Israel: Iran's Intelligence Minister Hattib Killed

Coinbase will list Katana (KAT) spot trading today, March 18. The KAT-USD trading pair will begin trading at 6:00 AM Pacific Time or later if liquidity conditions are met and trading is enabled in your region.

On March 17th, Saylor University (formerly Saylor Academy) secured university accreditation from the Florida Department of Education (DOE) and international academic accreditor ASIC. Founder Michael Saylor publicly confirmed the milestone the next day, March 18th. In Bitcoin education, the institution offers a Bitcoin Economics specialization covering Bitcoin’s evolution, real-world applications, and impact on the global economic system—all related courses are freely accessible to the public. Post-accreditation, the university has upgraded its four existing Master of Business Administration (MBA) courses to formal degree programs, each totaling 30 credits. These programs are available online for free to students in Florida and globally. The platform currently features over 150 free courses spanning management, computer science, humanities, and career development.

**March 18 Update** HTX DAO has rolled out a suite of initiatives to boost the HTX token’s positioning and long-term value in the new market cycle, spanning compliance expansion, on-chain staking, transaction utility, and deflationary mechanics. Key moves: - **March 4**: HTX listed on European-compliant exchange Bit2Me, expanding fiat access and user onboarding in the region. - **March 16**: Launched HTX staking Beta, allowing users to earn rewards and participate in HTX DAO governance. The full version will offer staking rewards with up to 10% annualized yield. - **April 1**: HTX becomes the **exclusive fee token** for Huobi HTX’s trading platform—users paying fees in HTX get a 25% discount. - **April 15**: HTX DAO will execute its Q1 2026 quarterly token burn to optimize circulating supply. These efforts are strengthening HTX’s synergies across trading, governance, and supply systems, underpinning its value proposition moving forward.

March 18 — Strategy founder Michael Saylor noted that STRC, the firm’s perpetual preferred stock, has hit an all-time low volatility of 1.5%—pushing its Sharpe ratio to a record high of 5.37, setting a new benchmark for risk-adjusted performance. Per STRC’s official data dashboard, the stock currently trades at $99.88 with an effective yield of 11.51%. Its 30-day historical volatility stands at a new low of 1.5%, while the Sharpe ratio has reached 5.37—underscoring STRC’s ability to deliver high returns with low risk. BlockBeats Note: STRC is a floating-rate perpetual preferred stock issued by Strategy, positioned as a short-term high-yield credit product. It trades around $100, pays monthly cash dividends, and adjusts its dividend yield monthly. Strategy funds Bitcoin purchases by issuing new STRC, leveraging the common perception that MSTR’s total BTC holdings should exceed its market cap to boost its listed valuation. Continuous STRC issuances aim to create a positive spiral.

March 18 — U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) Chairman Mike Selig said Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes has filed criminal charges against Kalshi, a prediction market platform already registered with the CFTC, over alleged illegal betting services in the state. Selig noted the action stems from a jurisdictional dispute, adding that escalating it to criminal prosecution is “completely inappropriate.” The CFTC is closely monitoring the situation and evaluating potential response measures. Earlier, Mayes accused Kalshi of operating an illegal gambling business — including allowing wagers on sports events and Arizona state elections — in violation of local laws. “No company can unilaterally decide which laws to comply with,” she said in a statement.

On March 18, HTX market data shows Bitcoin dropped below $73,000, down 0.98% over the past 24 hours.