Bitcoin Rebounds to $71,500 as Wall Street Expands in March 2026

Bitcoin rebounded to $71,500 on March 10, 2026, extending gains after President Donald Trump said a day earlier that the U.S.–Iran conflict was nearing an end and easing risk-off pressure across markets. The move lifted total crypto market capitalization to about $2.51 trillion as Kraken, Nasdaq, and Intercontinental Exchange advanced new crypto infrastructure in the same week.

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Context

Bitcoin entered March under pressure after the market reacted to the Iran conflict and broader macro risk, with traders treating crypto more like a geopolitical risk asset than a purely technical trade. In early March, the Crypto Fear & Greed Index fell into a 14 to 19 range, firmly in Extreme Fear territory, as sentiment deteriorated across digital assets.

By March 10, that pressure had started to reverse. Bitcoin futures reached an intraday high of $71,510, while the asset posted a daily gain of 3.70%, confirming a sharp rebound from the early-March selloff.

Details

The immediate catalyst was de-escalation rhetoric. Trump said on March 9 that the U.S.–Iran conflict was nearing an end, and that shift helped support both equities and crypto into the March 10 session.

At the same time, three institutional developments changed the market narrative. Kraken secured a Federal Reserve master account with direct Fedwire access, becoming the first crypto-native firm to reach that layer of U.S. payment infrastructure. On March 9, Nasdaq was reported to be developing a tokenized-equity framework with Kraken parent Payward, with a targeted H1 2027 rollout subject to SEC approval.

Intercontinental Exchange, the parent company of the New York Stock Exchange, also invested in OKX at a $25 billion valuation and established a strategic relationship with the exchange. Bloomberg reported the investment at about $200 million, while ICE confirmed the strategic stake and said it would not materially affect 2026 financial results.

Impact

The broader crypto market cap rose to roughly $2.51 trillion, with daily trading volume above $121 billion, showing that the move extended beyond Bitcoin alone. That supports the view that the rebound reflected renewed risk appetite across the sector rather than an isolated BTC move.

The institutional angle matters more than the one-day price jump. Kraken’s Fedwire access reduces reliance on banking intermediaries, Nasdaq’s tokenization work signals that traditional market infrastructure is moving on-chain in stages, and ICE’s OKX investment connects a major exchange operator more directly to crypto market rails.

There is also an important correction to the broader market framing. Bitcoin’s prior all-time high was $126,198.07 on October 6, 2025, which means Bitcoin remained roughly 43% below that peak even after the rebound, not 15% below it.

Next Steps

The next confirmed milestone on the infrastructure side is Nasdaq’s planned H1 2027 rollout for its tokenized-equity framework with Payward, pending regulatory approval. That timeline makes the March 2026 rebound notable not only as a market move, but also as a week when Wall Street firms expanded long-term crypto market plumbing.

ICE also said it plans to use OKX spot market data to support regulated crypto futures in the U.S., adding another concrete path for institutional participation. Taken together, the week’s developments show that market structure kept advancing even during a period of elevated geopolitical volatility.

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P.S. This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice. Always conduct your own research and make independent decisions.