Singapore's largest money laundering case suspect Wang Shuiming may be extradited to China, with his accomplice being the mastermind behind the Hong Kong crypto platform scam AAX.

Breaking: Multiple explosions reported in Dubai on March 1st, per market sources. Earlier on March 1st (local time, ~1:30 AM), the northeast side of Dubai’s Burj Al Arab (Sail Hotel) was targeted in an attack and caught fire. Guests were asleep when loud explosions and strong tremors woke them; they evacuated via emergency exits. The hotel lobby filled with thick smoke, and the fire has since been extinguished. Separately, an Iranian drone attacked Dubai International Airport earlier this morning. The airport is currently conducting evacuation procedures, all flights are canceled, and Dubai airspace is closed.

March 1 — The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) conducted a fresh round of airstrikes targeting Iran’s ballistic missile launch equipment and air defense systems early Thursday, the military announced. Dozens of IDF fighter jets struck roughly 30 targets across Iran on the night of February 28, including air defense systems, missile launchers and other military facilities, the IDF said in a statement. (Source: Jinse)

March 1 — Iran has fired a new barrage of missiles at Israel, the Tehran Times reports. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed it detected missiles launched from Iran targeting Israeli territory, with defense systems active to intercept the threat. In recent minutes, the IDF Home Front Command has issued precautionary alerts to mobile devices in affected areas. Upon receiving the alert, residents are advised to enter shelters and remain there until further notice. Earlier, Iran struck a U.S. military base in northern Iraq, with witnesses reporting heavy smoke billowing from the facility.

March 1 (Bloomberg) — The crypto market staged a sharp rebound during Sunday’s Asian trading session after Iran confirmed top leader Ayatollah Khamenei was killed in a U.S. military operation. Bitcoin rose as much as 2.21% to $68,196 before paring gains to around $67,300; it had fallen 3.8% the previous day. Ethereum climbed 4.58% at its peak, reclaiming the $2,000 level. Data shows the crypto market recovered roughly $32 billion in early Sunday trading, after shedding $128 billion in market capitalization the day prior. Analysts noted crypto’s 24/7 trading let Bitcoin act as a “liquidity release valve” amid escalating weekend geopolitical tensions, absorbing selling pressure that would otherwise have spilled over into stocks, bonds, and commodities. Uncertainty lingers, however: Iran has launched retaliatory attacks across Israel, Qatar, the UAE, and Bahrain, and threatened further strikes on U.S.-linked bases. Some traders say true price discovery may unfold once U.S. stocks

On March 1, the U.S. launched a military strike against Iran in response to a recent provocation. The market initially dipped, with Bitcoin falling as low as $63,000. As U.S. operations progressed, the market rebounded overall. At press time, Bitcoin briefly topped $68,000, while Ethereum climbed back above $2,000. Notably, Coinglass data shows that after a "dip before rally" during this conflict, bearish sentiment has eased somewhat. Funding rates for mainstream crypto pairs (including altcoins) have collectively returned to neutral territory, with specific rates detailed in the accompanying chart. BlockBeats Note: Funding rates are fees set by crypto exchanges to keep contract prices aligned with underlying asset prices (primarily for perpetual contracts). They facilitate fund exchanges between long and short traders—exchanges do not charge this fee; it adjusts the cost or profit of traders holding positions to narrow the gap between contract and underlying prices. A 0.01% f

**March 1 – Christopher Wong, a strategist at Singapore’s OCBC Bank, said ahead of Monday’s market open that recent Iran-related tensions have boosted geopolitical risk premiums.** **Market initial reactions are broadly predictable: safe-haven assets like gold may gap higher, while oil prices could strengthen amid supply disruption concerns.** **Risk assets and high-beta currencies may see initial volatility, especially if reports signal potential retaliation or regional spillover effects.** **(Source: FX678)**