Crypto News

STRK (STRK/USDT) remains in a dominant downtrend with bearish Supertrend and short-term EMAs acting as resistance. Price trades around $0.046 after earlier reads near $0.042–$0.046; RSI sits near oversold (~26–30) but can produce fakeouts. Key short-term support is $0.0388–$0.0396; a decisive break below $0.0388 would likely accelerate losses toward $0.035–$0.03. Volume is moderate (24h ~ $35M) and does not strongly confirm the decline, suggesting possible accumulation. Daily ATR is elevated (~10%, can spike toward ~20%), so intraday ranges can widen. STRK shows high correlation with Bitcoin (≈0.8–0.85): sustained BTC weakness (below $64.3k/$62.6k/$60k supports) would increase downside pressure on STRK, while a BTC recovery could enable an oversold bounce. Bull case: a confirmed break above $0.0396–$0.044 and overcoming EMA20 (~$0.05) could target ~$0.061–$0.064 (~60% upside), but probability is low while higher-timeframe resistances hold. Trading takeaway for traders: risk is asymmetric — longs offer weak reward/risk (~1:1.2) unless multiple confirmations (volume, RSI/EMA flips, and BTC support) appear; shorts present better R/R (~1:1.5+). Recommended risk management: use tight structural stop-losses (e.g., ~1–2% below $0.0388), ATR-based SLs (1–1.5 ATR), or trailing SL under EMA20 on a breakout; limit position sizing (1–2% account risk, max ~5% portfolio to altcoins) and reduce sizes when ATR rises. This is informational only and not investment advice.

The EU’s Directive on Administrative Cooperation (DAC8) brings crypto-asset reporting into standard tax disclosure regimes from 1 January 2026. Aligned with the OECD Crypto-Asset Reporting Framework (CARF), DAC8 requires crypto-asset service providers (CASPs) — including centralized exchanges, brokers, custodial wallets and certain intermediaries offering staking, lending, swaps or transfers — to collect enhanced KYC (name, address, tax ID, country of residence) and transaction data. Covered assets include most cryptocurrencies, stablecoins, tokenized assets and some investment-style NFTs; CBDCs and some e-money products are excluded. Platforms must collect 2026 data and submit standardized reports to national tax authorities in 2027; reported data will be automatically exchanged across EU member states from September 2027. Non‑EU platforms serving EU users must register in an EU member state and comply. DAC8 increases transparency into exchange-based activity (including transfers to linked private wallets), enabling tax authorities to match crypto transactions with declared income and raising enforcement risk for undeclared gains. Implementation challenges include residency verification, transaction-tracing (on‑ and off‑chain), secure data storage and GDPR interactions. Smaller providers face higher compliance costs and risk of delistings or geographic restrictions; penalties for non‑compliance are set by member states and can be substantial. Paired with MiCA, DAC8 tightens oversight: MiCA handles market conduct and licensing, while DAC8 automates tax-data flows. Traders should expect greater reporting, elevated scrutiny on cross-border transfers and potential platform behavior changes that could affect liquidity and access to specific tokens.

Step Finance announced it is winding down operations alongside sister platforms Remora Markets and SolanaFloor after a late‑January exploit drained roughly $40 million from treasury‑linked wallets. The team engaged external security firms and pursued financing and acquisition options but failed to recover funds or secure a viable takeover. Step plans a STEP token buyback based on a pre‑exploit snapshot; details and timing will be released later. STEP’s market price plunged following the breach, contributing to elevated sell pressure. Remora Markets — which handled tokenized equities (rTokens) and said its rTokens remained 1:1 backed — will close and is working on a redemption process to convert rTokens to USDC at par. SolanaFloor will keep its archives but stop publishing new content; Solflare wallet said it will pause its in‑wallet News section and explore community‑driven alternatives. Co‑founder George Harrap confirmed acquisition talks occurred but cited time constraints and no completed deal. The incident underscores custody and operational risks within the Solana ecosystem and is driving short‑term downward pressure on STEP and related tokens, while adding downside risk to SOL sentiment amid ongoing market weakness.

Hedera Hashgraph’s native token HBAR is gaining renewed attention as enterprise adoption, council-led governance and technical strengths drive on‑chain growth. Hedera uses a DAG-based Hashgraph consensus that delivers high throughput, low-latency finality (3–5s) and very low fees (~$0.0001 per tx). The network is carbon-negative and governed by a 39-member Hedera Governing Council (including Google, IBM and Boeing). Recent metrics: daily transactions above 10 million, ~33.6B circulating HBAR of a 50B max supply, >5M accounts, 8,000+ HTS tokens, and strong YoY smart contract growth (~300%). Major enterprise pilots span supply-chain (Avery Dennison), banking (Shinhan Bank, Standard Bank), sustainability (carbon credits) and digital identity. The later report adds that token release schedules are set to complete in 2025, removing a key supply overhang and potentially reducing selling pressure. Historical context: ATH $0.57 (Sept 2021); established support range $0.05–$0.08 and long-term holders (~45%). Scenario-based 2026 price bands range from conservative $0.15–$0.25 to bullish $0.35–$0.50; reaching $0.50 would require accelerated enterprise rollouts, network upgrades (e.g., sharding, privacy), higher staking participation and favorable macro conditions. Risks include regulatory uncertainty, token unlocks, governance centralization concerns, competition from other DLTs and correlation with Bitcoin. For traders: monitor on-chain transaction and smart-contract growth, staking rates, council/governance announcements, token release milestones, enterprise pilot outcomes and overall crypto market trends (especially BTC correlation). This is informational, not trading advice.

Canaan Inc. purchased a 49% stake in three operational Cipher Mining projects in Texas for $39.75 million in stock, immediately gaining roughly 4.4 EH/s of hashing power and control over 120 MW of power capacity. The deal transfers thousands of Avalon A15Pro ASIC miners to Canaan’s operational control and creates joint ventures while WindHQ retains majority ownership. Canaan funded the acquisition by issuing new Class A shares (approx. 806 million shares / ~54 million ADS) at about $0.7394 each with a six-month lock-up. Management said Texas’s low ERCOT electricity costs and integration of Canaan hardware will improve efficiency and competitiveness. The company recently reported strong revenue growth and holds ~1,750 BTC, underlining a strategic shift from pure hardware sales toward vertical integration and direct Bitcoin production. Cipher is repurposing one site into an AI/high-performance computing hub and sold 6,840 Avalon A15Pro units from that site as part of the deal. Contextual market notes in the sources highlight Bitcoin trading near $64k with upside targets around $71k–$90k and downside risk to $60k should support break; some miners have been selling BTC for liquidity, whereas Canaan is expanding production. Keywords: Canaan acquisition, Bitcoin mining, Avalon A15Pro, 4.4 EH/s, Texas ERCOT.

CoinShares published a research report concluding quantum computers are not an immediate threat to Bitcoin. The firm estimates fewer than 8% of BTC (roughly 10,200 BTC) are currently vulnerable because legacy addresses reveal public keys on-chain. Implementing a successful attack would require machines about 100,000× more powerful than today’s quantum hardware, placing any practical risk roughly 10–20 years away. Bitcoin’s SHA-256 hashing and mining are considered resilient to near-term quantum advances. CoinShares recommends pragmatic mitigations: users should move funds out of legacy addresses into modern address formats that keep public keys private, and developers can add quantum-resistant signature options via soft forks well before the risk materializes. The report warns against premature hard forks or untested cryptography that could introduce bugs or centralisation. For traders, the takeaway is that quantum risk is a long-term engineering challenge rather than an immediate existential threat to BTC prices; markets and developers have time to monitor quantum progress and coordinate safe migrations.

Bloomberg reports Stripe is exploring a possible acquisition of PayPal, either in whole or in parts; talks are early and no offer has been made. The situation combines two payments firms that have expanded into crypto and stablecoins. Recent developments: Stripe acquired stablecoin platform Bridge for about $1.1 billion and is building Tempo, a custom blockchain for stablecoin settlement and programmable payments with Paradigm. PayPal launched the PYUSD stablecoin in 2023 (market cap roughly $4 billion) and supports 24/7 dollar transfers and crypto rails for BTC and ETH. Stripe’s private status and recent $159 billion implied valuation via a share-liquidity program give it flexibility for long-term crypto investments and buybacks backed by investors including Thrive, Coatue and a16z. PayPal faces competitive pressure from Google Pay and Apple Pay and has seen steep share declines from 2021 highs; its stock rose on takeover rumors but talks remain exploratory. For traders: a Stripe–PayPal deal could accelerate stablecoin adoption, reduce settlement friction, concentrate market power in crypto payments infrastructure, and trigger volatility across payment-related equities and stablecoin on‑chain flows. Key SEO keywords: Stripe, PayPal, stablecoin, PYUSD, crypto payments, Bridge, Tempo, acquisition.

Bitcoin (BTC) slipped below the key $65,000 level, trading around $64,990 on April 10, 2025, after a short-term run of stability. The move coincided with heavier BTC trading volume, thinning buy orders under $65k, increased transfers from long-term wallets to exchanges, and brief profit-taking indicated by a dip in SOPR. Macro pressure — stronger U.S. Treasury yields and Fed commentary suggesting a higher‑for‑longer rate path — weighed on risk assets and contributed to the decline. Market cap for crypto fell roughly 3.2% in 24 hours while exchange reserves remained broadly stable, implying a spot-driven correction rather than large custodial outflows; futures funding rates normalized, reducing immediate liquidation risk. On-chain and network fundamentals (hash rate, active addresses) remain robust. Technical levels to watch: immediate resistance near $68,000, support at $65,000 and $60,000, with the 200‑day moving average around $58,000. Analysts view the 5–10% pullback as typical in bull-market volatility and note potential accumulation opportunities for longer-term holders, but traders should expect elevated short‑term volatility and correlated weakness across major altcoins (notably ETH). Recommended trader actions: monitor exchange net flows, funding rates, MVRV and Fear & Greed sentiment; use disciplined risk management (position sizing, stop-losses, DCA and diversification).

Missouri’s House advanced House Bill 2080, moving the proposal to the House Commerce Committee for public hearings and potential amendments. Sponsored by Rep. Ben Keathley, the bill would authorize the state treasurer to accept, purchase and hold Bitcoin (BTC) in a designated “Bitcoin Strategic Reserve Fund.” Funding may come from gifts, grants, donations, bequests or transfers from eligible Missouri residents and certain government entities; the bill also permits agencies to accept crypto payments for taxes and fees if approved by the tax authority. Bitcoin holdings must be held at least five years before conversion, transfer or sale, and transactions involving foreign or out-of-state entities are barred. The treasurer would follow custody safeguards — including limits on dealings with illicit or foreign actors and use of cold storage and third‑party custodians — and must publish a biennial report on holdings and safeguards. A similar measure stalled last year (HB 1217). Supporters argue the reserve lets the state accept crypto without exposing general funds to uncontrolled risk; critics cite market volatility and political risk from holding a concentrated, volatile asset. VanEck previously estimated that state-level Bitcoin reserves in the U.S. could create material demand (~$4.3bn). If passed by the House and Senate, the bill’s proposed effective date is Aug. 28, after which it would go to the governor for signature or veto.

U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs recorded a fifth consecutive week of net outflows, totaling about $3.8 billion since early March — the longest withdrawal streak since the ETFs launched. Last week saw roughly $316 million withdrawn. BlackRock’s iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT) accounted for the largest share, with roughly $2.13 billion (about 56% of total) redeemed over the five-week period. Bitcoin fell roughly 5% in 24 hours to about $64,977 at the time of reporting. Analysts cite three main drivers: rising U.S.–Iran geopolitical tensions, uncertainty from fresh global tariff announcements by former President Trump, and weakening technical indicators that have dampened buying interest and triggered systematic selling. The outflows follow a similar five-week withdrawal in February 2025 (about $5 billion), which preceded further price declines. Some institutional commentators (including JPMorgan) view the moves as tactical reallocations — for example, hedge funds and institutions using ETFs for liquid exits into Treasuries or money-market funds — rather than a permanent repudiation of Bitcoin’s long-term case. On-chain data suggest long-term holder activity remains relatively stable. For traders, key takeaways are: expect heightened volatility and downside pressure while outflows persist; monitor ETF flow data and macro/geopolitical developments for signals of stabilization; and look for tactical entry opportunities if flows stabilize or macro risks ease. Primary SEO keywords: Bitcoin ETF, spot Bitcoin ETFs, IBIT, Bitcoin outflows. Secondary/semantic keywords included: ETF redemptions, geopolitical tensions, tariff uncertainty, technical breakdowns, institutional reallocations.

Hyperliquid has launched the Hyperliquid Policy Center (HPC) in Washington, D.C., seeding it with 1,000,000 HYPE tokens (roughly $28–29 million at launch) to fund independent research, advocacy and government engagement on DeFi and on‑chain derivatives such as perpetual futures. The Hyper Foundation will back HPC as a nonprofit; Jake Chervinsky, a leading crypto policy lawyer, was named CEO and the centre will hire a policy team including government relations staff. The move marks a shift from a developer‑first posture to active regulatory engagement: Hyperliquid aims to influence congressional hearings and agency rulemaking that will define the legal perimeter for decentralized exchanges and DeFi derivatives in the US. The announcement follows reporting that Hyperliquid’s perpetuals saw massive volumes and open interest, underscoring why clarifying the legal status of derivatives is a priority. The token allocation is effectively strategic infrastructure for the protocol and reflects growing institutional lobbying in crypto — a single allocation that exceeds many groups’ annual budgets. For traders, the development raises three practical considerations: regulatory outcomes could drive compliant US on‑ramps and constrained product sets; tougher US rules may push US liquidity offshore and fragment global order books; or continued legislative ambiguity could keep derivatives in a gray area, increasing legal and counterparty risk. Short term, expect increased sensitivity of HYPE markets and DeFi derivatives to policy news and lobbying milestones (hearings, rule proposals). Medium to long term, HPC’s work could materially affect product design, KYC/AML practices, where US users trade, and liquidity distribution across venues. Primary keywords: Hyperliquid, HYPE token, DeFi policy, DeFi derivatives, crypto regulation.

Whale Alert recorded a 767 BTC (~$51.66M) transfer from a Coinbase Institutional address to an unknown wallet. The alert provided only the on-chain movement without details about the recipient or intent — it’s unclear whether the BTC moved to another exchange, a custodial service, an OTC counterparty, or a private wallet. Coinbase Institutional serves professional traders and institutions, so large flows from its addresses typically attract market attention. Such transfers can be redeployments, preparations for OTC sales, collateral moves for lending/derivatives, or internal rebalancing. Without follow-up on-chain activity or exchange flow data, the direction of market impact is ambiguous. Traders should monitor exchange net flows, spot liquidity, OTC desk reports and short-term volatility around the deposit for signals of selling pressure or strategic allocation.

Coinbase has expanded its crypto-backed loan product to accept XRP, Dogecoin (DOGE), Cardano (ADA) and Litecoin (LTC) as collateral for USDC loans. Eligible retail and institutional users can pledge these four additional assets alongside existing supported tokens to borrow up to platform limits under Coinbase’s existing loan policies (interest rates, LTVs and eligibility remain governed by Coinbase’s rules). Coinbase says the change broadens access and flexibility for borrowers who want liquidity without selling holdings. Traders should expect increased on-chain flows into Coinbase for loan collateral, which may cause short-term volatility or selling pressure as users move assets on-platform; longer-term price effects depend on user adoption, loan volumes and overall market conditions. The move preserves token exposure for borrowers, enabling liquidity for personal needs, trading, treasury or DeFi activity and potentially reducing forced selling during downturns. Key SEO keywords: Coinbase loans, crypto-backed loans, XRP collateral, DOGE loans, ADA collateral, LTC loans, USDC credit.

CME Group is moving to enable near–24/7 access to Bitcoin and Ether futures by extending clearing and settlement windows and coordinating with market makers to deepen off‑hour liquidity. The change aims to align CME’s futures with always‑on spot crypto markets without altering product specifications, relying instead on extended clearing hours, risk controls and partner liquidity. CME says the initiative will help institutional clients better manage exposure and trade with confidence around the clock. Traders should watch for announcements on exact trading/clearing hours, margin and clearing rules, and any phased rollout that could affect intraday volatility and liquidity. The shift could increase volume and tighten spreads during previously thin periods, and strengthen CME’s competitiveness versus offshore venues that already offer continuous trading. Keywords: CME Group, crypto futures, 24/7 trading, Bitcoin futures, Ether futures, liquidity, institutional access.

Founders Fund, led by Peter Thiel, has fully divested its stake in ETHZilla, according to a Schedule 13G/A filed Feb. 17, 2026 showing zero common shares held as of Dec. 31, 2025. The fund had held roughly 7.5% of ETHZilla in August 2025, a stake that had briefly lent credibility to ETHZilla’s strategy of accumulating ETH as a treasury asset. ETHZilla — formerly biotech firm 180 Life Sciences — once amassed over 100,000 ETH and saw its stock peak near $107 during the 2024 crypto boom. The company sold about $40 million of ETH in October and $74.5 million in December to service convertible debt, contributing to a collapse in investor confidence and a stock decline to $4.99 by Dec. 30, 2025. In early 2026 ETHZilla announced a strategic pivot and spin‑off, ETHZilla Aerospace, refocusing on tokenizing real‑world assets (RWA) such as revenue rights from leased aircraft engines. Thiel’s exit coincides with that pivot and raises questions about timing — whether Founders Fund front‑ran the strategy change or exited after institutional appetite for ETH‑treasury models waned. Market implications for traders: large insider or institutional exits from tokenized, ETF‑like vehicles can signal lower institutional demand, increase selling pressure on related equities and secondary token markets, and raise volatility for ETH and microcap tokens tied to ETHZilla’s pivot. Traders should monitor SEC filings, changes to share float, ETH price action, and further RWA tokenization announcements from ETHZilla.

Stripe’s stablecoin unit Bridge received conditional approval from the U.S. Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) on 17 February 2026 to form Bridge National Trust Bank. If finalised, the federal trust charter would allow Bridge to custody crypto assets, issue dollar-backed stablecoins, manage cash reserves that back those tokens, and settle digital-asset transactions nationwide under one federal framework. The approval aligns Bridge with the GENIUS stablecoin law and places it alongside firms such as Circle and Ripple pursuing similar charters. The conditional status requires Bridge to meet OCC conditions — including anti-money-laundering controls and capital requirements — before full chartering. Stripe acquired Bridge in 2024 for $1.1 billion; the move removes the need for costly state-by-state licences and could reduce regulatory fragmentation for stablecoin operations. For traders, the development signals accelerating regulatory infrastructure for regulated stablecoins, which may support tighter cash backing, improved on/off ramps, greater trust and liquidity for certain dollar-pegged tokens, and faster institutional flows. However, compliance demands may raise operational costs for issuers and take time to implement, so market effects could be gradual rather than immediate. Primary keywords: Stripe Bridge, OCC charter, stablecoins. Secondary keywords: national trust bank, custody, cash reserves, GENIUS stablecoin law, regulatory clarity, Circle, Ripple.

Tom Lee’s BitMine Immersion Technologies bought 45,759 ETH (~$90–91M) during a recent pullback, lifting its total holdings to 4,371,497 ETH (average acquisition price reported at $1,998). The firm also holds 193 BTC and about $670M in cash, valuing total crypto, cash and equity assets at roughly $9.6B. BitMine has 3,040,483 ETH currently staked (≈69% of its ETH holdings) and reported a seven-day staking yield around 2.89%, projecting annualized staking revenue of $176M–$252M. The company is building MAVAN (Made in America Validator Network) with a targeted Q1 2026 rollout and coordination with three staking providers. CryptoQuant data cited by BitMine show whale accumulation and unrealized losses at levels previously seen near market bottoms; whales hold record-level ETH without realizing profits this cycle. Ethereum traded near $1,974 at reporting and remained volatile; BitMine’s stock (BMNR) traded lower in premarket. The buys were described as conviction-driven rather than momentum trading, and management highlighted potential long-term Ethereum catalysts such as tokenization and privacy adoption on Wall Street, AI agents using Ethereum for payments/verification, and creator adoption of proof-of-human standards on L2s. For traders: the purchase and high whale accumulation are supportive signals for ETH demand and may be a bullish indicator long term, while near-term price action remains volatile and sensitive to broader deleveraging and sentiment shifts.

Harvard Management Company trimmed roughly 1.46 million shares of BlackRock’s iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT) in Q4 2025 and used the proceeds to establish a new position of 3,873,044 shares in BlackRock’s iShares Ethereum Trust (ETHA), leaving combined spot-ETF exposure at about $352 million at quarter-end. The filing follows Harvard’s initial IBIT disclosure in August 2025 and expansion through November, before the Q4 reduction. Market commentators interpret the move as a rotation from BTC to ETH exposure — a relative-value or recalibration trade — with Bitcoin viewed primarily as a store of value and Ethereum offering additional return drivers (smart-contract exposure and productive yield). The reallocation occurred amid industry-wide monthly outflows for U.S. spot Bitcoin and Ethereum ETFs in late 2025 and price softness (BTC in the high-$60k range; ETH near $2,000). For traders, the key takeaways are: watch BTC/ETH relative performance and ETF flow data; institutional rebalancing and spot-ETF flows can amplify short-term volatility; and growing institutional allocation to spot ETH ETFs could increase ETH sensitivity to ETF-level inflows/outflows. Primary keywords: Harvard, Bitcoin ETF, Ethereum ETF, spot ETFs, institutional flows.

Nexo has relaunched its Yield, Exchange, Loyalty and crypto-backed Credit Line products in the United States after exiting the market in 2023 amid SEC scrutiny. The relaunch uses U.S.-regulated partners and institutional infrastructure (including Bakkt) and is presented as a compliance-first return. U.S. customers can again access interest-bearing crypto accounts (Yield), on-platform trading (Exchange), loyalty rewards (Loyalty) and crypto-backed credit lines (Credit Line). The company did not disclose detailed terms, supported assets or APRs. On-chain data referenced by the company shows roughly $863 million in loans issued by Nexo between January 2025 and January 2026 (around $1 billion overall issued), with more than 30% repaid during a market drawdown — described as managed deleveraging. Traders should note reinstated yield products and credit facilities can shift stablecoin and large-cap token flows, affect lending rates and liquidity, and change margin and funding conditions. Verify eligible assets, withdrawal/redemption policies, KYC/compliance changes and specific APRs before redeploying capital.

Vietnam’s Ministry of Finance has published a draft circular proposing a comprehensive tax and regulatory framework for digital assets and is seeking public comment ahead of a five‑year pilot (through Sept 2030). Key measures: a 0.1% personal income tax on the gross value of each crypto transfer for individual investors (residents and non‑residents), no VAT on transfers and trading, and a 20% corporate income tax on net profits for Vietnam‑registered entities (profit = sale price − purchase price − related costs). Foreign corporate investors would face a 0.1% turnover levy per transfer. The draft aligns crypto tax treatment with securities trading and requires exchanges and service providers to obtain licences with stringent conditions, including minimum charter capital of 10 trillion VND (~$400M) and a 49% cap on foreign ownership. During the pilot, issuance, offering, trading and settlement must be conducted in Vietnamese dong (VND). The government cites a rapidly growing digital economy and expects the rules to shape onshore exchange operations, liquidity and cross‑border flows. Public consultation is open and officials are seeking input on collection and enforcement mechanisms. Traders should note potential impacts on transaction costs, onshore liquidity, and FX/cross‑border settlement that could affect volatility and order routing for Vietnam‑related crypto activity.

Harvard Management Company reduced its holding in BlackRock’s iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT) by about 21% in Q4 2025 and established a first-time position in BlackRock’s iShares Ethereum Trust (IETH). As of Dec. 31, 2025 Harvard held roughly 5.35 million IBIT shares (about $265.8 million) after trimming from ~6.81 million the prior quarter, and about 3.87 million IETH shares (about $86.8 million). Combined public exposure to the two ETFs totaled approximately $352.6 million. Despite the reduction, IBIT remained Harvard’s largest publicly disclosed equity-like holding, exceeding stakes in Alphabet, Microsoft and Amazon. The move occurred amid a volatile quarter: Bitcoin fell from an October 2025 peak (~$126k) to around $88.4k at year-end, while Ether declined about 27% over the same period. The disclosure signals an institutional reallocation within crypto ETFs — trimming Bitcoin ETF exposure while initiating Ethereum ETF exposure — which traders should watch for potential shifts in ETF flows and relative asset demand.

SBI Holdings has publicly denied social-media claims that it holds $10 billion in XRP tokens, clarifying its exposure to Ripple is equity-based rather than token accumulation. Chairman Yoshitaka Kitao said SBI owns roughly a 9% stake in Ripple Labs, worth about $3.6 billion based on a recent $40 billion valuation from Ripple’s funding round. Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse has suggested far higher future valuations while emphasizing product adoption and ecosystem growth. The clarification followed market speculation and coincided with a short-term drop in XRP price (about 7.8% to $1.47 in the most recent report), as traders reassessed perceived institutional backing. SBI’s long-running partnerships and joint ventures with Ripple across Asia (including SBI Ripple Asia and use of RippleNet/ODL) underline strategic alignment but present a different regulatory and risk profile than direct token holdings. For traders: the announcement reduces narratives of large institutional XRP supply overhang but leaves XRP price driven by broader market trends and adoption prospects; SBI would benefit from higher Ripple valuations through equity upside, not immediate token selling pressure.

Representative Warren Davidson’s ’Bitcoin for America Act’ proposes recognizing Bitcoin as a strategic financial asset, creating a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve managed by the U.S. Treasury, and permitting taxpayers to pay federal taxes in Bitcoin. The bill, first introduced in November 2025, would treat BTC transfers to the government as non-taxable events (0% capital gains on transfers to the Treasury) and require conversion or custody arrangements via licensed exchanges and Treasury oversight. Provisions include transparency safeguards, acquisition strategies (for example dollar-cost averaging) to limit market disruption, and accounting rules to avoid taxpayer gain/loss recognition on tax payments. The proposal remains under consideration and is not law. International developments mirror the idea: Brazil’s lower house has seen a proposal for a Strategic Sovereign Bitcoin Reserve (RESBit) with similar capital gains exemptions, and the Czech Republic recently removed capital gains tax on Bitcoin holdings. Separately, Senator Cynthia Lummis has promoted a de minimis exemption for small crypto gains. For traders, the bill could raise Bitcoin’s utility in everyday transactions, lower tax friction for investors, and increase demand and on-chain activity if enacted. Key implementation questions remain around pricing/valuation when accepting BTC, tax accounting rules, reserve acquisition mechanics, and the macro-fiscal implications of holding volatile crypto on the Treasury balance sheet.

Circle’s USDC supply swung from a weekly decline in late January to a net increase in mid-February. Over the seven days ending Feb 12, Circle issued about 840 million USDC and redeemed roughly 580 million, producing a net supply increase of ~260 million USDC. Total USDC circulation is approximately 73.1 billion, with on-chain reserves reported at about $73.4 billion. Reserve composition: overnight reverse repos of Treasury bills ~$42.9B; Treasury securities maturing in under three months ~$19.8B; deposits at systemically important financial institutions ~$10.1B; other bank deposits ~$0.6B. By contrast, a prior seven-day period ending Jan 21 showed a net decline of ~140 million USDC (issuances ~480M vs. redemptions ~620M), with total circulation then near 74.4 billion and reserves around $74.5B. Both reports present market information and not investment advice. Key takeaways for traders: USDC supply is exhibiting short-term fluctuation but remains large and closely backed by short-term Treasury instruments and bank deposits; shifts in issuance/redemption flows and modest reserve adjustments can affect perceived stability and short-term liquidity for dollar-pegged stablecoins.

Analysts reassess Dogecoin (DOGE) and present Mutuum Finance (MUTM) as an alternative for traders seeking higher upside. DOGE trades near $0.09–$0.10 with a roughly $14 billion market cap and has fallen about 30–35% in a month. Persistent headwinds include an inflationary supply model, heavy reliance on social sentiment and meme momentum, and resistance in the $0.12–$0.15 range — factors that make a sustained move toward $1 improbable absent major new capital or significant network catalysts. By contrast, Mutuum Finance is a utility-focused decentralized lending protocol on Ethereum currently in Phase 7 of its presale at $0.04. Since launching in 2025 at $0.01, MUTM has reportedly risen ~300%, raised about $20.5 million, and counts over 19,000 holders. The project highlights security measures (a manual Halborn review and a 90/100 CertiK score) and has deployed a V1 protocol on the Sepolia testnet with working liquidity pools, mtToken minting, debt monitoring and liquidation mechanics. MUTM’s tokenomics include a buyback-and-distribute mechanism using protocol fees to purchase tokens for stakers, which proponents say ties token demand to protocol usage. The presale allocates 45% of a fixed 4 billion supply to early buyers; remaining $0.04 allocations are closing and the next price step is $0.06. Traders should note modeled payoff comparisons: $800 could buy ~10,000 DOGE (requiring DOGE to reach ~$0.80 for 10x) or ~20,000 MUTM at $0.04 (requiring MUTM to reach ~$0.50 for 10x). Potential catalysts cited for MUTM include exchange listings, multi-chain expansion, and lending yields; however, claims are promotional and the piece is a press release — do your own due diligence. Primary keywords: Mutuum Finance, MUTM presale, Dogecoin, DOGE, crypto presale.

Tether has launched Scudo, a new fractional unit for its tokenised gold XAU₮ equal to 0.001 XAU₮ (1/1,000 of a troy ounce). Modeled on Bitcoin’s satoshi, Scudo removes awkward long decimals to make everyday gold pricing and micro-payments more intuitive. Tether confirmed Scudo does not change XAU₮’s backing or custody: each XAU₮ remains redeemable against specific physical gold bars held in secure vaults (disclosures list over 1,300 bars backing XAU₮ and broader corporate reserves of roughly 116 metric tonnes by Q3 2025). The unit is integrated into Tether’s Wallet Development Kit (WDK) to support developer and self‑custody wallet displays and transactions across XAU₮, USDT and BTC. TG Commodities operates the programme and sale/redemption terms apply. CEO Paolo Ardoino said Scudo lowers the barrier to fractional gold ownership and expands gold’s utility as a practical payment method amid rising safe‑haven demand and near‑record gold prices. SEO keywords: Tether, XAU₮, Scudo, digital gold, on‑chain gold payments.

Ark Invest deployed about $6.6 million on February 13, 2025, buying roughly 212,314 shares of Bitmine (≈$4.2M) and 74,323–75,515 shares of Bullish (≈$2.4M) across its actively managed ETFs (ARKF, ARKW, ARKK, ARKF contributions varied by trade). The Bullish purchase marked an eleventh consecutive trading-day net buy, indicating methodical accumulation rather than a one‑off move. These buys followed recent ARK purchases of other crypto-linked equities (including a $46M, two‑day acquisition of Circle/CRCL), and took place while Bitmine and Bullish shares were trading down ~6% on the day. Bitmine — a bitcoin-mining/infrastructure exposure — has also seen leadership and treasury shifts, including a CEO change and a large ETH treasury (reported >3.5M ETH). Ark’s trades reflect its long-running disruptive-innovation thesis and institutional accumulation of crypto-equity proxies amid clearer regulatory signals and improving macro conditions. For traders, the activity serves as institutional validation for crypto infrastructure and exchange plays, potentially drawing analyst coverage, supporting liquidity and valuations, and creating short-term bid support; however, it remains a single fund’s allocation and should be weighed against broader market indicators and individual risk profiles.

The UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has launched High Court proceedings against crypto exchange HTX (formerly Huobi), alleging persistent, unauthorised promotion of cryptoasset services to UK consumers in breach of the 2023 financial promotion rules. The FCA says HTX published promotional content across its website, mobile apps and social platforms including TikTok, X, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube, and continued after repeated warnings. The regulator named Huobi Global S.A. (Panama) and unidentified controllers and obtained permission for international service to pursue offshore entities. The FCA has asked social platforms to block HTX access for UK users and requested Apple and Google remove HTX apps from UK app stores. HTX has reportedly restricted new UK registrations but existing UK users still have access to accounts and promotional material; the FCA doubts the measures are permanent. HTX remains on the FCA’s Warning List, meaning affected consumers lose access to the Financial Ombudsman Service and funds may be unrecoverable if the exchange fails. The FCA emphasised consumer protection, noted opaque corporate structure and non-responsiveness from HTX, and warned that breaching financial promotion rules is a criminal offence. Traders should monitor potential app delistings, social-media blocks and any further enforcement actions — these could reduce UK user activity on HTX, affect liquidity for assets primarily traded on the platform, and raise counterparty risk for UK-based users.

The Ethereum Foundation has sponsored a full‑time security engineer embedded at Security Alliance (SEAL) under the Trillion Dollar Security initiative to combat wallet drainer and social‑engineering attacks. The funded role will track malicious infrastructure — fake sites, hidden scripts and backend drainer tools — and help maintain a shared watchlist and near‑real‑time alerts and blocklists for wallets, researchers and platforms. SEAL will combine automated blocks with human verification to reduce false positives, shorten response times and limit repeat attacks. The initiative maps risks across UX, smart contracts, infrastructure/cloud, consensus, monitoring/incident response and social/governance layers and lists prioritized controls. SEAL invited other foundations and projects to adopt similar sponsorships. The move follows prior EF security efforts (eg, a Post‑Quantum team). At the time of reporting ETH traded near $2,013. For traders: stronger defenses may lower exploit‑driven sell pressure and reduce short‑term tail‑risk from mass drain events, while improved detection and shared blocklists could increase confidence in wallets and platforms.