Here’s a look at the latest crypto news that made headlines yesterday.
Iran’s Digital Markets Rocked by Strikes, But No Total Meltdown
Trading activity on Iran’s major digital asset platforms cratered hard, with volumes plunging nearly 80% from February 27 to March 1, according to fresh crypto news analysis from TRM Labs.
Widespread internet blackouts that kicked in right after strikes launched on February 28 have basically locked users out and frozen the action.
Big names like Nobitex, Wallex, and Tabdeal stayed online but shifted to survival mode in what TRM calls a “risk-managed state.” Withdrawals got batched or paused entirely, and liquidity dried up fast, leaving thin order books and wild (but brief) price swings when things reopened.
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Iran’s central bank jumped in quick, slamming a temporary halt on the key USDT-toman pair, the main on-ramp between crypto and the rial. When trading resumed, it was clear the system was under real strain, with sparse orders and jittery prices telling the full story.
Right as strikes hit Tehran on Saturday, Nobitex saw a sharp spike in crypto outflows in those first frantic minutes. But the nationwide internet shutdown quickly choked off bigger escapes with no mass exodus.
Shifting gears to Europe in today’s crypto news roundup
The European Central Bank dropped a new working paper warning that rising stablecoin adoption could seriously mess with bank lending and how monetary policy actually works on the ground.
As more folks park cash in dollar- or euro-pegged stablecoins, funds could leak out of traditional bank deposits, the ECB says.
That shrink is lending to businesses and households, weakens credit creation in the real economy, and makes policy rate changes less predictable. The impacts aren’t linear, but they ramp up depending on how big stablecoins get, how they’re built, and what rules apply.
And in U.S. regulatory crypto news, CFTC Chair Michael Selig just teased that true perpetual futures for cryptocurrencies are coming stateside “within the next month or so.”
Speaking at a Milken Institute panel in D.C. alongside SEC Chair Paul Atkins, Selig said the agency is pushing hard to bring that liquidity back home after the previous administration sent a ton of it offshore.
With Selig as the only Senate-confirmed commissioner right now and no word yet on Trump nominees for the empty seats, this move could reshape how pros trade crypto derivatives here.
Geopolitical shocks, stablecoin risks, and fresh U.S. rules mean crypto news never sleeps. Stay tuned as these stories keep unfolding.
