Dragonfly Raises $650M for Crypto Venture Fund IV
Dragonfly Capital announced the close of its fourth crypto venture fund with $650 million in commitments, topping the original $500 million target. The fund will back early‑stage blockchain projects across infrastructure, DeFi, stablecoins and tokenized real‑world assets. Recent allocations include $75 million to Mesh and $36 million to Conduit, underscoring a focus on core financial infrastructure. The raise follows regulatory clearance related to a past Tornado Cash investment, reinforcing institutional confidence in Web3.
Zora Launches Attention Markets on Solana
Zora introduced an "attention markets" token platform on Solana, allowing users to tokenize and trade real‑world trend exposure. Within 30 minutes the flagship $attentionmarkets token posted a $70,000 market cap and $170,000 in volume, with only three tokens surpassing $10,000....
Pumpfun Rolls Out 'Cashback Coins'
Solana‑based launchpad Pumpfun introduced “Cashback Coins,” a new fee‑routing option that lets creators allocate all creator fees to traders or keep traditional fees. The choice must be locked in before a token launch and cannot be changed later. The move...
Dragonfly Raises $650M for New Fund to Back DeFi, Prediction Markets and Stablecoins
Dragonfly Capital announced the close of its fourth venture fund, raising $650 million to back projects in decentralized finance, stablecoins and prediction markets. The fund marks the firm’s largest commitment yet, reflecting confidence that the crypto sector remains in an early...
World Markets Launches ‘No ADL’ DEX on MegaETH
World Markets (WM) debuted its decentralized exchange on the MegaETH network, integrating spot trading, perpetual contracts, and lending into a single on‑chain account. The platform eliminates auto‑deleveraging (ADL), promising protection for delta‑neutral positions and preventing forced liquidations that plagued earlier...
Crypto Investor Hunted Down in Botched France Home Invasion as Crypto “Wrench Attack” Spike Spreads
On Feb. 12, armed assailants attempted a home invasion in the Paris suburbs targeting the CEO of Binance France, marking a shift toward organized physical coercion against crypto executives. The suspects stole two phones before being apprehended in Lyon, highlighting...
Ripple Prime Adds Hyperliquid Support to Bridge DeFi and Institutional Trading
Ripple Prime, the institutional brokerage arm of Ripple, announced integration with Hyperliquid, a high‑performance decentralized derivatives protocol. The partnership lets institutional clients trade on‑chain derivatives while keeping the capital‑efficiency and risk controls of a traditional prime broker. Clients can now...
Why Proof of Address Is Essential for KYC Compliance
Proof of address has become a cornerstone of Know Your Customer (KYC) compliance across banks, fintechs, and crypto platforms. Regulators such as the FATF and FCA require recent utility bills, bank statements, or government letters to verify a customer’s residence....
Crypto Privacy Has Turned Into an Economic Crisis as MEV Bots Siphon Millions and Most Users Still Leak Everything
MEV bots are now burning more than half of gas on leading Ethereum layer‑2s while extracting tens of millions of dollars in profit, turning privacy from a philosophical concern into an economic crisis. Recent data shows roughly $24 million captured in...
UK Crypto Rules Too Slow to Support Global Hub Ambitions, Says Agant CEO
Andrew MacKenzie, CEO of stablecoin developer Agant, warned that the United Kingdom’s crypto regulatory timetable is too slow to support its ambition of becoming a global digital‑asset hub. While the government plans to pass comprehensive stablecoin legislation later this year,...
USDDD Listed on CoinMarketCap as DIGDUG.DO Signals Acceleration Toward Ecosystem Expansion
USDDD, the native fuel token for DIGDUG.DO, has been listed on CoinMarketCap, giving the project global market visibility. The token runs on BNB Smart Chain and powers on‑chain digging, sponsor boxes, and reward settlements within the DIGDUG.DO testnet. The listing...
Stablecoins Gain Ground for Paychecks and Daily Spending: BVNK Report
A BVNK‑commissioned YouGov survey of 4,658 crypto‑savvy adults across 15 countries shows that 39% receive income in stablecoins and 27% use them for everyday payments, attracted by lower fees and faster cross‑border transfers. Respondents hold an average of $200 in...
Polygon Daily Fees Flip Ethereum Amid Prediction Market Boom
Polygon recorded higher daily transaction fees than Ethereum for three consecutive days, peaking at $407,100 versus Ethereum's $211,700. The surge was driven primarily by activity on the prediction‑market platform Polymarket, which alone contributed over $1 million in fees last week. A...
DeFi Lender ZeroLend Shuts Down, Blames Illiquid Chains
ZeroLend, a decentralized lending protocol focused on Ethereum layer‑2 networks, announced it will wind down after three years due to unsustainable liquidity conditions. The platform’s total value locked plummeted from $359 million in November 2024 to roughly $6.6 million, and its native token...
BofA Survey Flags Dollar Bearish Bets at over a Decade High. Here's What It Means for Bitcoin
Bank of America’s February survey shows investor exposure to the U.S. dollar is at its most bearish since early 2012, marking a record underweight stance. Historically, a weaker dollar has acted as a bullish tailwind for bitcoin, but since early...
Crypto Sentiment Hits Extreme Fear as Matrixport Flags Possible Bottom
Crypto sentiment has plunged to extreme fear levels, according to Matrixport’s proprietary index, signaling a potential market bottom. The 21‑day moving‑average metric fell below zero and is now reversing, a pattern historically linked to short‑term rebounds. Alternative.me’s Fear and Greed...
Kraken Sponsors Trump Accounts in Wyoming, Citing Crypto Alignment
Kraken announced it will fund the new Trump Accounts program for newborns in Wyoming, aligning with President Trump’s savings initiative for children under 18. The exchange highlighted Wyoming’s crypto‑friendly regulatory framework as the primary reason for the partnership, noting the...
Crypto.com Receives ISO/IEC 42001 AI Certification as It Expands Its AI Business
Crypto.com announced it is the first digital‑asset platform to earn ISO/IEC 42001:2023 certification, an international standard for AI management systems. The certification confirms that its AI tools are built with security, transparency and regulatory alignment in mind. The firm recently launched...
Germany‘s Central Bank President Touts Stablecoin and CBDC Benefits for EU
Bundesbank president Joachim Nagel endorsed the creation of a euro‑pegged retail CBDC and euro‑denominated stablecoins, arguing they would strengthen Europe’s payment independence. He highlighted that a wholesale CBDC would allow programmable payments in central‑bank money. Nagel warned that a surge...
Philippine “Revolut” Maya Eyes Up to $1 Billion US Listing
Philippine fintech Maya, an all‑in‑one digital banking app, is eyeing a U.S. IPO that could raise up to $1 billion. The platform now serves 5.4 million customers and disbursed 68 billion pesos ($1.2 bn) in loans in 2024. Its filing comes amid a volatile...
Bitcoin No Longer Acting Like “Digital Gold” Because Its Correlation with Physical Gold, USD Collapsed
Bitcoin’s correlation with gold and the U.S. dollar has collapsed to near zero, while its link to the Nasdaq 100 has risen to +0.35‑0.6 in 2025‑early 2026. The asset now behaves more like a high‑beta tech risk factor than the...
Kinetic Treasury Arrives
J.P. Morgan’s Kinexys platform demonstrated kinetic treasury by instantly minting $40 million of stablecoins using a tokenized vacation‑home as collateral, freeing a semiconductor shipment for a Rotterdam logistics firm. The transaction bridged a retail client’s idle digital asset with an institutional...
MoonPay Deposits to Launch
MoonPay announced MoonPay Deposits, a cross‑chain funding solution that lets users top‑up applications directly from any crypto wallet, regardless of token or blockchain. The service automatically handles swapping, bridging, and routing, delivering the chosen asset to the destination wallet. It...
'We Do Not Do Illegal Things': Inside a U.S.-sanctioned Stablecoin Issuer's Race to Build a Crypto Giant
A7A5, a Kyrgyzstan‑incorporated ruble‑pegged stablecoin, added roughly $90 billion to its circulating supply last year, outpacing USDT and USDC. The issuer’s affiliates and reserve‑bank partner are listed on the U.S. sanctions list, yet the firm claims full KYC/AML compliance and positions...
MegaETH TVL Rises 65% in a Week, but TGE Conditions Remain Unmet
Ethereum Layer‑2 MegaETH’s mainnet saw total value locked surge 65% in its first week, reaching roughly $66.48 million. Stablecoins now account for the bulk of on‑chain assets, with the chain’s stablecoin market cap climbing to $99.2 million, up 56%. Decentralized exchange Kumbaya...
Crypto Cost Basis Gaps Create Civil and Criminal Tax Exposure
Crypto taxpayers are increasingly exposed to tax liabilities because many cannot substantiate the cost basis of their digital assets. When the IRS cannot verify basis, it treats the entire proceeds as taxable gain, potentially invoking civil penalties or criminal fraud...
Crypto Mining Can Help Energy Volatility, Paradigm Responds to Policy Onslaught
U.S. lawmakers are proposing limits on data centers and crypto‑mining operations because of rising energy costs, but investment firm Paradigm argues Bitcoin mining can actually stabilize the grid. Paradigm’s report shows mining consumes only about 0.23% of global electricity and...
EU Crypto Reporting Goes Live and Netherlands Immediately Votes on 36% Bitcoin Tax – Even if You Don’t Sell
The Dutch House approved a Box 3 overhaul that will tax the annual change in value of liquid assets such as Bitcoin at a flat 36 % rate, effective Jan 1 2028 pending Senate approval. The regime treats crypto like a marked‑to‑market security, meaning...
Harvard Cuts Bitcoin Exposure by 20%, Adds New Ether Position
Harvard Management Company trimmed its Bitcoin exposure by roughly 21%, selling about 1.5 million shares of the iShares Bitcoin Trust and reducing the holding to $265.8 million. At the same time, the endowment made its first Ether investment, buying nearly 3.9 million shares...
Nexo Re-Enters the U.S. Market Three Years After Its ‘Dead End’ Exit
Digital‑asset platform Nexo has re‑entered the U.S. market, launching a suite of regulated services powered by Bakkt. The company returns with $11 billion in assets under management, offering fixed and flexible yield accounts, a crypto exchange, and crypto‑backed credit lines with...
Hoot Host’s Launch and Other Digital Transactions News Briefs From 2/16/26
Digital payments and real‑estate markets saw notable shifts on Feb. 16, 2026. Hoot Host rolled out an expanded SaaS platform integrating PayPal, Square and Stripe, while cryptocurrency exchange OKX obtained a Malta Payment Institution license to extend stablecoin payment services across the...
IBLOXX Studios Secures $5 Million for Global Expansion
iBLOXX Studios, a Dubai‑based Web3 game developer, announced it has raised over $5 million from undisclosed investors. The capital will fund global marketing, live‑operations, ongoing updates, and the development of console versions for its upcoming title *StrayShot*. *StrayShot* is a mobile‑first...
No One Has Cash to “Buy the Dip” But $7.7T Could Rotate Into Bitcoin if Prices Stay Beaten Down
A new analysis argues that most cash is already deployed, leaving little idle liquidity to "buy the dip" in risk assets. Retail portfolios show a cash allocation of 14.4% in January 2026, down from over 20% in 2022, while equity...
Hive, Riot Earnings Reports, Fed Rate-Decision Minutes: Crypto Week Ahead
This week’s crypto calendar is anchored by earnings from Hive Digital Technologies and Riot Platforms, both of which are expanding into high‑performance AI computing alongside their bitcoin‑mining operations. The Federal Reserve will release the FOMC minutes on Wednesday, accompanied by...
Monica Cash Highlights Three Years of Growth, Processing Over ₦500 Billion in Transactions
Monica Cash celebrated three years of uninterrupted service, processing more than ₦500 billion in crypto and everyday payment transactions. The platform has become Nigeria’s most trusted crypto app, offering instant bitcoin‑to‑naira and USDT‑to‑naira conversions alongside bill‑pay, airtime, and bank transfers. Its...
Metaplanet Operating Profit to Rise 81% in 2026 After Soaring 17-Fold Last Year on Options Writing
Metaplanet, Japan’s largest bitcoin treasury firm, posted a 17‑fold jump in operating profit to ¥6.28 bn in 2025, propelled by a surge in options‑writing premiums that lifted revenue 738% to ¥8.9 bn. Despite the earnings boom, a steep bitcoin price decline generated...
Busha Champions Stablecoins as a Catalyst for African Trade at Africa Tech Summit Nairobi
Busha, a leading African digital‑asset exchange, highlighted stablecoins as a catalyst for cross‑border trade at the Africa Tech Summit in Nairobi. COO Moyo Sodipo argued that the focus should move from speculation to infrastructure, emphasizing payroll, trade settlement and institutional...
WisdomTree : Crypto in 2026: From a Narrative Trade to an Institutional Portfolio Allocation
In 2026 crypto is shifting from a speculative narrative to a disciplined portfolio allocation. Institutional investors are accessing digital assets through exchange‑traded products and custodial solutions, which has compressed Bitcoin’s volatility. Staking on Ethereum and Solana now supplies native yield,...
Crypto Funds Log Fourth Week of Outflows at $173M as BTC Dips Below $70K
Crypto exchange‑traded products recorded a fourth straight week of net outflows, totaling $173 million last week. Bitcoin‑linked ETPs led the decline with $133 million withdrawn as Bitcoin fell below $70,000, briefly touching $65,000. While Ether funds also saw redemptions, XRP and Solana...
Willy Woo Warns Quantum Risk Is Eroding Bitcoin’s Edge over Gold
On‑chain analyst Willy Woo warns that the growing prospect of a quantum‑computing breakthrough – dubbed “Q‑Day” – is beginning to erode Bitcoin’s valuation edge over gold. He points to roughly 4 million lost BTC, about a quarter of the supply, whose public...
Binance Rolls Out Mastercard Crypto Card Across CIS
Binance has launched a Mastercard‑branded crypto debit card in the CIS region, allowing users to spend digital assets at any merchant that accepts Mastercard. The card supports instant conversion of major cryptocurrencies into fiat, with zero‑fee withdrawals and a 5%...
Cregis at iFX EXPO Dubai 2026: Shaping the Next Era of Enterprise Payments and Digital Asset Infrastructure
Cregis showcased its upgraded Cregis Payment Engine at iFX EXPO Dubai 2026, positioning the solution as a multi‑chain, multi‑currency platform for enterprise payments. The engine promises near‑real‑time cross‑border settlement, automated routing, and real‑time compliance monitoring, targeting use cases such as...
Stablecoin Payments Show Up at Checkout Despite Crypto Markets Slump
Despite a broad crypto market downturn, stablecoin‑linked cards are gaining traction at U.S. checkout counters. Monthly payment flows through these cards have surpassed $1.5 billion, and annualized spend now tops $18 billion. The growth is driven by card networks embedding stablecoins as...
Cradton Token: Forging Ahead with Groundbreaking Partnerships to Revolutionize Web3 Commerce
Cradton Token (CRN) is building a Web3‑enabled commerce platform by leveraging a suite of high‑impact partnerships. AI collaborations enhance review integrity and fraud detection, while exchange listings aim to boost liquidity and price stability. Merchant onboarding agreements promise plug‑and‑play integrations,...
OKX Snags European Payments License for Stablecoin and Crypto Card Expansion
OKX has obtained a Payments Institution (PI) licence in Malta, bringing the exchange into compliance with the EU’s upcoming Markets in Crypto‑Assets (MiCA) regulation and the revised Second Payment Services Directive (PSD2). The licence authorises OKX to offer stablecoin‑linked payment...
A Founder’s Guide to Launching a Token Project in a Competitive Market
The guide treats a token launch like a traditional IPO, stressing that investors now demand solid business models, compliance, and sustainable value. It walks founders through choosing the right blockchain, evaluating Layer 2 options, and deciding between no‑code generators and custom...
Bitcoin Down 22%, Could It Be the Worst Q1 Since 2018?
Bitcoin has fallen 22.3% this year, dropping from about $87,700 to $68,000, positioning it for the worst first‑quarter performance since 2018. The decline includes the first consecutive January‑February losses in the asset’s history, a pattern previously seen only in deep‑down...
Bitpanda Teams Up with LuLu Financing Holdings to Support Digital Assets Trading
Bitpanda has partnered with LuLu Financial Holdings to embed regulated crypto trading into LuLuFin's existing digital and physical channels across the MENA, APAC and Indian subcontinent regions. Leveraging Bitpanda’s VARA‑compliant brokerage infrastructure, LuLuFin users will be able to buy, sell...
Russians Move $129B in Crypto Yearly ‘Outside Our Attention’: Official
Russia’s finance ministry and central bank are pressing the government to accelerate crypto‑market regulation as daily transactions reach roughly 50 billion rubles (about $648 million), equating to $129 billion annually. Deputy Finance Minister Ivan Chebeskov warned that most activity occurs outside the regulated...
Bahrain Courts Stablecoin Issuers as AlloyX Taps Fintech Hub
AlloyX, a digital‑asset infrastructure firm owned by Solowin Holdings, has partnered with Bahrain FinTech Bay to develop a regulated stablecoin in the Gulf. The collaboration gives AlloyX access to Bahrain's fintech ecosystem while it seeks regulatory approval under the Central...