Wholesale inflation ran hotter than expected in February, pressuring risk assets and snapping the U.S. stock market’s recent winning streak ahead of the Fed’s rate decision. The upside surprise in producer prices reinforced the “higher for longer” narrative on rates and reignited concerns about margins and growth-sensitive sectors.
Source: SeekingAlpha
Energy shock deepens: Iran-linked strikes hit world’s largest LNG site, oil extends gains
Oil prices climbed as reports indicated Iran inflicted extensive damage on Qatar’s massive LNG complex, adding to fears of supply disruptions amid broader Middle East tensions. The prospect of persistent energy bottlenecks is compounding inflation risks, with traders rotating toward energy producers and hedging macro exposure.
Source: SeekingAlpha
SEC approves Nasdaq pilot to trade tokenized stocks on equal footing with traditional shares
The SEC cleared a Nasdaq pilot allowing select equities to be bought and sold as tokenized shares under the same tickers and order books as conventional stock. The program, run in coordination with DTCC, keeps shareholder rights intact while testing blockchain-based settlement rails inside existing market structure.
Source: FinanceFeeds
Mastercard to acquire BVNK, accelerating stablecoin settlement across global payment rails
Mastercard agreed to buy BVNK, a fast-growing stablecoin infrastructure provider that processes roughly $30B in annual volume for fintechs and PSPs. The deal will plug stablecoin settlement into Mastercard’s network for acquirers and processors, extending always-on digital settlement options across cards, bank accounts, and wallets (pending approvals).
Source: FinanceFeeds
Visa launches command‑line interface to power AI agent payments
Visa Crypto Labs unveiled “Visa CLI,” a command‑line tool that lets autonomous AI agents initiate secure card payments without cumbersome API key management. The move aims to speed machine‑to‑machine commerce and reduce integration friction, signaling Visa’s push to operationalize a “machine economy” with sub‑second, programmatic settlement.
Source: FinanceFeeds
Kraken’s parent pauses U.S. IPO plans as crypto equity valuations cool
Payward, the parent of Kraken, froze its planned U.S. listing after filing confidentially last year, citing softer trading volumes and tepid performance of recent crypto listings. Management said it will focus on balance‑sheet strength and regulatory milestones—including recent Fed access for Kraken Financial—before revisiting public‑market timing.
Source: FinanceFeeds
FTX to pay $2.2B in fourth creditor distribution on March 31
The FTX Recovery Trust will distribute $2.2B to eligible creditors at month‑end, lifting cumulative payouts to about $10B since 2025. Dotcom customer claims will receive an additional 18% (total ~96% so far), while U.S. customer and general unsecured classes move toward full recovery under court‑approved priorities.
Source: FinanceFeeds
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