SafeMoon CEO Braden Karony sentenced to 100 months for crypto fraud involving token manipulation and misuse of investor funds.

The post SafeMoon founder Braden Karony sentenced to 100 months in prison for crypto fraud appeared first on Crypto Briefing.

Sam Bankman-Fried seeks a new trial over failed crypto exchange FTX, contesting evidence and prosecutor claims in the appeal process.

The post Sam Bankman-Fried files motion for new trial in FTX fraud case appeared first on Crypto Briefing.

XRP's growing institutional interest and regulatory clarity could significantly enhance its role in the evolving digital asset landscape.

The post Ripple to host XRP Community Day 2026 tomorrow with Grayscale, Gemini, and ecosystem leadership appeared first on Crypto Briefing.

Interactive Brokers adds nano Bitcoin and Ether futures through Coinbase Derivatives, building on its January stablecoin push.

The post IBKR expands crypto suite with nano Bitcoin and Ether futures appeared first on Crypto Briefing.

Canton Network powers first private stablecoin payroll, boosts institutional adoption with privacy, stablecoin, and tokenization tech.

The post Canton Network powers first private stablecoin payroll, accelerating institutional blockchain adoption appeared first on Crypto Briefing.

Bitcoin Magazine

FTX’s Sam Bankman-Fried Wants a New Trial, Claims He Was a Political Victim of the Biden Administration

Sam Bankman-Fried, the imprisoned former CEO of FTX, reportedly filed a motion for a new trial in the Southern District of New York today, citing Rule 33 of the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure and the Due Process Clause of the U.S. Constitution.

The filing, reported by the Inner City Press, was supported by a declaration from attorney Daniel Chapsky and comes as SBF continues to dispute the circumstances surrounding FTX’s bankruptcy and his conviction. 

In a series of recent posts on X, SBF claimed he never approved the bankruptcy filing and that lawyers effectively forced the company into Chapter 11. 

According to a court filing from January 2023, SBF instructed FTX.US not to be included in the bankruptcy because the tech team confirmed it was unaffected by customer deficits. 

“The money was always there, and FTX was always solvent,” he wrote in the thread. “So they lied, said I stole billions of dollars and bankrupted FTX.”

Attorneys, however, insisted on including FTX.US because it had cash to cover legal fees, and installed their own management to control the companies, SBF claims.

At the start of the thread, SBF also alluded to being a victim of a “political war” waged by former U.S. President Joe Biden.

Sam Bankman-Fried: FTX was solvent

SBF has repeatedly alleged that prosecutors withheld evidence demonstrating FTX’s solvency, and that the trial excluded critical information that could have negated intent. He also accused prosecutors of targeting former FTX executive Ryan Salame and exerting pressure on Salame’s pregnant fiancée to secure a guilty plea.

Currently serving a 25-year sentence for seven counts of fraud and conspiracy tied to the exchange’s $8 billion collapse, SBF frames his conviction as politically motivated “lawfare.” 

For context, Bankman-Fried was once the CEO of the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchanges, which collapsed in late 2022, triggering one of the most high-profile failures in crypto history. 

The exchange, valued at $32 billion at its peak, filed for bankruptcy after a liquidity crisis exposed that customer funds had been misused to support risky trades at Bankman-Fried’s hedge fund, Alameda Research.

Investigations revealed a web of alleged mismanagement, including unreported loans to affiliated entities, weak internal controls, and questionable accounting practices.

The collapse sent shockwaves through the crypto ecosystem, wiping out billions in customer assets and shaking investor confidence. Regulators, including the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), launched probes into potential fraud and violations of securities law. 

Bankman-Fried resigned as CEO and is currently serving out his prison sentence. President Donald Trump has said that he has no intention of pardoning Sam Bankman-Fried

This post FTX’s Sam Bankman-Fried Wants a New Trial, Claims He Was a Political Victim of the Biden Administration first appeared on Bitcoin Magazine and is written by Micah Zimmerman.

Bitcoin Magazine

U.S. Treasury: Passing the Clarity Act is Critical for U.S. Bitcoin and Crypto Sovereignty

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent recently pressed lawmakers to act on stalled crypto and bitcoin legislation, saying the United States must secure clear market structure rules before the end of the spring legislative window.

In an interview from Fox News’ Sunday Morning Futures, Bessent said that the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act — commonly referred to as the Clarity Act — is essential to the future viability of bitcoin and digital asset markets in the U.S.

Bessent told host Maria Bartiromo that the recent volatility and developments in crypto markets really show the need for legal certainty.

“What we’re seeing in the crypto market over the past few months means more than ever that the U.S. needs market structure, we need clarity, and we need to get this across the line this spring,” he said. 

Bessent acknowledged resistance from some quarters but said he remains optimistic that Congress can bring the bill back for a markup session.

The Treasury chief described the current impasse as driven by “recalcitrant actors” within the industry who would prefer to see the bill fail rather than compromise on contentious elements. 

He said that many traditional financial firms and a broad swath of crypto and bitcoin companies have aligned behind the need for legislation but that a vocal minority on both sides of the debate are holding up progress.

Central to the dispute are provisions in the Clarity Act concerning stablecoin yields and the role of regulatory agencies. Opponents, including major exchange executives, have argued that proposed restrictions on rewards for stablecoin holdings could undermine the competitiveness of U.S. exchanges and limit innovation. Banks and credit unions, in turn, have raised concerns that high yields on stablecoin accounts could pull deposits away from the traditional banking system, undermining funding for lending activities.

Bessent said debate over bank margins and crypto incentives is unavoidable but that resolving these issues through legislation is preferable to leaving markets in a legal vacuum. 

“For crypto to remain a viable digital asset and move forward, we need to get this Clarity Act done,” he said, pointing to bipartisan support in Congress as a pathway to success.

The Treasury’s stance also reflects the broader executive branch push to position the U.S. as a global leader in crypto regulation. 

Bessent said a clear market structure regime could attract innovation and capital onshore, strengthening the domestic financial ecosystem even as digital assets grow internationally.

Lawmakers involved in negotiations have signaled that further closed‑door talks are planned, with both chambers seeking to reconcile differences ahead of key legislative deadlines. 

Bessent: U.S. will stop selling its bitcoin

Earlier this year, Bessent said the U.S. government’s stance is to stop selling seized BTC and instead add it to the Strategic Bitcoin Reserve. Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, he framed the move as part of a broader push to bring digital-asset innovation back to the U.S. 

The comments came amid questions over bitcoin seizures tied to cases involving Tornado Cash and Samourai Wallet developers.  While declining to discuss active litigation, Bessent stressed that seized BTC will be retained by the federal government once legal damages are resolved.

Any selling of bitcoin would contradict Executive Order 14233, which requires forfeited bitcoin to be held in the U.S. Strategic Bitcoin Reserve rather than liquidated.

This post U.S. Treasury: Passing the Clarity Act is Critical for U.S. Bitcoin and Crypto Sovereignty first appeared on Bitcoin Magazine and is written by Micah Zimmerman.

Bitcoin Magazine

Interactive Brokers Adds Nano Bitcoin Futures Via Coinbase Derivatives

Interactive Brokers is expanding its crypto derivatives lineup through a new offering of nano Bitcoin contracts listed by Coinbase Derivatives, giving eligible clients another regulated way to gain exposure to digital assets.

The broker said the new contracts are now available for trading on the IBKR platform with both monthly expirations and perpetual-style structures. 

Trading will be available around the clock, aligning with the always-on nature of crypto markets, with exceptions for scheduled exchange maintenance on Fridays from 5:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. Eastern time.

The products are designed to lower the entry point for futures traders. Nano Bitcoin futures represent 0.01 Bitcoin per contract, while nano Ether futures represent 0.10 Ether. The smaller sizing allows traders to take more precise positions and manage risk with lower capital requirements compared with standard futures contracts.

Interactive Brokers Chief Executive Officer Milan Galik said demand has grown for perpetual-style crypto futures because they provide long-dated exposure and added flexibility. He framed the launch as part of the firm’s broader effort to expand access to crypto-related products within a regulated framework.

“By offering nano-sized Bitcoin and Ether futures on a regulated exchange, we are expanding access to these products with smaller contract sizes and lower margin requirements,” Galik said in a company press release.

Perpetual-style futures are structured to track the spot price of the underlying cryptocurrency, reducing the need for frequent contract rollovers. The combination of perpetual-style design and nano sizing is intended to make these contracts more accessible for a wider range of market participants.

Interactive Brokers’ push for bitcoin exposure

The launch reflects Interactive Brokers’ push to integrate digital asset exposure into its multi-asset trading platform, which offers access to more than 170 markets worldwide. Clients can trade traditional securities alongside crypto-related instruments through a single account.

Coinbase Institutional also highlighted the partnership as part of its effort to broaden access to regulated crypto derivatives in the United States.

“We’re pleased to collaborate with Interactive Brokers to expand access to regulated crypto derivatives,” said Greg Tusar, co-CEO of Coinbase Institutional. “These nano sized contracts are designed to lower the barrier to entry and give more investors the ability to engage with digital assets in a secure and regulated environment.”

Interactive Brokers noted that eligibility to trade crypto-related products depends on jurisdiction, reflecting differing regulatory requirements across regions.

This post Interactive Brokers Adds Nano Bitcoin Futures Via Coinbase Derivatives first appeared on Bitcoin Magazine and is written by Micah Zimmerman.

Bitcoin Magazine

‘We’re Not Selling’: Strategy’s (MSTR) Michael Saylor Doubles Down on Bitcoin Buys

Michael Saylor defended Strategy’s bitcoin-buying approach on CNBC’s Squawk Box earlier today, dismissing concerns that the company could be forced to sell its holdings during a prolonged downturn and reiterating plans to keep adding bitcoin on a regular schedule.

“We’re not going to be selling; we’re going to be buying bitcoin,” Saylor said. “I expect we’ll buy bitcoin every quarter forever.”

Saylor pushed back against speculation within parts of the bitcoin community that Strategy’s leverage and cash position could create pressure to liquidate if prices remain depressed. He called those fears misplaced, arguing the company has structured its balance sheet to withstand volatility.

“That’s just an unfounded concern,” Saylor said, pointing to what he described as conservative leverage relative to typical investment-grade companies and significant liquidity coverage. He said Strategy holds enough cash to cover dividend and debt obligations for roughly two and a half years.

The comments come as bitcoin markets face renewed swings following a pullback from recent highs, raising questions about the sustainability of corporate treasury strategies tied closely to the asset. Strategy has become one of the largest public holders of bitcoin, and its stock has traded as a leveraged proxy for bitcoin’s price moves.

Saylor framed bitcoin’s volatility as inherent to what he called “digital capital,” arguing that the asset remains structurally more volatile than traditional stores of value such as gold, equities, or real estate. 

He said that over longer horizons, bitcoin has outperformed other capital assets and should be viewed through a multi-year lens rather than short-term price moves.

“If you’ve got a time horizon less than four years, you’re not really a capital investor,” he said, adding that traders may benefit from price swings while long-term investors focus on performance over four-year cycles.

Strategy is not selling its bitcoin

Pressed by host Andrew Ross Sorkin on what would happen if bitcoin fell sharply and remained lower for years, Saylor said Strategy could refinance debt rather than sell bitcoin. He argued that lenders would continue to provide financing because bitcoin retains value despite drawdowns.

Saylor also said the company’s equity is designed to amplify bitcoin’s moves, rising faster during rallies and falling harder during declines. Strategy’s volatility, he said, creates liquidity and demand for what he described as new “digital credit” instruments issued on top of its bitcoin holdings.

On the broader market structure, Saylor downplayed the idea that miner economics create a firm price floor, suggesting that bank lending and Wall Street credit products will play a larger role in shaping bitcoin’s next phase.

Saylor declined to offer a 12-month price forecast, but said he expects bitcoin to outperform the S&P 500 over the next four to eight years.

At the time of writing, Bitcoin is trading near $69,000 and Strategy shares are roughly $135 a share in pre-market trading.

Strategy recently bought 1,142 BTC for about $90 million between February 2–8, bringing its total holdings to roughly 714,644 BTC

This post ‘We’re Not Selling’: Strategy’s (MSTR) Michael Saylor Doubles Down on Bitcoin Buys first appeared on Bitcoin Magazine and is written by Micah Zimmerman.

Bitcoin Magazine

Fed’s Waller Shrugs Off Bitcoin Volatility, Says Crypto Crashes Don’t Threaten Banks

Federal Reserve Governor Christopher J. Waller downplayed risks from bitcoin and broader crypto markets on Monday, arguing that digital assets remain largely disconnected from the traditional financial system even as the technology behind them moves into the mainstream.

Speaking at an event hosted by the Global Interdependence Center, Waller framed crypto markets as an extension and competition of everyday commerce rather than an entirely new phenomenon. 

His comments come as crypto markets continue to grapple with regulatory uncertainty in Washington and recurring bouts of volatility that have shaped investor sentiment for years. While bitcoin has become more embedded in institutional portfolios, Waller suggested that price swings remain part of the market’s character rather than a systemic concern.

“Ups and downs in the crypto world have become so common they actually have a name for them: winters,” he said. “It’s part of the game.”

Waller dismissed recent declines in bitcoin’s price as less dramatic when viewed through a longer lens, noting that levels once considered extraordinary are now treated as routine.

“People like, oh my god, bitcoin’s down to 63,000,” he said. “Eight years ago, if you just said it was 10,000 you would have said, oh my god, this is crazy.”

The Fed governor also pushed back against the idea that crypto volatility poses immediate threats to banks or the broader payments system. In his view, crypto remains a separate ecosystem that can experience sharp crashes without triggering spillovers into traditional finance.

“These things are pretty detached from the traditional finance world,” he said. “You can have these big crashes and move volume. The rest of us wake up and we’re fine the next day. Nothing bad’s going on. The banks are open. Your payments are being made.”

Waller said he does not closely monitor crypto markets as part of his day-to-day responsibilities at the central bank, describing the sector as still outside the core of the financial system.

“The banks are open. Your payments are being made,” he said.

Early on in his talk, Waller compared a typical blockchain transaction to buying an apple at the grocery store, with different objects and different rails but the same basic structure of payment, execution, and recordkeeping.

“In the decentralized crypto world, a crypto asset, or digital asset, is the object that people want to buy,” Waller said, pointing to bitcoin and other tokens. The transaction, he argued, relies on new technologies such as blockchains, tokenization, and smart contracts, which he described as tools rather than threats.

“Those are just technologies,” Waller said. “There’s nothing dangerous about them. There’s nothing to be afraid of.”

Waller: Bitcoin and crypto are becoming more commonplace

At the same time, Waller acknowledged that crypto markets have begun to intersect more with mainstream finance, particularly as traditional firms explore blockchain-based infrastructure. He pointed to efforts by financial institutions and even the U.S. Treasury to consider tokenized securities trading that could operate around the clock.

The ability to support 24/7 global trading, he said, represents one of the key innovations of blockchain-based systems compared with legacy banking infrastructure built around business hours and slower clearing cycles.

“These technologies were built to do this globally, 24 by seven from the beginning,” Waller said. “They’re not legacy systems.”

He argued that this constant trading and settlement capability is already forcing traditional financial institutions to improve their own payment systems, especially in cross-border transfers where crypto rails can move value without relying on established networks.

“They’re forcing the big banks, everybody else, to sort of make their payments, especially cross border, faster and cheaper,” he said.

Waller also highlighted the need for clearer regulatory definitions around digital assets, including whether various tokens should be treated as securities or commodities. He said that responsibility lies with Congress, the Securities and Exchange Commission, and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission.

“The bigger problem is clarity,” Waller said, adding that progress in Congress appears stalled. “Everybody thought clarity would come in that would clear the road,” he said. “It doesn’t look like it’s going anywhere anytime soon.”

Waller suggested that some of the recent cooling in crypto market enthusiasm reflects fading expectations that sweeping legislation would arrive quickly.

“The lack of passing of the clarity act has kind of put people off,” he said.

While Waller emphasized that bitcoin and speculative crypto assets are not his focus as a central banker, he offered blunt advice to investors navigating the sector’s volatility.

“Prices go up. Prices go down,” he said. “If you don’t like it, don’t get in.”

This post Fed’s Waller Shrugs Off Bitcoin Volatility, Says Crypto Crashes Don’t Threaten Banks first appeared on Bitcoin Magazine and is written by Micah Zimmerman.

Gold demand reached a record $555 billion in 2025, driven by an 84% surge in investment flows and $89 billion in inflows into physically backed ETFs.

The World Gold Council reports ETF holdings climbed 801 tons to an all-time high of 4,025 tons, with assets under management doubling to $559 billion. US gold ETFs alone absorbed 437 tons, bringing domestic holdings to 2,019 tons, valued at $280 billion.

This indicated institutional repositioning.

Bitcoin, meanwhile, spent the first two months of 2026 shedding holders. US spot Bitcoin ETFs recorded net outflows of over $1.9 billion in January.

As of Feb. 9, spot Bitcoin ETFs globally held 1.41 million BTC valued at $100 billion, roughly 6% of Bitcoin's fixed supply. Yet, the tape suggests capital is moving out, not in.

The gold rally validates the debasement thesis, raising the question of whether Bitcoin captures any of the next wave of flows or whether allocators have already assigned it to a different risk bucket entirely.

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What actually changed

Investment demand for gold reached 2,175 tons in 2025, an 84% jump year-over-year.

Using the World Gold Council's average price of roughly $3,431 per ounce, that translates to approximately $240 billion in notional investment demand. This figure is driven by ETF adoption, central bank buying, and concerns about currency stability rather than cyclical growth fears.

China's People's Bank bought gold for a 15th consecutive month, holding 74.19 million ounces valued at $369.6 billion as of January 2026.

The IMF notes global debt remains above 235% of world GDP, a backdrop that makes hard collateral appealing regardless of growth expectations.

Gold's 2025 run, which resulted in 53 all-time highs, wasn't a trade. It was a repricing of the role of strategic reserves amid persistent sovereign deficits and weakening confidence in the stability of fiat currencies.

Bitcoin's proponents argue it serves the same function: a non-liability asset immune to debasement. However, the ETF tape tells a different story.

While gold funds doubled assets under management, Bitcoin ETFs hemorrhaged capital. If allocators viewed the two as substitutes, the flows would track each other. They don't.

Small percentages and big numbers

The hypothetical exercise is important because it quantifies the implications of small reallocations for Bitcoin's marginal bid.

Starting with global gold ETF assets under management of $559 billion, a 0.25% rotation would represent $1.4 billion, or roughly 19,900 BTC, at current prices of approximately $70,212. At 0.5%, doubling yields $2.8 billion and 39,800 BTC.

A full percentage point translates to $5.6 billion, enough to purchase approximately 79,600 BTC, equal to 6.3% of existing US spot ETF holdings or about 177 days of post-halving issuance at 450 BTC per day.

Using 2025 gold ETF inflows of $89 billion as an alternative base, the same exercise yields smaller but still meaningful figures. A 0.25% reallocation amounts to $222 million, or approximately 3,170 BTC, while a 0.5% reallocation amounts to $445 million and 6,340 BTC.

At 1%, the figure rises to $890 million and approximately 12,700 BTC.

A third base is based on the derived $240 billion in gold investment demand from 2025. Quarter-percent, half-percent, and one-percent reallocations translate to $600 million (8,550 BTC), $1.2 billion (17,100 BTC), and $2.4 billion (34,200 BTC), respectively.

These aren't forecasts. They're sensitivity checks. But they clarify the stakes: even a 0.5% allocation of gold ETF assets would represent an order-of-magnitude capital comparable to Bitcoin's worst monthly outflow in recent memory.

The problem is there's no mechanism forcing that rotation, and current behavior suggests allocators treat the two assets as complements in different portfolios rather than substitutes within the same mandate.

Jan. 30 tells you what Bitcoin is

On Jan. 30, gold dropped nearly 10%, its steepest single-day decline since 1983, after Kevin Warsh's nomination as Treasury Secretary triggered concerns about balance sheet tightening and the CME raised margin requirements.

Silver collapsed 27% the same day. Bitcoin fell 2.5% to around $82,300, explicitly tied by Reuters to liquidity fears stemming from the potential for a smaller Federal Reserve balance sheet.

Gold and silver didn't behave like stable insurance. They gapped down amid a hawkish liquidity shock and a wave of leverage unwinds. Bitcoin joined them.

By Feb. 9, gold had recovered to around $5,064 as the dollar weakened and markets repriced for rate cuts. However, the Jan. 30 tape revealed something critical: in 2026, Bitcoin still trades as a liquidity barometer during policy-tightening shocks, not as insurance against fiat debasement.

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This distinction matters for the rotation thesis. If the primary catalyst driving capital into gold is sovereignty concerns and debt sustainability, Bitcoin theoretically benefits.

However, if the transmission mechanism involves tighter policy or margin calls, Bitcoin behaves more like risk-on leverage than like collateral.

Street forecasts remain bullish on gold. UBS targets above $6,200 per ounce later in 2026, JPMorgan $6,300, and Deutsche Bank $6,000. But those projections assume gold benefits from both debasement fears and safe-haven demand during stress.

Bitcoin has demonstrated the former but not the latter.

When the debasement trade could favor Bitcoin

The regime that supports Bitcoin is one in which markets expect easier policy, balance sheet expansion, and a weaker dollar. These conditions lift assets that benefit from abundant liquidity.

Reuters commentary explicitly links Bitcoin and gold to balance sheet expansion hedging, and the World Gold Council notes that falling yields, a weakening dollar, safe-haven demand, and momentum supported 2025 ETF inflows.

For Bitcoin to win rather than merely tag along, two conditions must hold: sustained spot ETF inflows rather than reflex bounces, and reduced leverage reflexivity that can amplify sell-offs during liquidity shocks.

Recent months show the opposite. Outflows have been persistent, and Bitcoin's correlation with risk assets remains high during stress.

A clean hypothetical illustrates the stakes: if Bitcoin captured 1% of global gold ETF assets under management in a debasement-driven regime, that would represent roughly $5.6 billion in incremental buying, about 80,000 BTC at $70,000, equal to 6% of current US spot ETF holdings.

That's not a small number. But it requires a catalyst strong enough to shift allocator behavior, not just to align narratives.

What to watch

The dollar and real-rate expectations will drive the next leg. DXY direction, explicit signals about balance sheet policy, and the speed of any Fed rate cuts will determine whether the environment favors hard assets broadly or just those with established safe-haven credibility.

The Jan. 30 shock demonstrated sensitivity to liquidity conditions. A reversal toward easier policy could flip the script.

ETF flows provide the clearest indication of allocator intent. Comparing weekly inflows into gold ETFs with daily flows into US spot Bitcoin ETFs will indicate whether capital treats Bitcoin as an alternative store of value or as a high-beta macro trade.

China's continued gold accumulation, spanning 15 consecutive months of central bank buying, supports its sovereignty bid for hard collateral and sets a baseline for how nation-states are positioning themselves.

Gold forecasts clustering around $6,000 to $6,300 per ounce create a testable scenario: if gold consolidates and then re-accelerates toward those targets, does Bitcoin follow or diverge?

The answer will reveal whether the debasement thesis translates into Bitcoin demand or whether institutional flows remain anchored to traditional hard assets with deeper liquidity and regulatory clarity.

The underlying question

Gold's $555 billion demand year wasn't about traders front-running inflation prints. It concerned central banks, sovereign wealth funds, and institutional allocators repositioning for a world in which debt levels, currency stability, and geopolitical fragmentation matter more than short-term growth cycles.

Bitcoin's case rests on the same macro logic, but its behavior during the Jan. 30 shock and the months of ETF outflows that preceded it suggests allocators still view it as a liquidity-sensitive asset rather than a liability-free reserve.

The rotation math shows what's possible if that perception shifts.

A 1% reallocation from gold ETF assets could move markets. However, possibility isn't probability, and current flows in the opposite direction.

Bitcoin doesn't need gold to fail. It needs a catalyst that convinces the same institutions driving gold's record year that Bitcoin belongs in the strategic collateral bucket, not the speculative beta sleeve. So far, that catalyst hasn't arrived.

The post Why Bitcoin ETFs bleed billions while Gold makes 53 new all-time highs with $559B in demand appeared first on CryptoSlate.

Ripple has enabled staking for Ethereum and Solana within its institutional custody business, expanding beyond safekeeping to include asset servicing features that large investors increasingly consider standard.

The new capability, delivered through a partnership with staking infrastructure provider Figment, enables Ripple Custody clients to offer staking on major proof-of-stake networks without setting up validator infrastructure.

This service provides operational simplicity with institutional controls, a combination aimed at banks, custodians, and regulated asset managers that want staking yield but do not want staking operations to sit outside their governance perimeter.

The move also highlights a structural difference between XRP and the proof-of-stake assets institutions commonly hold alongside it. Ethereum and Solana can generate protocol rewards. XRP cannot, at least not today.

For custody clients that benchmark crypto servicing against familiar concepts such as securities lending revenue or cash yields, that gap matters.

Figment’s role in making staking institutional-grade

Ripple’s choice of Figment indicates what institutions prioritize when requesting staking: separation of duties, operational assurance, and an auditable framework.

Figment says Ripple selected it for its track record of serving more than 1,000 institutional clients, its non-custodial architecture, and its focus on regulated participants.

This architecture matters in practice because many institutional buyers prefer custody and validator operations to remain distinct functions. They want clear lines around who controls assets, who runs infrastructure, and how risks are monitored.

Staking also carries a type of operational risk that traditional custody clients recognize immediately. Validator performance requirements introduce failure modes, and slashing-related outcomes can be difficult to explain if governance and control standards are unclear.

For regulated firms, the question is often less “can we earn rewards” and more “can we earn rewards in a way that survives compliance review and audit scrutiny.”

Figment has also emphasized trust signals built for institutional due diligence, including full certification under the Node Operator Risk Standard (NORS), which audits node operators across security, resilience, and governance.

Those categories closely align with the due diligence checklists that typically shape procurement decisions in regulated finance.

Ripple’s integration aims to turn staking into a custody feature that behaves like a workflow, not an infrastructure project.

That positioning aligns with how the custody market has evolved. Institutions are increasingly trying to reduce multi-vendor sprawl. They want services bundled under a controlled operating model, with reporting and accountability.

XRP does not offer protocol staking, and the XRPL staking debate is not deployment-stage

The addition of Ethereum and Solana staking also highlights what XRP does not provide: protocol-level staking rewards.

That omission becomes tangible at the custody layer. A platform that offers only XRP can store assets, support transfers, and provide reporting, but it cannot offer a recurring on-chain yield program through XRP’s native mechanics.

In an environment where staking yield is treated as a baseline expectation for proof-of-stake assets, that can leave a custody menu feeling incomplete.

Meanwhile, Ripple’s ecosystem is exploring what XRP Ledger (XRPL) staking could look like, but those discussions point to economic constraints, not cosmetic ones.

RippleX developers have described two requirements for any native staking design on XRPL: a sustainable rewards source and a fair distribution mechanism.

Notably, XRPL’s long-standing approach is to burn transaction fees rather than redistribute them. Validator trust is earned through performance rather than financial stake.

That means staking would require an economic redesign, not a simple upgrade that switches rewards on.

There is also a process signal in the XRPL development pipeline. The ledger’s known amendments tracker currently shows no staking-related amendment in development or voting.

That does not rule out future work. It does, however, reinforce that staking is not in an active deployment phase on XRPL.

For institutional custody clients, that distinction is practical. Ethereum and Solana yield exists today, is measurable today, and can be operationalized today. On the other hand, XRP-native staking remains a discussion with unresolved economics.

XRP inflows are strong anyway, even as institutions rotate risk

The custody product expansion is underway, as XRP-linked investment products are seeing stronger weekly inflows than Ethereum- and Solana-linked products, according to recent weekly data.

CoinShares reported that XRP-led investment products attracted $63.1 million last week. During the same period, Solana’s products took in $8.2 million, and Ethereum’s drew $5.3 million.

However, Bitcoin-focused products saw a strong pocket of negative sentiment, with $264m in outflows for the week.

These numbers show aggressive reallocations, with investors trading and reshaping exposures as prices move, rather than a straightforward accumulation wave.

The flow data underlines a point that custody buyers often encounter quickly.

A token can attract institutional allocations through investment products, while still lacking a servicing feature that committees increasingly expect from proof-of-stake assets.

Essentially, XRP demand and XRP product completeness are distinct questions.

In light of this, Ripple’s response is to separate roles inside its institutional stack. XRP remains positioned as the connective asset in the firm’s preferred rails, while Ethereum and Solana provide yield inside the custody perimeter.

Ripple keeps XRP central through an institutional DeFi roadmap

Ripple has been explicit that adding staking on other networks is not intended to diminish XRP’s importance in its strategy.

Instead, the company’s recent “Institutional DeFi” roadmap positions the XRPL as a high-performance chain for tokenized finance, with compliance tooling and programmability designed for regulated use cases.

Ripple describes XRP’s role spanning reserve requirements, transaction fees (which burn XRP), and auto-bridging in foreign exchange and lending flows.

The roadmap also highlights on-chain privacy, permissioned markets, and institutional lending as features slated to go live in the coming months.

That framing positions XRP as infrastructure, not an income asset.

It also supports a multi-asset custody approach, allowing institutions to earn yield on Ethereum and Solana within a controlled custody workflow and then use XRPL rails.

In that model, yield is a feature that helps bring institutions into the custody perimeter. XRPL is positioned as the environment where Ripple wants more on-chain activity to occur, subject to compliance-forward constraints.

And XRP is presented as the connective asset for bridging, collateral flows and fees.

The post Ripple Custody just unlocked Ethereum and Solana staking, and institutions may finally get XRP yield without messy validator risk appeared first on CryptoSlate.

Bitcoin’s sharp selloff last week appears to have triggered one of the largest buy-the-dip episodes of this market cycle.

Data tracking accumulator addresses showed a record surge of coins moving into wallets associated with long-term holding behavior, even as flows through exchange-traded fund (ETF) products stayed net negative.

The timing mattered. The inflow landed right after a violent deleveraging wave that rattled crypto markets and pulled Bitcoin sharply lower in a matter of days.

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Bitcoin plunged to as low as $60,000, its lowest price under President Donald Trump and the steepest decline since the FTX collapse in 2022. It has recovered to trade around the $70,000 level as of press time.

The same moment that forced sellers were getting pushed out of positions, large buyers were stepping in, at least in pockets of the market. The on-chain inflow suggests that coins were not only purchased but also transferred into wallets associated with holders who tend to keep Bitcoin off exchanges.

That is the behavior traders often look for when assessing whether a decline is being absorbed by longer-term capital.

Still, the evidence is mixed across channels. While the on-chain picture points toward accumulation, the ETF wrapper continues to show redemptions.

That split has become the story of this drawdown: large spot-buying signals on one side, continued outflows from regulated investment products on the other.

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A record inflow after a liquidation shock

CryptoQuant-tracked accumulator addresses received 66,940 Bitcoin on Feb. 6, a move multiple market watchers described as the largest single-day inflow of the current cycle.

At prices near $70,000, that shift represents roughly $4.7 billion in Bitcoin moving into accumulation-style wallets.

Accumulator addresses are typically defined by on-chain analysts as wallets that receive Bitcoin and do not show patterns consistent with routine spending. When those addresses receive a large volume in a short period, traders often read it as a sign that supply is being absorbed by entities with longer holding periods.

The Feb. 6 inflow is now being used by some traders as shorthand for “whales bought the dip.” In plain terms, the argument is that large holders used the price drop to absorb supply and then moved coins into wallets that appear to be long-term storage.

The caution is that flows alone do not indicate who is behind them or why the coins moved. Large transfers into accumulation-style wallets can reflect custody reshuffles, internal wallet management, or entity segmentation, rather than fresh buying conviction.

Thus, a fund moving coins from one custodian wallet to another can appear as “accumulation” on-chain, even if no new buyer enters the market.

That is why analysts tend to treat one-day spikes as a starting point rather than a conclusion. The more useful test is whether elevated inflows persist beyond a single day and co-occur with other signs that the liquid supply is tightening.

If the spike fades immediately, it can still be meaningful, but it may tell a more limited story about post-liquidation repositioning.

Even with those caveats, the size and timing of the Feb. 6 move ensured it would be noticed. It arrived when traders were already primed to look for a bottoming signal following the rapid decline below $60,000.

Strategy kept buying through the drawdown

One of the most visible whales adding exposure into the volatility was Strategy, the public company best known for running a BTC-heavy treasury strategy.

Strategy bought 1,142 Bitcoin for about $90 million between Feb. 2 and Feb. 8 at an average price of roughly $78,815 per coin, lifting total holdings to 714,644 Bitcoin, according to disclosures from Executive Chairman Michael Saylor.

The purchase itself is small relative to Strategy’s overall position of 714,644 BTC acquired for $54.35 billion, but it carries weight because it demonstrates the company’s playbook in real time.

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Strategy has built its identity around turning capital-market access into spot Bitcoin demand. When the market is rising, that approach can amplify bullish narratives. When prices are falling, it becomes a stress test of discipline, financing conditions, and investor patience.

There is also a basic point about timing. By buying Bitcoin at close to $79,000 per coin, Strategy avoided lowering the average cost basis of its existing holdings.

That choice may matter internally, but it also highlights the gap between what the company paid and where the market traded afterward.

Meanwhile, the move also stands out against broader pressure on crypto-linked balance sheets during this cycle.

A Reuters report noted Strategy recently reported widened losses tied to bitcoin’s drawdown and the sector’s struggle since last October’s crash.

In that context, the firm's continued buying can be interpreted in two ways: either as a demonstration of conviction or as a signal that the company views the drawdown as an opportunity to further strengthen its position, regardless of near-term volatility.

However, markets need not resolve that debate immediately. What matters in the short term is that Strategy’s buying adds a visible, recurring source of demand, one that traders can track with disclosures and public statements.

Binance SAFU added a second, operational bid

Another notable buyer was Binance’s SAFU fund, a user protection reserve that Binance has been rebalancing into Bitcoin.

The crypto exchange reported that the SAFU fund address acquired an additional 4,225 Bitcoin on Feb. 9, equivalent to $300 million in stablecoins. The SAFU BTC address now holds 10,455 Bitcoin.

SAFU buying is different from a directional whale trade. It is linked to risk management and reserve composition and can behave more like price-insensitive demand over a defined window. In periods of forced selling, such a steady bid can matter, particularly if other large demand channels are fading.

Binance first announced on Jan. 30 that it would shift $1 billion of its user protection fund into Bitcoin, framing it as an expression of its conviction in Bitcoin’s long-term prospects as the leading cryptocurrency.

The firm said it would rebalance the fund back up to $1 billion if market volatility drove its value below $800 million.

That framework is important because it describes a process rather than a one-off transaction. If the reserve is managed with a target value and volatility pushes it away from that target, rebalancing can create buying or selling pressure independent of day-to-day sentiment.

It also adds a second type of whale behavior to the story. Strategy’s purchases are tied to a treasury strategy and capital-market mechanics. SAFU’s purchases are tied to a reserve mandate and risk controls.

Both can appear as demand during a selloff, but they arise from different motivations, which can affect their durability.

The counterweight: outflows slowed globally, but Bitcoin ETFs still bled

On the flows side, the latest CoinShares weekly report suggested a potential shift in pace, even if the direction remained negative.

CoinShares said digital asset investment products saw outflows slow sharply to $187 million last week despite heavy price pressure.

CoinShares argued that changes in the rate of outflows have historically been more informative than the headline number for identifying potential inflection points.

The firm also reported that assets under management fell to $129.8 billion, the lowest since March 2025, while ETP trading volumes reached a record $63.1 billion for the week.

That combination, lower assets and record volume, points to a market where investors are still actively trading exposure even as net money leaves the product set.

Within that, CoinShares described Bitcoin as the primary source of negative sentiment, with $264 million in outflows over the week, even as certain altcoins, led by XRP, saw inflows.

Bitcoin's negative sentiment is unsurprising given that US spot BTC ETFs recorded a net outflow of over $331 million last week.

That detail matters because it frames the tug-of-war in a concrete way. Some large spot buyers appear to be absorbing supply, but the ETF wrapper remains under pressure.

In practical terms, it means that two things can be true simultaneously. Coins can move into wallets associated with long-term holding behavior, whereas regulated products that serve institutions and traditional investors continue to experience redemptions.

The market then becomes a contest over which side dominates, accumulation in spot channels or selling through financial products.

What to watch next

The market’s next move may hinge less on any single whale-buying print and more on whether the current regime shifts from “capitulation and transfer” into “stabilization and re-risking.”

Three signals stand out.

First, do accumulator inflows remain elevated beyond Feb. 6? One-day spikes can mark post-liquidation repositioning. Persistence can signal a more structural tightening of liquid supply, particularly if coins continue to migrate off exchanges and into longer-term wallets.

Second, do ETF flows continue to decline or begin to stabilize? CoinShares is characterizing the deceleration in outflows as a potential inflection point, but the US spot ETF complex still recorded a weekly net outflow.

That suggests that traditional investor demand has not yet reversed to sustained buying, even if the selling impulse may be slowing.

Third, do non-price-sensitive buyers maintain pace? Strategy’s repeat buying and SAFU’s reserve accumulation can help establish a baseline bid during periods of volatility.

Yet the durability of that support depends on continued access to capital markets (for Strategy) and the duration of reserve rebalancing (for SAFU).

For now, Bitcoin remains tethered to broader risk sentiment.

Reuters linked the latest crypto leg down to volatility in other markets and a broad selloff in tech shares, conditions that can keep Bitcoin trading like a high-beta liquidity asset even as long-term holders quietly add exposure.

The post Bitcoin whales just moved $4.7B dollars into cold storage while regular investors are busy panic selling the dip appeared first on CryptoSlate.

Ethereum researcher ladislaus.eth published a walkthrough last week explaining how Ethereum plans to move from re-executing every transaction to verifying zero-knowledge proofs.

The post frames it as a “quiet but fundamental transformation,” and the framing is accurate. Not because the work is secret, but because its implications ripple across Ethereum's entire architecture in ways that won't be obvious until the pieces connect.

This isn't Ethereum “adding ZK” as a feature. Ethereum is prototyping an alternative validation path in which some validators can attest to blocks by verifying compact execution proofs rather than re-running every transaction.

If it works, Ethereum's layer-1 role shifts from “settlement and data availability for rollups” toward “high-throughput execution whose verification stays cheap enough for home validators.”

What's actually being built

EIP-8025, titled “Optional Execution Proofs,” landed in draft form and specifies the mechanics.
Execution proofs are shared across the consensus-layer peer-to-peer network via a dedicated topic. Validators can operate in two new modes: proof-generating or stateless validation.

The proposal explicitly states that it “does not require a hardfork” and remains backward compatible, while nodes can still re-execute as they do today.

The Ethereum Foundation's zkEVM team published a concrete roadmap for 2026 on Jan. 26, outlining six sub-themes: execution witness and guest program standardization, zkVM-guest API standardization, consensus layer integration, prover infrastructure, benchmarking and metrics, and security with formal verification.

The first L1-zkEVM breakout call is scheduled for Feb. 11 at 15:00 UTC.

The end-to-end pipeline works like this: an execution-layer client produces an ExecutionWitness, a self-contained package containing all data needed to validate a block without holding the full state.

A standardized guest program consumes that witness and validates the state transition. A zkVM executes this program, and a prover generates a proof of correct execution. The consensus layer client then verifies that proof instead of calling the execution layer client to re-execute.

The key dependency is ePBS (Enshrined Proposer-Builder Separation), targeted for the upcoming Glamsterdam hardfork. Without ePBS, the proving window is roughly one to two seconds, which is too tight for real-time proving. With ePBS providing block pipelining, the window extends to six to nine seconds.

The decentralization trade-off

If optional proofs and witness formats mature, more home validators can participate without maintaining full execution layer state.

Raising gas limits becomes politically and economically easier because validation cost decouples from execution complexity. Verification work no longer scales linearly with on-chain activity.

However, proofing carries its own risk of centralization. An Ethereum Research post from Feb. 2 reports that proving a full Ethereum block currently requires roughly 12 GPUs and takes an average of 7 seconds.

The author flags concerns about centralization and notes that limits remain difficult to predict. If proving remains GPU-heavy and concentrates in builder or prover networks, Ethereum may trade “everyone re-executes” for “few prove, many verify.”

The design aims to address this by introducing client diversity at the proving layer. EIP-8025's working assumption is a three-of-five threshold, meaning an attester accepts a block's execution as valid once it has verified three of five independent proofs from different execution-layer client implementations.

This preserves client diversity at the protocol level but doesn't resolve the hardware access problem.

The most honest framing is that Ethereum is shifting the decentralization battleground. Today's constraint is “can you afford to run an execution layer client?” Tomorrow's might be “can you access GPU clusters or prover networks?”

The bet is that proof verification is easier to commoditize than state storage and re-execution, but the hardware question remains open.

L1 scaling unlock

Ethereum's roadmap, last updated Feb. 5, lists “Statelessness” as a major upgrade theme: verifying blocks without storing large state.

Optional execution proofs and witnesses are the concrete mechanism that makes stateless validation practical. A stateless node requires only a consensus client and verifies proofs during payload processing.

Syncing reduces to downloading proofs for recent blocks since the last finalization checkpoint.

This matters for gas limits. Today, every increase in the gas limit makes running a node harder. If validators can verify proofs rather than re-executing, the verification cost no longer scales with the gas limit. Execution complexity and validation cost decouple.

The benchmarking and repricing workstream in the 2026 roadmap explicitly targets metrics that map gas consumed to proving cycles and proving time.

If those metrics stabilize, Ethereum gains a lever it hasn't had before: the ability to raise throughput without proportionally increasing the cost of running a validator.

What this means for layer-2 blockchains

A recent post by Vitalik Buterin argues that layer-2 blockchains should differentiate beyond scaling and explicitly ties the value of a “native rollup precompile” to the need for enshrined zkEVM proofs that Ethereum already needs to scale layer-1.

The logic is straightforward: if all validators verify execution proofs, the same proofs can also be used by an EXECUTE precompile for native rollups. Layer-1 proving infrastructure becomes shared infrastructure.

This shifts the layer-2 value proposition. If layer-1 can scale to high throughput while keeping verification costs low, rollups can't justify themselves on the basis of “Ethereum can't handle the load.”

The new differentiation axes are specialized virtual machines, ultra-low latency, preconfirmations, and composability models like rollups that lean on fast-proving designs.

The scenario where layer-2s remain relevant is one in which roles are split between specialization and interoperability.

Layer-1 becomes the high-throughput, low-verification-cost execution and settlement layer. Layer-2s become feature labs, latency optimizers, and composability bridges.

However, that requires layer-2 teams to articulate new value propositions and for Ethereum to deliver on the proof-verification roadmap.

Three paths forward

There are three potential scenarios in the future.

The first scenario consists of proof-first validation becoming common. If optional proofs and witness formats mature and client implementations stabilize around standardized interfaces, more home validators can participate without running the full execution layer state.

Gas limits increase because the validation cost no longer aligns with execution complexity. This path depends on the ExecutionWitness and guest program standardization workstream converging on portable formats.

Scenario two is where prover centralization becomes the new choke point. If proving remains GPU-heavy and concentrated in builder or prover networks, then Ethereum shifts the decentralization battleground from validators' hardware to prover market structure.

The protocol still functions, as one honest prover anywhere keeps the chain live, but the security model changes.

The third scenario is layer-1 proof verification becoming a shared infrastructure. If consensus layer integration hardens and ePBS delivers the extended proving window, then Layer 2s' value proposition tilts toward specialized VMs, ultra-low latency, and new composability models rather than “scaling Ethereum” alone.

This path requires ePBS to ship on schedule for Glamsterdam.

The bigger picture

Consensus-specs integration maturity will signal whether “optional proofs” move from mostly TODOs to hardened test vectors.

Standardizing the ExecutionWitness and guest program is the keystone for stateless validation portability across clients. Benchmarks that map gas consumed to proving cycles and proving time will determine whether gas repricing for ZK-friendliness is feasible.

ePBS and Glamsterdam progress will indicate whether the six-to-nine-second proving window becomes a reality. Breakout call outputs will reveal whether the working groups converge on interfaces and minimum viable proof distribution semantics.

Ethereum is not switching to proof-based validation soon. EIP-8025 explicitly states it “cannot base upgrades on it yet,” and the optional framing is intentional. As a result, this is a testable pathway rather than an imminent activation.

Yet, the fact that the Ethereum Foundation shipped a 2026 implementation roadmap, scheduled a breakout call with project owners, and drafted an EIP with concrete peer-to-peer gossip mechanics means this work has moved from research plausibility to a delivery program.

The transformation is quiet because it doesn't involve dramatic token economics changes or user-facing features. But it's fundamental because it rewrites the relationship between execution complexity and validation cost.

If Ethereum can decouple the two, layer-1 will no longer be the bottleneck that forces everything interesting onto layer-2.

And if layer-1 proof verification becomes shared infrastructure, the entire layer-2 ecosystem needs to answer a harder question: what are you building that layer-1 can't?

The post Ethereum wants home validators to verify proofs but a 12 GPU reality raises a new threat appeared first on CryptoSlate.

Bitcoin has a habit of turning certain numbers into places.

A number becomes a shared memory, a public square where enough humans stare at the same line long enough that it starts to feel real.

For the last few days, that place has been $71,500.

Two days ago, I published a piece saying Bitcoin needed to recover $71,500 soon, or the drift back toward $60,000 begins. I hit publish right as attempt four failed, and the market kept circling the same level, coming back to it again and again.

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Since then, Bitcoin has failed to break $71,500 six times, and the seventh attempt added the detail that changes the tone. It printed a lower high, shy of the level.

That sounds like a small thing, the kind of detail only chart people talk about, and it lands like a bigger thing when you watch it unfold in real time. The first few attempts looked like the market pressing its face against the glass. The seventh looked like the market stepping back, glancing at the door, and choosing a softer run-up.

That is how breakouts fade, quietly, candle by candle.

On the chart, it reads like short sentences. Attempts one, two, three, all reaching into the same ceiling. Attempts four, five, six, same ceiling, same hesitation, same lack of follow-through. Attempt seven, smaller, earlier, less committed. Then the drift returns.

We are back around the high $60,000s, and the conversation now shifts. The market spent days asking when $71,500 breaks. Now it has to answer a different question, how many tries does a market get before the crowd stops believing?

Each time price hits a level like $71,500 and fails, the market learns. Short sellers get braver. Profit takers get quicker. Long positions tighten stops. The crowd that promised themselves they would sell at break-even gets closer to the button.

The ETF era and its misconceptions

The strange part is how calm it can look.

The damage can arrive as boredom, a slow leak of conviction, a market that returns to the same place and turns around a little earlier each time.

That is where we are now.

The emotional part is easy to understand. The mechanical part is where the follow up matters, because something else has been shifting under the surface that makes this ceiling heavier than it looked two days ago.

Over the last month, the spot Bitcoin ETF flow picture has started to tell a more complicated story.

A single day can look healthy. One day can deliver a burst of demand. The longer window shows whether that demand stays.

The aggregate U.S. spot Bitcoin ETF complex recorded $220 million in net inflows yesterday but remains -$347 million over 7 days and about -$2.659 billion over 30 days.

That 30-day figure matters because it changes the mood around the story people reach for during bounces.

For months, traders treated ETF demand like a backstop, a safety net under every dip, a thing you could lean on without thinking too hard. Now the net flow picture says the bid shows up in bursts, then fades, then returns, and the month-long line has pointed down.

That keeps ETFs relevant, and it also keeps the market honest. Flows deserve the same treatment as price, trend over headline.

Combine that with repeated $71,500 failures, and you get a cleaner read on why this level keeps winning. A reclaim needs sustained pressure, sustained demand, and a reason for sellers to step aside.

Right now, the market is trying to do it with fatigue in the candles and a monthly flow backdrop that has stayed net negative.

Macro impact on Bitcoin price

Then comes the macro layer, the part everyone pretends stays in the background until it grabs the wheel.

The U.S. 10 year yield has been sitting in the low 4s, with recent prints around 4.22%. You do not need to trade bonds to understand what that does to a market like Bitcoin.

High yields tighten conditions. They make leverage pricier. They change how risk gets priced. They raise the bar for speculative assets to keep pushing higher without taking a breath.

Bitcoin can still rally in that environment, and the path usually looks messier, and failures usually sting more, because the room has less oxygen.

Lately, you can see the market pricing that stress through options.

A volatility spike in Deribit’s DVOL index broke during the late January shakeout. Deribit has also written about longer dated skew flipping toward put premium, which is another way of saying traders are paying up for downside protection.

You do not need to live in options land to feel what that implies.

When traders pay more for protection, the market gets jumpier. Ranges widen. Bounces get sold faster. Complacency gets expensive.

That is the emotional backdrop sitting underneath this technical setup.

And the setup itself has gotten simpler since my last article.

It still runs through $71,500, and now it also runs through the idea that the market has started to ration conviction.

The $71,500 ceiling has turned into a public pressure test

I keep circling the same line because Bitcoin keeps repeating the same behavior.

$71,500 has become the place where the market has to prove it can stand up again.

In the original piece, I wrote about the difference between a wick and a reclaim. Bitcoin wicks everywhere. It fakes out people for sport. Acceptance is the only thing that changes the tone, price getting above a level and staying there long enough that traders stop treating it like a short.

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That rule still holds.

The update is that the market has now added more evidence that it is struggling to deliver that acceptance.

Six failures at the same level is already a signal.

The seventh attempt printing a lower high is the market speaking in plain language. Buyers are getting tired. Sellers have started stepping down the staircase to meet price earlier. Lower highs form that way, and lower highs are how ceilings turn into lids.

So here is the map, in the simplest version, built off the channel shelves I’ve been tracking and the levels visible on the annotated chart.

The ceiling remains $71,500.

Above it, the next friction zones sit around $72,000, then the $73,700 to $73,800 band.

Below, the shelves that matter start around $68,000, then $66,900, and deeper support memory sits down in the low $61,000s.

This matters because Bitcoin is currently sitting in the middle of that ladder. The market has room to recover, and it also has room to slip, and that is where drift gets dangerous. Drift looks calm. Drift feels like time. Drift can still end with a sudden move when a shelf breaks.

How does this play out from here?

1. Scenario one is the cleanest.
   Bitcoin clears $71,500, holds above it, and turns that level into support. The next zones above become relevant quickly. The $73,700 area becomes the next place sellers test the move, and the higher bands I laid out before come back into play.
2. Scenario two is the one where Bitcoin waits.
   Bitcoin chops. It lives between $68,000 and $71,500. It gives everyone a reason to overtrade. The range tightens until a catalyst forces resolution. In that scenario, the flow and volatility backdrop matters a lot, because it determines whether a breakout has fuel, or whether the break comes from underneath.
3. Scenario three connects directly to the headline I wrote two days ago.
   Bitcoin loses the $68,000 shelf, it tries to bounce, it fails to reclaim, and the market starts walking down to the next memory zones, $66,900, then the low $61,000s.

That kind of move can happen through steady selling and a lack of a strong bid. If the market wants to get dramatic, it can revisit $60,000, and beyond that the mid $50,000s becomes the kind of number people start whispering again.

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I include that to keep the frame honest, because markets take the path that hurts the most people at the worst time, and repeated failure at a key ceiling tends to pull attention away from the shelves beneath.

Another piece of context that keeps showing up is how tightly Bitcoin has been trading with broader risk mood. When markets get shaky, Bitcoin feels it. When liquidity tightens, Bitcoin feels it. Mainstream reporting noted the sharp Bitcoin drop and rebound alongside broader risk swings.

That is why I see $71,500 as a public test.

It is a chart level, and it is also a moment where the market decides whether it has the appetite to be brave again. Bravery matters here, because taking $71,500 requires buying into resistance with a history of failure, a month-long ETF flow picture that leans negative on Walletpilot, a volatility backdrop that has traders paying for protection via Deribit, and a macro environment where yields like the 10-year at FRED stay high enough to keep conditions tight.

That is a heavier lift than it looked on attempt one.

So what am I watching now, in practical terms?

I’m watching whether Bitcoin approaches $71,500 again with speed, or whether it grinds.

I’m watching whether a push above it holds long enough to feel boring, because acceptance looks like boredom.

I’m watching whether sellers keep stepping down, because that is how lower highs form, and lower highs change the entire feel of a chart.

I’m watching the ETF flow trend, because a multi week shift matters more than a single green day on Walletpilot.

I’m watching the mood in options, because when traders keep paying for protection, the market tends to punish complacency.

That is the whole story right now.

Bitcoin keeps coming back to $71,500, and each failure adds weight to the next attempt. The market has now shown reduced conviction through the lower high on attempt seven. The flow backdrop has turned more complicated, with the 30-day ETF picture net negative even as individual days can still pop green. The macro backdrop remains tight enough to matter, with yields around the low 4s. Volatility and skew suggest traders are still paying attention to downside risk.

This is the moment for simple levels and honest observation.

$71,500 is the ceiling that keeps winning.

$68,000 is the shelf that has to hold if the bounce wants to stay alive.

Everything in between is the market deciding what kind of season this is going to be.

This is market commentary, not financial advice, risk management matters more than narratives.

The post Bitcoin failing 7 times to break $71,500 is much more ominous than boring ‘sideways action’ appeared first on CryptoSlate.

Braden Karony, the CEO of SafeMoon, was sentenced to 100 months in prison for his role in a crypto fraud scheme that cost victims millions.

Bitcoin bull Michael Saylor said Tuesday that Strategy will keep buying BTC, even with its bet now billions of dollars underwater.

Former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried appears to be claiming he has discovered new evidence in his case that could lead to a jury acquittal.

The Financial Conduct Authority has approved the crypto exchange to offer crypto services in the UK, following its European MiCA license.

The Mandiant security team says North Korean hackers are upgrading their social engineering tactics to include AI-generated video.

Ripple Chief Legal Officer Stuart Alderoty has joined forces with Wall Street giants and crypto leaders at the White House.

Michael Saylor has dismissed liquidation fears as an "unfounded concern.".

SafeMoon founder Braden Karony has been sentenced to 100 months behind bars..

Crypto news digest: Ripple valuation tops $50 billion; XRP is being sold at loss; DOGE bulls liquidated.

Can the rate of Binance Coin (BNB) test the $600 mark soon?

TLDR

• Grayscale’s research indicates that Bitcoin’s price movements are increasingly aligned with high-risk growth assets rather than gold.
• Bitcoin has developed a strong correlation with software stocks, especially since early 2024, signaling a shift in its market behavior.
• Grayscale points out that Bitcoin’s recent price declines reflect its deeper integration into traditional financial markets.
• Bitcoin’s failure to act as a safe-haven asset should be seen as part of its ongoing evolution rather than a setback.
• Grayscale acknowledges Bitcoin’s long-term potential as a store of value but notes it is unlikely to replace gold in the short term.

Grayscale’s latest research reveals that Bitcoin’s price movements are increasingly mirroring those of high-risk growth assets rather than a safe haven. Despite its long-standing position as “digital gold,” the cryptocurrency’s behavior has shown closer correlation with software stocks than traditional precious metals. Grayscale’s findings suggest that Bitcoin is becoming more integrated into traditional financial markets, making it more sensitive to equities.

Bitcoin No Longer Correlated with Gold

Grayscale’s report, authored by Zach Pandl, points out that Bitcoin’s recent market behavior is far from that of gold or other precious metals. The analysis notes that Bitcoin’s price movements have failed to align with those of bullion or silver, which have seen record rallies recently. Instead, Bitcoin is increasingly tracking software stocks, particularly since early 2024, a trend not seen in the past.

This change comes amid growing concerns in the software sector about artificial intelligence’s potential to disrupt or even obsolete many services. As a result, Bitcoin’s correlation with this sector signals a shift away from its traditional role as a safe haven, highlighting its increasing connection with growth assets. Pandl emphasized, “Bitcoin’s short-term price movements have not been tightly correlated with gold or other precious metals,” indicating a change in its market behavior.

Bitcoin’s Growing Sensitivity to Equities

The growing sensitivity of Bitcoin to equities reflects deeper integration into traditional financial markets. Grayscale attributes this shift to increased institutional participation, including exchange-traded fund activity and changing macroeconomic risk sentiment. Bitcoin’s exposure to the stock market has intensified as more institutional investors and retail traders view it as a growth asset.

Bitcoin’s recent price decline, which saw a nearly 50% drop from its October 2025 peak of $126,000, highlights its volatility. This downturn, driven by several waves of selling starting in October 2025 and continuing into 2026, underscores its sensitivity to broader market forces. Furthermore, Grayscale mentions that “motivated US sellers” have contributed to Bitcoin’s recent price discounts, especially on platforms like Coinbase.

Grayscale remains optimistic about Bitcoin’s long-term potential, viewing it as a store of value due to its fixed supply and independence from central banks. Pandl notes that it would be unrealistic to expect Bitcoin to replace gold as a monetary asset in the short term, given gold’s historical role in the global economy. However, as the world becomes more digitized, Bitcoin could evolve in this direction over time, especially as the global economy embraces tokenized markets.

The post Grayscale: Bitcoin Shifts from ‘Digital Gold’ to Growth Asset appeared first on Blockonomi.

TLDR

• Coinbase’s Base app is shifting from a social-driven platform to a trading-focused experience.
• The creator rewards program, which has distributed over $450,000, will end on February 15.
• Base app will replace the Farcaster-powered “Talk” feed with a new feed focused on onchain activity.
• Base’s founder Jesse Pollak emphasized that the app must prioritize trading to meet user demands for high-quality assets.
• Coinbase plans to expand the app’s asset offerings to support more onchain activities and attract retail traders.

Coinbase’s Base app has announced a major strategic change, moving from a social-centric ecosystem to a trading-first platform. The update includes the termination of its creator rewards program and the Farcaster-powered “Talk” feed. These changes are set to reshape the app’s focus on tradable assets, aligning with Coinbase’s broader business goals.

Base App Phases Out Social Features and Creator Rewards Program

Coinbase’s Base app will discontinue its creator rewards program on February 15, with final payouts to be made by February 18. The program has distributed over $450,000 to more than 17,000 creators over the last six months, averaging $26 per creator. Despite this success, the platform announced that it will shift its focus to offering a better trading experience for users.

As part of this transformation, the Farcaster-powered “Talk” feed will be replaced with a new feed focused solely on onchain activity. This move aligns with Base’s goal of prioritizing tradable assets and creating a platform centered around trading rather than social interactions. Coinbase stated that the changes reflect the evolving needs of their user base.

Coinbase’s Founder Advocates for Trading-Focused App

Jesse Pollak, Base’s founder, confirmed the platform’s pivot, explaining that the decision to drop social features was rooted in the need to focus on trading. Pollak emphasized that the app had to prioritize one primary function trading. He noted that the app’s initial focus on social features was too closely tied to Web2 experiences, which did not meet the demands for trading high-quality assets.

Pollak acknowledged that the integration of Farcaster was initially a driving force behind the app’s design. However, as the platform evolved, it became clear that the focus needed to shift. “We need to do less, better,” Pollak stated. He assured that Farcaster’s builders would continue to receive support outside of Base’s app.

Expanding Trading Experience for Onchain Economy

Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong echoed Pollak’s sentiments, emphasizing that the app would now focus on serving retail investors and traders. Armstrong also revealed that Base would expand its asset offerings to support everyone building on the Base network. The changes aim to make trading more accessible and attractive to users, with new features like copy trading, leaderboards, and feed trading to be added in the coming months.

In its initial launch last year, the Base app was designed as part of Coinbase’s “Everything App” strategy, which integrated social networking, messaging, and payments with onchain activities. However, after gathering user feedback, the platform shifted its focus to delivering a more robust trading experience that could drive capital markets onchain.

The post Coinbase Pivots Base App to Prioritize Trading, Discontinues Rewards appeared first on Blockonomi.

TLDR

• Michael Saylor dismissed concerns that Strategy might sell its bitcoin holdings due to price fluctuations.
• Saylor emphasized that the strategy’s financial position ensures it will continue buying bitcoin.
• The company recently purchased 1,142 bitcoins for $90 million, bringing its total holdings to 714,644 coins.
• Strategy’s average cost per bitcoin is $76,056, well above the current price of around $69,000.
• Despite recent losses, Saylor expressed confidence in bitcoin’s long-term performance and the Strategy’s investment strategy.

Michael Saylor, chairman of Strategy, has dismissed concerns that the company might be forced to sell its bitcoin holdings amid the cryptocurrency’s fluctuating prices. He reassured investors during a CNBC interview, emphasizing that the company remains committed to buying bitcoin, despite the recent price decline. Saylor clarified that Strategy’s financial position and long-term strategy do not necessitate the sale of its bitcoin assets.

Saylor Addresses Bitcoin Concerns

Saylor explained that worries about the company selling bitcoin are “unfounded.” He pointed out that Strategy’s net leverage ratio is half of what is typical for investment-grade companies, ensuring its stability.

“We’ve got 50 years’ worth of dividends and bitcoin,” Saylor said. “We’ve got two and a half years’ worth of dividends just in cash on our balance sheet.”

He further assured that the company would continue to purchase Bitcoin. “We’re not going to be selling, we’re going to be buying bitcoin,” he stated, adding that he expects the company to buy bitcoin every quarter for the foreseeable future.

Last week, Strategy added 1,142 bitcoins to its holdings, totaling roughly $90 million. The coins were purchased at an average price of $78,815 each, bringing the company’s total bitcoin holdings to 714,644 coins. The total investment in bitcoin now stands at approximately $54.35 billion, with an average cost of $76,056 per bitcoin.

Despite bitcoin’s recent price dip, which has seen it trading around $69,000, Strategy is not planning to sell its holdings. Saylor emphasized that the volatility of bitcoin is part of its nature and that it has outperformed traditional assets such as gold, equity, and real estate.

Financial Performance and Strategy’s Long-Term Outlook

Strategy reported a fourth-quarter operating loss of $17.4 billion, largely due to non-cash mark-to-market accounting related to bitcoin’s price drop. The company’s net loss for the period stood at $12.6 billion. Despite these results, Saylor remains confident in the company’s long-term strategy, which focuses on bitcoin and its digital credit business.

Saylor declined to make short-term bitcoin price predictions but expressed optimism about its long-term performance. He stated that he believes bitcoin will outperform the S&P 500 over the next four to eight years. This aligns with Strategy’s broader vision of maintaining a long-term approach to its bitcoin investments, unaffected by short-term market movements.

Shares of Strategy have experienced a decline, with the company’s stock down 3% on Tuesday, contributing to a year-to-date drop of 15%. Over the past year, the company’s shares have fallen by 60%. However, Saylor’s confidence in the company’s strategy remains unchanged, and he continues to prioritize bitcoin as a core asset.

The post Michael Saylor Reassures Investors: Strategy Will Continue Buying Bitcoin appeared first on Blockonomi.

TLDR

• MSFT stock rose by 3.1% on February 10, contributing to a broader tech rally that boosted the Nasdaq and S&P 500.
• The tech sector’s rebound helped improve risk sentiment after a week of market selloffs.
• Strong fundamentals, including a net margin of 39.0% and a return on equity of 33.6%, continue to support MSFT stock.
• The valuation of MSFT stock is solid, with a trailing P/E ratio of 25.8 and a dividend yield of 0.82%.
• Short-term technical indicators for MSFT stock show mixed signals, with the stock below its 50-day and 200-day moving averages.

MSFT stock rose by 3.1% on February 10, contributing to a broader tech rally that boosted the Nasdaq and S&P 500. This upward movement followed a week of selloffs, helping improve risk sentiment in global markets. The rally was driven by strong performance from US megacaps, particularly in the tech sector, with Microsoft leading the way.

Microsoft Corporation, MSFT

MSFT Stock Powers Tech Rally

On February 10, MSFT stock surged by 3.1%, playing a crucial role in the tech sector’s rebound. This rally helped push the Nasdaq up by 0.9%, signaling that buyers were returning to growth stocks after recent market weaknesses. The S&P 500 also benefited from the gains in major tech stocks, pointing to broader market participation in the recovery.

The improved risk sentiment was also reflected in other global equity markets. The increase in MSFT stock today was part of a larger trend across tech shares, suggesting that investors are regaining confidence after the previous week’s market slump. As major benchmarks saw upward movements, the broader outlook for risk assets seemed more positive.

MSFT stock remains a solid performer, backed by strong profitability and low leverage. The company boasts a net margin of 39.0% and a return on equity of 33.6%, reflecting its ability to generate substantial profits. With a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15, Microsoft maintains a conservative balance sheet, making it an attractive choice for investors seeking stability.

The valuation of MSFT stock remains strong, with a trailing P/E ratio of around 25.8 and a dividend yield of 0.82%. While these figures indicate a high-quality profile, they also suggest that the market expects continued growth from Microsoft’s cloud and AI initiatives. Investors will likely keep a close eye on upcoming earnings reports to assess whether the company can maintain its momentum.

Technicals Show Mixed Signals for MSFT

Short-term technical indicators for MSFT stock present a mixed picture. The RSI sits near 45, showing that the stock is neither overbought nor oversold. While the MACD histogram has turned slightly positive, the ADX at 18 indicates that the stock is not currently trending strongly in either direction.

Moreover, MSFT stock remains below both its 50-day and 200-day moving averages, suggesting the need for further confirmation before a sustained rally. The technical outlook suggests that, while there has been a bounce, more time is needed to determine if the tech sector’s recovery can endure.

As investors track MSFT stock and broader tech movements, the next key milestone will be the upcoming earnings release on April 29, 2026. This report could reset forecasts across key business segments, such as Azure and Copilot adoption.

The post MSFT Stock Surge Powers Nasdaq and S&P 500 Amid Tech Rebound appeared first on Blockonomi.

TLDR

• Nvidia’s stock has remained range-bound, showing little movement ahead of its upcoming earnings report.
• Shares dropped 0.2% on Tuesday, maintaining a position near its highest levels of the year.
• Analysts expect Nvidia’s stock to stay within a narrow trading range until the earnings release later this month.
• Positive growth in the AI market is fueling optimism, with Nvidia’s main supplier, TSMC, reporting a 37% revenue rise.
• OpenAI’s 10% monthly growth in ChatGPT users could lead to higher demand for Nvidia’s AI chips.

Nvidia’s (NVDA) stock has struggled to break free from a narrow trading range despite a mixed market backdrop. Shares dropped 0.2% on Tuesday, holding near $189.76. Analysts suggest the stock may remain stagnant until the company announces its earnings later this month, despite optimism surrounding the broader AI market.

NVIDIA Corporation, NVDA

Nvidia Stock Faces Slow Movement Until Earnings Report

Nvidia’s stock has shown minimal movement in recent days, largely remaining range-bound. As of Tuesday, the stock decreased by 0.2%, continuing to hover near its highest levels of the year. Analysts forecast that the company’s stock will stay within this limited range until its earnings release later this month.

Despite some upward momentum in the market, Nvidia stock is finding it difficult to break out. On Monday, the stock rose 2.5%, but this was followed by Tuesday’s decline. This stagnant behavior indicates that investors are cautious ahead of the earnings report and the broader market dynamics in the coming weeks.

Optimism Emerges from the AI Market and Supplier Growth

Positive signals are coming from the artificial intelligence (AI) sector, potentially benefiting Nvidia. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing (TSMC), Nvidia’s primary supplier, saw a 37% revenue increase in January year-over-year. This suggests growing demand in the semiconductor industry, which could help Nvidia as it continues to develop products for AI applications.

In addition to TSMC’s strong results, there are signs that AI development is gaining momentum. OpenAI, the developer of ChatGPT, reported over 10% monthly growth, according to CEO Sam Altman. This growth could translate to increased demand for AI chips, offering a potential tailwind for Nvidia in the months ahead.

Tariff Exemption Could Provide Relief for Nvidia Stock

Further positive news could come in the form of tariff exemptions on semiconductor imports. Sources suggest that big U.S. tech companies, including Nvidia, may be exempt from new semiconductor tariffs. The Financial Times reported that TSMC’s pledge to invest $165 billion in U.S. manufacturing could lead to exemptions for American customers, including Nvidia.

Such tariff exemptions would provide relief for Nvidia, which could positively impact its stock price. These developments offer a potential path out of the current holding pattern.

The post Why Nvidia Stock Remains Range-Bound: Earnings and Market Factors at Play appeared first on Blockonomi.

The prominent decentralized perpetual futures exchange, Hyperliquid, has surpassed Coinbase in terms of trading volume, according to Artemis. The data revealed that Hyperliquid recorded $2.6 trillion in trading volume, compared with Coinbase’s $1.4 trillion within the same timeframe.

This represents nearly double the notional volume of Coinbase.

Hyperliquid vs. Coinbase

Findings shared by Artemis also disclosed that the year-to-date price performance highlights a stark contrast between the two platforms. Hyperliquid has gained 31.7% so far in 2026, while Coinbase has declined by 27.0%. This resulted in a divergence of 58.7% over just a few weeks.

Coinbase is one of the most established centralized exchanges in the world, while Hyperliquid is still an emerging decentralized player in the space. Following the significant gap in both trading activity and asset performance, Artemis described it as a sign that the market is paying attention to the decentralized perpetuals exchange’s rapid growth.

Throughout 2025, the platform generated $822 million in revenues. So far this year alone, it recorded $79.1 million in revenues.

Meanwhile, open interest on Hyperliquid, over the past 24 hours, stood at $4.1 million.

Amid rapid growth, Ripple announced that its Ripple Prime brokerage platform will now support Hyperliquid. This would allow institutional clients to access Hyperliquid’s on-chain derivatives while cross-margining exposure across other assets, including cleared derivatives, OTC swaps, fixed income, forex, and digital assets, under a single counterparty.

Michael Higgins, international CEO of Ripple Prime, said the integration merges decentralized finance with traditional prime brokerage, improving liquidity access and trading efficiency. The move comes as Hyperliquid continues to see billions in daily volumes, as the platform sees growing influence in the decentralized perpetual futures market.

HYPE Shorting Controversy

Hyperliquid’s popularity has not been without controversy. In December, the exchange confirmed that a former employee, dismissed in early 2024 for insider trading, was behind large short positions in its native HYPE token. On-chain analysis verified that the wallet responsible executed leveraged shorts totaling over $223,000, including $180,000 in HYPE at 10x leverage.

The platform reiterated its zero-tolerance policy for insider trading and said employees and contractors are prohibited from trading HYPE derivatives.

The post Hyperliquid Records $2.6T Volume, Leaving Coinbase Behind: Artemis appeared first on CryptoPotato.

Ethereum appears to be struggling to hold on to $2,000 following the market-wide pullback. Over the past week, the leading altcoin has shed almost 14%.

However, it just recorded its largest exchange outflows since October as traders move assets out to accumulate.

ETH Withdrawals Accelerate

ETH withdrawals from trading platforms have risen sharply. Data compiled by CryptoQuant revealed that the figure has reached its highest level since October. Recent Ethereum exchange netflow data shows a clear acceleration in outflows, which is indicative of a shift in investor behavior toward reducing the amount of ETH held on such venues.

Across all exchanges, net Ethereum outflows have surpassed 220,000 ETH over the past few days. This marks the largest wave of withdrawals since last October. Such an increase reflects a significant volume of ETH being moved from exchanges to private wallets or long-term storage protocols.

CryptoQuant stated that such movements are commonly associated with accumulation phases or with investors seeking to reduce risk by holding assets off exchanges. Binance accounted for a large share of this activity, as daily net outflows reached around 158,000 ETH on February 5.

This was the highest level of Ethereum withdrawals from Binance since last August, which implied that much of the recent exchange outflow was concentrated on the platform with the deepest liquidity.

From a price perspective, these strong outflows occurred while the crypto asset was trading in the $1,800 to $2,000 range. This means that some investors were repositioning or holding ETH at these price levels following the recent market pullback.

CryptoQuant further added that steady Ethereum outflows of this magnitude reduce the amount of supply readily available for selling. As a result, this trend is viewed as structurally supportive for price in the near term, particularly if market momentum stabilizes or improves.

$2,000 Level Now Under Heavy Watch

All eyes are on the $2,000 level after ETH faced rejection near higher resistance, according to market experts. Ted Pillows, for one, said ETH was rejected from the $2,100 resistance zone and identified $2,000 as the key level to hold. He warned that losing it could lead to a sweep of last week’s low. Analyst Ali Martinez also echoed the focus on this level.

Additionally, MN Capital founder Michaël van de Poppe shed light on the gap between network activity and price performance. He said that in the early stages of growth, price action often lags behind fundamentals, similar to Ethereum’s 2019 cycle, when market growth was initially limited.

Van de Poppe also explained that the asset’s price began to rise only after stablecoin transactions on the network reached their peak and observed that stablecoin transaction volumes on Ethereum are up 200% over the past 18 months, while ETH is down around 30%, which presents an opportunity for buyers.

The post Ethereum Floods Out of Exchanges in Biggest Withdrawal Wave Since October appeared first on CryptoPotato.

Bitcoin and the rest of the cryptocurrencies can’t shake off the doldrums. Despite the ongoing weakness, this cycle has at least avoided major institutional failures that were seen in past bear markets.

And as investors weather the drawdowns, real-world assets (RWAs) are quietly expanding on-chain regardless of crypto prices.

RWAs Keep Moving On-Chain

In a recent post on X, Chainlink co-founder Sergey Nazarov highlighted that, unlike the previous cycle, which saw the collapse of FTX and multiple lenders during large price drops, this cycle has not produced large systemic risks. He said that crypto systems have managed price and liquidity drawdowns more effectively, thereby creating a more “reliable” environment for both retail and institutional capital.

Nazarov also said that the migration of real-world assets onto blockchains is accelerating independently of cryptocurrency prices. He pointed to ongoing RWA issuance and the growth of on-chain perpetual markets for traditional commodities such as silver, which are rivaling traditional markets, particularly during periods when permissioned trading becomes more restrictive or risky.

According to Nazarov, the growth of RWAs is driven by the value of 24/7/365 markets, on-chain collateral management, and access to reliable market data, rather than fluctuations in Bitcoin or other crypto assets.

He identified three trends expected to shape the next stage of crypto adoption. First, on-chain perpetual markets and tokenized real-world assets provide long-term, durable value. Second, institutional adoption is being driven by fundamental technological advantages, including permissionless, always-on DeFi markets. Third, infrastructure supporting RWAs is in increasing demand, as more complex assets require reliable systems for tokenization, data management, and market operation.

Nazarov added that if current trends continue, RWAs on-chain could surpass cryptocurrencies in total value, and potentially redefine the industry while continuing to support cryptocurrency growth by bringing more capital on-chain.

Developer Activity Across RWA Projects

Data shared by Santiment shows strong developer activity across RWA projects over the past 30 days. Hedera (HBAR) ranked first, followed by Chainlink (LINK) and Avalanche (AVAX). Stellar (XLM) and IOTA (IOTA) placed fourth and fifth. Chia Network (XCH), VeChain (VET), Lumerin (LMR), Creditcoin (CTC), and Injective (INJ) completed the top ten.

The rankings also revealed that RWA-focused blockchain projects continue to see steady development activity despite market turbulence.

The post This Crypto Cycle Broke the Pattern: No Systemic Failures, Rising On-Chain Assets appeared first on CryptoPotato.

The cryptocurrency market experienced a severe pullback in the past few weeks, culminating in a sharp crash on February 6.

The meme coin sector was significantly affected by the red wave, and most leading tokens in that niche have posted substantial losses. However, the lesser-known pippin (PIPPIN) defied the carnage and its valuation soared by over 100% in the past week.

Swimming Against the Tide

PIPPIN is a Solana-based meme coin that began trading in late 2024. It is themed around an AI-generated unicorn character named “Pippin,” which has become the logo of the token.

The meme coin had its glory days toward the end of 2025, when its price reached an all-time high of almost $0.60, and its market capitalization surpassed $500 million. While January was also positive, the beginning of February offered a deep correction.

In the past week, though, the asset entered another major uptrend, which contrasts with the overall bearish environment in the crypto market. As of press time, PIPPIN is worth roughly $0.38, or a 114% increase on a weekly basis.

Analysts are curious if the bull run is sustainable since there isn’t an evident catalyst driving the move north. X user ALTS GEMS Alert claimed the price has initiated a “strong bounce” from the demand zone at around $0.26, predicting that if buyers remain active, PIPPIN could soar to $0.40 and even $0.60.

Satori chipped in, too. The analyst told their over 700,000 followers on X that they have added the coin to their watchlist, arguing it has potential for much more impressive gains ahead.

A Ticking Time Bomb?

At the same time, some industry participants warned investors to stay away from PIPPIN, claiming its valuation is driven by pure speculation, and its utility is questionable.

X user Dippy.eth described the asset as “the largest scam of the past year,” arguing it has reached the first “take profit” zone. “0 technologies, 0 real metrics, 0 real users, 0 attention from real CT degens,” they added.

Crypto_Jobs is also pessimistic, envisioning a possible plunge to as low as $0.21. Some indicators, such as PIPPIN’s Relative Strength Index (RSI), support the bearish scenario. The technical analysis tool measures the speed and magnitude of recent price changes to help traders identify potential reversal points.

It ranges from 0 to 100, and readings above 70 suggest the valuation has risen too much in a brief period and could be due for imminent correction. Currently, the RSI stands at around 85.

The post This Trending Meme Coin Explodes by 100% Weekly: What Comes Next? appeared first on CryptoPotato.

BitMine, the Ethereum-focused treasury firm chaired by Fundstrat’s Tom Lee, bought roughly $83 million worth of ETH on Monday, with its existing holdings sitting deep in the red.

The purchases came during another volatile session for Ethereum, with on-chain data showing heavy selling from other large holders and ETH trading near multi-month lows.

BitMine Adds to ETH Stash While Others Exit

Data from the analytics platform Lookonchain, posted on February 10 and 11, shows Bitmine executed two large purchases of 20,000 ETH each from institutional platforms BitGo and FalconX.

Last week, the firm bought 40,613 ETH, and the week prior, it added 41,788 tokens. It now holds approximately 4.32 million ETH, acquired at an average cost of $3,850 per coin. However, at current levels around $2,040, Lookonchain estimates BitMine’s average entry price leaves its position down more than $7.8 billion on paper.

Despite that, Lee has publicly dismissed the recent sell-off as disconnected from Ethereum’s on-chain activity. In comments reported earlier this month, he said BitMine viewed the pullback as attractive, given his view of strengthening Ethereum fundamentals, such as record-high daily transactions. He attributed the price weakness to factors like a rally in gold and a lack of leverage rather than problems with the Ethereum network itself.

Lee also stressed that Bitmine has no debt obligations that would force it to sell any of its ETH, a position that is in contrast to other large players like Trend Research, which, according to Lookonchain, has sold nearly all of its Ethereum since early February, locking in losses of about $747 million after depositing more than 650,000 ETH to Binance during the drop.

Ethereum Price Struggles Amid Heavy On-Chain Movement

Looking at the market, ETH is down about 1% over the past 24 hours, and nearly 13% in the last seven days. The world’s second-largest cryptocurrency by market cap has also lost more than 34% of its value over the past month, according to CoinGecko data.

It fell below $2,000 on February 5 for the first time in months, but despite the volatility and evident selling from some large holders, other data points to a potential reduction in available sell pressure. For example, analyst CoinNiel recently reported that exchange reserves for ETH have dropped to multi-year lows, suggesting longer-term holders are moving assets off trading platforms.

The market now presents a clear divide: one side is cutting losses after a severe downturn, while the other, led by firms like Bitmine, is doubling down on a long-term conviction play, betting that current prices do not reflect the network’s underlying utility.

The post Bitmine Ignores $7.8B Paper Losses, Buys $83M Worth of ETH as Market Dips appeared first on CryptoPotato.