Geopolitics

Moldova's National Anti-Corruption Center has disclosed a plan to influence the 2025 parliamentary elections using cryptocurrency, involving a total amount of $107 million. The funds are transferred through non-custodial crypto wallets to intermediaries, who then exchange them for cash to bribe voters and promote candidates. The source of the funds is mainly from crypto platforms in Russia and Kyrgyzstan.

On March 10th, Bloomberg reported that due to escalating conflicts in the Middle East, the 24-hour trading volume of perpetual contracts tracking WTI crude oil on the Hyperliquid platform exceeded $1.2 billion, making it the second-largest market after Bitcoin. The contract price briefly rose to $107 per barrel, with $75 million in short positions liquidated, indicating the market's sensitive reaction to the Iran situation.

Trump stated at the Florida conference that he will refuse to sign any other laws until the "SAVE America Act" is approved by Congress, which addresses issues such as voter identification. This stance could impact the progress of legislation related to the cryptocurrency industry. At the same time, Trump has prioritized crypto regulation but currently considers the voter identification bill as the top priority.

Gate News Report, March 10, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps of Iran issued a statement saying that if the United States and Israel continue their attacks, Tehran will not allow "any oil" exports from the region.

On March 10th, Trump announced a temporary lifting of some oil-related sanctions to ensure oil prices remain stable, and mentioned that this policy will continue until the Strait of Hormuz resumes navigation. He also referenced that last week, the US permitted the sale of retained Russian oil to India.

Fairshake Political Action Committee has invested $8.6 million in the Illinois congressional elections, primarily to oppose candidates supporting competitors, and plans to support crypto-friendly leaders in the 2026 elections.

U.S. President Trump hinted that the Iran war will end quickly, leading to a rebound in the US stock market and a sharp drop in oil prices. Bitcoin retreated to 68K, and Ethereum is around 2000. MicroStrategy and BitMine continue to buy cryptocurrencies, and the Fear and Greed Index has risen. The market faces uncertainty, with the risk of a stock market crash rising to 35%.

Russian President Putin and U.S. President Trump held a phone call on March 9th, lasting about an hour. The two sides had a pragmatic exchange on Iran, the Ukraine situation, and Venezuela affairs, and expressed hope to maintain regular communication.

Gate News Report, March 9th, U.S. President Trump stated that he believes the Iran war is already very thorough and almost over.

The digital asset market showed a strange kind of calm last week, not reckless, not euphoric, just strangely stubborn. According to CoinShares, investment products tied to cryptocurrencies pulled in a net US$619 million, a sign that, even amid geopolitical jitters tied to Iran, a meaningful chunk of

Macro strategist Mark Connors stated that if the conflict between the US and Iran continues, increased fiscal spending and debt expansion could benefit Bitcoin. He pointed out that war financing will increase the supply of US dollars, weaken the currency's value, and drive Bitcoin higher. Since the conflict began, Bitcoin has risen approximately 3.6%.

Gate News Announcement: On March 9, U.S. President Trump stated that he will hold a press conference around 5:30 PM Eastern Time on March 10.

U.S. President Trump will review plans to curb oil prices on March 10, as oil prices have already exceeded $100 due to the Iran conflict. The White House is concerned that high oil prices could harm the economy, especially on the eve of the elections. Meanwhile, officials are discussing measures such as jointly releasing strategic reserve crude oil with the G7. Analysis indicates that ongoing conflict will limit the impact of policies on the global oil market.

Gate News Report, March 9th, Refinitiv data shows that bets in the inflation swap market reflect traders' expectations that consumer inflation in the United States will accelerate to about 3% over the next 12 months, up from approximately 2.4% at the end of February. Market analysis suggests that inflation concerns are mainly focused on the short term, related to the ongoing conflict with Iran. Expectations for the 12-month inflation rate starting one year from now are more moderate, remaining around 2.4%.

Gate News Report, March 9th, Russian President Putin stated that oil production related to the Strait of Hormuz could potentially come to a complete halt as early as next month. Putin pointed out that logistics will shift to more profitable markets, and Russian companies need to capitalize on the current situation. Additionally, Putin mentioned that the increase in global natural gas prices has exceeded that of oil.

This week will release the US February CPI and unemployment data, as well as the January PCE Price Index. Meanwhile, US and Israeli military actions may impact oil transportation through the Strait of Hormuz. The implied volatility of major maturities has risen significantly, with BTC short-term IV exceeding 65%, ETH short-term IV exceeding 80%, and the skew indicator declining.

Gate News Report, March 9th, U.S. President Trump commented on the issue of sending troops to Iran, stating that it is currently "far from" the point of deploying troops to Iran.

Gate News Report, March 9 — G7 officials stated that a broad consensus was reached at the G7 finance ministers' meeting on Monday to temporarily hold back from releasing oil reserves.

Gate News Report, March 9th, U.S. President Trump commented on the issue of deploying troops to Iran, stating that the current situation is "far from" requiring the deployment of troops to Iran.

Gate News Report, March 9, Iran's Supreme National Security Council Secretary Ali Larijani stated that considering the flames of war ignited by the United States and Israel in the region, the Strait of Hormuz is unlikely to achieve any security.