Top Crypto Stories This Week: From Surging Tariff Fears to Surging Corporate Adoption of Bitcoin

This week saw global financial markets rattled by new tariff announcements, yet the cryptocurrency market displayed surprising stability. Simultaneously, a compelling narrative of increasing corporate adoption of Bitcoin continued to unfold, with several major players making significant moves to bolster their holdings.

The dominant economic story of the week was U.S. President Donald Trump's unveiling of sweeping new tariffs, which triggered a significant downturn in traditional stock markets and a flight to safety in bonds. However, Bitcoin and the broader crypto market exhibited remarkable resilience in the face of this macro uncertainty. While an initial dip occurred , Bitcoin quickly found support and traded relatively flat, contrasting with the substantial losses seen in equities. Analysts suggested that Bitcoin's unique market dynamics are increasingly decoupling it from traditional risk assets.

Adding to the positive sentiment surrounding Bitcoin was the clear trend of growing corporate accumulation. Several notable companies announced significant increases to their Bitcoin treasuries this week, signaling a strengthening belief in Bitcoin as a long-term store of value and strategic reserve asset.

Tether, the issuer of the world's largest stablecoin USDT, further solidified its position as a major Bitcoin holder, announcing the purchase of 8,888 BTC in the first quarter of 2025 , bringing its total holdings to an impressive 92,646 BTC, valued at approximately $7.8 billion. Video game retailer GameStop finalized a $1.5 billion offering of convertible senior notes , explicitly stating its intention to use a portion of these funds to acquire Bitcoin for its corporate treasury.

Strategy (formerly MicroStrategy), a leading proponent of corporate Bitcoin adoption, continued its aggressive accumulation. The company added another 22,048 BTC for $1.92 billion, bringing its total holdings to a staggering 528,185 Bitcoin, valued at over $43 billion. Meanwhile, Bitcoin miner MARA Holdings Inc. announced plans to offer up to $2 billion worth of its stock, with a portion of the proceeds earmarked for further Bitcoin purchases, mirroring the strategy employed by Strategy.

These significant moves by various corporations underscore a growing conviction in Bitcoin's long-term potential, even amidst broader economic uncertainties.

Other notable developments in the crypto space included:

• Continued institutional adoption: Wall Street giant DTCC launched its tokenized collateral platform, and Fidelity introduced direct crypto investments for retirement savings, indicating ongoing institutional interest in digital assets. OSL also expanded its crypto wealth management platform in Hong Kong, and Calastone unveiled its tokenized fund distribution platform .
• Regulatory landscape: The Senate panel's approval of Donald Trump's SEC pick , Atkins, could signal future shifts in crypto regulation.
• Global adoption: Norway continued to see increasing adoption of cryptocurrencies , and Japanese banking giant SMBC partnered with Ava Labs and Fireblocks for stablecoin commercialization .
• Unexpected ventures: Sei Foundation's pursuit of acquiring 23andMe highlighted the intersection of blockchain and data privacy, and a surprise bid emerged from Hbar Foundation and an OnlyFans co-founder to acquire TikTok emerged.

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Blockcast

Blockcast 56 | Lombard Co-Founder Jacob Phillips on Bitcoin DeFi's Challenges and Innovations

Jacob Phillips entered crypto in 2018, co-founded Lombard in 2024, focusing on Bitcoin liquidity and staking solutions to bridge DeFi and CeFi. In this Blockcast episode, Jacob reflects on Lombard's core mission to enable secure, permissionless Bitcoin staking and liquidity through its liquid staking token, LBTC. He highlights the challenge of trustless Bitcoin DeFi and the importance of balancing decentralization with institutional security.

Previous episodes of Blockcast can be found on Podpage , with guests like Samar Sen ( Talos), Jason Choi (Tangent), Lasanka Perera (Independent Reserve), Mark Rydon (Aethir), Peter Hui (Moongate), Luca Prosperi (M^0), Charles Hoskinson (Cardano), Aneirin Flynn (Failsafe), and Yat Siu (Animoca Brands) on our most recent shows.