“There’s A Delay”: Michael Saylor Explains The Delay Between Buying Bitcoin and Its Big Price Surge

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March 13, 2026

Executive Chairman of MicroStrategy Michael Saylor has once again urged investors to adopt a long-term mindset when investing in Bitcoin, emphasizing that significant price gains rarely happen immediately after purchase.

According to Saylor, there is often a natural delay between the moment investors acquire Bitcoin and the time its value experiences a major surge

In a post on X, he wrote,

“You know there’s a delay between the time we buy the Bitcoin and the time Bitcoin goes to the moon.”

Michael Saylor’s post acknowledges the typical lag between Bitcoin purchases by institutions like MicroStrategy and subsequent price surges, framing it as a patient opportunity amid recent volatility.

While many new investors expect instant returns, he argues that the cryptocurrency’s long-term growth is driven by broader adoption, supply constraints, and increasing institutional interest over time.

For Saylor, understanding this delay is key to navigating the volatility of the crypto market and maintaining confidence in Bitcoin’s long-term potential.

As of March 12, 2026, Bitcoin traded near $69,000 after a minor dip from its $70,000 high, outperforming traditional assets. As of time of writing this report, BTC has surged trading as high as $71,817.

Saylor’s strategy, via MicroStrategy’s $21B+ Bitcoin holdings, continues to influence corporate adoption, supported by data showing BTC’s long-term power law growth averaging 200% annualized returns since inception.

Patience in a Volatile Market

Bitcoin was trading around $69,000–$70,500 during the day on March 12–13, 2026, after a period of consolidation following earlier swings.

Daily data showed BTC closing March 12 near $70,493 and opening March 13 around $70,510, with intraday highs approaching $71,948.

While not in full moon territory, the crypto asset continued to outperform most traditional markets, reinforcing the narrative of steady institutional accumulation.

Saylor’s comment arrived amid ongoing corporate Bitcoin purchases by MicroStrategy (often executed in tranches via equity and debt offerings). His post essentially reframes short-term price dips or sideways movement as normal lag, the natural time it takes for large buy orders, ETF inflows, and reduced liquid supply to translate into upward pressure.

His comment sparked reactions from several netizens. Optimistic HODLers saw it as validation. One response reads: “Within that time is the opportunity. Dominating!” Others posted motivational images with captions like “More time to stack ” or “We are in year one of a 21-year digital gold rush.”

A few skeptical voices surfaced, including criticism of MicroStrategy’s dilution strategy and past price predictions.

Overall, the tone remained overwhelmingly bullish and patient, treating the “delay” not as disappointment but as buying time.

Saylor’s framing has strategic depth. Large buyers like MicroStrategy, spot Bitcoin ETFs, sovereign funds, and corporations do not move markets instantly.

Their purchases often remove coins from circulation well before retail FOMO or broader media coverage kicks in. Analysts have noted this supply-tightening dynamic for years steady accumulation front-runs future scarcity, creating delayed but powerful price responses.

Looking Ahead

Many market analysts believe Bitcoin could experience further volatility in the short term as global economic conditions, interest rates, and geopolitical tensions continue to influence investor sentiment.

However, long-term proponents like Saylor maintain that Bitcoin’s limited supply and growing institutional adoption could support higher valuations over time

For him, the key takeaway remains patience, and recognizing that while the market may not react instantly after buying, sustained demand and broader adoption could eventually drive the price to surge.

Join me Tomorrow at Fidelity Bank Diaspora Summit 2026

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Ndubuisi Ekekwe

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March 13, 2026

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Good People, please join me tomorrow at the Fidelity Bank Diaspora Summit 2026.

Nigeria’s diaspora represents one of the largest economic segments connected to the nation. In many ways, it is even more economically powerful than any single local government area, such as Eti Osa in Lagos, because the diaspora economy is unbounded and unconstrained by geography.

The promise of Nigeria will be fully realized when the home base and the diaspora work together strategically and symphonically, executing a production-driven playbook for national development.

In my presentation, I will discuss how the diaspora can support and reinforce the critical pillars of national growth – people, processes, and tools – thereby strengthening Nigeria’s economic factors of production. The destination: the rise of all, not just a few.

Join the session using the free Zoom link here: https://www.fidelitybank.ng/diaspora-summit/

European Central Bank on Behalf of Eurosystem Launches the Appia Roadmap

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Paul Ugbede Godwin

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March 13, 2026

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The European Central Bank (ECB), on behalf of the Eurosystem, has launched the Appia roadmap.

This strategic initiative outlines a plan to develop an integrated, innovative, and resilient tokenized wholesale financial ecosystem in Europe, with central bank money; euro-denominated wholesale settlements serving as the core anchor to maintain stability and trust amid the shift toward tokenization and distributed ledger technology (DLT).

The announcement emphasizes building a bridge from the current financial system to future tokenized markets “firmly grounded in central bank money,” as stated by ECB Executive Board member Piero Cipollone.

Key Components of the Roadmap

The strategy follows a two-track approach: Pontes: This is the near-term, operational DLT-based settlement solution from the Eurosystem. It will enable tokenized transactions on market DLT platforms to settle in central bank money, while remaining interoperable with existing TARGET payment settlement services (like TARGET2).

Pontes is scheduled to launch in the third quarter of 2026, addressing immediate market needs without disrupting current infrastructure. Appia: This provides the broader, longer-term strategic framework. It involves collaboration with public and private sector stakeholders to explore designs for a tokenized ecosystem, including infrastructure, standards, governance, and legal aspects.

The project aims to conclude with a comprehensive blueprint published in 2028, crystallizing the Eurosystem’s vision for Europe’s tokenized wholesale markets. The initiative supports the growing trend of tokenizing assets; securities, bonds, or other financial instruments on DLT/blockchain, ensuring the euro remains central and reducing risks from private stablecoins or foreign dependencies.

A public consultation is now open, seeking input from stakeholders until April 22, 2026, to refine the approach. This aligns with broader ECB efforts, such as the digital euro project with potential issuance targeted around 2029, pending legislation and recent acceptances of tokenized securities as collateral in certain cases.

The move is seen as part of the EU’s push for financial autonomy, innovation in capital markets, and resilience in a digital transformation. Pontes is the Eurosystem’s (the ECB and national central banks of the euro area) near-term, practical distributed ledger technology (DLT) settlement solution.

It forms the operational “bridge” (the name “Pontes” means “bridges” in Latin) within the broader Appia roadmap, enabling tokenized wholesale financial transactions to settle in central bank money (euro-denominated wholesale central bank money) starting in the near future.

The main goal is to address immediate market needs for safe, efficient settlement in tokenized environments. As tokenization grows representing assets like securities, bonds, or other instruments as digital tokens on DLT networks, there’s increasing demand for reliable settlement without relying on private stablecoins or risking fragmentation.

Pontes ensures: Central bank money remains the safest and most trusted settlement asset. It supports innovation in DLT-based markets while preserving financial stability, monetary policy control, and smooth payment systems. It avoids disrupting existing infrastructure that euro area institutions already use.

This prevents potential issues from private or foreign-dominated settlement options and keeps the euro central in Europe’s evolving digital financial landscape. Pontes acts as an interoperability layer connecting market-operated DLT platforms with the Eurosystem’s established TARGET Services particularly TARGET2 for real-time gross settlement, or T2.

Transactions can settle directly on a Eurosystem-provided DLT platform using tokenized cash (cash tokens representing central bank money) or via traditional T2 accounts. The cash leg ultimately finalizes in T2 for ultimate settlement assurance. Delivery versus payment (DvP): It uses reliable interoperability mechanisms to ensure atomic, simultaneous exchange of assets and cash, reducing settlement risk.

Supports end-to-end processing and seamless interaction with T2, enabling programmability and efficiency in tokenized transactions. Pontes builds on lessons from the Eurosystem’s 2024 exploratory work, which tested three interoperability solutions involving features like full-DLT settlement (DL3S), Trigger solutions, and TIPS Hash-Link.

It combines the best elements into a single, unified Eurosystem offering. A tokenized transaction occurs on a market DLT platform ? Pontes bridges it to TARGET ? Settlement happens in central bank money, ensuring finality and safety. A pilot for Pontes is scheduled to launch in the third quarter of 2026, with initial operations and onboarding starting then.

This is an operational product rollout not just experimental, allowing eligible participants to begin settling DLT-based transactions. Post-pilot, Pontes will see incremental enhancements, informed by ongoing Appia work. It will evolve toward integration with the longer-term Appia vision.

Pontes provides certainty for markets now while Appia guides the bigger picture. Eligible participants for the initial launch include entities with TARGET2 access, authorized CSDs, DLT settlement system operators, CCPs, and other supervised financial institutions.

The Eurosystem has market contact groups for ongoing dialogue. This initiative reflects the Eurosystem’s commitment to innovation grounded in central bank money as of March 2026.

Leveraging AI to Strengthen the UK’s Trade Position

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Paul Ugbede Godwin

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March 13, 2026

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The United Kingdom is actively leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance its global trade position, driven by government strategies, substantial investments, and sector-wide adoption.

As a leading AI innovator; third-largest market globally, the UK is positioning itself to boost exports, improve competitiveness, and reshape trade flows through AI integration. The UK’s Trade Strategy explicitly recognizes that AI and other emerging technologies will “reshape trade flows and the whole way we do business.”

It emphasizes opportunities in digital trade agreements, electronic trade documents, and reducing administrative burdens at borders—priorities echoed in industry feedback, where over half of respondents highlighted AI’s potential to streamline customs and export processes.

Complementing this, the AI Opportunities Action Plan aims to accelerate adoption, potentially adding £47 billion annually to the economy through productivity gains of up to 1.5%. Broader initiatives include the Modern Industrial Strategy, AI Growth Zones with £24.25 billion in recent private commitments, and £1.6 billion from UK Research and Innovation for AI over 2026–2030.

These efforts focus on scaling businesses internationally, attracting inward investment, and supporting exports in high-value sectors like professional and business services. Recent statements from Business and Trade Secretary Peter Kyle urge manufacturers to embrace AI for productivity, advanced technologies, and new export models—supported by UK Export Finance for smaller firms exporting integrated solutions rather than just goods.

Key Ways AI Strengthens UK Trade

AI enhances trade competitiveness through several mechanisms: AI drives automation, predictive maintenance, and process optimization in manufacturing and services, lowering costs and enabling UK firms to compete globally. Estimates suggest AI could boost UK GDP by £550 billion by 2035, helping climb manufacturing rankings.

The Department for Business and Trade uses AI tools to predict high-potential exporters, targeting support for faster international scaling. AI reduces red tape, speeds customs, and cuts delays—potentially increasing global goods exports by up to 37% by 2040 if barriers are addressed.

The UK’s services sector (second-largest exporter globally) benefits immensely from AI-powered growth in professional/business services (£181 billion in exports in 2024). AI enhances fraud detection, personalized services, and innovation in finance, legal, and tech—highly exportable areas where the UK leads.

Over 65% of UK AI companies export up significantly in recent years, with many deriving substantial revenue internationally. The sector saw £2.9 billion in investment in 2024 and strong inward FDI (£15 billion announced, creating jobs). Over 52% of UK businesses use AI up from 39%, with many reporting revenue increases up to 28% and strong ROI.

While promising, realizing full benefits requires addressing skills gaps, ethical/regulatory alignment and barriers like tariffs on AI-related tech. The government prioritizes pro-innovation regulation, talent nurturing, and international partnerships to maintain leadership.

By embedding AI in trade policy, industrial strategy, and business operations, the UK is transforming potential vulnerabilities into strengths—aiming for resilient, innovation-led growth in a digital global economy. This positions Britain not just as an AI adopter, but as an exporter of AI-driven solutions and services.

The overarching goal is to “ramp up AI adoption” to deliver broad-based benefits: higher living standards, future-proof jobs, improved everyday lives, and alignment with the government’s five missions including kickstarting economic growth as the highest in the G7.

The AI Opportunities Action Plan represents a proactive, investment-backed blueprint to turn the UK’s strong AI position into tangible advantages—economic resilience, better public services, and leadership in a transformative technology. It complements related strategies like the Modern Industrial Strategy and Trade Strategy by prioritizing AI as a key driver of competitiveness and growth.

US February Consumer Price Index (CPI) Data Came-in Exactly in Line with Expectations

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Paul Ugbede Godwin

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March 13, 2026

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The February 2026 US Consumer Price Index (CPI) data came in exactly in line with expectations. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) released the report which Key figures include: Headline CPI (year-over-year): +2.4%, unchanged from January and matching economist consensus forecasts; Dow Jones and others expected 2.4%.

Headline CPI: month-over-month, seasonally adjusted: +0.3%, up slightly from +0.2% in January and aligning with expectations. Core CPI excluding food and energy, year-over-year: +2.5%, unchanged from January and in line with forecasts. Core CPI (month-over-month, seasonally adjusted): +0.2%, slightly cooler than January’s +0.3% but matching expectations.

This steadiness in inflation occurred just before escalating geopolitical tensions notably the conflict involving Iran began driving up energy prices, which weren’t yet reflected in the February data. Economists note that March and future months could see higher readings due to rising oil and gasoline costs.

The report was viewed as tame and on-target, offering some reassurance to markets and the Federal Reserve that inflation wasn’t accelerating pre-conflict, though it remains above the Fed’s 2% target.

The February 2026 CPI data, came in line with expectations (headline CPI at +2.4% YoY, unchanged from January; core at +2.5% YoY) and had a limited but reinforcing impact on Federal Reserve rate decisions. It provided no strong signal for immediate easing, keeping the Fed in a cautious, data-dependent stance amid ongoing inflation above the 2% target and emerging geopolitical risks from the Iran conflict.

The tame, steady inflation print not accelerating but also not decisively cooling toward 2% supported the Fed’s recent “higher for longer” approach. Markets already expected the Fed to hold the federal funds rate steady in its 3.5%–3.75% target range at the March 17–18, 2026, FOMC meeting.

Post-CPI, the probability of no change rose to around 98–99% per CME FedWatch tool and market reports, up slightly from pre-report levels. A rate cut at this meeting was priced in at near-zero odds. Economists and analysts widely viewed the report as “on hold” friendly.

It didn’t show disinflation resuming strongly enough to justify near-term easing, especially with core measures sticky in services and shelter. Combined with the Iran war’s upward pressure on energy prices (not yet in February data but expected to boost March/April readings), the Fed is likely to remain sidelined longer to monitor for second-round effects or embedded inflation expectations.

Many forecasts now point to the next cut potentially in summer or later, with only 1–2 total cuts anticipated for 2026 down from earlier hopes for more aggressive easing. Inflation remains above target, with some economists noting no clear deceleration signal. Geopolitical uncertainty adds upside risk, leading to comments like “the Fed sits on its hands” due to war-related unpredictability.

Recent labor market softness complicates the picture but hasn’t outweighed inflation concerns enough for dovish shifts yet. The Fed’s preferred PCE gauge (due soon) may show slightly hotter readings, further supporting caution. Bond yields ticked higher post-report, reflecting reduced near-term cut bets.

Stock futures were mixed to slightly down, with focus shifting to energy price risks rather than the CPI itself. The data was “tame” but insufficient to pivot the Fed from pause mode; higher inflation ahead could push cuts even further out.

The next key updates will be March PCE data and the March FOMC statement (March 18), which could provide more clarity on the Fed’s updated dot plot and projections. For now, the February CPI keeps the door closed on imminent rate relief while highlighting vigilance on emerging inflationary pressures.