March 6th, 2026

Bitcoin Price Prediction: Will BTC Hold $70K as Iran-Israel Tensions Rise?

Bitcoin nearly touched $74,000 on Thursday. Today, it is down 3.29% and trading around $70,355 at the time of writing.

The run to $74,000 wiped out $471 million in crypto derivatives in under 24 hours, $348 million of it from short positions caught badly offside. It was the largest daily short liquidation since late February, resetting a significant chunk of leveraged positioning across the market.

The rally, however, didn’t hold.

What’s Weighing on Bitcoin Today

US-Israel-Iran tensions escalated sharply on March 6, sending shockwaves through global markets. The Dow is down over 780 points at 47,954. WTI crude is trading at $83.30. Gold is holding near $5,100

Bitcoin is now moving with a 0.86 correlation to gold, and $74,000 proved too strong a resistance to clear. It now sits directly on a whale bid zone that traders are watching closely.

The Level That Decides What Comes Next

Blockchain advisor and investor Anndy Lian pointed to the $70,000-$71,000 zone as the line to watch.

“If BTC holds the $70,000 to $71,000 whale bid zone, it could retest $74,000,” Lian noted. “A break below risks a move toward $67,500.”

He added that geopolitical risk and rising oil prices remain the primary macro drivers, with derivatives positioning adding crypto-native volatility on top.

One Analyst Still Sees $80K in March

Not everyone is reading this as a warning sign.

Crypto analyst Michael Van de Poppe posted on X: “Very healthy price action on Bitcoin and I think we’ll start to see that breakout next week and see $80K as a test in March.”

Van de Poppe’s view is that the current pullback is consolidation, not deterioration and that the squeeze earlier this week was part of healthy price action resetting the market for a move higher.

The Market Is Split

The market is sitting with two competing views. Technically, the structure could still support a push higher. On the macro side, oil above $80 and a strengthening dollar complicate that path considerably.

With funding rates normalized and open interest slightly lower, what happens next depends on whether geopolitical pressure keeps draining risk appetite or the positioning reset sets up the next leg up.

The $70,000 level will likely tell the story.

Source: https://coinpedia.org/news/bitcoin-price-prediction-will-btc-hold-70k-as-iran-israel-tensions-rise/

Anndy Lian

Anndy Lian is an early blockchain adopter and experienced serial entrepreneur who is known for his work in the government sector. He is a best selling book author- “NFT: From Zero to Hero” and “Blockchain Revolution 2030”.

Currently, he is appointed as the Chief Digital Advisor at Mongolia Productivity Organization, championing national digitization. Prior to his current appointments, he was the Chairman of BigONE Exchange, a global top 30 ranked crypto spot exchange and was also the Advisory Board Member for Hyundai DAC, the blockchain arm of South Korea’s largest car manufacturer Hyundai Motor Group. Lian played a pivotal role as the Blockchain Advisor for Asian Productivity Organisation (APO), an intergovernmental organization committed to improving productivity in the Asia-Pacific region.

An avid supporter of incubating start-ups, Anndy has also been a private investor for the past eight years. With a growth investment mindset, Anndy strategically demonstrates this in the companies he chooses to be involved with. He believes that what he is doing through blockchain technology currently will revolutionise and redefine traditional businesses. He also believes that the blockchain industry has to be “redecentralised”.

www.anndy.com

j j j

December 5th, 2025

India’s ‘back office’ reputation under threat amid rise in sophisticated cyber scams

India’s hard-won reputation as the world’s back office, built on trusted call-centre and IT services, is coming under pressure as increasingly sophisticated cyber scam networks emerge within the same digital ecosystem that underpins its outsourcing success.

A police raid late last month on a Hyderabad call centre that allegedly trained tele-callers to mimic Australian accents has sharpened those concerns, with analysts warning that organised fraud rings could erode confidence in India’s service industry.

According to local media reports, the callers had contacted Australian citizens by falsely warning that their computer systems had been hacked or compromised, then coaxed them into handing over remote access that allegedly enabled the criminals to infiltrate bank accounts.

The stolen funds were redirected to other Australian bank accounts before being transferred to India through illegal channels.

“These operations are no longer ‘old school’ crude phishing outfits, but are professional units replete with linguistic training and cross-border coordination, signalling a shift from low-skill fraud to high-sophistication social engineering ecosystems,” said Raj Kapoor, president of the India Blockchain Alliance think tank.

The manner in which the tele-callers were trained to imitate Australian accents suggested a structured fraud economy, complete with training modules and managerial oversight, he said. “This mimics the organised cyber-fraud hubs seen in Southeast Asia.”

Southeast Asia – particularly Cambodia, Myanmar and Laos – has become a global hub for cybercrime due to a convergence of weak rule of law, authoritarian protection and economic desperation.

The stakes for India to prevent such crime are higher than those for other Asian countries because of its thriving US$150 billion outsourcing industry, analysts say.

“The primary threat is reputational damage – global clients may question whether Indian service providers can adequately vet operations and prevent brand impersonation,” said Anndy Lian, a Singapore-based adviser to governments on blockchain and IT.

Fraudsters leveraging India’s cost advantages and skilled workforce for criminal enterprises created a systemic risk for legitimate businesses, he said.

Lian suggested that India introduce measures for call centres such as stringent “know your customer” procedures to verify client identities and financial profiles, and establish a centralised cybercrime intelligence to prevent such offences.

The Chinese criminal gangs behind Southeast Asia’s scam centres

Industry executives say such institutional and technological tools need to be used in tandem with joint law enforcement with other countries because the manner in which the Hyderabad-based call centre secured information about Australian citizens points to a cross-border network.

“This raises serious questions about data brokerage, leaks from private companies, and unsecured digital ecosystems where personal information is traded like a commodity,” Kapoor said.

A UN report from October 2024 estimated that financial losses from online scams targeting victims in East and Southeast Asia were between US$18 billion and US$37 billion in 2023. These operations leverage advanced technology like AI and deepfakes to exploit victims, and challenge weak legal frameworks.

According to Kapoor, cybercrime thrives because it functions like an open market, with scripts and tech tools being bought and sold.

Indian-origin cyber syndicates were increasingly plugging into transnational scam infrastructures, especially those operating out of Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos, and parts of Africa and the Middle East, he said.

“Indian gangs are using these global marketplaces to outsource operations, hire foreign specialists or collaborate with offshore crime-as-a-service providers.”

Experts say such cooperation allows overseas gangs to exploit India’s large labour pool while masking their own footprints.

The establishment of a sophisticated cybercrime network is a worry for India’s rapidly digitising economy. According to an Indian government report in late October, more than 86 per cent of households are now connected to the internet with the aim of easing citizen services that range from payment transactions to healthcare.

India’s Information Technology Act 2000, which serves as the bedrock of the country’s cyber law framework, is aimed at addressing offences such as impersonation and cheating through computer resources, but industry executives warn enforcing the law against sophisticated cyber criminals across the country’s vast and diverse landscape is a task fraught with challenges.

Fake call centres like the one in Hyderabad exploit regulatory gaps, digital anonymity and the ease of VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) – which enables phone calls over broadband internet – to mask their geographic origins, according to Amritraj Kaushal, an advocate in India’s Supreme Court.

“Traditional policing tools struggle against such hybrid fraud structures, which merge local recruitment with international command centres,” he said.

Indian authorities say they envision industry-led collaborative centres that would continuously monitor multiple systems and layers within the country’s complex digital ecosystem.

Niharika Karanjawala-Misra, principal associate at law firm Karanjawala and Co, said scaling up public awareness through campaigns would be key to preventing such cybercrimes.

“Once the scam has been committed, no matter how quickly and efficiently authorities act, not only is it close to impossible to recover the full amount taken fraudulently from the victims, the kingpins of such fraud operations often escape punishment, sometimes conducting the operations virtually from foreign countries,” she said.

Industry executives also called for cross-border cooperation between law enforcement agencies to boost crime prevention.

“If criminal networks can globalise, coordinate across continents, and evolve technologically in real time, why are our protective frameworks still confined within outdated borders, old laws and reactive policing?” Kapoor said.

He urged Indian authorities to upgrade their cybersecurity infrastructure against modern digital crime, or risk only firefighting against scammers.

Source: https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3335229/indias-back-office-reputation-under-threat-amid-rise-sophisticated-cyber-scams

Anndy Lian

www.anndy.com

j j j

June 16th, 2025

Global markets, geopolitical tensions, and the rise of Bitcoin

The world is currently grappling with a potent mix of uncertainty and opportunity, driven by escalating tensions in the Middle East and bold moves in the cryptocurrency space. The query before me weaves together a tapestry of data points—from the pullback in global risk sentiment to Michael Saylor’s unwavering faith in Bitcoin—and asks for my perspective.

What follows is a detailed exploration of these developments, grounded in facts and enriched with analysis, as I seek to make sense of a world in flux.

The Middle East conflict and its ripple effects on global markets

The recent escalation in the Middle East, marked by Iran’s retaliation against Israel’s attack on its nuclear facilities, has cast a long shadow over global financial markets. This tit-for-tat aggression has deepened fears of a broader conflict, a concern that reverberated through Wall Street on Friday. The S&P 500 fell by 1.1 per cent, the Dow Jones Industrial Average shed 1.8 per cent, and the Nasdaq Composite dropped 1.3 per cent.

These declines are more than mere numbers; they reflect a visceral reaction to the possibility that the Middle East, a region critical to global oil supplies, could spiral into chaos. Investors, already jittery from a year of economic uncertainties, are now bracing for what might come next as the new trading week unfolds.

What makes this moment particularly compelling is the broader context. This week, the G-7 central banks, including the Federal Reserve, the Bank of England, and the Bank of Japan, are expected to hold their key interest rates steady. This decision, while anticipated, comes at a time when the market’s appetite for risk is waning. The initial flight to safety saw US Treasuries gain ground as investors sought refuge amid the Israel-Iran clash.

Yet, those gains evaporated as traders began to weigh the inflationary implications of surging oil prices. Brent crude, a benchmark for global oil markets, soared by seven per cent to settle at US$74.23 per barrel, the largest jump in over three years. This spike is a stark reminder of the Middle East’s outsized influence on energy markets and, by extension, the global economy.

The bond market’s response further underscores this tension. The 10-year US Treasury yield climbed 3.9 basis points to 4.399 per cent, while the two-year yield rose 4.0 basis points to 3.948 per cent. These increases suggest that investors are growing wary of inflation rearing its head, potentially forcing the Federal Reserve to rethink its monetary policy playbook.

Higher oil prices, if sustained, could fuel cost pressures across industries, complicating the Fed’s efforts to achieve a soft landing for the US economy. Meanwhile, the US Dollar Index, a gauge of the greenback’s strength, rebounded by 0.3 per cent to 98.18, clawing back from a three-year low of 97.60. This uptick signals a renewed demand for the dollar as a safe-haven asset, a classic move in times of global distress.

Yet, amid this gloom, there are glimmers of resilience. Gold, the perennial safe-haven asset, rose 1.4 per cent to US$3,432 per ounce, benefiting from heightened geopolitical risks. More intriguingly, Asian equities opened higher on Monday, recouping some of their losses from Friday’s sell-off, and US equity index futures hint at a higher opening for American stocks.

This bounce-back suggests that the market’s initial panic might have been an overreaction—or perhaps a sign that investors are betting on a de-escalation. Whatever the case, the coming days will be a crucible for global markets, with geopolitical developments likely to dictate the mood.

Bitcoin’s bold stand amid the storm

Against this backdrop of uncertainty, the cryptocurrency market is telling a different story, one of audacity and conviction. Michael Saylor, the co-founder of Strategy, has once again thrust Bitcoin into the spotlight by posting a chart signalling an impending purchase by his company. This announcement, made despite the roiling conflict in the Middle East, is a bold statement.

Strategy’s most recent acquisition, on June 9, saw it snap up 1,045 Bitcoin for US$110 million, pushing its total holdings to a staggering 582,000 BTC. According to SaylorTracker, the company is sitting on unrealised gains exceeding US$20 billion, a return of over 50 per cent on its investment. These numbers are eye-popping, but they’re more than just financial bragging rights—they’re a testament to Saylor’s belief that Bitcoin is a bulwark against global instability.

Saylor’s move isn’t an isolated act of bravado. Metaplanet Inc., a Japanese firm, has also doubled down on Bitcoin, announcing the purchase of 1,112 BTC, bringing its total to 10,000. This acquisition is part of its Bitcoin Treasury Operations, a strategy aimed at boosting shareholder value through metrics like BTC Yield and BTC Gain, both of which have shown robust growth in recent quarters.

Metaplanet’s approach mirrors a broader trend: institutions are increasingly viewing Bitcoin not just as a speculative asset, but as a strategic reserve, especially in times of crisis. The fact that these companies are piling into Bitcoin while traditional markets wobble suggests a profound shift in how value is perceived in the 21st century.

Then there’s Vietnam, which has added fuel to the crypto fire by legalising digital assets through its Law on Digital Technology Industry, set to take effect on January 1, 2026. This landmark legislation divides digital assets into two categories—crypto and virtual assets—while explicitly excluding securities, central bank digital currencies, and traditional financial instruments.

Beyond crypto, the law offers incentives for firms engaged in semiconductor R&D and supply chain localisation, signalling Vietnam’s ambition to carve out a niche in the global tech economy. This regulatory clarity could unlock a wave of investment and innovation, making Vietnam a dark horse in the crypto race.

My point of view: Navigating risk and opportunity

The escalating conflict between Iran and Israel isn’t just a regional flare-up—it’s a global economic wildcard. While financial markets are reacting to the immediate uncertainty, I see this as a potential tipping point for broader trends. Oil prices are already climbing, and if the Middle East instability drags on, we could see Brent crude testing US$80 or beyond.

That’s a direct shot to global inflation, just when central banks thought they had it under control. The Federal Reserve, for one, might have to rethink its rate-cut timeline—or even pivot to hikes—if energy costs start driving up prices across the board. That’s a tough spot for an already wobbly global economy.

Bitcoin adds another layer to this. Michael Saylor’s latest signal to buy more BTC amid the chaos, with MicroStrategy sitting on US$20 billion in unrealised gains, isn’t just bold—it’s a bet that Bitcoin can thrive when traditional markets falter. I’m not fully sold, though. Sure, it’s pitched as a hedge against geopolitical risks and inflation, but its wild swings make it a risky lifeboat. Investors rushing in might catch a wave, but they could just as easily get burned if liquidity tightens.

Then there’s Vietnam’s quiet power move. Legalising crypto with a solid regulatory framework could turn it into a magnet for capital in Southeast Asia, especially if neighbours take note. It’s a subtle shift that might pay off big down the line.

What’s my take? Traditional markets are in for a rough ride, but crypto’s carving its lane. For investors, I’d say spread your bets: gold for a steady anchor, energy stocks to ride the oil surge, and a calculated dip into Bitcoin for the potential upside. Keep your eyes peeled, the next few weeks could set the tone for months to come.

Source: https://e27.co/global-markets-geopolitical-tensions-and-the-rise-of-bitcoin-20250616/