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First Mover Americas: Bitcoin Drops on CFTC’s Suit vs. Binance
The latest price moves in crypto markets in context for March 28, 2023.
Updated Mar 28, 2023, 12:28 p.m. Published Mar 28, 2023, 12:24 p.m.
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This article originally appeared in First Mover, CoinDesk’s daily newsletter putting the latest moves in crypto markets in context. Subscribe to get it in your inbox every day.
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The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission sued crypto exchange Binance and founder Changpeng Zhao on Monday on allegations the company knowingly offered unregistered crypto derivatives products in the U.S. against federal law. The lawsuit, which was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, alleged that Binance operated a derivatives trading operation in the U.S., offering trades for cryptocurrencies including bitcoin, ether, litecoin (LTC), tether and binance USD (BUSD), all of which the suit referred to as commodities. The suit also alleges that the company, under Zhao’s leadership, directed its employees to spoof their locations through the use of virtual private networks.
In a blog post Monday, Zhao said that the lawsuit contained “an incomplete recitation of facts,” saying that “we do not agree with the characterization of many of the issues alleged in the complaint” and calling the complaint “unexpected and disappointing.” Zhao touted the exchange giant’s compliance technology, including its know-your-customer program. He wrote that the exchange had 750 people in its compliance teams, “many with prior law enforcement and regulatory agency backgrounds,” and noted that the company had 16 licenses and registrations worldwide.
Bitcoin sank below $27,000 following news of the lawsuit, dropping to its lowest level since March 17. The world’s largest cryptocurrency by market cap is down 5% in the past 24 hours to about $26,700. Binance coin (BNB) declined by 5%. Matteo Bottacini, a trader at Crypto Finance AG, wrote in a morning note that investors are taking long positions in ether and other altcoins and short positions in bitcoin. “My bias is that upside for BTC looks now limited to the $30Ks while ETH and most of the altcoins are still waiting for the exploit,” he wrote. “Similarly, on the way down, despite BTC being the mega-cap here, I can easily see it trading in the $25k-$22.5k range.”
Chart of the Day
- Bitcoin's daily chart shows the stochastic indicator has turned down from the above 80 or overbought reading, suggesting weakness ahead.
- "In the near term, we expect a pullback for bitcoin, noting it has an overbought downturn in the daily stochastics," analysts at Fairlead Strategies said in a note on Monday.
- Former resistance, near $25.200, is now initial support for bitcoin," the analysts added.
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KuCoin captured a record share of centralised exchange volume in 2025, with more than $1.25tn traded as its volumes grew faster than the wider crypto market.
What to know:
- KuCoin recorded over $1.25 trillion in total trading volume in 2025, equivalent to an average of roughly $114 billion per month, marking its strongest year on record.
- This performance translated into an all-time high share of centralised exchange volume, as KuCoin’s activity expanded faster than aggregate CEX volumes, which slowed during periods of lower market volatility.
- Spot and derivatives volumes were evenly split, each exceeding $500 billion for the year, signalling broad-based usage rather than reliance on a single product line.
- Altcoins accounted for the majority of trading activity, reinforcing KuCoin’s role as a primary liquidity venue beyond BTC and ETH at a time when majors saw more muted turnover.
- Even as overall crypto volumes softened mid-year, KuCoin maintained elevated baseline activity, indicating structurally higher user engagement rather than short-lived volume spikes.
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Gold tops $5,000 as bitcoin stalls near $87,000 in widening macro-crypto split: Asia Morning Briefing
Bitcoin’s onchain data points to supply overhang and weak participation, while gold’s breakout is priced by markets as a durable macro regime shift.
What to know:
- Gold’s surge above $5,000 an ounce is increasingly seen as a durable regime shift, with investors treating the metal as a persistent hedge against geopolitical risk, central bank demand and a weaker dollar.
- Bitcoin is stuck near $87,000 in a low-conviction market, as on-chain data show older holders selling into rallies, newer buyers absorbing losses and a heavy supply overhang capping moves toward $100,000.
- Derivatives and prediction markets point to continued consolidation in bitcoin and sustained strength in gold, with thin futures volumes, subdued leverage and weak demand for higher-beta crypto assets like ether reinforcing the cautious tone.
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