A Mainland Businessman Was Illegally Detained and Ransomed in Hong Kong, Losing Over HKD 6 Million Worth of Cryptocurrency and Silver

On March 8th, perp DEX Lighter announced that since its TGE, the protocol has repurchased 7.48 million LIT tokens—roughly 3% of the circulating supply. All value from Lighter’s products and services will accrue to LIT holders.

On March 8, the U.S. Maritime Administration (MARAD) said on its website it has canceled a prior alert that required commercial vessels to avoid the Strait of Hormuz and Persian Gulf as much as possible. It remains unclear whether the alert’s cancellation will ease shipowners’ and crews’ safety concerns about the waterway. Per the website, the canceled alert was originally set to expire March 13. A separate maritime alert targeting Iran expired Saturday. (IG)

On March 8, Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino posted on X, noting: “Over the past 12 months (ending Jan. 31, 2026), the largest single sender accounted for 4.97% of USDT’s total transaction volume—lower than the 23.34% figure for other stablecoins.” USDT serves people excluded by the traditional financial system because they lack wealth. Currently, more than 550 million users across global emerging markets rely on Tether’s USDT.

As of March 8, Coinglass data shows: - If Bitcoin drops below $66,000, mainstream centralized exchanges (CEXs) will face $514 million in cumulative long liquidations. - Conversely, if Bitcoin rises above $68,000, those CEXs will see $794 million in cumulative short liquidations. BlockBeats Note: Liquidation charts do not display the exact number or value of contracts at risk of liquidation. Instead, the bars represent the relative importance of each liquidation cluster compared to nearby clusters—this is "intensity." The chart thus indicates how strongly a given price level will impact the market: taller liquidation bars mean hitting that price will trigger a more significant reaction due to a liquidity cascade.

On March 8, Real Vision co-founder and CEO Raoul Pal noted: "Global liquidity is the most impactful macro factor in history. Since 2012, it’s correlated ~90% with Bitcoin and up to 97% with the Nasdaq 100. Currently, global liquidity is growing at an ~10% annual rate, with no signs of slowing. The GMI Financial Conditions Index typically leads global liquidity by ~6 months, and it remains in a persistently loose state now. The U.S. is poised for additional rate cuts, which will lift disposable income—boosting willingness to invest in risk assets. The CLARITY Act is likely to pass, driving new fund inflows. Many banks and asset managers are eager to adopt this technology, and the act will establish a clear regulatory framework for it. Stablecoins are growing rapidly: issuance rose 50% last year and continues to accelerate. The U.S. currently has its most crypto-friendly government environment ever. Finally, AI agents are on the horizon, with potential for exponential growth and

March 8th Coinglass data shows Coinbase’s Bitcoin Premium Index has stayed in negative territory for 3 straight days, currently at -0.0049%. Since 2024, the index has only had a positive premium on 6 days total. **BlockBeats Note** The Coinbase Bitcoin Premium Index tracks the gap between Bitcoin’s price on Coinbase (a top U.S. exchange) and the global market average. It’s a key metric for monitoring U.S. capital inflows, institutional investment activity, and shifts in market sentiment. - A positive premium means Coinbase’s Bitcoin price exceeds the global average—usually signaling strong U.S. buying pressure, active entry of institutional/regulated funds, ample USD liquidity, and broadly bullish sentiment. - A negative premium indicates Coinbase’s price is below the global average, reflecting notable U.S. selling pressure, reduced investor risk appetite, increased market risk aversion, or capital outflows. ### Notes on adjustments: 1. Fixed the obvious typo **"2026"