Hey friends, here’s a quick but wholesome crypto update from yesterday, 30th March 2026, that shows how the market keeps evolving even when sentiment turns cautious. From big treasury decisions at the Ethereum Foundation to defensive plays by Lido DAO and real-world adoption steps by Square, this crypto update highlights both institutional confidence and the challenges facing risk assets right now.
Ethereum Foundation Makes a Big Staking Move
Kicking off today’s crypto news, the Ethereum Foundation has significantly altered its treasury strategy. They just completed their most substantial staking operation to date, locking up over $46 million worth of Ether in one go.
According to on-chain tracking from Arkham Intelligence, the foundation moved 22,517 ETH into the Ethereum Beacon Deposit Contract through 11 separate deposits, each averaging around 2,047 ETH. At current prices, that totals roughly $46.2 million.
This latest activity builds directly on the foundation’s earlier steps. Back in February, they kicked things off with an initial deposit of 2,016 ETH and signaled plans to eventually stake up to 70,000 ETH over time. Their total staked ETH has now reached roughly 24,564 ETH, thanks to these recent transactions.
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This change marks a strategic pivot. The organization is now placing greater emphasis on revenue generation through staking, moving away from its previous reliance on asset sales. Historically, the Ethereum Foundation has liquidated sections of its Ether holdings to fund its operations, a practice that has drawn criticism from the community, especially during periods of market downturn. They say that large activity can put the market under pressure.
However, the foundation’s shift toward staking is a smarter, more sustainable way to earn revenue, sidestepping the necessity of selling off large quantities of ETH.
By safeguarding these assets, network security is further enhanced. The returns they provide also contribute to a more balanced approach.
This could help alleviate some of the issues that have been raised previously.
The network’s proof-of-stake model has matured, and the uptick in staking by major players, including the foundation, strengthens the whole system. This shift also suggests a move toward long-term value, rather than a preoccupation with short-term trading.
Full story here.
Lido DAO Takes Action Against a $20M Buyback Proposal
In other crypto news, Lido DAO is making headlines with its attempts to bolster its governance token during a challenging price period.
The organization has put forward an adventurous $20 million buyback plan aimed at addressing what they describe as a serious disconnect between LDO’s market price and the strong fundamentals of its liquid staking protocol.
In a proposal submitted on Friday, Lido DAO suggested using up to 10,000 Lido Staked Ether (stETH) tokens from its treasury, currently valued at around $20 million, to repurchase LDO on the open market. The group points out that LDO is trading at historically depressed levels compared to Ether, creating what they call one of the most significant dislocations in the token’s history.
“This is not a routine fluctuation,” the proposal states. “It represents one of the most significant dislocations between LDO’s market price and its underlying protocol fundamentals in the token’s history.”
Lido has been the clear leader in Ethereum’s liquid staking arena for some time, holding roughly 23.2% of all staked Ether, as per Dune Analytics. Even with this commanding presence and the protocol’s solid performance, the LDO token has faced considerable selling pressure.
The buyback initiative is widely interpreted as a strategy to increase the token’s value and reassure its holders.
The DAO argues that the recent price decline doesn’t reflect any significant decline in the protocol’s functionality. The buyback is seen as a calculated step, a means of tackling the issue while keeping things running smoothly.
The community’s approval of the plan, and its actual effectiveness in reversing the decline, are still unknown.
Square Brings Bitcoin to More Merchants
On the adoption front, this crypto update also brings positive news from the traditional payments world. Square, the payments platform under Block, has started rolling out Bitcoin payments at its point-of-sale terminals for eligible US merchants. The feature is now available, having launched today. A gradual rollout is planned, with broader access anticipated within the next month.
The news, relayed on X by Miles Suter, Block’s Bitcoin product lead, and given a boost by CEO Jack Dorsey, represents a tangible move to make Bitcoin more accessible for daily transactions.
Square’s plan to incorporate Bitcoin directly into point-of-sale systems is designed to ease the path for merchants. This integration seeks to eliminate the worries about price fluctuations and the complexities of holding Bitcoin, which have previously hindered broader adoption. Merchants have the option to accept Bitcoin payments directly, or they can opt for automatic conversion, which streamlines the entire process.
This development in the crypto update builds on Block’s earlier outlines from May and could open Bitcoin to millions more small businesses across the US. Block itself remains a significant holder of Bitcoin, ranking among the top publicly traded companies with 8,883 BTC on its balance sheet at an average cost basis of around $32,939 per coin.
Crypto funds see first outflow in five weeks amid Iran War
Wrapping up this crypto update, we saw a shift in institutional flows that reflects growing macro caution. Crypto investment products saw their initial weekly outflows in a month, as $414 million exited the market last week. The pullback came as investors reacted to fresh concerns about inflation and rising tensions in the Middle East, especially regarding Iran.
CoinShares reports that the market’s outlook for the June FOMC meeting has shifted. The focus has moved from anticipating rate cuts to a more aggressive monetary policy, which is generally less favorable for risk assets.
Total assets under management across these products dropped to $129 billion, levels last seen in early February and comparable to periods of policy uncertainty earlier in the year. This crypto update shows that macro changes can take a huge toll on crypto.
