# Geopolitical Crisis Related Articles

Bitwise CIO: On-chain finance is ‘arriving sooner than expected’

Bitwise CIO Matt Hougan declared that on-chain finance has crossed a historic threshold, arriving "sooner than expected" due to its critical role during the Middle East crisis. When Iran-related escalations intensified over the weekend and traditional markets were closed, platforms like Hyperliquid became essential real-time hedging tools, providing live oil price data and seeing its token HYPE surge 30%. Tether Gold also experienced a massive volume spike, reaching $300 million in daily trades as investors sought safe-haven assets. Prediction markets like Polymarket recorded all-time high activity. Hougan argues that crypto’s performance during this period will accelerate institutional adoption, comparing the shift to disruptive technologies like Netflix and the iPhone. Despite some criticism about added friction and risks, the weekend demonstrated that on-chain finance is becoming an unavoidable part of the global financial system.

ambcrypto03/04 22:02