Adoption and nerves — Crypto pumps amid banking crisis

On March 19, the United States Federal Reserve announced that it had entered a joint program with several major central banks — including the European Central Bank, the Bank of Canada, the Bank of England, the Bank of Japan and the Swiss National Bank — to support U.S. dollar cash flow and alleviate strains in global funding markets. 

Moreover, Fed Chair Jerome Powell said swap lines — agreements between two or more central banks to maintain a crucial liquidity backstop and ease strains in global funding markets — will remain active until at least the end of April.

This could result in the Federal Reserve slowing its rate hikes, which have been cited as a contributing factor to the ongoing banking crisis.

Since the beginning of March 2023, several major financial entities, including Silvergate Bank, Silicon Valley Bank (SVB), Signature Bank and Credit Suisse, have collapsed.

Despite these developments, Bitcoin (BTC) has rallied, reaching a high of $28,500 on March 24, its highest level since the crypto crash of June 2022. After a slump in March, where the flagship cryptocurrency dropped below $20,000, Bitcoin seems to have resumed its 2023 rally.

Since January, when Bitcoin traded at around $16,500, the digital asset has gained an impressive 72.73%. Of the roughly 4,600 days of Bitcoin as a tradable asset, investors have experienced 4,065 profitable days, challenging the instability-driven narrative surrounding the crypto ecosystem.

The banking crisis explained

In recent weeks, the global banking industry has been rocked by a slew of events, sending shockwaves through financial markets. In Europe, Credit Suisse collapsed and had to be “rescued” by rival bank UBS.

This development did not surprise those following Credit Suisse’s monetary and legal troubles, which have been widely reported for months.

The Swiss National Bank and the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority agreed to back up Credit Suisse with an emergency loan of 50 billion francs ($54.5 billion) if necessary. UBS agreed to purchase Credit Suisse for $3.25 billion, which is less than half its market value just days before, but much higher than the initial offer of $1 billion, which Credit Suisse declined.

Meanwhile, the United States faces its own banking crisis across the Atlantic. Several banks, including SVB, Signature Bank and Silvergate Bank, have collapsed recently, prompting the Federal Reserve and the government to shore up depositors. The banks mentioned above all…