According to Iran's Tasnim News Agency, the Iranian Minister of Economy stated that the stock market will be temporarily closed until further notice. (Jinshi)

Odaily Planet Daily reports that several venture capitalists are warning that the AI craze is diverting funds away from crypto startups. Charles Chong, VP of Strategy at BlockSpaceForce, stated that investors now have "real alternatives with faster revenue visibility," and crypto teams need to work harder; founders must be more precise in areas such as defensiveness and monetization models. DefiLlama data shows that crypto startups raised $128 million in the first week of March, bringing their total funding since 2026 to nearly $2.5 billion. This week's investors included Peter Thiel's Founders Fund, Ripple, Y Combinator, Wintermute, and Sequoia Capital, primarily investing in payments, trading, and DeFi infrastructure. The top three funding events this week: Latin American fintech company ARQ completed a $70 million Series B funding round led by Sequoia Capital and Founders Fund. The company has an annualized trading volume of over $10 billion and approximately 2 million users. Crossover Markets completed a $31 million Series B funding round led by Tradeweb Markets, with participation from Ripple and Wintermute. The company is valued at approximately $200 million and operates CROSSx, a digital asset trading network for institutions. Hybrid derivatives exchange QFEX completed a $9.5 million seed funding round led by Yuri Sagalov of General Catalyst, with participation from Y Combinator and Paul Graham.

Odaily Planet Daily reports that the ongoing military conflict between the United States, Israel, and Iran continues to impact the Asia-Pacific region, triggering economic uncertainty and energy security alarms. Many governments and regional organizations have called for an immediate cessation of military operations. Julia Roknifard, a senior lecturer at Taylor's University in Malaysia, points out that Southeast Asia may face negative impacts such as trade disruptions and rising energy costs. A survey by the Malaysian Foreign Trade Development Board shows that nearly 64% of Malaysian businesses expect to be affected by the conflict, mainly involving transportation delays, increased shipping and insurance costs, and rising raw material prices linked to crude oil. Retail oil prices in Cambodia rose over the past week, with key garment and agricultural sectors facing higher production and logistics costs. Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake warned that the conflict could impact the country's economy. South Korea's KOSPI and KOSDAQ indices fell 12.06% and 14% respectively on Wednesday, before rebounding on Thursday. International Monetary Fund Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva stated in Bangkok on Thursday that if the conflict continues, it could affect global energy prices, market sentiment, economic growth, and inflation. Countries are actively responding to the impact. Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet emphasized that ASEAN must strengthen regional resilience through energy diversification and deeper economic integration. Vietnam established a special task force to monitor the energy market, the Philippines stated it has 50 to 60 days' worth of oil reserves, and South Korea issued a "watch" level warning for crude oil and natural gas. Australia and New Zealand began assisting their citizens in evacuating from the Middle East. On the diplomatic front, ASEAN foreign ministers issued a joint statement on March 4 calling for an immediate ceasefire. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi spoke with the foreign ministers of Russia, Iran, Israel, Saudi Arabia, and other countries, emphasizing adherence to the UN Charter and opposition to the arbitrary use of force. China will also send its special envoy for Middle East affairs, Zhai Jun, to the region to promote de-escalation.

Huoxun Finance reported on March 7th that, according to CoinDesk, CK Zheng, founder of crypto hedge fund ZXSquaredCapital, stated that Bitcoin has entered a deep bear market. With the increasing influence of the "four-year cycle," the price could fall by approximately 30% in 2026. Previously, Bitcoin reached an all-time high of over $126,000 in October 2025, approximately 16-18 months after its April 2024 halving. It has since fallen back to around $68,000, largely conforming to the four-year cycle pattern centered around the halving. The psychology of retail investors chasing rallies during market frenzies and selling during panics has reinforced this bear market cycle. Meanwhile, institutional adoption remains limited, with crypto ETFs and digital asset reserve companies accounting for only about 10% of the overall market. In a bear market environment, some companies holding Bitcoin as an asset reserve may be forced to sell assets due to debt repayment pressures, further exacerbating downward market pressure.

Odaily Planet Daily reports that Iranian President Pezechzian delivered a speech calling for national unity to defend Iran and stating that Iran would never surrender unconditionally. In his speech, Pezechzian apologized to neighboring countries and stated that the interim leadership council approved on the 6th a cessation of attacks on neighboring countries and missile launches unless those countries launch an attack on Iran first. (CCTV News)