News•Feb 20, 2026
South Korean Authorities Under Fire over $43B Bithumb Bitcoin Error
South Korean lawmakers have intensified criticism of the Financial Services Commission after Bithumb mistakenly credited users with 620,000 Bitcoin—far exceeding the intended 2,000 Korean won per user—during a Feb. 6 promotion. The error triggered a brief sell‑off and forced Bithumb to recover most of the phantom assets, leaving only 125 BTC unrecovered. The regulator’s probe, originally slated to finish by Feb. 13, has been pushed to the end of the month, highlighting perceived gaps in oversight. Repeated payout mishaps at Bithumb and past custodial losses have amplified concerns about the country’s digital‑asset governance.
By Cointelegraph
News•Feb 20, 2026
Divest Launches V3, Expands Beyond Crypto-to-Cash to Build a Smarter Way to Move Money Across Africa
Divest, a Nigerian fintech known for crypto‑to‑cash services, has unveiled Divest V3, an integrated platform that combines fiat Money Exchange with its existing crypto conversion engine. The dual‑experience design lets users move cash and digital assets through a single interface,...
By Techpoint Africa
News•Feb 20, 2026
Bitcoin Difficulty Jumps 15% Largest Increase Since 2021, Despite Price Slump
Bitcoin mining difficulty jumped 15% to 144.4 trillion, the steepest rise since the 2021 China ban, as the network’s hashrate recovered to 1 zettahash per second. The rebound occurs despite Bitcoin’s price hovering around $67,000 and hashprice sinking to a multi‑year low...
By CoinDesk
News•Feb 20, 2026
Parsec Shuts Down Amid Ongoing Crypto Market Volatility
On‑chain analytics firm Parsec announced it is shutting down after five years, citing a mismatch between its DeFi and NFT focus and the current market environment. The company pointed to a sharp contraction in on‑chain activity, including a 37% drop...
By Cointelegraph
News•Feb 20, 2026
WTF Is a Creator Capital Market?
Creator capital markets (CCMs) are emerging as a way for influencers to monetize future earnings through equity, revenue‑sharing tokens, or meme‑coins. Early platforms like GigaStar have raised millions by offering fans a stake in YouTube ad revenue, while crypto launchpads...
By Digiday
News•Feb 20, 2026
Fed’s Kashkari Lashes Crypto and Stablecoins, Praises AI
Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis President Neel Kashkari told the Midwest Economic Outlook summit that crypto is “utterly useless” compared with artificial intelligence, which he sees as delivering real economic value. He dismissed stablecoins as a “buzzword salad,” questioning any...
By Cointelegraph
News•Feb 20, 2026
Coin Center Highlights Decisive Shift in Congressional Debates Over Digital Assets Market Structure
Coin Center’s executive director Peter Van Valkenburgh says the Senate is now confronting the core issue of the Digital Asset Market CLARITY Act – whether developers of non‑custodial blockchain infrastructure will receive legal protection under the Blockchain Regulatory Certainty Act....
By Crowdfund Insider
News•Feb 20, 2026
DBA Secures $68 Million for Second Crypto Venture Fund
New York‑based venture firm DBA announced the close of its second crypto fund at $68 million, expanding on the $50 million raised for Fund I in 2023. The 10‑year closed‑end vehicle will invest across blockchain infrastructure, decentralized exchanges, stablecoins, ICO platforms and prediction...
By Ventureburn
News•Feb 19, 2026
Ethereum Foundation Sets 2026 Protocol Priorities
The Ethereum Foundation released its 2026 protocol roadmap, emphasizing scalability, user experience, and security. It aims to raise the gas limit beyond 100 million, advance account abstraction, and improve interoperability while hardening Layer 1 against attacks. The plan follows the June 2025 establishment...
By The Defiant
News•Feb 19, 2026
Aptos Pivots Tokenomics Towards Performance-Driven Deflation
Aptos announced a shift to performance‑driven tokenomics, capping APT at 2.1 billion and locking 210 million tokens permanently. The proposal raises gas fees tenfold while keeping them among the world’s cheapest, and halves the base staking reward to 2.6 %. These changes aim...
By The Defiant
News•Feb 19, 2026
Hack VC-Backed Nillion to Shut Down Its Chain on Cosmos, Shift Focus to Ethereum
Nillion announced that its privacy‑focused NilChain will cease operations on Cosmos on March 23 and migrate to Ethereum. The move follows a brief 10% rally in the NIL token, which now trades around $0.053. NilChain’s shutdown mirrors a wider exodus from...
By The Defiant
News•Feb 19, 2026
Stablecoins Expand in Payments, Yet Most Activity Remains Internal
The episode examines a McKinsey-Artemis Analytics report showing that while stablecoins process roughly $35 trillion a year, only about $390 billion is tied to real‑world payments, with most activity still internal to exchanges, custodians, and protocols. External payment use is growing fast,...
By PaymentsJournal
News•Feb 19, 2026
Exclusive: Eric Trump Calls Maldives Hotel First of Many Real Estate Tokenization Projects
World Liberty Financial announced the tokenization of loan revenue from the Trump International Hotel & Resort in the Maldives, marking the first project in a broader on‑chain real‑estate strategy. The initiative is being built with real‑estate developer DarGlobal and tokenization...
By The Defiant
News•Feb 19, 2026
CoinShares Bitcoin ETF Guide Helps Advisors
CoinShares introduced a new education series, “Digital Assets: The Advisors’ Brief,” to help financial advisors understand Bitcoin ETFs. The guide highlights that spot Bitcoin ETF assets topped $27 billion in early 2025, underscoring growing client demand. Contributors note reduced volatility—under 50%...
By ETF Trends (VettaFi)
News•Feb 19, 2026
Etherfi, Scroll’s Top Fee-Generator, Leaves for Optimism
Etherfi, a decentralized neobank and crypto‑card issuer, announced it will migrate its Cash accounts, over 70,000 active cards and roughly 300,000 user accounts from Scroll to Optimism’s OP Mainnet. The move will shift about $160 million in total value locked and...
By The Defiant
News•Feb 19, 2026
Anchorage Digital Launches Regulated 'Stablecoin Solutions'
Anchorage Digital has introduced Stablecoin Solutions, a federally regulated service that lets banks settle USD transactions globally in near‑real time via blockchain. The offering bundles minting, redemption, custody, treasury and settlement under Anchorage Digital Bank, N.A., overseen by the OCC,...
By The Defiant
News•Feb 19, 2026
Warren Warns Fed, Treasury Against Crypto Bailout
Senate Banking Committee ranking member Elizabeth Warren sent a letter to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell demanding a written commitment that the government will not bail out the crypto industry. She cited Bitcoin’s roughly 50%...
By American Banker
News•Feb 19, 2026
PayPal’s PYUSD Supply Crosses $4 Billion
PayPal’s PYUSD stablecoin surpassed a $4 billion market capitalization, cementing its status among the largest digital dollars. On Arbitrum One, PYUSD’s circulating supply rose to roughly $256 million, making it the fourth‑largest stablecoin on the layer‑2 network. The surge is linked to...
By The Defiant
News•Feb 19, 2026
Solinex Reviews: Who Can Track Down and Recover Stolen Funds in the Era of Digital Risks?
Solinex, a specialist law firm, offers a full‑service model that merges legal counsel, cryptocurrency analytics, and international coordination to track and recover stolen digital assets. The firm reports a 97% case completion rate and has served over 4,800 clients in...
By The European Financial Review
News•Feb 19, 2026
CME Group to Launch 24/7 Crypto Futures and Options Trading
CME Group announced that its regulated cryptocurrency futures and options will trade continuously, 24 hours a day, seven days a week starting May 29, 2026. The move follows a record $3 trillion in notional volume for CME’s crypto products in 2025. Average daily...
By FX News Group — Feed
News•Feb 19, 2026
KYA Now
The episode explores the emerging "Know Your Agent" (KYA) paradigm, arguing that the next bottleneck in the agentic economy is identity rather than intelligence. Drawing on insights from Sean Neville of Circle and recent industry reports, the host explains how...
By 15Mb
News•Feb 19, 2026
TRADE Talks: Prescient Investment Management’s Cheree Dyers
Prescient Investment Management’s Cheree Dyers argues that digital assets and tokenised instruments can boost capital efficiency and settlement speed, but only if they dovetail with existing custody, clearing and regulatory frameworks. She highlights that faster, near‑real‑time settlement reduces counter‑party exposure,...
By The TRADE News – Markets/Derivatives Trading
News•Feb 19, 2026
Which Blockchains Are Best for Web3 Crypto Domains?
Web3 crypto domains, minted as NFTs, are emerging as portable digital identities that replace long wallet addresses. The choice of blockchain—Ethereum, Polygon, Solana, Base, or Handshake—directly influences cost, security, and ecosystem compatibility. Ethereum’s ENS remains the most widely adopted, offering...
By IT News Africa
News•Feb 18, 2026
Okay, So You've Got a Stablecoin…
In a recent episode of This Week in Fintech, Paxos Labs CEO Bhau Kotecha outlined the firm’s vision for stablecoins and tokenized finance. He noted that enterprises typically enter crypto by integrating stablecoins for payments or enabling crypto trading, then...
By This Week in Fintech
News•Feb 18, 2026
Canadian Fintech Investment Down Nearly 75% Last Year, After Record-High 2024
Canadian fintech investment plunged 75% in 2025, falling to US$2.4 billion across 113 deals, down from a record US$9.9 billion in 2024. AI and digital‑asset firms dominated the reduced deal flow, while later‑stage platforms attracted the bulk of capital. The three biggest...
By Financial Post — Finance
News•Feb 18, 2026
🎙️ Ep 19: Why Building a Global Venmo with Stablecoins Is Still Hard W/ Mike Hudack (Sling)
The Money Code episode with Sling’s Mike Hudack explains why building a global Venmo‑style app with stablecoins remains challenging. While stablecoins provide a unified ledger that eases cross‑border transfers, the real work lies in local on‑ramps, identity verification, fraud prevention,...
By This Week in Fintech
News•Feb 18, 2026
Cryptojacking Campaign Exploits Driver to Boost Monero Mining
Security firm Trellix uncovered a new cryptojacking operation that spreads through pirated software installers and installs a customized XMRig miner. The malware uses a controller named Explorer.exe for persistence and a signed driver (WinRing0x64.sys, CVE‑2020‑14979) to gain kernel access, boosting...
By Infosecurity Magazine
News•Feb 18, 2026
Stripe’s Bridge Wins OCC Conditional Approval
Stripe’s Bridge subsidiary received conditional approval from the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency for a national trust bank charter, filed in October and approved on Feb. 12. The charter would let Bridge issue stablecoins, custody digital assets, and manage...
By Payments Dive
News•Feb 18, 2026
Zodia Custody and LMAX Group Launch ‘Zodia Switch’ to Streamline Institutional Asset Swaps
Zodia Custody and LMAX Group have introduced Zodia Switch, a custody‑native trading feature that lets institutional clients swap ERC‑20 tokens directly from their secure wallets. The solution leverages LMAX’s execution venues, eliminating the need to pre‑fund external trading accounts and...
By The Fintech Times
News•Feb 18, 2026
American Crypto Holders Are Scared and Confused About This Year’s New IRS Tax Rules
A poll of 1,000 U.S. crypto investors shows more than half fear IRS penalties as the Treasury rolls out Form 1099‑DA, which forces exchanges to automatically report transaction proceeds. The new rule shifts tax compliance from self‑disclosure to broker‑driven reporting,...
By CoinDesk
News•Feb 18, 2026
From 2016 Hack to $150M Endowment: The DAO’s Second Act Focuses on Ethereum Security
A decade after the 2016 DAO hack, the DAO Security Fund will stake roughly 75,000 dormant ETH—now worth about $150 million—to generate yield for Ethereum security initiatives. The fund will keep claims open indefinitely for original token holders and shift from...
By CoinDesk
News•Feb 18, 2026
Milo Tops $100 Million in Crypto-Backed Mortgages, Closes Record $12 Million Deal
Milo, a U.S. crypto‑lending firm, has originated more than $100 million in crypto‑backed mortgages, highlighted by a record $12 million loan. The company operates in ten states and offers loans up to $25 million secured by Bitcoin or Ether, with interest starting at...
By CoinDesk
News•Feb 18, 2026
Bitcoin Holds Near $68,000 as Volatility Cools, WLFI Jumps Ahead of Mar-a-Lago Forum
Bitcoin hovered around $68,000 on Wednesday, trading within a $65,100‑$72,000 band since Feb 6 as volatility and funding rates cooled. Open interest held steady at $15.5 billion, while the options market showed a balanced call‑put split and eased skew. The Trump‑backed WLFI...
By CoinDesk
News•Feb 18, 2026
Wells Fargo Sees ‘YOLO’ Trade Driving $150B Into Bitcoin and Risk Assets
Wells Fargo analyst Ohsung Kwon predicts that a surge in U.S. tax refunds could channel up to $150 billion into risk‑on assets, notably equities and Bitcoin, by the end of March. The influx is tied to a revival of the retail “YOLO”...
By Cointelegraph
News•Feb 18, 2026
BlackRock to Skim 18% of Staked Ethereum ETF Rewards From Investors — and ETHB Exits Could Take Weeks
BlackRock’s iShares Staked Ethereum Trust ETF (ETHB) will aim to keep 70%‑95% of its ether staked, generating yield while maintaining a 5%‑30% unstaked liquidity sleeve for creations, redemptions and expenses. The prospectus reveals an 18% skim of gross staking rewards...
By CryptoSlate
News•Feb 18, 2026
Bitcoin ETFs Log $105M Outflows as Mystery IBIT Buyer Surfaces
US spot Bitcoin ETFs recorded a $104.9 million net outflow on Tuesday, with total trading volume collapsing to just over $3 billion—an 80% drop from the February 5 record. Jane Street emerged as the second‑largest buyer of BlackRock’s iShares Bitcoin ETF (IBIT), adding...
By Cointelegraph
News•Feb 18, 2026
Lesser-Known Cryptocurrencies: A Guide for UK Traders
The article guides UK traders through the world of lesser‑known cryptocurrencies, highlighting assets like Cardano that offer niche technology and sustainability benefits. It explains how these tokens differ from Bitcoin and Ethereum in terms of market adoption, liquidity, and volatility....
By Finance Monthly
News•Feb 18, 2026
SARS Turns Screws on Crypto Tax-Dodgers
South Africa’s tax authority, SARS, has released its domestic Crypto Asset Reporting Framework (CARF), outlining how crypto‑related transactions will be reported and shared with tax authorities. The framework mandates crypto‑asset service providers to gather detailed user and transaction data and...
By ITWeb (South Africa) – Public Sector
News•Feb 18, 2026
LAX Signals Infrastructure Preparation for Adaptive Risk Mitigation in Crypto Payments
Crypto payment volumes are rising, prompting LAX to launch an infrastructure preparation initiative focused on adaptive risk mitigation. The program will reinforce LAX’s internal payment architecture to dynamically assess transaction flows, adjust processing in real time, and respond to network...
By TechBullion
News•Feb 18, 2026
Crypto Gone? 2026 Blueprint for Blockchain Recovery
The guide outlines a step‑by‑step blueprint for recovering lost or stolen crypto, distinguishing between exchange lockouts, scams, and lost seed phrases. It explains practical actions such as identity verification for exchanges, rapid blockchain tracing for theft, and systematic searches for...
By TechBullion
News•Feb 18, 2026
Piero Cipollone: Digital Euro
ECB Executive Board member Piero Cipollone outlined the digital euro roadmap, confirming that the current preparation phase began in November 2025 and a pilot is slated for mid‑2027. The ECB aims for a first issuance in 2029, contingent on EU legislators...
By European Central Bank — Press/Speeches
News•Feb 18, 2026
Peter Thiel’s Founders Fund Dumps ETHZilla Stake as ETH Treasuries Face Pressure
Peter Thiel’s Founders Fund has completely divested its 7.5% stake in ETHZilla, the former 180 Life Sciences company that rebranded to run an Ether‑focused treasury. The stake, worth about $40 million when disclosed in August 2025, is now reported as zero...
By Cointelegraph
News•Feb 18, 2026
royalwelt.com Bewertungen Expands Integrated Multi-Asset Trading Infrastructure Amid Rising Cross-Market Participation
Royalwelt.com announced a major upgrade to its multi‑asset trading platform, adding modular infrastructure that supports both equities and digital assets within a single interface. The enhancement boosts computational bandwidth, reduces latency, and introduces distributed processing nodes that maintain order sequencing...
By TechBullion
News•Feb 18, 2026
Bitcoin Losing $70,000 Is a Warning Sign for Further Downside
Bitcoin slipped below $68,000, breaking the short‑term support that held the market steady in early February. The breach opens the path to lower levels near $65,000 and potentially $60,000 if sellers remain aggressive. Major cryptocurrencies fell up to 3 % while...
By CoinDesk
News•Feb 18, 2026
Bitcoin’s Tech Stock Divergence Is a ‘Fire Alarm’ for Fiat: Arthur Hayes
Arthur Hayes warns that Bitcoin’s recent decoupling from tech‑heavy Nasdaq signals an AI‑driven credit crunch that could force central banks to resume large‑scale money printing. He estimates a 20% cut in U.S. knowledge‑worker jobs could wipe out $557 billion of consumer‑credit...
By Cointelegraph
News•Feb 18, 2026
Standard Chartered Partners with B2C2 to Enhance Institutional Crypto Access
Standard Chartered has teamed up with digital‑asset liquidity provider B2C2 to create a seamless bridge between traditional banking infrastructure and crypto markets. The alliance will give institutional investors—such as asset managers, hedge funds, corporates and family offices—direct access to spot...
By The Fintech Times
News•Feb 18, 2026
Coin Center Urges Senate Not to Axe Crypto Developer Protection Bill
Coin Center has written to the Senate Banking Committee urging the advancement of the Blockchain Regulatory Certainty Act (BRCA), a bill that would exempt crypto developers and infrastructure providers who don’t control user funds from money‑transmitter classification. The latest draft,...
By Cointelegraph
News•Feb 18, 2026
Financial Crime and Money Laundering Risks in Digital Assets
Regulators are increasingly focused on financial‑crime and money‑laundering risks tied to digital assets as cryptocurrency adoption accelerates worldwide. Anonymity, multiple accounts, unauthorized usage, illegal payments and sanctions breaches are identified as core vulnerabilities. Sources such as FATF lists, public legal...
By Financial Crime Academy – Blog
News•Feb 18, 2026
Stripe-Owned Bridge Clears OCC Hurdle for Federal Bank Charter
Stripe‑owned Bridge announced it has secured conditional approval from the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency to organize a federally chartered national trust bank. The charter, once fully granted, will let Bridge offer digital‑asset custody, stablecoin issuance, and reserve‑management...
By PYMNTS
News•Feb 18, 2026
Smart Contracts Auditing Process
Smart contract auditing is a critical pre‑deployment step that safeguards blockchain applications by uncovering coding errors and security vulnerabilities. The process follows a structured workflow—from specification gathering and automated scanning to manual line‑by‑line analysis, functional testing, and iterative remediation—culminating in...
By Financial Crime Academy – Blog