Linera Launches Babbage Testnet

March 11th — Digital asset infrastructure firm BitGo announced it will provide custody and trading services to publicly listed firm StableX Technologies, supporting the latter’s plan to build a stablecoin-related digital asset reserve of up to $1 billion. Per the announcement, BitGo Bank & Trust will act as custodian for StableX’s digital assets, while BitGo’s over-the-counter (OTC) platform will assist in executing related token purchase plans. StableX is a Nasdaq-listed company focused on stablecoin infrastructure. Following the news, its stock rose 9% intraday before closing up approximately 1.6%. The firm had previously begun building its digital asset reserve and acquired tokens tied to the stablecoin ecosystem, including Chainlink. BitGo Chief Revenue Officer Chen Fang noted this collaboration underscores that more publicly traded companies are building digital asset reserve strategies — no longer limited to Bitcoin, but beginning to lay out stakes in stablecoin ecosyste

**U.S. Labor Department to Release February Non-Seasonally Adjusted CPI Data Tonight (20:30 ET, March 11)** - **Market Expectation**: 2.4% | **Previous Value**: 2.4% The Consumer Price Index (CPI) tracks price changes for goods/services U.S. households typically buy—its a key inflation gauge. **Data Impact**: A reading above the forecast is bullish for the U.S. dollar. Prior context: February non-farm payrolls (NFP) were weaker than expected, clashing with widespread market hopes for strength. Notably, rate-cut expectations haven’t shifted materially. Rate-market pricing signals a high chance the next Fed rate cut lands in the second half of 2024.

BlackRock Says Gold, Silver Bull Trend Intact Amid Volatility, Driven by Debt, Geopolitics, Industrial Demand BlackRock stated March 11 that despite recent volatility in precious metals, the long-term uptrend for gold and silver remains intact—fueled by shifting demand that’s reshaping the market. Kristy Akullian, Head of Americas iShares Investment Strategy at BlackRock, noted gold has surged ~75% over the past year, topping $5,000 per ounce for the first time in January 2025. Silver, meanwhile, jumped 148% in 2025 and added another 19% this January. Pullbacks since haven’t dented the overall bull market, she said. Key drivers include: - **Global Debt Burdens**: U.S. federal debt now exceeds 120% of GDP; major economies like Japan, the UK, France, and Canada all have debt levels above 100% of GDP, boosting gold’s appeal as a store of value. - **Geopolitical Uncertainty**: Ongoing tensions have spurred hedging demand for precious metals. - **Industrial Demand**: Silver’s

On March 11, stablecoin issuer Circle launched the Circle Nanopayments Testnet — a payment infrastructure supporting transfers as small as 0.000001 USDC with gas-free single transactions, designed to serve as a foundational payment layer for the Agentic Economy. Per details shared, Nanopayments are built on the Circle Gateway, using off-chain transaction aggregation and delayed batch on-chain settlement to bundle thousands of microtransactions into one on-chain settlement. This eliminates per-transaction gas costs, enabling developers to build use cases like pay-per-call, pay-per-use, and machine-to-machine payments. Technically, users or agents sign an EIP-3009 authorization message to initiate a payment. The system validates the signature, updates its internal ledger instantly to confirm the payment, while actual on-chain settlement occurs periodically in the background. Circle noted the solution has been validated in collaboration with OpenMind, an open-source robotics deve

WSJ reported on March 11 that sources say the International Energy Agency (IEA) has proposed releasing its largest-ever oil reserves to cool surging oil prices tied to US-Iran tensions. Officials noted the planned release would exceed the 182 million barrels IEA member nations released in two separate tranches during the 2022 Russia-Ukraine conflict. The proposal was discussed at an emergency meeting of energy officials from the IEA’s 32 member countries on Tuesday. Member nations are expected to decide on the plan Wednesday. If no objections are raised, it will be approved; a single objection, however, will delay implementation. As of press time, WTI crude oil has fallen below $82 per barrel, down 5.20% in intraday trading.

**March 11: Forbes’ Latest Billionaire List Puts CZ’s Net Worth at $110B (Up $47B YoY), Ranked 17th Globally—Surpassing Bill Gates** Forbes’ latest global billionaire ranking, released March 11, shows Changpeng Zhao (CZ) has seen his personal net worth climb to approximately $110 billion—an increase of $47 billion from last year. He now ranks 17th on the list, with his wealth exceeding that of Bill Gates. The report notes CZ’s wealth growth is primarily tied to his stake in cryptocurrency exchange Binance. Industry estimates peg Binance’s current valuation at around $100 billion, with CZ holding roughly 90% of the shares. The platform remains the world’s largest crypto exchange, boasting a 38% market share and annual trading volume exceeding $30 trillion. Data indicates Binance is projected to generate $16 billion to $17 billion in revenue between 2024 and 2025—about 2.5 times Coinbase’s revenue ($6.6 billion) over the same period. Additionally, the Binance ecosystem includ