Crypto Markets Tumble in March: Trade War and Monetary Policy to Blame

Hang onto your hats, crypto fans! March was a wild ride as the markets took a nosedive, thanks to the looming trade war and some serious monetary policy jitters. But don't count Bitcoin out just yet – traders are still all in, according to a hot-off-the-press report from Binance.

Bitcoin's reserve, the Fed's moves, and those pesky trade war fears? They're shaking things up big time, says Binance. On April 4, they dropped a bombshell report on last month's crypto chaos, breaking down the trends that had everyone on the edge of their seats.

The crypto market took a 4.4% hit in March, and you can thank those tariff tensions for that. President Trump was out there threatening a trade war with just about every major U.S. trading partner, and that was enough to send both crypto and stock prices crashing down, even with some good news in the mix.

On the bright side, the Federal Reserve hinted at hitting pause on its tightening policy, which is great for risk assets like crypto. Less liquidity meant lower prices, but hey, Bitcoin's strategic reserve push was keeping the faith alive for the king of crypto.

Memecoins Crash, Bitcoin Stands Tall: Binance

The rollercoaster ride brought some serious pain to memecoins, with the market taking a nosedive. Pump.fun, the go-to memecoin launchpad, saw its activity plummet, suggesting that the memecoin party might be over.

The drop started right after Trump's inauguration and lined up perfectly with a bunch of new TRUMP-themed memecoins hitting the scene. Pump.fun's trading volumes tanked 69.9%, going from a whopping $33.3 billion to a measly $1 billion. Active wallets? Down 45.1% to 1.44 million. And new token creation? It fell off a cliff by 51.8%.

Over in DeFi land, Uniswap's reign is being challenged by some hungry newcomers. Its market share dropped from 45% in April 2024 to just 29% in March 2025. BNB-based PancakeSwap swooped in and stole the show, thanks to those sweet, low transaction fees.

But amidst all this chaos, Bitcoin is still standing strong as the go-to safe haven for traders. Long-term holders are holding tighter than ever, and Bitcoin's DeFi scene? It's exploding. The value locked in Bitcoin DeFi has skyrocketed 2,767% year-over-year, jumping from $0.3 billion to a mind-blowing $8.6 billion.