Category: Business

Aster DEX has launched its Stage 6 strategic buyback program to help stabilize the $ASTER token amid ongoing market ups and downs. The program executes token repurchases from a dedicated strategic wallet.

Moreover, all transactions are fully on-chain and publicly visible, demonstrating Aster’s commitment to transparency. This approach allows the community to track the program in real time and boosts confidence in the platform’s strategy.

Aster Stage 6 Buyback Program Explained

The Stage 6 buyback program began on February 4, 2026. It allocates up to 80% of daily platform fees for $ASTER token repurchases. Specifically, 40% of fees are used automatically, while the remaining 40% can adjust based on market conditions.

By reducing the circulating supply, the buybacks aim to support $ASTER’s price and create value for holders. Furthermore, the on-chain verification ensures transparency, which strengthens investor trust. Therefore, this strategy combines both market support and accountability.

Community Response to Buybacks

The Stage 6 program has received a mostly positive response from the community. Many users praised the visibility of all transactions, which allows them to follow each buyback closely. In addition, they see the program as a clear sign of Aster’s confidence in $ASTER.

However, some community members have questioned whether the buybacks will significantly affect $ASTER’s price. While buybacks can influence market perception, the actual impact depends on the size of purchases compared to total token supply. Even so, most holders view the program as a proactive step that could help stabilize the token over time.

How Buybacks Reflect Broader Crypto Trends

Aster DEX’s Stage 6 program fits within a larger trend of crypto projects using buybacks to manage token economics. Similar to stock repurchases in traditional markets, buybacks reduce supply and can support token prices.

Importantly, Aster combines automatic and flexible repurchases. This dual approach allows the platform to respond to market changes while maintaining consistent support. Consequently, the program balances steady action with adaptability, which is critical during volatile periods.

Benefits and Outlook for $ASTER Holders

For $ASTER holders, Stage 6 buybacks signal Aster’s ongoing commitment to supporting token value. Reduced supply may help maintain price levels, while on-chain transparency lets investors track progress and evaluate execution.

Although immediate price moves may vary, the program strengthens $ASTER’s long-term stability. Looking forward, Aster will continue executing buybacks efficiently while monitoring market reactions. By combining predictable actions with flexible strategies, the platform reinforces trust and confidence among its community.

Ultimately, Aster’s Stage 6 buyback program highlights how crypto projects can actively manage tokens, maintain transparency, and navigate market volatility. With clear strategies and open communication, Aster demonstrates a strong commitment to both its holders and long-term token health.

The Pi Network rumour mill never really stops. But this week it is spinning faster than usual, and there is an actual reason for it.

A token called SIREN just blew past a $1.2 billion market cap almost immediately after getting listed on Binance-linked platforms, according to CoinGecko data. That one data point was all it took. Within hours, Pi community accounts were doing what they always do: connecting dots, making comparisons, and asking the same question they have been asking for two years now.

Why is Binance still not listing Pi?

It is a fair question. PiNews360, one of the more followed accounts in the Pi community, put it plainly this week. Pi has tens of millions of users spread across nearly every country on earth. Its ecosystem is growing. Its migration numbers are climbing. At some point, the argument goes, Pi simply becomes too large and too liquid for the world’s biggest crypto exchange to keep looking the other way.

What has changed in recent months is that Pi is no longer sitting on the sidelines of the broader market. It is already trading on OKX, Bitget, MEXC, Gate.io, Bybit and HTX. Most recently, Kraken quietly rolled out PI perpetual futures.

Binance Poll Still Shapes Expectations

The current excitement is rooted in past developments. Nearly a year ago, Pi secured around 86% support in a Binance community poll, signaling strong retail demand for a listing.

Despite this overwhelming backing, Binance has yet to take the next step. The delay continues to keep the community in a wait-and-watch mode, with expectations building over time rather than fading.

Price Struggles Despite Growing Hype

While discussions around listings are heating up, Pi’s price action remains under pressure. The token is currently trading near the $0.19 mark, stabilizing after a period of volatility and a steep decline from its earlier highs close to $3.

With a market cap of around $1.84 billion and a circulating supply of 9.81 billion tokens, Pi has struggled to maintain upward momentum. Daily trading volumes remain modest, and recent price movements suggest consolidation rather than a breakout.

Community Split on Binance’s Importance

The debate within the community remains divided. Some usersbelieve a Binance listing could act as a major catalyst, potentially driving a strong price surge and wider adoption. Others take a different stance, arguing that Pi’s value will come from its internal ecosystem rather than reliance on centralized exchanges.

Exhaustion rather than recovery is a great way to characterize the current state of the cryptocurrency market. The back-and-forth that we are witnessing nowadays is draining liquidity, pushing retails away and making institutional investors choose more stable assets. Unfortunately, the market could not find a footing that would allow it to recover in a proper fashion.

Shiba Inu’s momentum cannot be maintained

With $SHIB continuously failing to reach higher highs or maintain any significant bullish momentum, recent price action clearly demonstrates the continuation of the larger downtrend. In theory, it is hard to overlook the situation.

$SHIB is still well below important moving averages, such as the 50 EMA, which is still serving as dynamic resistance. It is clear that sellers are still in charge, because every attempt to regain this level has been turned down. Descending triangles and weak consolidation phases, which usually resolve to the downside when they appear within a bearish trend, are what define the structure itself.

Volumes are unhealthy

Additionally unhelpful is volume behavior. Although there have been sporadic increases during brief recoveries, overall participation seems erratic and lacks the expansion usually necessary for a trend reversal. Rather than being true accumulation phases, rallies resemble relief bounces.

From a wider angle, the case for a fresh push higher is considerably undermined by $SHIB’s incapacity to overcome even fundamental resistance levels. Short-term moving averages are typically swiftly recovered by assets that are still in a strong uptrend following corrections. Conversely, $SHIB is spending long stretches of time below them, which is indicative of ongoing selling pressure and weak demand.

This makes it plausible that, at least for the current cycle, the price top has already been reached. It implies that, unless there is a significant change in market conditions or a spike in demand, upside potential may remain constrained, even though it does not necessarily imply a total collapse.

Investors ought to think about the bigger picture as well. Sentiment and liquidity cycles have a significant impact on meme assets like $SHIB. The price usually follows when both start to decline. As of right now, neither participation metrics nor technical structure point to a significant reversal forming.

Will Bitcoin recover?

Concerns about Bitcoin’s current market structure persist as recent price movement indicates that the current downward trend may not be over.

The asset is still under constant selling pressure after losing important support levels and failing to sustain upward momentum. Technical indicators point to ongoing weakness rather than a confirmed recovery.

From a structural perspective, Bitcoin is steadily trading below significant moving averages, such as the 50 and 200-day levels, which are currently sloping lower. A strong bearish regime, in which rallies are sold into rather than prolonged, is usually reflected in this alignment. Short-lived attempts at recovery in recent times have created lower highs and strengthened the overall downward trend.

Persistent market pressure is also actively driving the asset down. Selling volume has accompanied every bounce, indicating that market players are taking advantage of strength to sell rather than build. This behavior is in line with distribution phases, in which the bid side’s liquidity progressively disappears.

This view is further supported by volume dynamics. Although there have been spikes during abrupt changes, overall participation does not demonstrate the kind of consistent inflows required to buck the trend. Rather than being driven by organic demand, the market seems reactive, driven more by short-term positioning and liquidations.

Nevertheless, there is some balance in the situation. Zones that previously served as support for Bitcoin are getting closer, which may draw opportunistic buyers hoping for a comeback. Furthermore, people’s mood is growing more cautious, which has historically led to short-term relief rallies.

Any possible recovery is still contingent, though. Bitcoin would need to recover important resistance levels and hold above them with significant volume confirmation in order for a significant reversal to occur. In the absence of that, the current structure favors prolonged consolidation, or at most, further declines.

$XRP‘s price drop is not simple

Although $XRP’s current market structure allows for more declines, a more nuanced perspective is needed to determine whether it can actually fall below the $1 level.

Although a decline toward $1 is not yet the worst-case scenario, it is undoubtedly possible given the overall bearish trend. Technically speaking, $XRP is still in a prolonged downward trend, with price action continuously forming lower highs and faltering below important moving averages. The 50 EMA still serves as dynamic resistance, thwarting attempts to move higher and bolstering bearish control.

More significantly, $XRP has been using an upward trendline as short-term support. This stage is crucial. The structure changes from a weak consolidation to a continuation of the downtrend if that trendline breaks decisively. Lower support zones would be the next logical targets in that case, and psychologically significant levels like $1 begin to take center stage.

$XRP might tumble even lower

Theoretically, there is a way for $XRP to lose $1. Round numbers are not respected by markets as hard floors unless there is a high level of demand. $XRP may test much lower levels if selling pressure continues, liquidity declines and overall market sentiment deteriorates. This is more likely if the market as a whole, and Bitcoin, continue to decline.

But context counts. Buyers are likely to intervene forcefully before the price reaches the $1 level, because it is not only psychologically significant but also historically significant for $XRP. Furthermore, despite recent volatility, on-chain activity and network usage still offer a baseline level of demand that may mitigate or slow downward movements.

$XRP is not currently in a free fall. It is in a delicate, strained structure that could collapse in either direction based on the state of the market as a whole. The likelihood of a move toward $1 would rise with a prolonged breakdown below current support levels, but this would probably require a combination of technical failure and external market weakness.

To put it briefly, losing $1 is not inevitable, but it is also not out of the question. The likelihood is largely dependent on $XRP’s ability to maintain its current support structure.

COZ has distributed 936 $NEO across four ecosystem projects in its Proof of Working 2.2 report, published on March 17. The round marks the largest single distribution in the relaunched series, up from 440 $NEO in round 2.0 and 446 $NEO in round 2.1. The weekly program rewards independent contributors for publicly delivered work in the Neo ecosystem. COZ staff members are not eligible for awards.

Four primary projects emerged as beneficiaries of the third round of the Proof of Working program.

Funded projects

HushNetwork (aboimpinto), a returning recipient from round 2.1, is building a decentralized social network focused on privacy and data ownership. According to the report, the project stabilized its alpha chat messaging flow, advanced posting functionality, and completed end-to-end workflow and UI polishing for its NEP-17 token forge tool (a feature aimed at enabling one-click token creation for communities and crowdfunding).

Neo Analytics (ethArek) is a public dashboard that translates Neo N3 on-chain activity into a daily-updated view using transparent, deterministic classification rules. This round’s work included the addition of dark mode, migration from raw RPC calls to the Dora SDK, USD swap backfill, and oracle transaction detection.

Typescript NeoFS SDK (Merl / AxLabs) implemented gRPC-js support and developed a protoc generator plugin in the core package. NeoFS is Neo’s distributed, decentralized object storage network, and the SDK provides TypeScript tooling for developers working with the service.

Neo N3 AI Assistant (Fireche) is an AI-powered tool designed to enable secure wallet management and smart operations through natural language conversation.

On-chain verification

COZ published a transaction hash for the distribution, verifiable on the Dora mainnet explorer. The report does not break down how the 936 $NEO total was allocated among the four recipients.

The full report can be found at the link below:
https://coz.io/blog/proof-of-working-2-2/

NYSE Arca and NYSE American have scrapped the 25,000-contract position and exercise limits on options tied to spot Bitcoin ($BTC) and Ether (ETH) ETFs. This makes them the last major US options exchanges to complete the transition.

The SEC waived its standard 30-day review period on both filings, allowing the changes to take effect immediately.

What Changed and Why It Matters for Crypto ETF Options

The rule changes cover options on 11 crypto ETF products, including BlackRock’s iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT), Fidelity’s Wise Origin Bitcoin Fund (FBTC), ARK 21Shares Bitcoin ETF (ARKB), and Grayscale’s Bitcoin and Ethereum trusts.

The filings also remove restrictions that prevented these products from trading as FLEX options, which allow customizable strike prices and expiration dates for institutional use.

Position limits will now follow each exchange’s standard framework, based on trading volume and shares outstanding. Options on large, liquid ETFs can qualify for limits of 250,000 contracts or more under those rules.

The 25,000-contract cap was introduced as a precaution when crypto ETF options first launched in November 2024. Bloomberg senior ETF analyst Eric Balchunas noted at the time that IBIT generated nearly $1.9 billion in notional exposure on its first day of options trading despite the constraint.

How Every US Exchange Aligned on Crypto ETF Options

Nasdaq ISE and Nasdaq PHLX filed to lift their caps in January 2026. MIAX followed the same month. MEMX filed in February. Cboe filed in March. With NYSE Arca and NYSE American now in, the transition is complete.

The SEC noted the proposals raise no novel regulatory concerns, pointing to identical changes already operative at rival exchanges. Comment periods remain open until April 13, but the rules are effective now.

Separately, Nasdaq ISE has a pending proposal to raise IBIT-specific position limits to 1 million contracts, which the SEC is still reviewing. If approved, that would bring IBIT closer to parity with the largest equity ETFs in the country.

What This Unlocks for Institutional Crypto Derivatives

Removing position caps enables more efficient hedging strategies, basis trades, and overlay programs for institutional desks. Access to FLEX options allows institutions to negotiate bespoke contract terms for structured products, a feature that was already standard for comparable commodity ETFs like the SPDR Gold Trust (GLD) and iShares Silver Trust (SLV).

The practical effect is that crypto ETF derivatives now operate under the same infrastructure framework that has supported gold and silver options for over a decade.

For institutional participants who previously faced constraints not imposed on any other commodity class, the playing field is now level.

The shift arrives during a period of heightened macro volatility driven by the US-Iran war, surging oil prices, and fading Fed rate cut expectations.

With $BTC ETFs holding nearly $91 billion in net assets and institutional flows increasingly driving crypto price discovery, removing artificial options caps gives large allocators the tools to manage risk at the same scale they already use for precious metals and equity indices.

Whether this translates into higher options volume and deeper liquidity for crypto ETFs will become visible in Q2 2026 trading data. The infrastructure is now in place. The capital allocation question follows.

Axel Adler, an analyst at the cryptocurrency analysis platform CryptoQuant, stated that although there are signs of recovery in the Coinbase Premium Index, a key indicator of investor demand in the US, a strong bullish momentum in the market has not yet been confirmed.

According to Adler’s analysis shared on the X platform, the Coinbase Premium Index recovered from its previous negative territory to neutral-weak levels during February-March 2026. This negative territory previously indicated a significant weakening in US investor demand. However, the index has not yet permanently moved into positive territory. Currently at -0.0195%, the indicator has remained negative for three consecutive days. This suggests that widespread buying appetite originating from the US has not yet materialized, and market sentiment remains cautious.

On the other hand, Adler also pointed to a notable development in the stablecoin market. He stated that the total market capitalization of USDT and USDC had rebounded from -$8.1 billion to +$4.5 billion, signaling renewed growth and indicating that liquidity was beginning to return to the market. However, he added that inflows to exchanges were still below normal levels, approximately 0.68 times.

*This is not investment advice.