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Bitcoin and other major cryptocurrencies surged through a volatile weekend. U.S. military strikes hit Iran&#x27;s Kharg Island. Digital assets rallied anyway.
Bitcoin&#x27;s trading at roughly $73,900. That&#x27;s up 9% over the week. Ethereum climbed nearly 14%. Solana rose 12%.
Oil briefly jumped over 25% after the strikes. The target: a hub that handles 90% of Iran&#x27;s oil exports. Traditional equities stayed flat. Oil prices softened. Crypto kept climbing.
Institutional money&#x27;s flowing in. Spot <a href="https://www.thecoinzone.com/blockchain/btc-etf-explained/" data-wpil-monitor-id="212">Bitcoin ETFs</a> recorded net inflows every day from March 9–13. The total: approximately $763 million. That&#x27;s the first five-day inflow streak of 2026. Ethereum ETFs added $117 million during the same period.
The Ethereum Foundation sold 5,000 ETH over-the-counter to Tom Lee&#x27;s BitMine. The price: about $10.2 million at $2,043 per coin. The foundation says proceeds will fund research, core operations, and grants. BitMine now holds roughly 4.53 million ETH. That&#x27;s about 4% of total supply.
Billionaire investor Stanley Druckenmiller offered a bullish long-term view on stablecoins. His prediction: &quot;In 10–15 years, payment systems could run primarily on stablecoins.&quot; He&#x27;s skeptical about much of the broader crypto market. But stablecoins? Different story. Supply&#x27;s grown to around $315 billion.
A darker development emerged from Argentina. A judicial probe reportedly uncovered a document outlining an alleged $5 million payment structure. The tie: President Javier Milei&#x27;s promotion of the Solana-based LIBRA token. The draft allegedly split payments across three tranches. They&#x27;re linked to endorsements and advisory roles. LIBRA once spiked above a $7 billion valuation. It collapsed to about $1 million. It&#x27;s now emblematic of excesses in the 2023–2025 meme coin cycle.
Crypto&#x27;s showing strength. Traditional markets are showing caution. The divergence reinforces digital assets&#x27; evolving role as a differentiated asset class. ETF inflows are sustained. Stablecoin adoption&#x27;s growing. Institutional participation appears to be deepening. But regulatory and governance questions remain front and center. The LIBRA scandal highlights that. The industry&#x27;s maturing. The questions aren&#x27;t going away.

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Crypto Surges Amid Iran Strikes and Institutional Inflows

Bitcoin and other major cryptocurrencies surged through a volatile weekend. U.S. military strikes hit Iran's Kharg Island. Digital assets rallied anyway.