Welcome to Kaupr Today

Good morning! Friday we did not manage to send out Kaupr Today, because our main team was busy preparing for the Kaupr TV Live! If you missed it, here you have the YouTube link: Kaupr TV Live – 27 February 2026 (full episode).

The last days have of course also been dominated by the Iran shock rippling through oil, FX, equities and Bitcoin, and by a deepening AI ethics clash as Anthropic defies Pentagon demands while OpenAI’s US military deal fuels a growing “cancel ChatGPT” backlash. These stories dominate today’s newsletter, alongside ouor usual round-up of Nordic news and events, which this week also includes an upcoming Friday event, “Diversity in Crypto in the Nordics”.

Have a good read,
Morten

Kaupr Today is supported by BTCX, as one of our Season Partners.

Iran war shock tests global markets, energy prices and Bitcoin’s next move

Dollar jumps, euro stumbles as Iran war drives oil spike and flight to safety

The US dollar strengthened while the euro slipped toward 1.18 as US–Israel strikes on Iran and a roughly 9% jump in oil prices sent investors into safe‑haven currencies and put fresh pressure on major energy importers in Europe and Asia.

Why it matters: The move shows how fast an Iran war premium can bleed into FX and energy markets, squeezing importers and complicating central bank inflation fights just as growth is already weakening.

Source: Dollar gains, euro sags as Iran war lifts energy prices, CNBC

Bitcoin shrugs off Iran shock as shorts pile in and buyers defend $63K

Bitcoin briefly dropped to around 63,000 dollars on Iran war headlines but quickly bounced toward 66,000 dollars, even as oil and gold spiked and funding turned sharply negative with traders loading up on shorts.

Why it matters: The move highlights growing structural demand and ETF-driven support, with buyers stepping in above 63,000 dollars and preventing cascading liquidations despite aggressive downside positioning.

Source: The Iran conflict pressures Bitcoin, but the market holds stronger than expected, FXStreet

Futures slide, oil spikes as markets brace for Iran shock

Dow futures drop 300–500 points while oil jumps around 8–9% after US–Israel strikes on Iran, with money rotating into Treasuries, gold and the dollar and out of airlines, cyclicals and European stocks.​

Why it matters: The move shows how an Iran shock can quickly turn into a cross‑asset regime shift, with elevated energy prices forcing central banks and investors to prioritize inflation risks over growth and risk‑taking.​

Source: Iran attack live: oil, gas, stock markets and the global economy, MarketWatch

Bitcoin Com strategist warns oil and gold could mean-revert after Iran shock

Mike McGlone says crude and gold now look “priced for Iran” after the strikes, raising the risk of a pullback if supply isn’t hit and the war premium fades, with oil more vulnerable than structurally supported gold.​

Why it matters: The view suggests markets may be overpaying for worst‑case scenarios, setting up mean‑reversion risk in oil and, to a lesser extent, gold as traders reassess how much of the conflict premium is justified by actual supply and macro data.​

Source: Strategist Sees Reversion Risk in Gold and Oil After Iran Strikes, Bitcoin.com

Arthur Hayes: prolonged Iran war could force Fed easing and ignite next Bitcoin leg

Arthur Hayes argues that a drawn‑out US conflict with Iran would likely push the Federal Reserve toward rate cuts and renewed money printing, echoing past Middle East wars that coincided with easier policy and fresh liquidity waves.

Why it matters: If that pattern repeats, wartime fiscal expansion plus Fed easing could become the macro trigger for Bitcoin’s next bull phase, with liquidity returning just as fear peaks in both crypto and traditional markets.

Source: Arthur Hayes Says Iran Conflict Could Trigger Fed Easing, Boost Bitcoin, BeInCrypto

AI at war: Antropic draws red lines - OpenAI’s Pentagon deal sparkes “cancel ChatGPT”

Anthropic’s Dario Amodei says no to “authoritarian” Pentagon AI demands

Dario Amodei says Anthropic agreed to help defend the US but refused to build fully autonomous weapons or mass‑surveillance systems on Americans, after which the Pentagon blacklisted the company using “Cold War–style” emergency powers. He casts that refusal as patriotic rather than disloyal, arguing that some AI labs must accept sanctions rather than cross core red lines on domestic surveillance and unchecked battlefield autonomy.

Why it matters: The episode turns Anthropic into a test case for how far Washington can push private AI labs toward authoritarian‑style capabilities in the name of national security, and whether American values ultimately limit how these models are used.

Source: “Dario Amodei just gave his first interview since the Pentagon blacklisted his company”, X (Twitter)

“Cancel ChatGPT” backlash grows after OpenAI signs US military deal

After Anthropic walked away from a Pentagon deal over surveillance and autonomous weapons safeguards, OpenAI’s decision to sign its own US military agreement has sparked a “cancel ChatGPT” movement, with users sharing deletion guides and switching to rivals like Claude. OpenAI says its contract has stricter guardrails, but critics highlight broad “all lawful purposes” language and doubt how effectively any red lines can be enforced.

Why it matters: The clash crystallizes a core AI ethics fault line over military and surveillance work, forcing users, regulators and talent to choose which lab governance model they trust.

Source: ‘No ethics at all’: the ‘cancel ChatGPT’ trend is growing after OpenAI signs a deal with the US military, TechRadar

Nordic news, TV recordings and new events

Diversity in Crypto in the Nordics 2026 – live event 6.3.2026

Diversity in Crypto in the Nordics 2026 is a virtual live event taking place on 06.03.2026 from 15:00 to 17:00 CET, bringing together voices from across the Nordic crypto ecosystem to discuss how to build a more inclusive and representative space. The session will be streamed simultaneously on LinkedIn, YouTube, and Kaupr.io, and organizers invite Nordic associations, communities, and brands to get involved as supporters or partners by reaching out to the team behind the initiative.

Source: Diversity in Crypto in the Nordics 2026, LinkedIn Events

Goobit and BTCX lay out Nordic M&A playbook live on Kaupr TV

Kaupr TV hosted Goobit founder and BTCX CEO Christian Ander minutes after Goobit announced its new Nordic M&A and consolidation strategy, outlining how the company aims to lead a MiCA‑driven shakeout of the Nordic crypto market and position Goobit/BTCX as a natural consolidator and infrastructure partner with SEK rails, BankID onboarding and 15 years of operational resilience.

Why it matters: The interview turns a press‑release headline into a concrete roadmap for how one of the Nordics’ oldest crypto platforms plans to leverage regulation, consolidation pressure and banking access to become both a regional hub and a bridge for global exchanges into the European market.

Source: Goobit og BTCX byr opp til nordisk krypto‑dans direkte på Kaupr TV, Kaupr

Kaupr TV Live – did you miss Friday’s show?

Kaupr TV - Supported by our Season Partners:
BTCX ▪ BYBIT ▪. COINMOTION ▪ K33

Kaupr TV Live is the new live show from Kaupr, the Nordic Web3 media hub covering news, insights, and events around digital assets, blockchain, and the future of finance. Broadcast from a professional studio, the Friday 27 February episode delivered news, stories, and guest conversations tailored for investors, professionals, and builders who want real signal in the digital economy, hosted by Morten Myrstad with co‑host Leon Aleksander Karlsen Solbakken and guests from across the Nordic and European Web3 and digital‑finance ecosystem.

If you didn’t catch it live, the full recording of the 27 February edition is available so you can watch the entire show on demand.

Source: Kaupr TV Live – 27 February 2026 (full episode), Kaupr TV

What to watch for

Watch how the stand‑off between Iran war risks and cautious, bearish positioning plays out as futures stay defensive even while banks, corporates and brokers quietly ramp up real crypto and stablecoin usage.

Why it matters: If geopolitical fear and defensive trades persist while onchain rails and institutional adoption keep compounding, the gap between sentiment and fundamentals could set up the next sharp turn in the cycle.

Share Kaupr Today

Thank you for reading Kaupr Today. If you find this briefing useful, please share it with a colleague or friend who should be following Nordic and European digital‑finance news more closely. Wishing you a great week — and welcome back on Monday morning for the next edition of Kaupr Today.

If you want to go deeper and get a more umbrella‑level view of the digital transformation reshaping finance, make sure you’re subscribed to our Future of Finance Premium newsletter.

Best regards
Morten Myrstad
Founder & Editor