region has welcomed a myriad of companies, including crypto trading platforms, media…

Turkish digital bank BankPozitif is set to launch cryptocurrency custody services in collaboration with Swiss crypto platform Taurus, making it the latest financial institution in Turkey to embrace digital assets. On March 4, BankPozitif announced a strategic partnership with Taurus, enabling its institutional clients to store crypto assets with the bank. The service is expected…