Latest Crypto News | Bitcoin, Ethereum and Altcoin Updates

The XRP Ledger (XRPL) activated amendment XLS-80 after more than 91% of validators approved it and the mandatory two-week activation window closed. XLS-80 adds optional, credential-based permissioned domains on the public XRPL that let participants enforce identity, licensing or jurisdictional rules while preserving the open-ledger settlement model. The feature builds on the XLS-70 credentials framework and introduces new ledger objects and transactions (e.g., PermissionedDomain, PermissionedDomainSet/Delete). Ripple developers say a full permissioning stack for institutional use will follow, and a permissioned decentralized exchange running inside XRPL’s native trading engine has already reached validator consensus and is scheduled to activate soon. Separately, the XLS-66d lending amendment entered governance voting after release of XRPL node v3.1.0; 34 validators began votes to enable on-ledger, fixed-term (30–180 day) loans for professional participants, with loan terms recorded on-ledger and underwriting checks performed off-chain. For traders: these updates introduce credentialed trading environments and on-ledger fixed-term lending constructs that are likely to attract institutional liquidity to XRPL order books and liquidity pools once the permissioned DEX and permission stack go live. Primary keywords: XRPL, XLS-80, permissioned domains; secondary keywords: permissioned DEX, XLS-66d, institutional liquidity, on-ledger lending.

Ethereum co‑founder Vitalik Buterin criticized the recent proliferation of “copy‑paste” Layer‑2 (L2) networks that largely reuse EVM‑compatible designs and optimistic bridges, arguing they add little real value and risk a technical dead end. In a February 5 post, Buterin said many new L2s launch from familiarity rather than necessity — duplicating chains or creating standalone EVM networks with weak or absent bridges to Ethereum — which undermines security, composability and long‑term trust. He warned specifically against EVM chains that rely on week‑long optimistic exit periods and chains that drop bridges to mainnet. Buterin noted Ethereum’s base layer will continue to add EVM block space through 2026, but acknowledged some workloads (for example AI or low‑latency applications) may legitimately need specialized execution environments. He urged builders to “bring something new to the table,” favor designs that retain strong ties to Ethereum (app‑chains or L2s that read Ethereum data directly), and clearly state their technical dependence on mainnet. He also accepted a role for institutional or permissioned L2s that publish cryptographic proofs on‑chain — provided projects transparently represent that they are not trustless. For traders, the comments underscore an ongoing scaling debate: projects that meaningfully inherit Ethereum security and composability are likelier to sustain developer activity and value accrual, while tokenized clones or isolated EVM chains may struggle to maintain relevance and capital inflows.

US spot Solana (SOL) exchange-traded funds recorded a combined net inflow of $2.82 million on Feb. 5 (EST), according to SoSoValue. Fidelity’s spot SOL ETF (FSOL) led the day with $1.86 million in inflows and has cumulative net inflows of $158 million. Bitwise’s spot SOL ETF (BSOL) added $1.48 million for the day and holds a historical total of $682 million. Earlier reporting from Feb. 3 showed smaller, but positive flows—for example Fidelity’s FSOL had $1.19 million that day—highlighting a pattern of recurring institutional purchases via spot ETF products. As of the latest report, total net asset value (NAV) for Solana spot ETFs stood at $675 million, with Solana’s share of ETF net assets at about 1.51% and cumulative lifetime inflows totaling roughly $874 million. These inflows indicate sustained institutional demand for SOL through spot ETF structures. This content is market information and not investment advice.

Bitwise Asset Management has filed an S-1 registration with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to launch an ETF tied to Uniswap and its ecosystem, signaling intent to offer brokerage-friendly exposure to the UNI governance token and related assets. The filing follows a wave of SEC approvals for spot Bitcoin and Ethereum ETFs and comes amid clearer regulatory focus on crypto products. Market reaction was immediate: UNI fell about 16% after the filing, reflecting short-term selling pressure and heightened volatility around institutional product announcements. The proposal raises regulatory and operational questions specific to DeFi governance tokens — including UNI’s securities classification, custody on Ethereum, pricing across DEXs and CEXs, and whether the fund would participate in protocol governance. UNI is a top-20 token by market value and has historically shown wide swings; approval of an ETF could broaden institutional access, deepen liquidity and potentially dampen volatility over time, while setting a precedent for other DeFi token ETFs (eg. COMP, AAVE, MKR). SEC review is likely to take several months and approval is uncertain, hinging on how regulators treat governance tokens and surveillance/custody arrangements. Traders should watch UNI order books, fund filings, and SEC commentary — short-term price pressure is likely on announcement and filing news, while approval would be a structural development with medium-to-long-term implications for liquidity and flows.

The Crypto Fear & Greed Index dropped to 9/100 — its lowest since June 2022 — as Bitcoin plunged from a 2026 peak near $97,000, losing about 38% in three weeks and erasing roughly 16 months of gains. BTC briefly dipped toward $60,000 and traded around $64,000–$65,000. Technicals show Bitcoin below the 200-week exponential moving average (200-week EMA), RSI near 21 (deeply oversold), and Supertrend signaling bearish momentum. Key intraday supports cited are $62,909 and $60,000; resistances near $65,881 and $71,040. CoinGlass reports more than 588,000 traders liquidated for roughly $2.7 billion in the past 24 hours, with about 85% of those liquidations hitting leveraged long positions (mostly BTC). Analysts attribute the sell-off to weakness in US tech stocks, worries about an AI valuation bubble, and softer US jobs data that could delay Fed rate-cut plans — increasing risk aversion. MicroStrategy’s executives were cited warning of balance-sheet stress if BTC plunged far below the company’s average purchase price (~$76,000), with a hypothetical worst-case mention of much lower levels. For traders: expect elevated short-term volatility, monitor liquidation clusters, the 200-week EMA and the $60k–$63k support band for bounce or breakdown signals, and manage leverage aggressively given high recent long-liquidation concentration.

Record long liquidations swept crypto markets on March 15, 2025, with Bitcoin long positions alone triggering $1.42 billion in forced closures within 24 hours — the largest single-day BTC long unwind in 2025. Ethereum and Solana also recorded heavy long liquidations: about $580 million for ETH and $186 million for SOL. The sell-off reflected synchronized deleveraging after a sustained bullish run, amplified by high leverage on perpetual futures, elevated open interest, and positive funding rates that encouraged long exposure. Immediate market effects included heightened spot volatility, funding rates resetting from highly positive to neutral or negative, thinner order books at key levels, and a reduction in aggregate leverage. Exchanges’ improved risk protections (partial liquidations, price‑impact safeguards) appear to have limited broader contagion compared with prior multi-billion-dollar events, but the episode exposed concentrated long-side risk—particularly among retail traders—and the potential for cascading liquidations when stops and margin buffers are thin. For traders: expect short-term volatility and potential mean-reversion bounces, monitor open interest, funding rates and exchange flows for early warning, prefer lower leverage and tighter stops, and look for opportunistic buys at confirmed support levels while avoiding large directional exposure during funding-rate resets. Primary keywords: Bitcoin long liquidations, BTC futures liquidations, crypto deleveraging. Secondary keywords: funding rates, perpetual futures, leverage risk, margin calls.

Bitcoin (BTC) jumped about 1.66% within a five‑minute window on Binance’s BTC/USDT pair on April 10, 2025, briefly testing roughly $61,000. The move — roughly a $1,000 rise from near $60,000 — coincided with a pronounced volume spike on Binance and showed correlated price action across major exchanges, indicating market‑wide momentum rather than an isolated anomaly. Analysts attribute the rapid move to large institutional buy orders (“whales”), algorithmic trading, and leveraged derivatives dynamics such as forced liquidations; derivatives metrics (perpetual funding rates) turned more bullish during the spike. Market commentators caution this is a micro‑movement that may be noise unless confirmed by higher‑timeframe volume, sustained cross‑exchange price action, or supporting on‑chain flows (net withdrawals from exchanges). For traders, the event presents short‑term opportunity but increases liquidation risk for leveraged positions — active traders should limit leverage, tighten stop‑losses and monitor order‑book depth, exchange flows and funding rates. Longer‑term holders are advised to treat the move as potential noise unless macro or on‑chain signals validate continuation. Short‑term volatility could also ripple into major altcoins and strain exchange infrastructure during spikes.

MicroStrategy holds 713,502 BTC with an average cost basis of $76,052 per coin. After Bitcoin slid below $60,000 in late April 2025 and more recently traded under $71,000, the company’s treasury now carries multibillion-dollar unrealized losses — estimates range from about $3.8 billion (at ~ $70.8K) up to roughly $10 billion (after the sub-$60K move). MicroStrategy began large-scale purchases in August 2020 under Michael Saylor and has repeatedly added to its position using debt and equity financing. The firm’s concentrated Bitcoin exposure has driven a sharp correlation between MicroStrategy stock (MSTR) and BTC sentiment; MSTR has suffered steep declines from its 2025 peak. Accounting rules treat crypto as indefinite-lived intangible assets, forcing impairment losses on declines but preventing upward revaluation until a sale, which amplifies reported volatility. Prominent investors warned sustained trading below key price thresholds could deepen losses and strain access to capital, potentially forcing risk-control measures or strategic changes if financing or shareholder support weakens. For traders: expect elevated volatility in BTC and BTC-proxy equities, increased sensitivity of MSTR to Bitcoin moves, possible credit/financing pressure on highly exposed firms, and the prospect of forced selling only if price weakness materially tightens funding or triggers covenants.

The US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has opened a public review of SpaceX’s application to deploy a non‑geostationary satellite system that would perform data‑center AI workloads in orbit. SpaceX proposes a scalable constellation — the filing cites potential growth up to one million satellites operating roughly 310–1,240 miles above Earth — that would use high‑bandwidth optical (laser) inter‑satellite links, TT&C (telemetry, tracking and command), and integration with the Starlink network so data can transit Starlink, be processed in orbit, and then be delivered to ground stations. The proposal follows Elon Musk’s consolidation of xAI into SpaceX and positions an “Orbital Data Center” as an energy‑efficient, in‑orbit compute layer for training and running large AI models (including Grok). The FCC notice requests public comment and will assess regulatory, spectrum, collision‑risk and national‑security considerations; it also reviews related waiver requests. This review starts a formal process — not an approval — that may include technical evaluation and interagency consultation. Key implications for traders: the plan could strengthen ties between satellite communications (Starlink) and AI services, influence spectrum allocation and commercial satellite policy, and create new infrastructure that firms might leverage for distributed AI compute. Monitor regulatory developments and any links between SpaceX/Starlink and crypto projects or tokenized infrastructure, as approvals or restrictions could affect investor sentiment in related technology and infrastructure sectors.

An email described as a ransom demand requesting payment in Bitcoin was sent to TMZ amid the investigation into 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance. TMZ gave the message to law enforcement but said it could not verify the note’s authenticity. The alleged demand included a specified BTC amount (reported at roughly $64,600), a deadline and threats of harm if unpaid. Guthrie was last seen on January 31 in Catalina Foothills, Arizona; police initially classified her as a missing vulnerable adult and later upgraded the probe to a possible kidnapping after concerning evidence was found in her home. No suspects have been identified and authorities have not confirmed the ransom email is genuine. For crypto traders, the case is a potential example of a ransom-extortion attempt using Bitcoin: investigators will check whether funds transfers, a provided BTC address or blockchain traces link the message to an actual crypto payment or are instead a false lead. Keywords: Bitcoin ransom, BTC address, ransom demand, crypto extortion, missing person.

MicroStrategy, the largest corporate holder of Bitcoin (BTC), reported a headline Q4 2025 net loss of $12.4 billion (EPS -$42.93) driven mainly by non-cash fair-value write-downs on its 713,502 BTC position after a sharp intraday BTC dip (to as low as $60,000). Using an average cost basis near $76,052 per BTC (aggregate cost about $45.7B), the company’s unrealized BTC losses widened to roughly $10.16 billion. MSTR shares plunged about 17% in one session. Management says cash on hand is $2.25 billion — sufficient to cover roughly 30 months of preferred dividends and interest — and major debt maturities begin in 2027, which reduces immediate liquidity pressure. MicroStrategy continued buy-the-dip purchases earlier in the year but remains exposed: analysts warn that sustained BTC weakness (e.g., below $50,000) would raise convertible-debt refinancing and potential liquidation risk. CEO Michael Saylor reiterated a HODL stance. For traders, key takeaways are large institutional BTC exposure feeding through earnings under fair-value accounting (amplifying equity volatility), potential for increased sell-side pressure if BTC stays below MicroStrategy’s average cost, and heightened short-term volatility tied to corporate balance-sheet risk, equity repricing, and macro/geopolitical drivers.

Tether has made a $100 million strategic equity investment in Anchorage Digital via Tether Investments (El Salvador), converting an existing partnership into a direct ownership stake. Anchorage, a federally chartered U.S. digital-asset bank and issuer of the USAt stablecoin under the federal payments stablecoin framework, is preparing for expanded institutional growth and is reportedly seeking $200–$400 million ahead of a potential IPO next year. The move deepens ties between the leading stablecoin issuer (Tether/USDT) and a regulated U.S. crypto bank, reinforcing Anchorage’s balance sheet and institutional positioning. Tether — holder of the largest stablecoin by market cap (USDT) and significant bitcoin reserves — has used excess profits and reserves for investments and acquisitions across the crypto sector. For traders: the deal signals stronger institutional infrastructure for dollar-pegged stablecoins and regulated custody/stablecoin issuance services in the U.S., which could support broader market confidence in regulated stablecoin rails and institutional on-ramps for BTC and other digital assets.

Bitcoin (BTC) jumped roughly 1.5% in a rapid five-minute rally on the Binance USDT pair, climbing about $900–$1,000 to near $63,600. The move was recorded in mid-March 2025 and appeared to be driven by liquidity and microstructure factors — a large market buy, algorithmic activity or a short squeeze after breaking short-term resistance near $63.2K — rather than a clear fundamental catalyst. Such five-minute swings are common in crypto markets: prior data cited dozens to more than 120 similar or larger five-minute gains across recent years. On-chain and exchange context: overall crypto market cap sits near $2.4T with Bitcoin dominance ~52%; Binance handles a large share of BTC USDT flows and can amplify quick price discovery. Technicals show BTC testing the $65K area, with the 50-day MA around $62.4K and 200-day MA near $58.9K, indicating a broadly bullish medium-term structure. Short-term effects included higher trading volume on Binance, a spike in futures open interest and options implied volatility, temporary funding-rate moves and increased social chatter. For traders, the event highlights opportunities for scalpers, HFTs and liquidity-seeking algos, while raising liquidation risk for highly leveraged positions. Recommended actions: treat the move as a liquidity/microstructure event, confirm with sustained price and supporting volume across exchanges, monitor funding rates and exchange flows, use strict position sizing and stop rules, and prefer measured risk management (DCA, stops, lower leverage). This is informational and not trading advice.

OP (OP/USDT) is in a clear short-term downtrend after a near-20% 24h drop and continued selling pressure. Price trades roughly $0.17–$0.22 (daily ~ $0.215) and sits below EMA20 with a downward-sloping EMA ribbon; the faster article reports price around $0.22 while the later update records deeper levels near $0.17. Key technicals: RSI(14) deep in oversold territory (~21–28), MACD bearish with an expanding negative histogram, and strong trend signals (ADX elevated in the earlier report). Volume has spiked, confirming heavy distribution (reported 24h volumes vary by source between ~$123M and ~$226M), while VWAP and on‑balance measures point to selling dominance. Critical support levels moved lower in the later update — primary support now at $0.1579 (earlier analysis cited $0.2067 high-strength Fib support); immediate resistances are near $0.1820, $0.1972 and $0.216–0.27 (EMA20/Supertrend). OP remains highly correlated with Bitcoin (≈0.8–0.85); continued BTC weakness increases downside risk, while a BTC-led recovery would be required to open targets toward $0.3268–$0.364. Trading implications: the bias is bearish — favor short or neutral positioning overall. Momentum traders can watch for MACD histogram contraction and RSI rising above 30 with accompanying volume as early signs of a rebound. Tactical approaches include short-biased setups or cautious short-term scalps if support at $0.1579 (or the higher $0.2067 in earlier timeframe) holds; a confirmed reversal requires a volume-backed close above EMA20 (~$0.27) and clearing resistance around $0.235–$0.27. This is technical commentary, not investment advice.

Amazon shares fell more than 10% in after‑hours trading after the company unveiled an unprecedented $200 billion capital expenditure plan for 2026 focused on AI infrastructure. The market reaction came despite a solid Q4: revenue of $213.4 billion, net income of $21.2 billion, and AWS revenue up 24% year‑over‑year to $35.6 billion. Amazon reiterated a Q1 2026 revenue guide of $173.5–$178.5 billion and operating income of $16.5–$21.5 billion. Management highlighted rapid AWS growth, new Trainium and Graviton chip generations, major cloud deals, expanded AI models on Bedrock, and AI agents and tools. The company also confirmed earlier cost moves, including shuttering underperforming units and previously disclosed layoffs affecting about 16,000 employees. Analysts and investors focused on the scale of AI‑related capex and a sharp decline in free cash flow (driven by roughly $50.7 billion incremental AI spend), raising near‑term liquidity and valuation concerns despite longer‑term growth prospects for cloud and AI. For crypto traders, the headline sell‑off is relevant for market risk sentiment: large tech capex and growth‑vs‑profit tradeoffs can reduce risk appetite across equities and crypto, potentially increasing volatility in BTC, ETH and altcoins tied to AI or cloud integrations.

A Nevada state court declined the Nevada Gaming Control Board’s emergency request to immediately block Coinbase’s new prediction markets, scheduling a full hearing next week instead. The NGCB alleges Coinbase is offering unlicensed wagers on sports outcomes via event contracts in violation of Nevada gaming law. Coinbase counters that the event contracts are regulated by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) and therefore federally preempted from state gambling enforcement. Coinbase noted no urgent harm, pointing out that Kalshi — a CFTC-approved exchange whose contracts Coinbase lists — can still offer the same products to Nevada users while the dispute continues. Coinbase has also filed a separate federal suit in Nevada asserting CFTC’s exclusive jurisdiction. The ruling is procedural and preserves Coinbase’s ability to keep the markets live pending the hearing; it does not resolve the substantive jurisdictional question. The dispute has broader regulatory implications for prediction markets linked to sports and economic events and follows earlier scrutiny from other states and entities (including NCAA requests related to college-sports markets). Primary keywords: Coinbase prediction markets, Nevada judge, CFTC. Secondary/semantic keywords: prediction market regulation, event contracts, sports betting law, federal preemption, Kalshi.

Binance has initiated legal action against retail trader Edison Zhang after Zhang publicly alleged that a sudden SOL/USDT price “wick” on October 11, 2025 forced liquidation of his leveraged positions. Zhang says his positions were liquidated at $145 while the market low reached $141, wiping his account and years of savings. He shared trade screenshots and customer-support transcripts that he says show rejected service tickets and guidance pointing him to standard public announcements rather than active client protection. Zhang sought regulatory help in Abu Dhabi but found the FSRA did not have jurisdiction over the Binance entity he used; he then looked into Binance’s ADGM registration. After Zhang’s public posts, he received a February 3 cease-and-desist from Al Tamimi & Company purportedly representing Nest Exchange Limited (Binance.com), which stated Binance prefers arbitration via the Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre or the ICC. Binance subsequently filed arbitration with HKIAC, citing applicable arbitration clauses. The dispute centers on exchange execution, custody and notification practices, jurisdictional limits, and dispute-resolution paths for leveraged traders. For crypto traders, the case underscores the need to review margin settings, safeguard evidence (trade screenshots and order books), understand exchange terms (liquidation mechanics and arbitration clauses), and consider legal counsel when large liquidations occur. Primary keywords: Binance, SOL/USDT, liquidation, wick, leveraged trading. Secondary keywords: arbitration, HKIAC, ADGM, FSRA, customer support, margin call.

JPMorgan analysts say Bitcoin (BTC) has become relatively more attractive than gold on a risk-adjusted, long-term basis after recent market moves. The bank highlights that gold’s recent outperformance raised gold volatility while Bitcoin’s volatility relative to gold fell to a record low, narrowing the historical risk gap. JPMorgan estimates Bitcoin’s average miner production cost near $87,000, noting current spot BTC trades well below that level — a historical “soft floor” but not a guaranteed trigger for a rebound. The firm also flagged persistent spot Bitcoin ETF outflows (over $3bn in a recent month) that weigh on near-term sentiment, while describing recent selling pressure as milder than earlier capitulations. Limited leverage and modest forced liquidations reduce the risk of disorderly crashes. JPMorgan reiterated a theoretical market-cap parity price for Bitcoin substantially above current levels (near $266,000) but called short-term attainment unlikely. Key takeaways for traders: BTC’s risk-adjusted profile versus gold has improved (important for portfolio allocation and relative-value trades); downside risks remain from ETF outflows and miner breakevens that could force inefficient miners to exit if prices stay under cost; the large gap between spot price and JPMorgan’s long-term theoretical fair value implies continued volatility and trading opportunities in both directions.

RippleX has enabled Permissioned Domains on the XRP Ledger (XRPL) mainnet and announced that a Permissioned DEX is expected to reach validator consensus and activate within two weeks. The update implements a three-layer permissioning stack — Credentials, Permissioned Domains, and Permissioned DEX — that lets institutions verify identity and compliance attestations, enforce participation criteria, and restrict trading on designated order books to credentialed accounts. Trusted attestations allow banks, asset managers and payment providers to access on-chain liquidity pools while meeting regulatory requirements, paving the way for institutional issuance of stablecoins and large liquidity pools for cross-border and cross-currency payments. Commentators including Stern Drew and former Ripple CTO David Schwartz say the feature addresses major compliance concerns about transacting with unvetted counterparties and could be the enabling piece for large on-chain institutional capital deployments. At publication XRP was trading near $1.44, down roughly 9% in 24 hours. Key keywords: XRP Ledger, Permissioned Domains, Permissioned DEX, Credentials, institutional adoption, compliant liquidity.

A coalition of European tokenization and market infrastructure firms — including Securitize, 21X, Boerse Stuttgart Group, Lise, OpenBrick, STX and Axiology — has asked EU lawmakers for an urgent, narrow technical amendment to the DLT Pilot Regime. The group warns current limits on eligible assets, issuance caps and a six‑year licence ceiling are constraining the scaling of regulated on‑chain markets in the EU and could drive tokenized liquidity and listings to the US. They proposed raising issuance caps substantially, removing asset‑type restrictions and eliminating the six‑year pilot licence limit while preserving investor protections. The appeal follows fast‑moving US regulatory and market developments — SEC guidance on custody and issuer‑tokenized vs third‑party tokenized securities, a DTCC no‑action letter enabling tokenized settlement, and Nasdaq/NYSE initiatives for 24/7 tokenized trading and faster settlement — that together could enable near‑instant (T+0) settlement and industrial‑scale tokenization by 2026. The firms argue Europe’s broader Market Integration and Supervision Package will take until around 2030 to fully apply, increasing the risk of a permanent shift of tokenized real‑world asset liquidity to US venues. For crypto traders, the main takeaways are: potential regulatory-driven migration of tokenized liquidity to US markets (affecting access, spreads and cross‑border flows), likely short‑term legislative pressure in the EU for targeted DLT Pilot fixes, and continued US progress that may accelerate institutional adoption and settlement efficiency. Keywords: DLT Pilot Regime, tokenization, tokenized assets, EU regulation, T+0 settlement, DTCC, SEC.

Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes is mounting a crackdown on crypto ATM scams after investigators tied roughly $177 million in 2024 losses to about 600 kiosks across the state. Scammers commonly cold-call victims — often older adults — using impersonation (police, utility staff, relatives in distress), “pig butchering” romance-style schemes, or bogus legal/banking warnings to coerce cash withdrawals that are then converted to cryptocurrency at ATMs and quickly moved offshore. FBI data cited by the AG shows about 43% of victims are aged 60 or older. In response, Mayes launched a complaint form and urged victims to report incidents within 30 days to improve recovery chances. New Arizona laws (effective last year) impose daily ATM limits ($2,000 for new customers, $10,500 for existing customers), require transaction receipts and on-screen warnings, and mandate refunds for new customers who report fraud within 30 days. Mayes warned that crypto payments are harder to trace and lack the consumer protections of traditional payment methods; authorities also flagged growing use of new tactics including AI-assisted scams. For traders: the announcement increases regulatory scrutiny on crypto kiosks and elder-fraud vectors, which could spur tighter local enforcement, slow adoption of on‑ramps like crypto ATMs, and elevate reputational and compliance risks for kiosk operators — factors that may influence retail on-ramp flows but are unlikely to shift major cryptocurrency fundamentals immediately.

Rui‑Siang Lin, founder and operator of the dark‑web Incognito Market, was sentenced to 30 years in a Manhattan federal court after prosecutors linked roughly $105 million in illicit drug sales (October 2020–March 2024) to the platform. Lin pleaded guilty in December 2024 to conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, money laundering and selling misbranded pharmaceuticals. Incognito accepted Bitcoin (BTC) and Monero (XMR), charged a 5% commission and shuttered in March 2024. The FBI used blockchain analytics to trace transfers from known Incognito wallets through swapping services into exchange accounts tied to Lin, where identity documents and contact data were captured. Prosecutors say Lin closed the market, stole at least $1 million of user deposits and attempted to extort users by threatening to publish histories and wallet addresses. Courts ordered forfeiture of more than $105 million and five years’ supervised release. Key takeaways for crypto traders: blockchain tracing plus KYC‑linked exchanges remain powerful for law enforcement; on‑chain mixing and privacy coins like Monero do not guarantee anonymity when exchange metadata or swapping services leak linkage; and major takedowns can raise regulatory scrutiny and accelerate exchange compliance and monitoring measures.

BitMine Immersion Technologies (BMNR) — led by Thomas Lee — faces roughly $8 billion in unrealized losses after its roughly 4.2–4.29 million ETH treasury (acquired for about $16.4 billion) fell in value as ether dropped below $2,000. The ETH holding is now worth about $8.4 billion. BMNR shares have plunged to new lows, falling roughly 88% from their July peak and declining further amid investor concern over concentrated ETH exposure. Management says purchases were made with equity (not borrowed funds), so there are no debt covenants forcing sales. The company reports about $538 million in cash and is staking more than 2.9 million ETH to generate staking rewards and recurring income, which management says partly offsets price losses and reduces pressure to liquidate. Earlier estimates of unrealized losses ($6–6.9B) were widened by the latest ETH drop. The episode highlights treasury concentration risk for firms holding large amounts of a single crypto and raises scrutiny of aggressive crypto balance-sheet strategies as ether retreats from late-2025 highs.

Bitcoin plunged to about $67,000, breaking below its 2021 peak and erasing most gains since the 2022 bear-market low as heavy leveraged selling produced roughly $480 million in liquidations in the past hour and about $1.4 billion over 24 hours (Coinglass). Ether slipped below $2,000, Solana to around $84 and XRP to $1.29, dragging total crypto market cap down more than 7% to roughly $2.3 trillion. Spot BTC ETFs recorded net outflows exceeding $800 million over two days, while ETH ETFs saw roughly $68 million of outflows this week (SoSoValue). The sell-off amplified paper losses for some corporate treasuries that hold large crypto positions, with the largest BTC corporate holder showing multi-billion-dollar unrealized losses and related equity sell-offs ahead of earnings. The risk-off move spilled into equities and precious metals—S&P 500 and Nasdaq fell, while gold and silver also retreated—marking one of the steeper cross-asset resets since late 2022. For traders: expect heightened volatility and continued short-term downside risk for BTC and other major tokens. Key items to monitor are BTC ETF flows, exchange liquidation data and funding rates, order-book liquidity, spot precious metals and dollar strength, and corporate treasury disclosures and earnings that could prompt further selling or temporary capitulation bounces. Primary keywords: Bitcoin, liquidations, BTC ETF outflows, crypto market cap, leveraged selling.

Investor Michael Burry warned (Feb 3–5) that Bitcoin (BTC) may be following a pattern similar to the 2021–2022 collapse. Burry published comparative charts and a Substack analysis showing structural similarities between the recent fall from a roughly $126,000 peak to about $70,000 and the earlier decline from $35,000 to below $20,000. He projects potential downside toward ~$50,000 or lower and flags weakening momentum, lower volume during rallies, distribution by large holders, and multi-timeframe technical bearishness (descending channel, tested supports, resistance levels). Burry also argued Bitcoin has not proven to be an inflation hedge and said institutional adoption (spot ETFs, corporate holdings) may not prevent severe corrections. He warned of pressure on miners with thin margins and potential contagion to other markets if a deep drawdown occurs. Later coverage added nuance: today’s market has deeper liquidity, spot ETF inflows, clearer regulation and stronger infrastructure, and halving-driven supply dynamics that differ from 2021–22 — factors that could support demand and limit downside severity. For traders: expect heightened volatility and elevated short-to-medium-term downside risk to BTC. Suggested risk management actions include reducing position sizes, reassessing leverage and derivatives exposure, using stop-losses, considering dollar-cost averaging, and closely monitoring short-term technicals (moving averages, momentum, volume), miner stress indicators and ETF flows. This is not investment advice.

Multiliquid (Uniform Labs) and Metalayer Ventures have launched an always-on instant redemption facility for tokenized real‑world assets (RWAs) on Solana, letting holders convert tokenized positions into stablecoins immediately rather than waiting for issuer redemption windows. Metalayer acts as the standing buyer and pools capital managed by Metalayer Ventures to back redemptions; Multiliquid supplies protocol operations and Uniform Labs provides smart‑contract infrastructure for pricing, compliance enforcement and settlement. The facility uses dynamic pricing below net asset value to compensate liquidity providers while prioritizing speed and certainty. Initial support covers tokenized Treasury funds and select alternative products from issuers including VanEck, Janus Henderson and Fasanara. The move addresses a core institutional bottleneck — rigid exit liquidity for private credit, equity and real estate tokens — and aims to serve as a market backstop to reduce liquidity‑mismatch risk highlighted by regulators. Solana’s tokenized RWA market has surpassed $1 billion (~$1.2B across 343 assets in earlier reports) and integrations with DeFi venues such as Kamino are being discussed to widen exit routes. The announcement coincided with near‑term weakness in SOL (trading near $86.73 at the time), with analysts noting technical risks and downside supports near $70 and $50. For traders: the facility improves on‑chain exit certainty for RWA positions on Solana and may increase utility and on‑chain flows into Solana RWA products, but dynamic discounts and counterparty concentration mean traders should monitor liquidity spreads, redemption fees, integration uptake and SOL price technicals for directional cues.

Cryptocurrency exchange Gemini announced it will suspend trading and deposits for users in the United Kingdom, European Union and Australia effective 5 March 2025, placing affected accounts into withdrawal-only mode. The company also halted new registrations and incentive programs in those jurisdictions and said it will reduce global headcount by 25% as part of an operational realignment. Gemini attributes the move to mounting regulatory pressure — including UK FCA rules, EU MiCA implementation and heightened Australian oversight — and broader strategic adjustments, though it has provided limited public detail about custody arrangements or a deadline for withdrawals. Users are urged to secure accounts, verify withdrawal addresses and consider alternative compliant platforms. For traders, the immediate effects are likely to include liquidity shifts and short-term volatility in spot and regional markets, while the longer-term trend may favor consolidation toward larger, well-capitalized exchanges. Keywords: Gemini, withdrawal-only, regulation, job cuts, exchange exit.

Tether’s USDT reached a record circulating supply of $187.3 billion in Q4 2025, even as the wider crypto market faced headwinds after October liquidation events. On-chain activity for USDT surged: monthly active wallets averaged 24.8 million (about 70% of stablecoin wallets), quarterly transfer volume rose to $4.4 trillion, and transfers hit 2.2 billion. Tether reported $192.9 billion in total reserves and roughly $6.3 billion in net equity at quarter-end, with US Treasury holdings increased to $141.6 billion. Distribution shows ~two-thirds of supply sits in savings wallets and centralized exchanges, while the remainder fuels payments, remittances and DeFi. Despite these fundamentals, USDT briefly weakened to $0.9980 — its weakest peg in over five years — raising depegging concerns among analysts. Given that an estimated >87% of crypto trading volume routes through USDT, a material depeg could dent market liquidity and price discovery. Regulatory progress continued: USDT was designated an Accepted Fiat-Referenced Token (AFRT) by Abu Dhabi Global Market and made available across many blockchains (including TRON, Aptos, Celo, Cosmos, Near, Polkadot, Tezos, TON). Tether also faces scrutiny for illicit-use metrics — Tron-based USDT accounts for a large share of high-risk flows — and says it has monitoring and freeze programs with partners such as TRM Labs. Recent product moves include issuing a GENIUS Act–compliant USD stablecoin via Anchorage Digital Bank (USAt) and integrating USDT/Tether Gold into Opera’s MiniPay for emerging markets. For traders: monitor USDT peg stability, reserve disclosures, on-chain flow from exchanges, and regulatory signals — any renewed stress or withdrawal flows could tighten liquidity and amplify volatility across crypto markets.

Playnance has publicly launched after operating in stealth since 2020, unveiling a Web2-to-Web3 gaming infrastructure and consumer platform on 5 February 2026. The Tel Aviv-based firm integrates with 30+ game studios to convert existing Web2 games into fully on-chain experiences where gameplay actions execute and record on-chain while preserving familiar Web2 UX (no manual wallets or key management). Playnance reports roughly 1.5 million on-chain transactions per day and over 10,000 daily active users, with most users onboarding from non-crypto (Web2) audiences. Consumer offerings include PlayW3 and Up vs Down, which share a single non-custodial wallet and unified onboarding to let users move between games without repeated setup. New since earlier reports, Playnance has opened a G Coin pre-sale accessible via its site. The company emphasises operational metrics and user behaviour to guide expansion rather than speculative roadmaps, and aims to hide blockchain complexity to drive mainstream adoption. For crypto traders: the announcement signals growing real-world on-chain activity from mainstream gamers, a potential demand driver for gaming tokens, L2s or transaction-fee markets, and more on-chain volume — although Playnance did not disclose token economics, funding details or any chain partnerships that would create direct, immediate on-chain token catalysts.