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Today in crypto, Goldman Sachs pulled back from XRP and Solana exchange-traded funds (ETFs) in the first quarter. Reports suggest Iran is considering imposing a Strait of Hormuz insurance platform with tolls to be paid in Bitcoin, while Strategy’s Michael Saylor signaled a pending BTC buy and urged retail shareholders to make their proxy vote on STRC dividend changes.
Goldman Sachs exits XRP, Solana ETF exposure in Q1 2026
Goldman Sachs sharply reduced its exposure to cryptocurrency ETFs in Q1 of 2026.
No XRP-linked ETFs appeared in Goldman Sachs’ Q1 Form 13F filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission.
In its Q42025 13F filing, the US investment bank reported holding nearly $154 million worth of XRP-related ETFs from Bitwise, Franklin Templeton, Grayscale and 21Shares.
Goldman Sachs was the largest institutional holder of XRP-related ETFs as of Dec. 31, 2025. Source: James Seyffart
Quarterly 13F filings are closely watched by crypto investors because they provide a rare look into how major institutional asset managers are allocating capital across digital-asset investment products.
The bank pulled back from XRP products, even as broader institutional interest in digital-asset ETFs remains intact.
Reports suggest Iran is mulling a Hormuz ‘insurance,’ paid in Bitcoin
Iran is reportedly considering a plan to exercise control over the Strait of Hormuz through an “insurance-based model,” with some speculating, based on an unverified website, that it could be paid in Bitcoin.
On Saturday, Fars News Agency, an Iranian news outlet closely affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, reported that the Iranian Ministry of Economic Affairs plans to manage the Strait of Hormuz through insurance, citing a state document it obtained.
However, other reports say Iran is looking to take payments for the “insurance” in Bitcoin through a website called “Hormuz Safe,” with a widely circulated screenshot of the purported site selling “Secure Digital Insurance for Maritime Cargo.”
Source: Dennis Porter
Control over the Strait of Hormuz has been the leading issue in the US-Iran war. The shipping lane handles about one-fifth of the global oil trade. Many ships have been prevented from transiting the strait after the US started launching airstrikes in Iran in late February.
Media reports state that Iran collected its first revenue from tolls imposed on ships transiting the Strait last month. Prior to the US-Iran war, no such measures were in place.
Fars News said the insurance platform seeks to distinguish between transit vessels from different countries.
“Under the Economy Ministry’s plan, managing the Strait through an insurance framework would enable the issuance of various marine insurance policies as well as certificates of financial responsibility,” Fars News said, adding it could generate over $10 billion in revenue for the country.
There is no guarantee that Iran will go ahead with the insurance proposal, and the website purporting to offer “Iranian Digital Insurance” could be fake. The website was down at the time of writing.
Saylor signals BTC buy as retail holders get push on STRC dividend vote
Strategy chairman Michael Saylor on Sunday signaled the Bitcoin treasury company would be buying more of the cryptocurrency in the week ahead while also encouraging retailer shareholders to vote on a proxy measure enabling semi-monthly dividend payouts on the company’s STRC perpetual preferred stock.
“Big Dot Energy” was Saylor’s tweet late Sunday morning to accompany a bubble chart tracking Strategy’s BTC purchases over the past nearly six years. That chart, from Iceland-registered StrategyTracker.com, has been consistently posted by Saylor in the days ahead of a corporate purchase.
In addition to the purchase signal, both Saylor and Strategy’s official social media feeds showed posts encouraging retail shareholders, who own 80% of the company’s perpetual Stretch preferred stock (STRC), to vote on a proxy measure that would permit the company to make semi-monthly payouts to STRC shareholders.
Saylor’s “Big Dot Energy” message on Sunday. Source: Michael Saylor on X.com
