news XRP JUMPS 10% — WHAT'S HAPPENING IN THE MARKET?

[DarkenBiz]

XRP soared almost 10% in 24 hours, reaching around $1.48, and its market cap approached $90 billion. Over the past week, growth has reached ~14%, making XRP one of the leaders among altcoins.

Reasons for the growth:

Overall growth in the crypto market – Bitcoin's rise (~$74–$75,000) is pulling altcoins along with it.

Large investors are entering the scene – trading and open positions have increased.

Technical factors – the key resistance level of $1.40–$1.50 has been broken.

Positive news background and expectations for interest rate decisions.

⚠ Now: XRP is holding in the $1.40–$1.55 range, growth has slowed – a normal pause after a sharp surge.

Forecast: If the price consolidates above $1.50, the immediate targets are $1.60–$1.80, with a strong market potentially reaching $2+.

Conclusion: XRP is in a bullish trend, but entering at the peak is always risky.

 

[DarkenBiz]

Strategy has almost caught up with BlackRock in Bitcoin holdings

The largest public corporate holder of BTC, Strategy, is rapidly closing the gap with market giant BlackRock.

As of March 19:
— IBIT (BlackRock ETF): 784,062 BTC
— Strategy: 761,068 BTC
— Gap: less than 23,000 BTC (~$2 billion)

At the current pace of purchases (~22,337 BTC per week), Strategy could almost completely close the gap in just one week.

What's changed?
Until recently, the gap remained at 100,000–150,000 BTC and showed little sign of narrowing. But since the beginning of 2026:
— Strategy bought 88,500 BTC
— IBIT added only 12,000 BTC

The reason is the slowdown in inflows into spot ETFs. Funds had been seeing outflows since November, and only in March did they begin to recover.

What's the difference?
— ETFs buy BTC when investors' money comes in
— Strategy buys BTC according to its own strategy, regardless of the market

Conclusion:
For the first time in a long time, a corporate player is catching up with the largest investment fund. This changes the balance of power and strengthens the role of large holders in the BTC market.

Now there's only one question: who will become number one?
— Strategy if the momentum continues
— BlackRock if strong inflows into ETFs return

 

[DarkenBiz]

Mining is going into the red: what's going on?

In mid-March, the average cost of mining 1 BTC rose to ~$88,000, while the market price remained around $69,000. As a result, miners are operating at an average loss of up to 21%.

Why is this happening?


Rising Costs

The escalation of the conflict in the Middle East and the surge in oil prices above $100 per barrel have led to higher prices for electricity, a key resource for mining.


Risks to the Hashrate

Up to 8-10% of global capacity dependent on energy supplies from the region is at risk. Shipping restrictions through the Strait of Hormuz are creating additional pressure.


Market Pressure

To cover costs, miners are forced to sell off their BTC reserves, which is increasing pressure on the price.


Strategy Shift

Large players like Marathon Digital and Cipher Mining are already diversifying their businesses:

part of their capacity is being transferred to AI and high-performance computing.


Bottom Line: The market is entering a stress phase—weak players are leaving, while strong ones are adapting and seeking new sources of income.

 

[DarkenBiz]

Is AI More Important Than Crypto? A Surprising Opinion from BlackRock

BlackRock's Director of Digital Asset Development, Robert Mitchnick, spoke at the Digital Asset Summit.

He stated:
In the long term, artificial intelligence could have a greater impact on the market than new crypto tokens.

What's Happening Now

Large Investors Are Changing Their Strategy
Institutionalists Are Increasingly Investing Only in:
— Bitcoin
— Ethereum

However, interest in new tokens has almost disappeared.

Why is this?
Because most altcoins:
— Don't stand the test of time
— Are fueled by hype
— Have no real value

Tough but honest: "Most altcoins are rubbish."

Where's the AI in this?
Artificial intelligence is becoming a new foundational technology:
— automated trading
— data analysis
— autonomous financial decisions

But there's a problem:
traditional systems (like banking networks) are not suitable for AI.

And that's where crypto comes in
Blockchain can become the basis for:
— payments between AI agents
— a fully automated economy
— finance without intermediaries

Conclusion:
The future lies not in thousands of tokens, but in the combination
AI + blockchain as infrastructure