This article summarizes cryptocurrency news from March 18, 2026, covering the latest Bitcoin updates, Ethereum upgrades, Dogecoin trends, real-time cryptocurrency prices, and price predictions. Today's major Web3 events include: 1. SEC and CFTC release new regulatory framework, challenging the legislative necessity of CLARITY Act; 2. Bitrefill hit by North Korean Lazarus hackers, 18,500 purchase records leaked, operations restored; 3. Federal Reserve's March 2026 interest rate decision coming soon, Powell's remarks will influence Bitcoin and market movements.

Gate News reports that on March 18, X platform product leader Nikita Bier stated: "In the next 30 days, the economic motivation to post spam on X will decrease substantially and will soon become negative."

Harry Howard AI recently completed testing of its prediction market product, attracting 8,518 participants and generating 26,423 transactions. The platform secured $3 million in seed funding in 2025, is currently advancing private fundraising efforts, and plans to launch a token.

Anthropic has launched a new feature called Dispatch on Claude Desktop, enabling users to send commands to Claude on their computer via mobile instructions. This feature requires user confirmation for each operation and is currently only available to Max subscribers, with Pro users gaining access soon. Testing indicates slower speeds, with a task success rate of about 50%.

Gate News report: On March 17, according to sources within Tencent, Tencent's QClaw will launch a public beta in the near future, and a new version will be released on March 18.

Gate News reported that on March 12, NickAI, an agent trading operating system supported by Galaxy, a digital asset and data center infrastructure company, is about to launch. The system allows users to build AI agents without coding, enabling 24/7 automated trading of cryptocurrencies, stocks, and prediction markets.

Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino announced on the X platform that the smart development platform QVAC Workbench 0.4.1 has been released. The new version enhances the serverless experience, optimizes delegated inference and RAG capabilities, supports more document formats, and has been optimized for mobile devices. It is currently in Alpha testing, with the full mode coming soon.

CFTC Chairman Michael Selig at the FIA conference supported blockchain-based prediction markets, calling them "truth machines" that can improve transparency and accountability. He believes these markets are more reliable than traditional polls and will provide clearer event contract rules.

Cliffwater's private credit fund may face redemption requests exceeding 7%, with the redemption window closing soon. Investors are withdrawing funds due to concerns over loan quality and artificial intelligence risks, exacerbating the liquidity crisis in the private credit industry.

CFTC Chairman Michael Selig stated that blockchain-based prediction markets can enhance price discovery and information transparency, becoming a powerful "truth machine." Using the 2024 U.S. presidential election as an example, he emphasized that market pricing accurately reflects election outcomes. The CFTC will introduce new regulations to guide compliant trading of event contracts.