The BLS said March CPI rose 0.9% from the prior month and 3.3% from a year earlier, slightly below analyst expectations. The BLS said the energy index rose nearly 11%, led by a 21.2% jump in gasoline prices. CME Group's FedWatch tool showed a 0% chance of an April rate cut and 98.4% odds of rates staying on hold. Bitcoin rose more than 1.5% and briefly touched $73,000 after the release.

Bitcoin rose above $73,000 after March CPI showed 0.9% monthly inflation and 3.3% annual inflation. Core CPI rose 0.2% on the month, which kept the inflation signal mixed for risk assets. Easing oil prices and a fragile U.S.-Iran ceasefire also supported the move. SoSoValue data shows spot Bitcoin ETFs took in $343 million on April 9.

HKMA granted Hong Kong's first two stablecoin issuer licenses to HSBC and Anchorpoint Financial on Friday. HKMA selected the pair from 36 applicants under the Stablecoins Ordinance. Both licensees can issue Hong Kong dollar-pegged stablecoins. HSBC said its token will be available in PayMe and HSBC HK Mobile Banking in the second half of 2026.

A federal judge in Arizona temporarily blocked state enforcement against Kalshi's event contracts until April 24. Judge Michael Liburdi granted a request from the CFTC and the federal government and said the agency is likely to succeed in arguing the contracts are swaps under the Commodity Exchange Act. The order bars Arizona officials from starting or continuing civil or criminal action tied to Kalshi contracts on CFTC-regulated markets. The court will decide whether to issue a longer-term preliminary injunction.

Iran cannot account for mines it placed in the Strait of Hormuz, leaving its $1-per-barrel Bitcoin toll framework for tankers largely theoretical. US and Iranian delegations are set to meet in Islamabad, where the strait's reopening is a condition for the ceasefire to survive. US officials said some mines were laid without recorded coordinates or later drifted, and the report said neither side can quickly clear them. The Hormuz Letter estimated that the toll could generate about $7.3 billion annually at pre-war traffic of roughly 20 million barrels per day.

U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs drew $358.1 million in net inflows on Thursday, with BlackRock's IBIT leading at $269.3 million. Farside data shows the sector reversed two straight days of net outflows, while Fidelity's FBTC added $53.3 million. Morgan Stanley's new Bitcoin Trust, MSBT, brought in $14.9 million on its second trading day after the bank launched the fund earlier this week.

U.S. March CPI came in at 3.3% year on year and 0.9% month on month, and both readings met market expectations. The annual rate was the highest since May 2024, and the monthly rate was the highest since June 2022. Gate data showed spot gold rose more than $10 in the short term to $4,775 per ounce.

OwlTing Group integrated Visa Direct into OwlPay, giving eligible U.S. debit cardholders a way to fund USDC without a standalone exchange account as the company said it holds licenses or equivalents in 41 U.S. states. The feature is live in OwlPay Harbor and OwlPay Wallet Pro, and OwlTing said a later phase will extend it to OwlPay Cash. Users can then spend USDC via gift cards, transfer assets to third-party platforms, or send funds through Visa cards, bank accounts, and MoneyGram cash pickup.

Lookonchain said Circle minted 105 billion USDC on Solana over the past month. Lookonchain also tracked a fresh USDC mint from Circle. The tracked issuance was specific to the Solana chain.

Whop launched its Treasury yield product on March 25 after Tether invested $200 million in February at a $1.6 billion valuation. Steven Schwartz said 3% of users tried the beta product within a week despite no marketing push. The product routes funds through a Veda vault on Plasma into Aave lending markets, offers up to 6% APY, and the Tether deal will let Whop add on-platform USDT wallets and payments.