Bitcoin (BTC) reserve, monetary policy, and fears over the trade war are stirring the markets

input: Crypto markets declined in March due to concerns over the ongoing trade war and monetary policy. Still, traders have not given up on Bitcoin, according to a new report from Binance.

Crypto markets experienced a decline in March due to concerns over the ongoing trade war and monetary policy. Still, traders have not given up on Bitcoin, according to a new report from Binance.

On April 4, Binance published a report on the state of the crypto market last month, highlighting key trends.

The overall crypto market declined by 4.4% in March. A primary driver of this volatility was tariff tensions, as U.S. President Donald Trump threatened a trade war with most of the U.S.’s major trading partners. This was enough to drag down both crypto and stock prices, despite several positive developments.

For one, the Federal Reserve signaled a pause to its tightening policy. This was good news for risk assets like crypto, which saw prices drop due to reduced liquidity. At the same time, the Bitcoin strategic reserve push was a major driver of positive sentiment for the biggest crypto asset.

Memecoins down, Bitcoin remains strong: Binance

The increased volatility contributed to a sharp decline across several market segments, particularly memecoins. Notably, the memecoin launchpad Pump.fun saw a significant drop in activity, indicating that the memecoin market may have peaked.

This decline began shortly after Trump’s inauguration and coincided with the launch of several TRUMP-themed memecoins. Trading volumes on Pump.fun are down 69.9%, dropping from $33.3 billion to $1 billion. Meanwhile, the number of active wallets decreased by 45.1% to 1.44 million, and new token creation fell by 51.8%.

In the DeFi space, Uniswap saw its dominance erode as emerging competitors gained ground, with market share falling from 45% in April 2024 to 29% in March 2025. Notably, BNB-based PancakeSwap surpassed Uniswap in volume, mainly driven by its lower transaction fees.

Despite these broader shifts in the crypto market, Bitcoin has retained its status as a haven for many traders. The amount of BTC held by long-term holders continues to grow. Additionally, Bitcoin’s DeFi ecosystem is expanding rapidly. In a year-over-year comparison, the value locked in Bitcoin DeFi has surged by 2,767%, rising from $0.3 billion to $8.6 billion.