XRP Now Available for DeFi on $4.2 Billion Coinbase Network, Shiba Inu (SHIB) Price up 18% in Short Sellers’ Hunt, Bitcoin Stabilizes Above $69,000 Ahead of March 19 FOMC: Morning Crypto Report

TL;DR

• XRP enters Coinbase’s DeFi: The launch of FXRP on the Base network (the fourth largest by TVL) gives XRP holders access to a $4.2 billion ecosystem for lending and yield farming.
• SHIB short squeeze: Shiba Inu surged 18% this week, reaching $0.00000624. The rally is driven by technical factors, putting $340,000 in short positions at risk of liquidation if it hits $0.00000728.
• Bitcoin eyes $72,500 weekly closing: BTC is trading strongly above the critical $69,000 support level. Markets are betting on a “dovish” tone from the March 19 FOMC meeting following stable inflation data.

XRP gains DeFi access to Coinbase network worth $4.2 billion

The FXRP asset has been officially launched on the Base network, which is operated by leading U.S. crypto exchange Coinbase. The essence of the event lies in opening new horizons for XRP holders, who can now use their tokens in one of the most dynamic DeFi ecosystems with a Total Value Locked of $4.2 billion. 

Three key facts:

1. FXRP is an overcollateralized asset that is always pegged to the market value of XRP one-to-one. It works through the FXS system, acting as a kind of wrapper that transfers the value of XRP from the native XRPL network into the world of smart contracts of Ethereum networks, of which Base is a part. 
2. Base is a network from Coinbase that currently ranks fourth in the world by the volume of locked funds. Only Ethereum, Solana and Binance Smart Chain are ahead. Base is now a key hub for yield farming and decentralized exchanges. 
3. Therefore, integration with such a network instantly gives XRP access to billions of dollars in capital and opportunities for decentralized finance. In particular, lending, using FXRP as collateral to borrow USDC in protocols operating on Base, liquidity pools with earnings from swap fees on decentralized exchanges running on Base and yield farming, receiving rewards that were previously unavailable on the core XRP network. 

It is important that the total FXRP supply has already exceeded 100 million tokens, and Flare smart contracts have passed four independent audits, including CoinSpector and Zelig. 

DeFi still remains a high-risk activity on the cryptocurrency market. Hacks are possible, as well as the risk of impermanent loss and so on. Thus, despite all audits and network reliability, before wrapping XRP and using it on the same Base network, even though it is from Coinbase, it is necessary to consider all risks.

Shiba Inu short sellers at risk as SHIB price jumps 18%

The next interesting news by the end of the week is the truly mind-blowing price growth of the Shiba Inu token. Since the beginning of the week, SHIB has already added 18% to its price, making a move from $0.00000527 to $0.00000624. 

For a token that many buried after March 2024 and that had been in a downtrend, even losing 40% in price since the beginning of 2026, this is an unparalleled result. SHIB is confidently climbing higher and higher in the Top 30 of the crypto market, already ranking 26th, overtaking Zcash, Toncoin and even Tether Gold. 

Interestingly, the growth is most likely happening purely for technical reasons. At the end of last week, Shiba Inu, as reported by U.Today, was within 2% of its Max Pain price on derivatives. 

Now this gap for longs has widened to 15.63% while, for short sellers, Max Pain is now only 9.56% away from the $0.00000728 level, where, according to CoinGlass data, short positions worth $340,000 will be liquidated.

Bitcoin in race to end week above $72,500 ahead of March 19 FOMC

Finally, Bitcoin opens the day with a gain of almost 3%, confidently trading at $72,500 and firmly holding above the very important $69,000 level. The reasons here are most likely fundamental because Bitcoin is primarily a risk asset, despite all attempts to position it as “digital gold.” Still most correlated with the Nasdaq, it reflects risk appetite on the market rather than a search for a safe haven for capital preservation. 

The key factors that could have influenced Bitcoin quotes this week have been done and dusted. This was primarily the CPI index released on March 11, which came in line with expectations at 2.4% annual inflation and caused no turbulence. 

Now all market attention is focused on the upcoming FOMC meeting and the rhetoric of Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, which will take place in six days on March 19. Judging by Bitcoin’s behavior, expectations for rhetoric are likely to be dovish, considering the weak employment print as well as inflation with no surprises.

There is no reason to assume that the Fed will again signal aggressively raising rates, which creates a predictable environment for Bitcoin. 

Most importantly, there is still the possibility that rates will be cut again, meaning more money printing, which mathematically increases Bitcoin’s value.

Crypto Market Outlook: BTC, SHIB, XRP price updates ahead of the weekend

On Friday the 13th and into the weekend, the key support and resistance zones for Bitcoin, Shiba Inu and XRP are quite near and clear. 

• Bitcoin: It is necessary to hold above $72,000, ideally closing not only Friday but also the weekly candle above this level. 
• Shiba Inu (SHIB): The nearest resistance is at $0.00000632. If it is reached, further asset behavior will need to be monitored. However, the possibility of a correction of this weekly growth wave to $0.00000581 cannot be ruled out. 
• XRP: Gained 6.3% since the start of the week. Here, the important support level remains at $1.38 and the key resistance level at $1.49. XRP is currently right in the middle of this range, and the weekend will be more important for its price than for all the other coins.