Latest Crypto News | Bitcoin, Ethereum and Altcoin Updates

Polkadot (DOT) remains in a clear downtrend with lower highs and lower lows. Current price near $1.36–$1.51 across reports; daily indicators are bearish: price below EMA20 (~$1.59–$1.76), Supertrend shows bearish momentum, MACD negative and RSI around 29–30 (near-oversold). Short-term structure: immediate resistance (swing high) and decisive Break of Structure (BOS) at $1.3776 — a daily close above this level is needed to flip bias and target EMA20 (~$1.59) and Supertrend (~$1.71–$1.88). Immediate support sits at $1.3177; a close below confirms bearish BOS toward the next major low at $1.1010 and a deeper weekly-lower target near $0.4395 if downside accelerates. Alternate earlier analysis listed resistances at $1.568, $1.6426 and $1.7624 and supports at $1.50, $1.399 and $0.8186, highlighting roughly symmetric reward/risk for the bullish target ~$2.21 vs bearish ~$0.8186. Analysts advise strict risk management: use structural stops (e.g., ~1–2% below main support with ATR buffer), trailing stops until EMA20 is reclaimed, limit per-trade risk to 1–2% of capital, keep DOT exposure to ~5–10% of portfolio and avoid high leverage (1–3× max). Monitor Bitcoin correlation — BTC weakness (key zones noted near $68.8k / $72.0k) increases downside risk for DOT. Overall, maintain a bearish short-term bias until bullish BOS occurs; traders should watch $1.3177 support, $1.3776 resistance and BTC action before scaling longs.

Japan’s snap election victory for Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has triggered the so‑called “Takaichi trade”: expectations of aggressive fiscal stimulus, tolerance for a weaker yen and looser monetary settings. The move sent the Nikkei to record highs and the yen weaker, prompting portfolio rebalancing toward Japanese equities and government bonds. That rotation has reduced marginal global liquidity and coincided with weakness in U.S. equities and slower ETF inflows. Crypto markets, particularly Bitcoin, have seen deleveraging — futures open interest and leverage have fallen and forced-liquidations earlier removed crowded longs. Analysts (including CryptoQuant/XWIN Research Japan) attribute Bitcoin’s recent pullback to cross-asset risk rebalancing and tighter liquidity rather than on-chain deterioration. Near term, expect higher volatility and downside pressure on BTC as capital shifts and U.S. equity corrections tighten financial conditions. Medium-term prospects remain mixed: Takaichi’s government plans structural reforms and clearer Web3/stablecoin rules that could attract institutional flows later in 2026, but liquidity and flow dynamics will drive price action in the interim. Key trade signals to monitor: cross-border flows into Japan, Japanese yields and yen moves, U.S. equity liquidity metrics and ETF flows, futures open interest, and leverage. SEO keywords: Takaichi trade, Bitcoin, liquidity, yen, Japanese yields.

TON (TON) trades around $1.38 inside a tight consolidation range (~$1.33–$1.43) with short-term bias tilted bearish but mixed technical signals. Price sits below the 20-period EMA (~$1.45–$1.50) and Supertrend remains negative, while RSI is near oversold levels (mid-30s to low-40s) and MACD shows conflicting/early bullish histogram readings across the two reports. Key intraday levels to watch: immediate support $1.372–$1.377 and stronger supports $1.266–$1.250 and $1.124–$1.125; immediate resistance $1.388–$1.429, next at $1.459–$1.488 and higher weekly resistance toward $1.80–$1.94. Bull case: a confirmed 4H/ daily close above $1.388–$1.429 with rising volume, RSI climbing toward 50 and MACD turning positive would target $1.537, $1.67 and extended $1.80–$2.10 levels. Bear case: a break and close below $1.372–$1.376 on volume with negative MACD and OBV divergence could push TON to $1.266/$1.250 then $1.124 (extreme $0.611–$0.95 in some scenarios). TON shows high correlation with Bitcoin (reported ~0.8–0.85); BTC direction and key pivots near $77k/$69.9k (and lower $65.8k–$60k) will materially affect TON’s downside risk. Trading guidance: monitor 4H closes, volume spikes, RSI/MACD confirmation and BTC pivot levels; set protective stops under $1.372–$1.376 for long positions and above $1.388–$1.429 for shorts to limit false-breakout risk. This is technical analysis only, not investment advice.

Whale Alert reported that the USDC Treasury minted 250 million USDC on Ethereum and moved the newly minted coins to a secondary address likely used for distribution. Blockchain explorer data confirm the mint originated from the official USDC Treasury contract, used authorized mint functions and valid signatures. USDC (issued by Circle) is a fully reserved, regulated fiat-collateralized stablecoin minted when verified dollar deposits arrive. Large mints like this typically reflect routine treasury operations to meet institutional needs — exchange liquidity, market making, DeFi pools, or corporate treasury deployments — but do not by themselves guarantee market moves. Traders should track on-chain flows from the destination address, subsequent exchange or DeFi deposits, and any mint/burn activity to infer whether supply will be deployed to markets or held in custody. Immediate effects may include increased stablecoin liquidity, tighter spreads on USDC pairs, and larger DEX/AMM pools improving swap efficiency. Circle’s regular attestations and evolving regulation support confidence in USDC’s backing. Key facts: 250 million USDC minted; network = Ethereum; origin = USDC Treasury contract; destination = secondary address; implications = potential short-term liquidity injection and medium-term capital allocation signals for traders.

APEMARS (APRZ) is running a Stage 7 presale at $0.00005576 and markets a projected listing price of $0.0055 — implying roughly 9,760% upside from the current stage price. The project reports over 6.1 billion tokens already sold, about $160k–$175k raised and 800+ holders. APEMARS positions itself as a community-governed meme-token with a 23-stage progressive pricing model intended to reward early buyers; the sale includes a 9.34% dual referral bonus and a minimum $22 stake to receive a referral code. The articles frame the presale as a “capitulation-era” buying opportunity and compare hypothetical returns to early BNB and Cardano investors, supplying a worked example (a $10,000 Stage 7 buy would equal ~179.34M APRZ, worth ~ $986k at the advertised listing price). Participation steps (connect wallet, pay with ETH/USDT, claim allocation) and verification guidance are provided. Both pieces note this content is a paid promotional press release and include a disclaimer that it is not investment advice. Traders should treat advertised listing targets and return projections as speculative marketing claims and weigh typical presale risks: low liquidity at listing, concentration of holdings, tokenomics opacity, and potential for large sell pressure on launch.

OpenAI has begun a limited US pilot to insert clearly labeled ads into ChatGPT for free users and the new $8/month ChatGPT Go tier while keeping Plus, Pro, Business, Enterprise and Education plans ad-free. Ads are contextual, privacy-focused and meant not to alter model responses; advertisers receive only aggregated metrics. OpenAI will exclude ads for under-18 users and around sensitive topics, provide user controls for ad settings, and use on-device processing where possible. The rollout follows public jabs from competitor Anthropic — which ran Super Bowl spots criticizing ads in AI assistants — and a public spat with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman. The company frames advertising as a necessary revenue stream to offset rapidly rising compute costs, low paid-conversion rates (~5% of ~800M weekly users), and mounting losses, and has been reported to seek additional funding from partners. For crypto traders the key points are: this monetization move may improve OpenAI’s cash flow and slow aggressive cost-cutting that could affect partner integrations and token-linked services; advertiser acceptance will determine whether ad-funded access becomes standard or pushes users toward subscription-only, privacy-focused rivals. Primary keywords: ChatGPT ads, OpenAI advertising, AI monetization. Secondary keywords: contextual ads, privacy safeguards, subscription tiers, Anthropic, ad-free plans.

On-chain data shows Bitcoin miners moved about 90,000 BTC to Binance in February 2025, the largest monthly miner-to-exchange flow since early 2024. A single 24‑hour peak reached roughly 24,000 BTC. Analysts say miners were likely securing fiat for operating costs and taking profits amid recent volatility. Given Bitcoin’s daily issuance of ~900 BTC, a one‑day transfer of 24,000 BTC equals more than 26 days of new supply hitting an exchange order book, materially increasing short-term sell-side liquidity. The flows coincided with a sharp price correction that briefly pushed BTC below $60,000 and a wider drawdown from the prior all-time high; roughly 241,000 BTC entered exchanges during that period. Retail selling (holders <1 BTC) spiked on exchanges but eased as prices recovered, while large holders (whales) continued accumulating into long-term addresses. Market implications for traders: elevated miner outflows are a clear, quantifiable source of near-term selling pressure that can amplify volatility if buy-side demand is insufficient. However, miner transfers often reflect operational risk management rather than a shift in long-term fundamentals. Traders should monitor exchange reserves, miner revenue and payout patterns, hash rate stability, whale accumulation, and order-book depth to assess whether the market can absorb the added supply. Key figures: 90,000 BTC monthly total (~$5.85B at $65,000/BTC), 24,000 BTC daily peak. Primary keywords: Bitcoin, BTC, miner outflows, Binance, sell pressure, on-chain data.

OKX transferred 20,841,045,129 SHIB (≈$132,130) from a hot wallet to cold storage, according to Arkham on-chain data. The internal transfer happened during a volatile session that featured a rapid 22% rally in Shiba Inu (SHIB), which reclaimed roughly $0.0000062 after briefly testing lows not seen since early 2023. The move removed a sizeable batch of SHIB from immediate exchange liquidity, contrasting with other meme coins that saw net inflows to exchanges at the same time. Traders and analysts interpret the transfer as likely exchange reserve or liquidity management, but timing and scale raised questions about possible order-book restructuring, temporary plunge protection or deliberate reduction of sell-side supply. SHIB was trading around $0.00000612 and had failed to hold $0.0000068; a downside target noted by traders is $0.0000046 if bearish momentum returns. OKX has not publicly commented. For traders: large on-exchange transfers to cold wallets can temporarily reduce available sell-side liquidity and support short-term price strength, but they are not definitive bullish signals. Monitor OKX order-book depth, subsequent on-chain flows, exchange inflows/outflows and overall market sentiment to confirm whether supply reduction is sustained or a short-lived liquidity adjustment.

TRM Labs found wallets linked to Xinbi, a Chinese-language crypto guarantee marketplace, moved about $17.9 billion on-chain (incoming, outgoing and internal transfers). After Telegram removed many Chinese guarantee groups in 2025, Xinbi migrated users to alternative messaging platforms and launched a native wallet, XinbiPay, which enabled more internal circulation and complicated traceability. On-chain activity for XinbiPay rose in early 2026 following a brief slowdown in late 2025. TRM alleges Xinbi has been used as a conduit for laundering by scam networks and cybercrime groups (including pig-butchering schemes) but notes the $17.9 billion figure is total on-chain volume, not confirmed criminal profit. For traders: the disclosure highlights sustained on-chain flows tied to guarantee marketplaces, growing use of native wallets (XinbiPay), and increased regulatory and law-enforcement scrutiny — factors that could affect market sentiment, increase compliance risk for counterparties, and prompt targeted enforcement actions that may create short-term volatility in related token markets.

MicroStrategy purchased 1,142 BTC between Feb 2–8, 2026, spending about $90 million at an average price near $78,815 per BTC. The acquisition raises the company’s bitcoin treasury to 714,644 BTC, acquired at an average cost of roughly $76,056 per BTC (≈$54.35 billion total, excluding fees). The position equals more than 3.4% of Bitcoin’s fixed supply, keeping MicroStrategy as the largest corporate BTC holder. The latest purchase was financed via an at‑the‑market equity program: MicroStrategy sold 616,715 common shares and raised about $89.5 million in net proceeds. Recent BTC price declines have pushed the company into estimated unrealized losses of about $5.0–$5.2 billion. After disclosure, MSTR shares fell roughly 4.2% in pre‑market trading to about $129, reflecting investor caution. Management, led by Michael Saylor, reiterated a long‑term accumulation strategy despite short‑term volatility. For traders: the trade confirms ongoing corporate demand, further concentrates BTC on MicroStrategy’s balance sheet, and increases MSTR’s sensitivity to bitcoin price swings. Expect elevated volatility around MSTR and potentially BTC when share‑financed purchases occur or if BTC endures further markdowns.

BitMine Immersion Technologies, chaired by Tom Lee, purchased about 40,613 ETH (~$83.2M) during last week’s sell-off, increasing its treasury to 4,325,738 ETH (~$8.8B), roughly 3.6% of circulating supply. SEC filings and DropStab data show BitMine’s earlier purchases average above $4,000 per ETH for roughly 3.7M tokens, leaving the company with estimated unrealized losses near $7.5–7.8 billion. Around 2.9M ETH are reported staked, producing a modest staking yield. Tom Lee called the pullback a buying opportunity, citing ETH’s utility and historical V-shaped recoveries after sharp drawdowns. ETH fell from its August high (~$4,946) to as low as ~$1,824 last week before recovering toward ~$2,100. BitMine’s stock (BMNR) showed intraday gains but remains materially down over recent months. For traders: the purchase signals a large, long-term institutional conviction in ETH demand, but the sizeable unrealized loss and concentrated exposure increase downside risk if prices stay depressed. Primary keywords: BitMine, ETH, Tom Lee, ETH treasury, unrealized losses. Secondary keywords: crypto crash, staking yield, DropStab, treasury buying.

Sanae Takaichi won a decisive internal victory in Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party, consolidating influence and increasing the likelihood of policy continuity favorable to cryptocurrency and blockchain innovation. Known for supporting regulatory clarity and pro-business measures, Takaichi’s ascent reduces near-term political uncertainty around crypto rules and raises prospects for faster rulemaking, clearer guidance from the Financial Services Agency, and closer government–industry dialogue. Key trader implications: (1) regulatory clarity — faster issuance of exchange licensing guidance, token rules, and compliance standards that could lower operational friction for onshore exchanges and projects; (2) fiscal and tax policy — potential reviews of crypto taxation or corporate incentives that may affect after-tax returns and trading flows; (3) market sentiment — improved confidence among institutional and retail participants that could support greater onshore liquidity and institutional entry. Short-term volatility may spike around regulatory announcements, appointments, or tax guidance; medium-to-long-term effects include higher institutional participation and deeper liquidity if market-friendly measures are implemented. Traders should monitor statements from the Financial Services Agency, Ministry of Finance, major Japanese exchanges, and any legislative timelines for concrete measures. Keywords: Sanae Takaichi, crypto regulation, Japan crypto, regulatory clarity, blockchain policy.

Security firms SlowMist and Koi Security uncovered a large-scale supply-chain poisoning campaign on OpenClaw’s official plugin marketplace, ClawHub. Koi Security scanned 2,857 AI skills and flagged 341 as malicious; SlowMist’s MistEye system identified 400+ coordinated indicators across plugins. Attackers uploaded seemingly benign “skills” that act as dependency installers or utilities, then fetched more dangerous payloads and persistent backdoors (often Base64‑encoded) from common domains and IPs tied to Poseidon infrastructure. Malicious packages frequently used crypto-, finance- and automation-related names and requested elevated permissions to steal credentials, files and enable remote control — creating a direct risk to endpoints that hold exchange logins or keys. OpenClaw has integrated VirusTotal automated scanning to scan packages before publication and to re‑scan active skills daily; it says further protections are planned as the AI-agent ecosystem scales. SlowMist recommends auditing SKILL.md files, avoiding copy‑paste install commands, limiting plugin permissions, and being cautious with prompts that request passwords, accessibility access or system configuration changes. For traders: tighten plugin hygiene, restrict device permissions, isolate wallets/keys from general-use devices, and monitor for unusual outbound connections — the alert raises endpoint and operational security risk rather than an immediate market-structural shock.

South Korea’s Financial Supervisory Service (FSS) has demanded users return Bitcoin mistakenly credited by exchange Bithumb during a promotional crediting error. An employee intended to credit 695 users with 2,000 KRW each but entered the unit as BTC, briefly issuing roughly 620,000 BTC (~$40–44 billion) — labelled “ghost Bitcoin.” Bithumb recovered the vast majority (about 99.7%) after pausing trading; roughly ₩13 billion (~$10–11 million) worth of BTC remains unrecovered and about 1,786 BTC were sold before trading halted, of which around 93% were reclaimed. FSS Governor Lee Chan-jin said users who only confirmed receipt with the exchange will not be held at fault, but anyone who sold or liquidated the mistakenly received BTC without Bithumb’s confirmation is legally required to return the assets under unjust enrichment rules. The FSS is investigating potential breaches of the User Protection Act, will reflect lessons in the second phase of digital asset regulation, and plans targeted inspections of internal controls at other exchanges. The Financial Services Commission and FSS also agreed to grant limited investigative powers to the FSS’s capital market special judicial police with safeguards to prevent overreach. Key points for traders: the incident exposed exchange control weaknesses, recovery efforts limited trading flows temporarily, and the regulator’s enforcement stance increases legal risk for wallets that received and moved the coins.

A crypto analyst argues that Ripple’s US dollar–pegged stablecoin RLUSD could act as a catalyst for an XRP price rally by providing fast, low‑volatility settlement liquidity for banks and institutions. The analyst describes how institutions converting large fiat sums into RLUSD (for example, $1bn) can place sizable buy orders that sequentially clear lower-priced sell liquidity on exchanges, producing sharp upward price moves and establishing a higher price baseline for XRP. RLUSD reduces currency-conversion delays and settlement volatility, making repeated institutional use of XRP for cross-border settlement and other flows more likely. That creates a potential feedback loop: stablecoin-backed large buys lift XRP prices, improved settlement efficiency encourages further institutional XRP usage, and sustained demand supports continued upward pressure. The pieces emphasize RLUSD and XRP as complementary (not competing) tools and explain the mechanics by which concentrated stablecoin liquidity can sweep order books and amplify XRP price moves. Traders should watch RLUSD issuance, large on‑chain stablecoin flows into exchange hubs, and sizable order‑book sweeps as early signals of increased institutional demand for XRP.

TON Foundation launched TON Pay (Feb 9, 2026), a wallet-agnostic payments SDK that embeds one-click crypto checkout into Telegram Mini Apps. TON Pay supports Toncoin (TON) and USDT, uses TON Connect for wallet linking, and removes prepaid gas and multi-step checkouts to simplify onboarding. The SDK targets sub-second settlement and average fees below $0.01, aiming to make microtransactions economically viable across Telegram’s ~1.1 billion monthly users. Initial deployment is focused on Telegram Mini Apps with plans to expand to web and other platforms; future features include subscriptions, gasless transactions, region-specific fiat off-ramps, analytics, and MPC wallets. The Foundation will work with local custodians and fiat conversion providers to meet compliance and requires merchants to follow Telegram’s platform policies. Led by Nikola Plecas (VP of Payments), TON Pay positions Toncoin as a payments rail inside a major social app, increasing developer monetization opportunities and accelerating mainstream crypto onboarding. Traders should monitor on-chain usage metrics, stablecoin flows (USDT), and adoption within Telegram Mini Apps — higher utility and payment volume could be bullish for TON but depends on adoption, fiat-rail partnerships, and regulatory compliance.

Ripple has activated Permissioned Domains on the XRP Ledger (XRPL) and will launch a Permissioned DEX on February 18, creating a compliance-verified, institution-only on-chain trading environment. Permissioned Domains require participant verification and regulatory compliance, addressing banks’ primary concern about unknown liquidity providers and counterparty compliance that previously blocked on-chain settlement. The Permissioned DEX will restrict trading to verified institutions and institution-only liquidity pools, connecting Ripple’s network of 300+ financial partners to on-chain settlement and potentially unlocking billions in institutional flows. For traders, this increases the likelihood of larger, compliant institutional flows into XRPL and could boost utility demand for XRP as a settlement liquidity tool. Expected impacts include higher on-chain volumes for XRP and tokenized assets, stronger use-case visibility for cross-border payments and tokenized commodities, and positioning XRPL as a regulated, high-speed hub for institutional settlement. Key SEO keywords: XRPL, Ripple, Permissioned DEX, Permissioned Domains, institutional liquidity, on-chain settlement.

HTX (formerly Huobi) has integrated Ethena Labs’ USDe synthetic dollar into its platform with on-platform, on-chain minting and redemption routed directly through Ethena smart contracts. The integration lets traders mint or redeem USDe without using spot order books or OTC liquidity, enabling unlimited scale, uniform mint/redemption costs regardless of size, atomic settlement, and reduced slippage. USDe is collateralized by spot BTC and ETH and kept near-par via a delta-neutral hedging strategy using derivatives. HTX will also launch a daily rewards program for USDe holders (paid weekly) and promotional products including a Flexible Earn product offering up to 15% APY and a trading competition with a 10,000 USDe prize pool (running through Feb 20). HTX and Ethena say the move improves capital efficiency, liquidity access and on/off-ramp simplicity between CeFi and DeFi, making it easier for traders to gain dollar exposure via a crypto-native synthetic asset.

Solana (SOL) shows signs of a potential cycle turning point on the weekly chart after a sharp selloff and quick reclaim of a long-term horizontal support/resistance zone. Trader Tardigrade (@TATrader_Alan) calls the drop SOL’s “final dip,” noting that sustained weekly closes above the reclaimed multi-cycle level would favor a bullish trend continuation. Separately, DrBullZeus (@DrBullZeus) highlights an unusually oversold weekly RSI(14) in the low-30s on SOL/USDT after price briefly fell into the high-$80s before reclaiming that area. Key confirmation signals for traders are: (1) weekly closes staying above the reclaimed horizontal zone; and (2) RSI stabilizing and turning higher — both would indicate a momentum reset and raise odds of a reversal. Conversely, a weekly close back below the reclaimed level or a persistently pinned oversold RSI would increase downside risk and prolong consolidation. Practical trading notes: keep position sizing tight, watch weekly close levels for confirmation or failure, use RSI trend and support/resistance flips as primary triggers, and prepare for higher volatility around the decisive weekly close.

Bitcoin (BTC) spiked roughly 1.7% in a five-minute window on Binance’s BTC/USDT perpetual market on 15 March 2025, rising to between $69,728 and earlier-reported intraday highs near $72,232 in related coverage. The move — about a $1,100–$1,200 gain per BTC in 300 seconds — appears driven by a large market buy consuming thin sell-side liquidity, amplified by algorithmic execution, stop-loss triggers and leveraged short liquidations. Five-minute trading volume briefly exceeded hundreds of millions on Binance, and open interest in futures rose modestly, consistent with new long entries rather than pure short-covering. Other major altcoins showed muted initial responses, indicating a BTC-specific, order-book liquidity event rather than a macro catalyst. For traders: the episode highlights short-term momentum opportunities for scalpers and HFTs but also elevated reversal risk for leveraged retail traders. Key actions: monitor exchange order-book depth, futures open interest, funding rates and liquidation heatmaps; control leverage; and require multi-source confirmation before treating a minute-scale spike as a trend change. Historical parallels include other minute-scale BTC jumps tied to large block buys, ETF rumors or algorithmic cascades; such events are common in 24/7 crypto markets and often reflect microstructure dynamics rather than shifts in fundamentals.

BitMEX co‑founder Arthur Hayes moved and likely sold about $3.14 million of DeFi tokens on Feb 8–9, 2026: ENA (~$1.06M), ETHFI (~$954K) and PENDLE (~$1.14M), per on‑chain tracker Lookonchain. These tokens are trading far below prior peaks (ENA ≈‑86% from October high; PENDLE ≈‑81%; ETHFI ≈‑94.5%) and show oversold technicals (low RSI, possible MACD setups). The activity follows Hayes’ prior sizable on‑chain rotations and sell‑offs in mid‑ and late‑2025 — often moving into stablecoins around market shifts — so traders debate whether this is a tactical portfolio reshuffle or a signal of continued DeFi weakness. Short‑term implications: increased selling pressure or heightened volatility for ENA, ETHFI and PENDLE as market participants react to a prominent actor’s large, on‑chain disposals; monitor exchange inflows, order‑book depth and price action before taking directional trades. Longer term: impact hinges on whether buyers step in at these deeply discounted levels and on sector catalysts; if sold into a correction, disposals could crystallize losses for Hayes and add downward pressure until absorbing demand appears. Keywords: Arthur Hayes, DeFi sell‑off, ENA, ETHFI, PENDLE, on‑chain transfers, Lookonchain.

Solana (SOL) has fallen sharply over the past month and now trades near the $75–$85 support zone after declines of roughly 35–39% month-to-month and nearly 70% from its January 2025 highs. Price action shows a bearish structure: lower highs, rejections at moving-average resistance (50/100/200-day), and trading below key Bollinger mid-band levels. Momentum is deeply oversold — daily and weekly RSI readings sit near oversold territory — which increases the chance of a short-term technical relief bounce but does not confirm a trend reversal. Market participation is weakening: 24-hour spot volume remains elevated (around $3.7–$3.9bn) but has eased, derivatives volumes and futures open interest have fallen, funding rates are negative, and Solana ETF flows have seen outflows, signalling reduced retail and institutional exposure and leverage deleveraging that has likely accelerated long liquidations. Network concerns (validator count decline and debates about stake concentration and value capture) add an additional layer of caution for longer-term conviction. Key levels: immediate support sits around $75 (with a nearer-floor at $80–$85); a daily close below $75 would expose lower targets near $67 and an extreme case around $51. Upside resistance and sentiment-shift levels are roughly $95–$111 and $138; reclaiming the mid-band and moving averages with rising volume and positive funding will be required to reduce downside risk. For traders: the setup favors caution — look for short-term bounce opportunities around $75 with tight risk management, monitor spot/futures volume and open interest for conviction, and beware of heightened volatility from leverage liquidations and macro risk-off flows before positioning for a sustained rally.

Phemex has launched Phemex TradFi, a USDT‑settled futures product that brings traditional financial assets (initially stocks and precious metals, with commodities, FX and global indices to follow) onto its crypto derivatives platform with 24/7 trading. The exchange is promoting adoption via a “0‑Fee TradFi Futures Carnival”: three months of zero trading fees on stock futures starting Feb 6, a $100,000 incentive pool for structured participation, and a first‑trade protection that refunds eligible users with a trading bonus if their initial TradFi futures trade loses money. TradFi futures settle in USDT, use transparent maker‑taker pricing (rather than spread execution), and will support copy‑trading in future releases. Phemex frames the product as a step toward a unified, always‑on multi‑asset derivatives hub enabling traders to manage crypto and traditional exposures in one environment. Founded in 2019, Phemex serves over 10 million users and offers spot, derivatives, copy trading and wealth products.

VivoPower International PLC has agreed to divest its Ripple Labs holdings: part will be transferred to South Korea’s KWeather in exchange for a 20% equity stake in the KOSDAQ-listed weather-data firm, and the remainder sold to Lean Ventures. All transfers are at market value and subject to Ripple’s internal approvals. VivoPower said it recorded no realized or unrealized losses on the digital-asset positions and will remove direct token exposure from its balance sheet. Ripple-linked exposure and blockchain use cases will be retained within Vivo Federation. The company is concurrently reviewing or seeking divestment of two divisions — Tembo (fleet electrification) and Caret Digital (digital-asset mining/renewables) — as part of a strategic pivot toward building AI-ready, renewable-powered data-centre infrastructure across the UK, Australia, North America, Europe, the Middle East and Southeast Asia. Recent corporate moves include acquiring rights to a 291 MW powered land portfolio in Finland (low-cost renewable power) and approving an incentive framework for senior hires in AI and crypto; VivoPower also terminated an at-the-market equity offering, citing sufficient projected cash generation and nondilutive funding options. For crypto traders: the company is exiting direct token treasury exposure to Ripple (XRP) while keeping indirect blockchain involvement through Vivo Federation — the news reduces the likelihood of corporate-driven XRP accumulation but preserves ecosystem links that could maintain strategic partnerships or service demand.

A wallet linked to the Infini protocol exploit resurfaced after roughly 200+ days of dormancy, spending $13.32 million in DAI to acquire 6,316 ETH at an average price near $2,109 during a recent market sell-off. On-chain analytics from Lookonchain, PeckShield and CertiK show the address then consolidated holdings and routed a total of 15,470 ETH (≈$32.6M) into the privacy mixer Tornado Cash. Historical chain activity indicates the exploiter initially stole about $49.5M in USDC in February 2025, converted stolen funds into ETH, and previously sold portions at cycle highs (notable sells near $3,322 and $4,202 per ETH). This recent move is consistent with the exploiter’s pattern of buying into local lows and selling near highs, suggesting resumed laundering rather than a simple cash-out to stablecoins. No funds have been reported frozen or recovered; investigators continue to monitor the address. Primary keywords: Infini exploiter, Tornado Cash, ETH buy dip. Secondary keywords: laundering, on-chain analytics, Lookonchain, PeckShield, CertiK.

Circle’s USDC treasury minted $250 million of new USDC on April 10, 2025, according to Whale Alert. Large-scale minting typically reflects incoming fiat converted to on‑chain stablecoin liquidity and often precedes increased trading or institutional deployment. Potential uses include exchange deposits, institutional on‑ramps, DeFi capital allocation and market‑making. The market impact depends on destinations: deposits to exchanges commonly presage buy pressure for major assets such as BTC and ETH, while transfers into DeFi suggest yield-seeking allocation that may not immediately lift spot prices. Circle issues monthly reserve attestations and maintains full‑reserve backing (cash and short‑term U.S. Treasuries), supporting USDC’s position as a compliance‑focused stablecoin. Historical patterns show correlations between USDC supply growth and crypto market cap, but correlation is not causation. Traders should monitor on‑chain flows, exchange inflows, lending protocol TVL and short‑term volume/price action in BTC and ETH to judge whether the $250M will be deployed into spot markets (short‑term bullish pressure) or parked in DeFi (neutral near‑term effect). This summary is informational and not trading advice.

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent urged the Senate Banking Committee to begin confirmation hearings for Kevin Warsh as President’s Federal Reserve chair nominee despite an ongoing Department of Justice probe into current Fed Chair Jerome Powell. Bessent told Fox News the committee should proceed with hearings while monitoring the DOJ investigation. Senator Thom Tillis has threatened to delay Warsh’s confirmation until the DOJ completes its probe, a stance that could complicate the panel’s Republican majority. Senator Elizabeth Warren pressed Bessent on whether Warsh would be shielded from legal or political pressure over interest-rate decisions; Bessent said enforcement is “up to the president,” offering no direct assurance. The dispute raises political and legal uncertainty around Fed leadership and monetary-policy continuity. Crypto markets reacted quickly when Warsh was nominated earlier: bitcoin (BTC) fell sharply and leveraged long positions saw large liquidations, an example traders should weigh when updating rate-expectation and risk-positioning. Traders should monitor confirmation progress, DOJ developments, and Fed messaging — heightened political risk can increase volatility, affect rate expectations, and influence risk-on assets like BTC.

Tether froze about $544 million of USDT on Feb. 7 after receiving and verifying a law‑enforcement request from Turkish authorities investigating illegal online betting and alleged money‑laundering linked to operator Veysel Sahin. Turkish prosecutors have reportedly seized over $1 billion of related assets in the same probe. Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino said the firm reviews enforcement information and acts if requests meet legal requirements. Tether also reported having assisted more than 1,800 investigations across 62 countries and said it has frozen roughly $3.4 billion in USDT tied to suspected criminal activity. Industry data from 2025 showed stablecoin issuers (mainly Tether and Circle) had blacklisted about 5,700 wallets holding roughly $2.5 billion, with USDT comprising about 75% of frozen amounts. The reports highlight ongoing links between USDT flows and large alleged laundering and sanctions‑evasion schemes, and note recent high‑profile enforcement cases involving roughly $1 billion in suspected laundering. For traders, the developments underscore increasing on‑chain enforcement and the operational ability of stablecoin issuers to block or blacklist wallet access — a factor that can reduce available liquidity in affected USDT pools, raise counterparty and execution risk, and temporarily impair access to large USDT balances during probes.

Fundstrat Head of Research Tom Lee says the crypto market has likely bottomed, citing falling inflation, absorption of excess supply from major failures, and Bitcoin’s resilience under geopolitical stress. Lee expects a narrative shift from survival to expansion as ETF inflows and a potential Fed pivot return liquidity, which will target infrastructure — especially institutional-grade security. The article highlights the “harvest now, decrypt later” threat: adversaries storing encrypted blockchain data today to decrypt when quantum computers mature. BMIC (BMIC) is presented as an early candidate addressing that risk. BMIC combines post-quantum cryptography, ERC-4337 account abstraction, AI threat detection, and a “Burn-to-Compute” token utility intended to connect decentralized quantum hardware providers in a so-called Quantum Meta-Cloud. The presale has raised about $444K with tokens priced near $0.04947. The piece frames BMIC as a niche infrastructure bet that could command a premium in the next bull cycle if markets reprice quantum-resistant custody solutions. Traders should weigh potential asymmetric upside from early presale exposure against standard presale risks and low liquidity; do due diligence before allocating capital.