Bhutan Moves $22M in Bitcoin as Crypto Slumps, Mining Conditions Toughen
Bhutan transferred $22.3 million worth of Bitcoin to market maker QCP Capital, signaling a sale amid a prolonged price slump. The nation’s holdings have shrunk from a peak of 13,295 BTC to about 5,700 BTC, reflecting reduced mining output since 2023. Mining costs per coin have roughly doubled after the 2024 halving, and hydro‑powered production has fallen sharply. The sell‑off occurs as Bitcoin’s price is down over 42% from its all‑time high, and network hash‑rate pressures intensify.
Crypto Wallet Provider Payy Launches Privacy-Focused Ethereum L2
Payy has unveiled a privacy‑enabled Ethereum layer‑2 that automatically shields ERC‑20 transfers without requiring smart‑contract modifications. The network plugs into MetaMask and any EVM‑compatible wallet, positioning itself as a turnkey solution for institutions, fintech firms, and crypto‑savvy users. Payy highlights...
Startale, SBI Launch Blockchain for Institutional FX, RWA Trading
Startale Group and SBI Holdings have unveiled Strium, a layer‑1 blockchain aimed at institutional foreign‑exchange, tokenized equities, and real‑world asset trading. The network will initially support synthetic US and Japanese stocks before expanding to tokenized shares and asset‑backed tokens, subject...
US Won't 'Bail Out' Bitcoin, Says Treasury Secretary Bessent
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told Congress the government will not bail out Bitcoin or direct banks to buy it, confirming he lacks authority. He noted the seized Bitcoin reserve grew from $500 million to over $15 billion. The strategic reserve, created...
Bitnomial Launches First US-Regulated Tezos Futures, Allowing Retail Exposure to XTZ
Chicago‑based Bitnomial has introduced the first CFTC‑regulated futures contracts for Tezos (XTZ), allowing both institutional and retail traders to gain price exposure using crypto or U.S. dollar margin. The launch marks the inaugural futures market for XTZ in the United...
Fireblocks to Integrate Stacks for Institutional-Grade Bitcoin DeFi
Fireblocks announced it will integrate the Stacks layer‑2 protocol to give institutional clients access to Bitcoin‑based DeFi lending and yield products. Stacks processes transactions in roughly five seconds, sidestepping Bitcoin’s ten‑minute block time while still anchoring finality on the Bitcoin...
What Dubai’s Ban on Monero and Zcash Signals for Regulated Crypto
Dubai's DFSA prohibited licensed firms in the DIFC from trading, marketing or packaging privacy‑focused tokens such as Monero and Zcash, though private ownership remains allowed. The rule reflects growing global AML pressure, aligning Dubai with upcoming EU restrictions and US...
Bitcoin-Native USDT Protocol Joins CTDG Dev Hub
Utexo, a Bitcoin-native USDT protocol, has been added to the Cointelegraph Decentralization Guardians (CTDG) Dev Hub. The project combines the Lightning Network’s fast, low‑fee payment channels with the RGB protocol’s client‑side asset model to issue and transfer USDT directly on...
Crypto VC Funding Doubled in 2025 as RWA Tokenization Took the Lead
Venture capital investment in crypto startups surged to over $34 billion in 2025, doubling the previous year’s total. Investors shifted toward later‑stage financing, with seed rounds down 18% and Series B funding up 90%. Real‑world asset tokenization emerged as the leading narrative,...
Mercado Bitcoin Expands LatAm RWA Push with $20M in Rootstock Private Credit
Mercado Bitcoin has launched over $20 million of tokenized private‑credit assets on the Bitcoin sidechain Rootstock, marking a key step in its real‑world asset (RWA) strategy. The platform plans to expand issuances to $100 million by April, adding to its multichain roadmap...
Arbitrum, Optimism and Base Weigh in After Vitalik Questions L2 Scaling Model
Ethereum co‑founder Vitalik Buterin warned that L2s can no longer serve as the primary scaling engine, urging a shift toward specialized rollups. He highlighted security gaps from multisig bridges and the base layer’s growing capacity via gas‑limit hikes and native...
Base Says Configuration Change Caused Transaction Delays, Fixes Issue
Base, Coinbase’s Ethereum layer‑2 network, experienced elevated transaction drops and delays over the weekend due to a mis‑configured transaction‑propagation setting that caused block builders to fetch unexecutable transactions as base fees rose. The network remained operational, and Base quickly rolled...
Bitwise to Acquire Crypto Staking Company Chorus One: Report
Bitwise Asset Management announced it will acquire institutional staking provider Chorus One, adding a major on‑chain yield operation to its suite. Chorus One currently oversees roughly $2.2 billion in assets staked across multiple decentralized networks. The acquisition arrives as demand for...
Polymarket, Kalshi Clash over Groceries as Prediction Markets Boom
Prediction‑market leaders Polymarket and Kalshi are battling for market share by offering free groceries in Manhattan. Kalshi handed out $50 grocery packs to 1,795 participants, while Polymarket will open "The Polymarket," New York’s first free grocery store, next Thursday and...
Stablecoin ‘Dust’ Txs on Ethereum Triple Post-Fusaka: Coin Metrics
Coin Metrics reports that stablecoin dusting attacks now make up 11% of Ethereum transactions and 26% of active addresses, a sharp rise after the December Fusaka upgrade lowered gas costs. Daily transaction volume has surpassed 2 million, peaking near 2.9 million in...
VistaShares Launches Treasury ETF with Options-Based Bitcoin Exposure
VistaShares introduced BTYB, an actively managed ETF listed on the NYSE that blends U.S. Treasury securities with Bitcoin‑linked exposure. About 80% of assets are invested in Treasury instruments while the remaining 20% is generated through a synthetic covered‑call strategy using...
World Liberty Launches $3.4B Stablecoin: How It Fits Into Onchain Credit Systems
World Liberty Financial launched World Liberty Markets, a DeFi lending platform built around its USD1 stablecoin, which now has a circulating supply of about $3.4 billion. The protocol uses smart contracts to let users deposit crypto assets as collateral and borrow...
Rails Taps Stellar to Launch Onchain Vaults for Institutional Derivatives Liquidity
Rails announced the launch of Institutional‑Grade Vaults on the Stellar network, enabling broker‑dealers and fintechs to access crypto perpetuals through a single backend. The solution separates the centralized matching engine from on‑chain custody, with client assets held in audited smart‑contract...
MetaMask Adds Tokenized US Stocks, ETFs, Commodities via Ondo
MetaMask is adding tokenized U.S. stocks, ETFs and commodities to its Ethereum‑based wallet through a partnership with Ondo Global Markets. Starting Tuesday, eligible non‑U.S. users can swap USDC for 1:1 Ondo tokens that track the value of 200 underlying assets....
Fireblocks Integrates Canton Network for Regulated Onchain Settlement
Fireblocks announced integration with the Canton Network, enabling its platform and NYDFS‑chartered trust entity to custody and settle Canton Coin on a privacy‑enabled, permissioned blockchain. The move lets banks, custodians and asset managers apply existing policy controls and workflow automation...
Spanish Red Cross Launches Privacy-First Blockchain Aid Platform
The Spanish Red Cross has launched RedChain, a blockchain‑based platform that issues ERC‑20 aid credits on Ethereum and tracks donations in real time. Beneficiary personal data remains off‑chain, while cryptographic hashes on the public ledger provide verifiable proof of disbursement....
Real-World Assets Don’t Need New Gatekeepers
Joaquin Mendes argues that tokenized real‑world assets (RWAs) are being built on permissioned or centralized blockchains, re‑creating traditional gatekeepers. He contends that regulatory compliance can be achieved on public rollups without sacrificing decentralization. Public rollups inherit Ethereum’s security, offering transparent,...
Bitcoin Borrowing Shifts From Short-Term Liquidity to Long-Term Planning: Xapo
Xapo Bank’s 2025 Digital Wealth Report shows that over half of its Bitcoin‑backed loans were issued with 365‑day terms, indicating a shift from short‑term liquidity to long‑term financial planning. While new loan creation slowed in late 2025, outstanding balances continued...
Nevada Court Hits Polymarket with Temporary Restraining Order, Tests CFTC Control
A Nevada judge issued a 14‑day temporary restraining order against Polymarket, barring the prediction‑market platform from offering event‑based contracts to state residents. The ruling relies on Nevada gambling statutes, classifying Polymarket’s sports and other event markets as unlicensed wagering rather...
DOJ-Released Emails Suggest Epstein Made $3.2M Coinbase Investment in 2014
U.S. Justice Department emails reveal that Jeffrey Epstein’s network invested roughly $3.25 million in Coinbase in 2014, acquiring 195,910 Series C shares when the exchange was valued at $400 million. The stake was held through LLCs linked to Epstein and later sold in...
Cathie Wood’s ARK Boosts Crypto Shares Amid Stock Pullback
Cathie Wood’s ARK Invest increased its crypto‑linked stock exposure by roughly $27 million, buying shares of Robinhood, Circle, Block, BitMine, Coinbase and Bullish. The purchases were made through its ARK Innovation (ARKK), ARK Blockchain & Fintech Innovation (ARKF) and ARK Next...
Bitcoin May Fall to $56K as Reasons for Gains ‘Remain Hard to Find’: Galaxy
Galaxy Digital analyst Alex Thorn warns that Bitcoin could fall to the $70,000 supply‑gap bottom and test its realized price near $56,000, as catalysts remain scarce. The cryptocurrency recently rose 3 % to just under $78,500 but is still 39 % below...
Tether Releases Open-Source Operating System for Bitcoin Mining
Tether has unveiled MiningOS, an open‑source Bitcoin mining operating system released under the Apache 2.0 license. The modular stack is designed to scale from a home rig to industrial‑grade facilities and communicates via a peer‑to‑peer network, eliminating centralised services. By offering...
Fenwick Agrees to Settle Lawsuit over Law Firm’s Alleged Role in FTX Fraud
Fenwick & West reached a proposed settlement with FTX users over a lawsuit alleging the firm helped facilitate the crypto exchange's fraud. The parties will file the settlement with a Florida federal court on Feb. 27, though the terms remain confidential....
ISM Manufacturing PMI at 40-Month High: Analysts Say BTC Could Benefit
The Institute for Supply Management’s Manufacturing PMI jumped to 52.6 in January, its strongest reading since August 2022 and ending a 26‑month contraction streak. The expansion signal, well above the 50‑point threshold, caught investors’ attention as a gauge of U.S. economic...
NY Prosecutors Raise Alarm over GENIUS Act on Fraud: Report
New York Attorney General Letitia James and four district attorneys sent a letter warning that the federal GENIUS Act, signed by former President Donald Trump, fails to curb stablecoin fraud and could give issuers like Tether and Circle legal cover...
Why India Wants the E-Rupee to Move Beyond Borders
India’s central bank digital currency, the e‑rupee, is transitioning from a domestic pilot to a strategic tool for cross‑border payments. The RBI is exploring bilateral and multilateral CBDC corridors, especially with BRICS partners, to enable direct settlement of trade, tourism...
South Korean Watchdog Expands AI Systems to Track Crypto Manipulation
South Korea’s Financial Supervisory Service upgraded its Virtual Assets Intelligence System for Trading Analysis (VISTA) with an automated detection algorithm that can identify price‑manipulation windows without human input. The new sliding‑window grid search scans every sub‑period in trading data, reproducing...
No, the UK Hasn’t Completely Flopped on Crypto
Despite years of criticism, the United Kingdom remains Western Europe's largest crypto economy, with active retail participation and Coinbase ranking it second only to the United States. Recent policy shifts—such as the re‑introduction of crypto exchange‑traded products, accelerated regulator approvals,...
Hong Kong to Grant First Stablecoin Issuer Licenses in March: Report
Hong Kong’s monetary regulator, the HKMA, announced it will grant its first stablecoin issuer licences in March, marking the first approvals under the Stablecoin Ordinance that took effect in August 2025. The regulator said only a very small number of...
Crypto Stolen Hit $370M in January, Quadrupling Year on Year: CertiK
Crypto theft surged to $370.3 million in January 2026, a near‑four‑fold rise from a year earlier, according to security firm CertiK. A single phishing scam accounted for $284 million of the loss, while phishing overall stole $311.3 million. The month’s biggest individual hacks...
Buterin Pitches DAOs, Prediction Markets to Reward Content Creators
Ethereum co‑founder Vitalik Buterin unveiled a creator‑token model that merges decentralized autonomous organizations with prediction‑market mechanics to reward high‑quality content. Creators would apply to curated DAOs that vote on admission, and accepted tokens could be burned to create scarcity, raising their...
BitRiver CEO Arrested for Alleged Tax Concealment: Reports
Russian Bitcoin mining firm BitRiver’s founder and CEO Igor Runets was detained on Friday and charged with three counts of tax evasion for allegedly concealing assets. A Moscow court placed him under house arrest, with a brief window to appeal...
Crypto Selloff Is Likely Due to US Liquidity Drought: Analyst
Crypto markets shed roughly $250 billion in market capitalization over the weekend, a decline analyst Raoul Pal attributes to a US liquidity crunch rather than sector‑specific weakness. He points to the parallel slide in SaaS stocks, noting both asset classes depend on...
Crypto Protocol CrossCurve Under Attack, $3M Reportedly Exploited
CrossCurve, a cross‑chain bridge protocol, confirmed a security breach that resulted in roughly $3 million being stolen across several blockchain networks. The exploit targeted a smart‑contract vulnerability that allowed attackers to spoof cross‑chain messages and unlock tokens without proper validation. CrossCurve...
UAE Firm Bought 49% of Trump-Linked Crypto Startup for $500M: WSJ
A UAE‑backed vehicle, Aryam Investment 1, agreed to purchase a 49% stake in World Liberty Financial for $500 million, with $187 million paid upfront to Trump‑family entities. The deal, signed by Eric Trump, links Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan to the crypto startup...
Sam Bankman-Fried Turns up Trump Support Following Ellison’s Release
Disgraced FTX founder Sam Bankman‑Fried intensified his public support for former President Donald Trump on X, praising Trump’s stance on crypto and recent foreign‑policy actions. The comments came days after former Alameda CEO Caroline Ellison was released from prison following a...
BitMine Immersion Faces $6B Paper Loss as Ether Sell-Off Deepens
BitMine Immersion Technologies, a public crypto‑treasury firm tied to Tom Lee, now holds over 4.24 million ETH valued at roughly $9.6 billion. The surge in Ether’s price drop to about $2,300 has pushed its unrealized loss to more than $6 billion, down from...
VC Roundup: Crypto Funding Rebounds as Institutions Test Onchain Finance
Venture capital and institutional investors poured $1.4 billion into digital‑asset companies in early 2026, highlighted by Visa‑linked stablecoin issuer Rain’s $250 million raise at a $1.9 billion valuation and BitGo’s $200 million‑plus NYSE IPO. On‑chain finance startups such as Bitway, Everything, Veera and Prometheum...
US Treasury Sanctions Iran-Linked Crypto Exchanges for First Time
The U.S. Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has sanctioned two UK‑registered cryptocurrency exchanges, Zedcex Exchange Ltd. and Zedxion Exchange Ltd., marking the first time a digital‑asset platform has been targeted under the Iran sanctions regime. The designations cite...
Coinbase Insider Trading Lawsuit Against Armstrong, Directors Moves Forward
A Delaware Chancery Court judge refused to dismiss a shareholder lawsuit accusing Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong and board member Marc Andreessen of insider trading surrounding the company's 2021 direct listing. The complaint alleges insiders sold roughly $2.9 billion of stock, including...
European Commission Calls on 12 Countries to Implement Crypto Tax Rules
The European Commission will issue formal notices to twelve EU member states for not fully applying the bloc’s new crypto‑asset tax reporting rules, giving them two months to respond before a possible reasoned opinion. The directive, aligned with the OECD’s...
Changpeng Zhao Rejects Claims Binance Worsened Crypto Market Crash
Former Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao publicly refuted claims that Binance was a primary driver of the October 10, 2025 crypto market crash that erased roughly $19 billion in positions. He called the accusations “far‑fetched” and emphasized he speaks only as a shareholder, not...
Kraken-Backed SPAC Raises $345M in Upsized Nasdaq IPO
Kraken-backed KRAKacquisition Corp completed an upsized $345 million IPO, selling 34.5 million units at $10 each on Nasdaq under the ticker KRAQU. Each unit comprises one Class A ordinary share and a quarter of a redeemable warrant exercisable at $11.50 per share. The...
Why Proof-of-Reserves Alone Doesn’t Build Real Trust
Proof‑of‑reserves (PoR) lets crypto exchanges publicly prove on‑chain asset holdings at a specific moment. However, PoR typically omits full liability data, offers only a point‑in‑time snapshot, and cannot confirm solvency, liquidity, or unencumbered reserves. Regulators and auditors stress that PoR...