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Bitcoin briefly sank to sub $63,000 levels earlier today taking the rest of the market with it. Still, fundamentally XRP, Bitcoin and Ethereum remain unchallenged in their niches.

Here’s a closer look at the dominant narratives shaping their headlines and chart formations suggesting rapid recoveries before summer.

Discover: The best meme coins in the world right now.

XRP (XRP): Ripple’s Expanding Blockchain Strategy Puts $5 in Sight

XRP ($XRP) commands a market capitalization of $81 billion, reinforcing its position as the biggest player in global crypto payments.

Ripple built the XRP Ledger (XRPL) to upgrade cross-border transactions by delivering near-instant settlement and minimal fees through blockchain infrastructure designed as an alternative to traditional systems like SWIFT. .

Ripple recently confirmed it is deepening its commitment to XRPL as a base layer for stablecoin issuance and tokenized real-world assets, while strengthening XRP’s utility as the ecosystem’s core liquidity token.

Beyond the crypto sector, both the United Nations Capital Development Fund and the White House have flagged XRP as potentially modernizing cross-border payment infrastructure.

Momentum accelerated after U.S. regulators approved spot XRP exchange-traded funds (ETFs), expanding compliant access for both institutional and retail investors.

Coupled with a developing bullish flag formation on price charts, these factors could drive XRP to $5 by Q2.

Bitcoin (BTC): Could a Fresh Record High Arrive This Summer?

Bitcoin ($BTC), the world’s largest cryptocurrency by market value, previously surged to an all-time high of $126,080 on October 6.

Subsequent volatility, fueled by geopolitical tensions surrounding possible U.S. military involvement in Iran and Greenland, triggered a sustained correction of 50%, pushing BTC below $63,000 today.

Bitcoin supporters’ “digital gold” narrative has attracted both institutional and retail capital seeking protection against inflation, fiat currency debasement and broader macroeconomic instability.

Increasing institutional exposure, easing sell pressure following the latest halving cycle, and expectations of clearer U.S. crypto regulation could reignite bullish momentum and set the stage for multiple record highs later this year.

Furthermore, if Donald Trump makes good on his Executive Order to establish a US Strategic Bitcoin Reserve, the move could further cement Bitcoin’s standing atop the market.

Ethereum (ETH): DeFi Leader Eyes a Return to Peak Levels

Ethereum ($ETH) remains the foundation of decentralized finance, with a market capitalization near $219 billion.

The Ethereum network supports approximately $52 billion TVL (TVL), maintaining its lead as the most economically active blockchain ecosystem.

In the event of a renewed bull cycle, ETH could test and potentially break above the $5,000 resistance area as early as June, surpassing its previous ATH of $4,946 recorded last August.

Over the longer term, Ethereum’s path toward five-figure valuations will depend on improved regulatory clarity in the United States and favorable macroeconomic trends. These conditions are critical for accelerating institutional adoption, particularly in stablecoins and tokenized real-world assets.

From a technical standpoint, ETH is trading beneath its 30-day moving average, while the relative strength index (RSI) is oversold at 29. For long-term bulls, this setup may represent a strategic accumulation window.

Bitcoin Hyper Brings Solana-Level Performance to Bitcoin

Although XRP, Bitcoin and Ethereum may still offer significant upside yet, history shows that outsized returns during bull markets often emerge from early-stage projects introducing meaningful innovation.

Bitcoin Hyper ($HYPER) enhances Bitcoin’s functionality by delivering performance comparable to Solana through a Layer-2 scaling solution. The protocol is designed to dramatically reduce transaction costs while maintaining Bitcoin’s base-layer security.

Participants can stake assets, earn yield, trade tokens and engage with smart contracts without transferring funds off the Bitcoin network.

With $31.5 million reportedly raised during its ongoing presale and rising interest from large investors and exchange platforms, $HYPER is quickly becoming one of the most closely watched crypto launches of the year.

Investors interested in securing $HYPER at its fixed presale price can visit the official Bitcoin Hyper website and connect a supported wallet such as Best Wallet.

Tokens can also be purchased using a bank card.

Visit the Official Website Here

The post Crypto Price Prediction Today 24 February – XRP, Bitcoin, Ethereum appeared first on Cryptonews.

Bitcoin just lost one of its biggest support engines.

U.S. spot ETFs have now recorded five straight weeks of net outflows, draining roughly $3.8B from the market in just over a month.

Nearly $400M was pulled in a single session, accelerating a trend that has quietly flipped the institutional narrative from accumulation to de-risking.

Source: Spot Bitcoin ETF Total Net Flows / TheBlock

This matters because ETF redemptions are mechanical. When investors pull capital, issuers must sell underlying BTC. That creates direct spot selling pressure. In a market already thin on bids, the impact compounds quickly.

BlackRock’s IBIT and Fidelity’s FBTC both saw notable withdrawals, signaling that the outflows are not isolated to smaller products.

The bigger issue is consistency. One bad day can be noise. Five consecutive weeks signal intent.

At the same time, miners have been raising liquidity, and at least one major mining firm recently cleared its entire Bitcoin balance sheet.

That adds supply exactly as ETF demand fades. The result is a liquidity vacuum, with fewer structural buyers left to absorb downside volatility.

Bitcoin Price Prediction: Is Bitcoin in a Death Spiral?

Bitcoin is sitting right on $64,000 after losing the triangle structure, which confirms short-term weakness.

The descending trendline is still capping price, and BTC has not reclaimed it. As long as price stays below that line and under $71,000, sellers control the lower time frames.

Source: BTCUSD / TradingView

Now all eyes are on $63,000. A clean break there exposes $60,000 as the next major demand zone. That is where buyers must step in to avoid a deeper flush.

ETF outflows and miner selling help explain the heavy structure. Demand has softened, and the breakdown reflects it. Still, on the higher time frame, BTC remains above the broader $60,000 macro base. That level keeps the long-term bullish structure intact.

If price stabilizes above $64,000 and reclaims the descending trendline, $71,000 comes back into play. Clear that, and $80,000 opens up. For now, short-term pressure dominates, but the bigger thesis survives while $60,000 holds.

New Bitcoin Presale Brings Solana Technology to The BTC Blockchain

Bitcoin Hyper ($HYPER) is a new presale built to make Bitcoin faster and cheaper to use.

This Bitcoin-focused Layer-2, powered by Solana technology, brings speed, lower fees, and real on-chain functionality while preserving Bitcoin’s core security.

It basically turns Bitcoin from just something you stare at on a chart into something you actually use, for payments, staking, and scalable apps.

And the traction is not just talk. The Bitcoin Hyper presale has already pulled in over $31 million, with $HYPER priced at $0.0136751 before the next increase.

Staking rewards are sitting at up to 37% right now.

If Bitcoin rips higher, Bitcoin Hyper rides that wave. If Bitcoin keeps chopping sideways, Bitcoin Hyper still captures activity. Either way, it does not need to sit around waiting for price to move.

To buy HYPER before it lists on exchanges, simply visit the official Bitcoin Hyper website and connect a wallet (such as Best Wallet).

Visit the Official Bitcoin Hyper Website Here

The post Bitcoin Price Prediction: $400 Million Suddenly Pulled From ETFs — Is Smart Money Quietly Exiting BTC? appeared first on Cryptonews.

Arizona just put XRP into state legislation. Senate Bill 1649 cleared the Senate Finance Committee in a 4–2 vote, advancing a proposal to create a Digital Assets Strategic Reserve Fund.

Unlike most state level crypto bills that focus only on Bitcoin, this one explicitly names XRP and DigiByte as eligible assets alongside BTC.

The bill does not authorize Arizona to buy crypto with taxpayer funds. Instead, it allows the state to hold digital assets seized or surrendered to it, rather than liquidating them immediately.

XRP added to Arizona digital reserve bill. After a 4–2 committee vote, the Arizona State Legislature advanced a bill that adds $XRP as an eligible asset in the proposed Digital Assets Strategic Reserve Fund pic.twitter.com/qcDUXPeyDP

— XRPcryptowolf (@XRPcryptowolf) February 22, 2026

The State Treasurer would have discretion to custody those assets securely or use qualified exchange-traded products. That distinction lowers the political risk.

Arizona’s move stands out because it breaks from the Bitcoin only narrative seen in other states. By including XRP, the bill acknowledges utility-focused networks, not just store-of-value assets.

The bill now heads to the Senate Rules Committee. If it passes both chambers, it would land on the Governor’s desk. A previous crypto investment bill was vetoed, but this version is structured differently to address those concerns.

For XRP, the significance is not immediate buying pressure. It is legitimacy. Being written into state reserve language signals that policymakers are increasingly willing to treat XRP as a recognized digital asset within public finance frameworks.

XRP Price Prediction: Could This Take XRP back Above $2.00?

XRP is still moving inside the descending channel and just tested the lower boundary near $1.30 again.

That level is critical. Buyers have defended it several times, stopping a clean drop toward $1.10.

The broader structure on this timeframe remains down. But repeated bounces at $1.30 hint that demand is forming.

Source: XRPUSD / TradingView

If XRP holds this base and pushes toward $1.61, that would mark the first real shift in momentum. A break above $1.61 opens room to $1.90, with $2.40 as the larger swing target.

If $1.30 breaks decisively, $1.10 becomes the next key support.

Longer term, increasing mentions of XRP in state-level reserve discussions add a constructive backdrop. It does not trigger an instant buying spree, but it strengthens the legitimacy narrative while support holds.

SUBBD (SUBBD) Gives Creators the Chance to Monetize AI-Generated Content

SUBBD ($SUBBD) is reshaping how creators make, share, and monetize their work by merging AI tools with blockchain technology in one seamless platform.

Instead of juggling multiple apps for generating content, editing, and posting, SUBBD lets users do all of this within the same ecosystem.

At its core, the $SUBBD token powers both users’ and creators’ entire experience. It also simplifies payments for subscriptions and exclusive features, while giving holders access to governance, staking rewards, and premium tools.

With over 2,000 influencers already on board and a combined following of 250 million, $SUBBD’s upside potential looks increasingly hard to ignore.

You can buy $SUBBD at its discounted presale price of $0.05662 by visiting the official SUBBD website.

Link up your wallet (e.g. Best Wallet) and either swap USDT or ETH for this token or use a bank card to invest.

Visit the Official SUBBD Website Here

The post XRP Price Prediction: Arizona Just Named XRP in a State Crypto Reserve Bill — Is Government Adoption Beginning? appeared first on Cryptonews.

Everyone is talking about the Citrini Research report that sent the market into a tailspin yesterday. Buried in its 7,000 words of wisdom is a huge buy signal for Solana and Ethereum Layer 2s.

The report, entitled The 2028 Global Intelligence Crisis, is a work of fiction that explores a future scenario in which AI disruption leads to what it describes as a “negative feedback loop with no natural brake”.

JUNE 2028.

The S&P is down 38% from its highs. Unemployment just printed 10.2%. Private credit is unraveling. Prime mortgages are cracking. AI didn’t disappoint. It exceeded every expectation.

What happened?​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​https://t.co/JzzwCrbJgS

— Citrini (@Citrini7) February 22, 2026

In short, AI is going to displace white collar workers at an unprecedented rate. It should have been obvious, but we waited until 2028 for the penny to drop…

“It should have been clear all along that a single GPU cluster in North Dakota generating the output previously attributed to 10,000 white-collar workers in midtown Manhattan is more economic pandemic than economic panacea. The velocity of money flatlined. The human-centric consumer economy, 70% of GDP at the time, withered. We probably could have figured this out sooner if we just asked how much money machines spend on discretionary goods. (Hint: it’s zero.)

“AI capabilities improved, companies needed fewer workers, white collar layoffs increased, displaced workers spent less, margin pressure pushed firms to invest more in AI, AI capabilities improved…”

Here’s what that looks like schematically:

Entering an age of abundant intelligence

There is no self-correction as we would expect to see in a typical cyclical recession.

It goes something like this: construction (or other economic activity) slows, rates adjust downwards, allowing businesses to return to expanding output, until overproduction kicks in again, and so on.

In the AI doom loop, AI improves, fewer workers are needed, fewer workers mean less spending, the economy weakens, companies invest in more AI to protect margins, AI gets even better, and the cycle repeats – there is no natural break.

We thought it was a sectoral story. I’m not in Software-as-a-Service (SaaS), so there’s no need to worry. But it is more than software. Much more. It was a comforting notion that AI would usher in an era of creative destruction, as seen in past technological assaults on the old ways of doing things.

Yes, AI will destroy jobs, but, as in the past, new jobs and hitherto unimagined industries would emerge to replace them.

Trouble is, according to Citrini’s scenario, AI is a story of human intelligence displacement. The entire white collar workforce is imperilled. It is the consequence of abundant intelligence.

The authors of the Cetrini report remind us that advanced economies like the US are service-based. The report breaks that down so everyone can understand:

“The US economy is a white-collar services economy. White-collar workers represented 50% of employment and drove roughly 75% of discretionary consumer spending. The businesses and jobs that AI was chewing up were not tangential to the US economy, they were the US economy.”

Unfortunately for all of us – white collar, blue collar, whatever – machines don’t buy stuff.

AI agents destroy intermediation – bye bye credit cards, hello stablecoins

The report makes a robust case for how consumer agents will end the age of intermediation.

AI agents operate autonomously on behalf of their human owners, which means they can find the best flight or hotel on the market with ease because they never get tired, don’t find anything monotonous or dull, and never sleep.

BIG WARNING: AI COULD PUSH GLOBAL ECONOMY INTO A RECESSION THIS DECADE.

And this will not happen by AI bubble burst, but rather by AI becoming bigger and better.

This is a scenario laid out by Citrini in their report, and here's why you should pay attention:

Right now, AI is… pic.twitter.com/FIu9PsZA2X

— Crypto Rover (@cryptorover) February 23, 2026

The days of companies relying on our laziness or inertia are numbered. Add ‘vibe coding’ to the mix, and a new wave of startups can spin up delivery services apps in a few weeks to compete with DoorDash et al, or automate workflow in a bespoke way that fits your corporate needs more performantly than say Monday. Everywhere, fees are being compressed to near zero.

And then we come to our friends, the banks. Why pay fees to Mastercard and Amex when you can use a stablecoin running on a low-fee blockchain like Solana, or an Ethereum Layer 2 like Base, Arbitrum, Optimism, or Polygon?

“Once agents controlled the transaction, they went looking for bigger paperclips.

“There was only so much price-matching and aggregating to do. The biggest way to repeatedly save the user money (especially when agents started transacting among themselves) was to eliminate fees. In machine-to-machine commerce, the 2-3% card interchange rate became an obvious target.

“Agents went looking for faster and cheaper options than cards. Most settled on using stablecoins via Solana or Ethereum L2s, where settlement was near-instant and the transaction cost was measured in fractions of a penny.”

And what agentic AI will do for stablecoins could also be applied to cross-border payment protocols like Ripple’s XRP Ledger, although it doesn’t get a mention in this report.

Coinbase has already begun experimenting with a protocol that allows AI agents to make payments on-chain.

The tokenization, disintermediation, agentic AI narrative to beat the bear market blues

Crypto has been looking for a “new” narrative to lift the fog of the bear market. Well, it’s been hiding in plain sight: tokenization, disintermediation, and Agentic AI.

Will that solve the problem of an economy without enough workers getting paid wages and salaries to drive the consumption that companies depend on?

Probably not, but as the report contends, we’ve got time to figure out a solution for that. Taxing the hyperscaler ‘robber barons’ is suggested, but that’s unlikely to go down well with the Lords of the data centers.

In payments, as elsewhere, disruption is coming and everyone – investors, companies, and consumers – needs to start thinking about what it all means.

Consumer behavior is already shifting. Chargebacks911, a global leader in dispute resolution and chargeback prevention, is warning merchants and payments firms that agentic commerce will reshape disputes, as AI systems move from recommending purchases to executing them. Chargebacks are payment reversals initiated by a cardholder’s bank.

For years, most chargebacks fell into three categories: fraud, merchant error, or buyer’s remorse. Agent-initiated transactions create a fourth scenario. The purchase is technically authorised, but the result does not match the customer’s expectations.

“The payments industry has always treated the click as the signal of intent,” says Monica Eaton, founder and CEO of Chargebacks911.

“Agentic commerce removes the click. So now we need a new way to prove intent when a human was not directly involved.”

Keep an eye on your bank account, and welcome to the future.

Report co-author Alap Shah, explains more about the ideas in the report, such as AI-induced ‘ghost GDP’, where value accrues on the balance sheets of the hyperscalers but does not show up in the “human-centric consumer economy”:

The post Solana, Ethereum L2s (and XRP?) Just Got a Huge Buy Signal From Citrini Research appeared first on Cryptonews.

A major shake up could be coming as on chain investigator ZachXBT says he will publish a full insider trading exposé on February 26, targeting what he calls a major industry player tied to systemic market abuse.

Traders are not waiting. Prediction market volume around the target’s identity has surged toward $3M as participants hedge for potential fallout.

Right now, odds point toward names like Solana based liquidity protocol Meteora and the Trump backed World Liberty Financial as leading suspects.

Key Takeaways

$6 Million Prediction Market Volume: Trading activity on the ZachXBT investigation market has surpassed $5.6 million as speculators attempt to price in the target’s identity.

Meteora at 43% Odds: The Solana-based liquidity layer is currently the betting favorite to be named in the report, followed by infrastructure provider Axiom.

Systemic MNPI Abuse: The investigation alleges that multiple employees exploited Material Non-Public Information to execute profitable trades over a prolonged period.

What Is the ZachXBT MNPI Investigation?

ZachXBT, known for tracing illicit crypto flows, says a major report is coming on February 26. The target is described as one of the industry’s most profitable firms, with allegations that insiders traded on material non public information to front run announcements.

NEW: Major investigation dropping February 26 on one of crypto’s most profitable businesses where multiple employees abused internal data to insider trade over a prolonged period of time. pic.twitter.com/Losou2CZ2N

— ZachXBT (@zachxbt) February 23, 2026

The case reportedly began with a January Telegram exchange where wallet addresses tied to a firm’s treasury were shared, showing accumulation before public news. That kind of on chain trail can be hard to dismiss and often draws regulatory attention.

ZachXBT’s track record adds weight. Past investigations have led to frozen funds and law enforcement action. That is why traders see February 26 as a binary event. Either the evidence is strong enough to trigger serious fallout, or the accused project walks away under heavy scrutiny.

Prediction Markets Hit $3M as ZachXBT Odds Shift to Meteora

Speculators are already trading on the rumor. On Polymarket, volume on the “Which crypto company will ZachXBT expose?” contract is nearing $6M. Meteora leads with around 42% odds, followed by Axiom at 15% and Pump.fun near 9%.

Source: Polymarket

The sharp jump in Meteora’s probability, while others like Jupiter and MEXC lag in single digits, shows concentrated conviction. Big names like Tether, Binance, and Coinbase are listed, but with low odds.

Still, prediction markets price belief, not proof. They reflect positioning and sentiment ahead of confirmation.

Why Meteora Is the Leading Suspect in the MNPI Probe

Meteora has emerged as the top suspect because it fits the profile of a highly profitable Solana based liquidity protocol with access to sensitive incentive data.

Onchain analysts have flagged wallet clusters interacting with its pools that appear to position ahead of yield adjustments, fueling speculation of potential MNPI abuse.

Someone created a new Polymarket wallet and spent $5,891 to bet that #Meteora will be accused of insider trading by @zachxbt.

He also deposited 11,500 $USDC into #Hyperliquid and opened a 3x short on 186,435 $MET($33K).https://t.co/h9LrrgsCK0https://t.co/e2fCQ3Vree pic.twitter.com/zRhEhOBFVg

— Lookonchain (@lookonchain) February 24, 2026

If confirmed, the fallout could ripple across the Solana ecosystem, especially if aggregators and routing platforms distance themselves quickly.

WLFI remains a lower probability but higher impact scenario. Its political ties raise the stakes, and any confirmed insider trading linked to a Trump affiliated project would likely draw immediate regulatory scrutiny. While markets see Meteora as the base case, WLFI represents a volatile tail risk.

If ZachXBT’s report delivers clear wallet attribution, the targeted token could see a sharp downside within minutes. Until then, prediction market volume reflects positioning, not proof.

Discover: Here are the crypto likely to explode!

The post ZachXBT Insider Trading Report Targets Major Crypto Firm in 2 Days appeared first on Cryptonews.

Vitalik Buterin has been selling as Ethereum price tumble. And some might think that he doesn’t like his chain or even crypto at all.

On chain data shows the Ethereum co founder liquidated 10,723 ETH, worth about $21.7M, since early February. The sales come at a sensitive moment, with Ether struggling to defend the $1,825 support zone.

The timing has raised eyebrows, but Buterin has said past sales are meant to fund open source work; steady founder selling during a weak market naturally feeds bearish sentiment.

Key Takeaways

$21.7 Million Liquidated: Buterin has sold a total of 10,723 ETH since February 2, averaging a sale price of approximately $2,027 per token.

Recent Acceleration: Data shows 3,765 ETH ($7.08 million) was sold in just the three days leading up to Feb. 24.

Bearish Market Structure: The sales coincide with a 38% drop in ETH value over the last 30 days, currently testing support near $1,825.

The Ethereum Offloading Triggering Alarm?

A founder selling almost always spooks the market, no matter the reason, and Buterin said the funds are going toward open source and security-focused projects. Still, more than 10,000 ETH hitting the market creates real sell pressure.

Traders are not just reacting to the $21.7M already sold. They are watching what could come next. The original allocation was 16,384 ETH, meaning roughly 6,000 ETH may still be unloaded.

The sales began on February 2 and continued through the month. The most aggressive selling occurred recently, with 3,765 ETH sold for $7.08 million between Feb. 21 and Feb. 24.

Source: Arkham

The average execution price across these three weeks sits at $2,027. With Ethereum currently trading around $1,825, Buterin effectively front-ran the latest 10% leg down.

Ethereum Price Could Dip To $1,500 Is Very Likely Now

Ethereum’s structure has clearly weakened after losing the $2,000 psychological level.

The daily chart shows a confirmed bear flag breakdown. RSI is hovering near oversold, but MACD has not flashed a bullish crossover, so momentum still favors sellers.

Source: ETHUSD / TradingView

Immediate support sits around $1,800. A daily close below that opens the door to the $1,500 zone, where liquidity previously built up. The 50-day EMA has also crossed below the 200-day EMA, forming a classic death cross that reinforces the downtrend.

To invalidate the bearish setup, bulls would need to reclaim $2,150 with strong volume. Until that happens, rallies are likely to face selling pressure, especially with continued founder distribution adding supply.

Watch the $1,780 to $1,820 range closely. A bounce could shape a double bottom. A clean break lower, and $1,475 becomes the next logical target.

Discover: Here are the crypto likely to explode!

The post Does Vitalik Buterin Even Like His Chain? Sells 10,000+ ETH as Ethereum Price Tests $1,800 appeared first on Cryptonews.

Bloomberg Intelligence forecasts that Coinbase’s stablecoin revenue could jump sevenfold from its current $1.35 billion annual run rate.

Analysts point to a structural shift where stablecoins move beyond crypto trading collateral to become a primary rail for mainstream global payments.

Key Takeaways

Coinbase generated approximately $1.35 billion in stablecoin revenue last year, accounting for 19% of its total income.

Bloomberg Intelligence projects a potential 7x surge in this figure as regulatory frameworks drive payment adoption.

The expansion hinges on the codified GENIUS Act, merchant integration via Stripe, and volume growth on the Base network.

Why Bloomberg Sees a Sevenfold Surge in Coinbase Stablecoin Revenue

Bloomberg Intelligence analysts, including Paul Gulberg, argue that the market is underestimating the utility phase of the stablecoin lifecycle.

While Coinbase reported $1.35 billion in stablecoin revenue for 2025, roughly 19% of its total top line, Bloomberg models suggest this figure is merely a baseline.

The forecast arrives despite Coinbase noting a net loss of $667 million in Q4 2025. The exchange’s revenue share agreement with Circle, the issuer of USDC, remains a bright spot, generating $364 million in the fourth quarter alone.

Bloomberg’s 7x multiple assumes that as interest rates stabilize, the sheer velocity of payment transactions will eclipse interest income as the primary revenue driver.

This thesis aligns with broader market data showing stablecoin transaction volumes hitting $33 trillion in 2025.

With USDC accounting for $18.3 trillion of that flow, the asset has already begun to decouple from pure crypto trading volumes.

The scale is big enough that the traditional finance sector can no longer ignore the fee generation potential.

Discover: The best Solana meme coins

How the GENIUS Act Is Accelerating Stablecoin Mainstream Adoption

The regulatory landscape shifted dramatically with the signing of the Guiding and Establishing National Innovation for US Stablecoins (GENIUS) Act in July 2025.

By creating a federal regime for payment stablecoins, the legislation provided the legal certainty required for large-scale institutional participation.

The Act explicitly bars issuers like Circle from paying interest to holders, a move backed by the banking lobby to protect traditional deposits.

While the regulatory framework for digital assets remains complex, the GENIUS Act has effectively greenlit stablecoins for commercial usage.

This clarity allows Coinbase to market USDC settlements to Fortune 500 companies without the overhang of legal ambiguity that plagued the sector in previous years.

Retail users on Coinbase have been very resilient during these market conditions, according to our data:

– They’ve been buying the dip – we’ve seen a native unit increase for retail users across BTC and ETH

– They have diamond hands – vast majority of customers had native unit…

— Brian Armstrong (@brian_armstrong) February 15, 2026

Stripe Integration and Base Network Expansion Drive Payment Ambitions

Operational catalysts are already live, fueling the Bloomberg projection. The integration of USDC into Stripe’s global payment rails has reopened crypto acceptance for millions of merchants, creating a direct funnel for transaction volume.

Simultaneously, Coinbase’s own Layer-2 blockchain, the Base network, is lowering the barrier to entry for micro-transactions.

Much like other scaling solutions, the Base network reduces gas fees to fractions of a cent, making dollar-denominated transfers economically viable for daily coffee purchases.

High-throughput networks are critical here, as the Bitcoin Lightning Network demonstrated with its $1 billion monthly volume milestones, low-fee environments rapidly attract payment liquidity.

By routing these payments through Base, Coinbase captures value twice: once through the underlying sequencer fees and again through its revenue share on the growing supply of USDC required to service this commerce.

Discover: The top crypto for portfolio diversification

What a 7x Revenue Jump Would Mean for the Stablecoin Market

If Bloomberg’s 7x scenario plays out, stablecoin revenue would arguably become Coinbase’s most valuable business line, overshadowing its volatile trading fees.

This shift would fundamentally re-rate the stock, moving it from a cyclical crypto exchange play to a steady fintech payments processor. However, risks remain substantial.

The banking lobby is currently pushing the CLARITY Act in the Senate to close loopholes that allow exchanges like Coinbase to pass rewards to customers.

Market structure is making great progress, and I believe we're going to reach a win-win-win outcome.

A win for the crypto industry.
A win for the banks.
And, most importantly, a win for the American consumer. pic.twitter.com/t0WM3XUZX4

— Brian Armstrong (@brian_armstrong) February 18, 2026

If new language bars these rewards, consumer adoption could slow.

Analysts at Monness Crespi maintain a sell rating, warning that optimistic projections effectively ignore the political target painted on stablecoin yields.

So, for Bloomberg’s 7x to be possible, Coinbase must defend its rewards program while successfully migrating user activity from holding USDC to spending it.

The post Coinbase Stablecoin Revenue Hits $1.35B: Bloomberg Sees 7x Growth Potential appeared first on Cryptonews.

Bitcoin markets suffered a severe deleveraging event overnight, with over $370 million in forced liquidations flushing out leveraged longs as prices tumbled toward the $60,000 threshold.

While retail traders capitulated under the pressure of the sudden crypto market crash, corporate treasuries, led by aggressive accumulators like Metaplanet, stepped in to absorb the selling pressure.

The immediate direction of the market now hinges on whether bulls can defend the critical $60,000 level, a psychological and technical floor that separates a healthy correction from a deep bear market structure.

Key Takeaways

Over $370 million in total crypto liquidations occurred in the last session, with Bitcoin futures open interest plunging 20% from its peak.

Institutional accumulation persists despite the drop, with firms like Metaplanet executing strategic spot purchases to defend their average cost basis.

Technical indicators mark $60,000 as the decisive line in the sand; a confirmed breakdown targets $55,000 as the next major liquidity zone.

Discover: The best meme coins in the world right now.

Why Is the Crypto Market Crashing?

The sell-off was driven by a cascading liquidation loop rather than a fundamental breakdown. According to data from CoinGlass and major exchanges, the market wiped out over $370 million in positions, with long traders accounting for $275 million, or 74% of the losses.

This flush was exacerbated by a sharp decline in Bitcoin futures open interest, which dropped from $61 billion to $49 billion in a few days, a sign that speculative froth is being aggressively removed from the system.

Traders were caught off guard by the speed of the move. Earlier this month, in another drawdown, Bitcoin registered a -6.05σ rate-of-change drop, statistically comparable to the volatility seen during the FTX collapse.

The trigger for this volatility appears to be macro-driven, as fears regarding imminent tariff policies sent risk assets spiraling. When the price of Bitcoin dipped below the 200-day moving average, it triggered a chain reaction of stop losses, accelerating the Bitcoin liquidations.

Bitcoin liquidation heatmap showing a massive long flush. Source: CoinGlass

Metaplanet and Treasuries Buy the Dip

While retail panic dominated the headlines, on-chain data reveals a different story among institutional accumulation desks.

Metaplanet, the Japanese investment firm modeling its treasury strategy after U.S. counterparts, is reportedly adding to its Bitcoin holdings during the downturn, according to X posts by CEO Simon Gerovich.

おはプラネット。最近の株価動向を踏まえ、株主の皆さまにとって厳しい状況が続いていることは、私たちも十分に認識しています。しかしながら、メタプラネットの戦略に変更はありません。私たちは引き続き、ビットコインの積み上げ、収益の拡大、そして次の成長フェーズに向けた準備を、着実に進めてい…

— Simon Gerovich (@gerovich) February 6, 2026

This behavior aligns with a broader trend of strategic accumulation, where corporates utilize sharp drawdowns to lower their cost basis rather than fleeing to cash.

This follows the precedent set by MicroStrategy. Michael Saylor hints at Strategy’s 100th Bitcoin buy often coincides with market fear, reinforcing the divergence between short-term speculators and long-term treasury hold strategies.

While the paper losses for these entities mount during a correction, their continued buying provides a localized floor, preventing the price from entering a complete freefall.

Current market conditions are a stress test for conviction. We are seeing continued accumulation from corporate treasuries despite the -4% daily candle.

— CryptoAnalyst (@CryptoAnalyst) February 24, 2026

Bitcoin Price Analysis: Critical BTC Support Levels

The technical picture has reached a decisive juncture. Bitcoin is currently testing the BTC support levels at $60,000, a zone that aligns with high-volume nodes from late 2025.

The Relative Strength Index (RSI) on the daily chart has plunged into oversold territory, currently reading just under 30. Historically, such low RSI readings often precede a sharp mean reversion bounce, but the structural damage on the weekly timeframe remains a concern.

Source: Tradingview

If bulls fail to defend $60,000, the path of least resistance flips to the downside. One CryptoQuant analyst recommends watching the $54,700 price level as the ultimate invalidation point for the bull case.

Sentiment markets are already pricing in this risk; Polymarket odds on a Bitcoin price drop to $55K have surged, reflecting growing skepticism about an immediate V-shaped recovery.

To reclaim bullish momentum, price action must first stabilize above $62,500 and then challenge the $67,500 resistance block. Until a daily close above that level occurs, the trend remains firmly in bear territory.

Discover: The next crypto to explode

Tariff Fears Fuel Record Outflows

The current drawdown extends a rough start to the year, with digital assets logging their longest streak of negative weekly returns since 2022.

Much of this selling is precautionary, driven by the ongoing debate over U.S. tariff implementation under the 1974 Trade Act. The uncertainty has spiked the dollar, effectively siphoning liquidity out of high-beta assets like crypto.

Institutional flows reflect this risk-off rotation. Spot Bitcoin ETFs lodged their fifth straight week of outflows, signaling that traditional finance allocators are de-risking until the regulatory fog clears.

Until these flows reverse, spot markets lack the relentless bid needed to counter derivative sell pressure.

The post Bitcoin Bloodbath: $370M Liquidations as Corporates Defend $60K appeared first on Cryptonews.

Binance is back in the spotlight. Former compliance investigators now claim the exchange allegedly processed more than $1B in transactions tied to Iran sanctions violations, even while operating under U.S. monitorship after its 2023 plea deal.

Changpeng Zhao is not staying quiet. Instead of denying activity outright, he argues the investigators were fired for failing to stop the breaches, not for exposing them.

Now the fight is turning public, risking a return of regulatory pressure just as Binance tries to steady its global footing.

Key Takeaways

Former investigators allege Binance processed nearly $1 billion in transactions linked to Iran after its 2023 plea deal.

The staff claim they were fired in retaliation for identifying and flagging the suspicious on-chain activity to management.

CZ counters that the employees were dismissed for incompetence because they failed to block the illicit flows in the first place.

What is the $1B Sanctions Breach Allegation?

Five former Binance investigators say they were fired after uncovering major sanctions breaches. They claim wallets tied to Iranian entities, including the exchange Nobitex, allegedly moved around $1B through Binance even after the November 2023 DOJ settlement.

These investigators worked on chain forensics. They say bad actors used obfuscation methods to slip past screening systems. When they flagged it internally, they allege the response was not corrective but retaliatory.

15% chance binance finally gets taken down

which company are you betting on? pic.twitter.com/PBgQvEPyyB

— HYPEconomist (@HYPEconomist) February 23, 2026

Binance is still under a three-year monitorship from the DOJ and FinCEN, which means any compliance failure carries extra weight.

The Whistleblowers’ Case: Retaliation or Restructuring?

The former employees are framing this as whistleblower retaliation. They say once they flagged the $1B exposure, they became a problem for an exchange trying to show regulators it had cleaned up.

BREAKING: Binance FIRED five compliance officers after they discovered over $1,000,000,000 in Tether flowing to Iran-linked terrorism entities, which violates sanctions.

Throwback: In 2023, Binance paid $4.3 billion in fines, the largest in corporate history, after admitting to…

— Jacob King (@JacobKinge) February 23, 2026

In their view, the issue was not just the transactions. It was how Binance handled the discovery. They argue the exchange focused more on containing the fallout than fixing the screening gaps.

They also point to the size of the flows as proof that automated filters were not catching everything. If the system failed and the people who caught it were removed, that would weaken internal defenses.

CZ’s Defense: ‘Fired for Cause’

CZ is pushing back as he always does. He says this is not whistleblower retaliation. It is a performance issue. If investigators uncovered $1B in illicit flows, why were those flows not stopped in the first place?

Binance claims the departures were part of a compliance overhaul. The company says it brought in stronger talent and points to a 97% drop in sanctions related transaction volume between early 2024 and mid 2025 as proof that reforms are working. It denies firing anyone for reporting violations.

The stakes are huge. Binance already paid $4.3B in penalties tied to AML and sanctions failures and is operating under a DOJ monitorship. If regulators conclude the exchange ignored new violations or retaliated against staff, it could jeopardize that agreement.

Irresponsible and misleading press articles based on anonymous sources (whether including possibly disgruntled ex-employees or otherwise) does injustice to the great work of our more than 1300 compliance staff working tirelessly to uphold global standards.
Facts:
1. Binance…

— Richard Teng (@_RichardTeng) February 14, 2026

Everything hinges on intent. If the firings were performance based, fallout may be limited. If not, regulatory pressure could intensify fast.

Ultimately, the outcome of this dispute will likely hinge on the internal documentation of the firings. If the data supports CZ’s claim of incompetence, Binance moves on.

Discover: Here are the crypto likely to explode!

The post Binance vs. Whistleblowers: The $1B Iran Sanctions Breach Allegation appeared first on Cryptonews.

The Terraform Labs bankruptcy estate has sued quantitative trading giant Jane Street, alleging the firm used non-public information to profit as the TerraUSD stablecoin collapsed in May 2022, according to a docket filed yesterday with the New York Southern District Court.

In a report about the lawsuit by the Wall Street Journal, Terraform Labs’ court-appointed administrator, Todd Snyder, stated that Jane Street “abused market relationships” to short the ecosystem during its death spiral, mirroring similar allegations made against Jump Trading late last year.

The estate seeks to recover funds for creditors who lost billions during the $40 billion wipeout of the Terra ecosystem.

Key Takeaways

The lawsuit alleges Jane Street exploited private liquidity data to profit from the TerraUSD depeg before the public was aware.

Terraform’s estate claims the trading firm netted millions by front-running a critical $150 million liquidity withdrawal from Curve.

Jane Street has dismissed the suit as a “desperate” attempt to extract money from legitimate market activities.

Estate Targets “Privileged Access” in Crash Recovery

The lawsuit centers on specific maneuvers executed in May 2022, just as the algorithmic stablecoin UST began to lose its peg to the US dollar.

Terraform Labs’ court-appointed plan administrator, Todd Snyder, alleges that Jane Street capitalized on vulnerabilities in Terra’s mint-and-burn mechanism via manipulative trades.

And there it is: Jane Street was behind the 2022 crypto winter, destroying Terraform by first depegging the token and destroying the ecosystem, then pretending it would rescue Terra, while effectively it was soaking up what little value remained. pic.twitter.com/Wo9HnBHAoP

— zerohedge (@zerohedge) February 24, 2026

“Jane Street abused market relationships to rig the market in its favor during one of the most consequential events in crypto history,” Snyder claimed in his statement to WSJ.

The estate argues that these trades were not merely shrewd market moves but were predicated on non-public information regarding Terraform’s internal liquidity management.

The legal action is part of a broader recovery effort following the firm’s Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing, which listed assets and liabilities between $100 million and $500 million, a fraction of the market value destroyed during the collapse.

Discover: The best new crypto to buy

Inside the Curve Pool Incident

The complaint reportedly highlights a pivotal sequence of events involving the Curve3pool, a critical liquidity venue for stablecoins.

According to the filing, Terraform Labs executed an unannounced withdrawal of $150 million from the pool to adjust liquidity. Less than 10 minutes later, a wallet allegedly linked to Jane Street withdrew $85 million.

The estate argues this timing indicates Jane Street possessed “advance insight” into Terraform’s operations, using that data to position itself ahead of the resulting market panic.

This mirrors the scrutiny placed on liquidity shifts in current markets, where traders obsessively monitor order books and Polymarket odds for a Bitcoin price drop to detect institutional positioning before price action hits.

Jane Street firmly denies the allegations.

Implications for DeFi and Stablecoin Regulation

If the court finds merit in the “misappropriation theory” applied to DeFi protocols, it could redefine the legal obligations of market makers in the crypto sector.

The suit suggests that “privileged access” in decentralized finance is a legal liability, not just a competitive edge.

This legal battle arrives as the regulatory environment for stablecoins intensifies. While the 2022 collapse serves as a cautionary tale, modern stablecoins drive $1 trillion in T-bill demand, creating a different set of systemic risks and incentives.

Regulators are currently scrutinizing how private trading firms interact with issuer protocols.

The outcome could also accelerate legislative frameworks. As odds spike for stablecoin talks regarding the Clarity Act, lawmakers may cite these allegations to demand stricter separation between protocol issuers and market makers.

What Comes Next

The case now moves to the discovery phase in Delaware, where Jane Street will be required to produce communications regarding its 2022 trading strategies.

This follows a similar $4 billion lawsuit filed by Terraform Labs against Jump Trading in December, which accused the firm of materially contributing to the Terra ecosystem’s instability.

Major Update in Terraform Labs Bankruptcy: Plan Administrator Files Lawsuit Against Jump Trading!

On Dec 18, 2025, a bombshell complaint was dropped in Illinois federal court (Case 1:25-cv-15414) targeting Jump Trading, its ex-Crypto president Kanav Kariya, and even Do Kwon… pic.twitter.com/3uhmVNBCzF

— Z3r0w Traders (@_Z3r0wTraders) February 18, 2026

It looks like Terraform is entering a protracted battle on at least two different fronts that could peel back the curtain on high-frequency trading strategies during crypto market crises.

Discover: The best pre-launch token sales around

The post Terraform Estate Sues Jane Street Over Trades Tied to 2022 Crypto Collapse appeared first on Cryptonews.

Bitcoin’s failure to achieve a price breakthrough has kept the crypto market in a state of suspense.

Below is an overview of the dominant media narratives and chart signals that hint the smart money could be rotating into XRP, Solana, and Shiba Inu, ahead of the next bull run.

Discover: The best meme coins in the world right now.

XRP (XRP): Ripple’s Elite Blockchain Solution Targets $5

With a market capitalization of $85 billion, XRP ($XRP) is the leading digital asset for international blockchain payments.

Ripple engineered the XRP Ledger (XRPL) to deliver near-instant settlement and minimal fees as a blockchain-powered alternative to legacy systems like SWIFT. The network is designed to support banks, corporations, and individual users at scale.

A recent official announcement highlights XRPL as a base layer for stablecoin issuance and real-world asset tokenization, while emphasizing XRP’s role as the network’s primary utility and liquidity asset.

Beyond the crypto sector, XRP has gained recognition from the United Nations Capital Development Fund and the White House: both have highlighted its potential to improve international payment infrastructure.

Institutional interest accelerated after U.S. regulators approved spot XRP exchange-traded funds (ETFs), enabling compliant access for more traditional investors.

When paired with a bullish flag formation developing on price charts, these drivers suggest XRP could move toward $5 before Q3.

Solana (SOL): Could Ethereum’s Main Rival Be Setting Up a Recovery?

Solana ($SOL) remains the largest smart contract platform outside of Ethereum. The network currently holds around $6.3 billion in total value locked (TVL), while SOL’s market capitalization sits near $46 billion.

Trading at approximately $80, SOL remains well below its 30-day moving average after forming a bearish head-and-shoulders pattern earlier this year.

Meanwhile, the relative strength index (RSI) is hovering around 34, signaling extended selling pressure that may have pushed SOL into undervalued territory.

A decisive breakout above key resistance levels at $200 and $275 could pave the way for a retest of Solana’s previous ATH of $293.31, with the potential for a new ATH before Q2 closes.

Adding to the bullish narrative, major asset managers such as BlackRock and Franklin Templeton are selecting Solana as the foundation for tokenized investment products, giving the network an early lead in a rapidly emerging sector.

Shiba Inu (SHIB): Evolving From Meme Coin to Functional Ecosystem

Launched in August 2020, Shiba Inu ($SHIB) has grown into the second-largest meme-based cryptocurrency, boasting a market cap of approximately $3.6 billion.

Currently trading near $0.0000061, SHIB’s RSI sits at 41 and is likely to rise in step with its 30-day moving average, suggesting traders may be viewing now as an attractive price to accumulate.

A clean break above resistance at $0.00001 and $0.00003 could provide the momentum needed to breach $0.00005 as summer unfolds.

Beyond price action, Shiba Inu continues to build real infrastructure. Shibarium, its Ethereum-based Layer-2 network, dramatically lowers transaction costs while boosting scalability.

Ongoing upgrades and added privacy features further support SHIB’s transition into a utility blockchain.

Bitcoin Hyper Introduces Solana-Level Speed to the Bitcoin Network

While XRP, Solana, and Shiba Inu may still have significant headroom, history shows the largest bull market returns often come from early-stage projects that redefine what’s possible.

Bitcoin Hyper ($HYPER) aims to do exactly that by enhancing Bitcoin’s functionality through a Layer-2 solution that delivers Solana-like speed and performance. The protocol reduces transaction fees without compromising Bitcoin’s core security.

Through Bitcoin Hyper, users can stake assets, earn yield, trade tokens, and interact with smart contracts without moving funds off the Bitcoin network.

With $31.5 million already secured in its ongoing presale and rising interest from whales and major exchanges, $HYPER is quickly emerging as one of the most closely watched crypto launches of the year.

Investors interested in locking in $HYPER at its fixed presale price can visit the official Bitcoin Hyper website and connect a supported wallet such as Best Wallet.

Tokens can also be purchased using a bank card.

Visit the Official Website Here

The post Crypto Price Prediction Today 23 February – XRP, Solana, Shiba Inu appeared first on Cryptonews.

A major Bitcoin miner just wiped its balance sheet clean.

Bitdeer has reduced its corporate Bitcoin holdings to zero, selling both newly mined coins and reserves accumulated over the past months.

The move caps an eight-week drawdown that began in late December, when the company still held over 2,000 BTC. By mid-February, reserves had slipped below 1,000 BTC before the final liquidation pushed holdings to zero.

Source: Bitdeer

In January, the company mined 668 BTC but sold over 1,100 BTC. It has now shifted to selling newly mined coins the same week, moving away from the old treasury hold strategy.

At the same time, it raised capital through convertible notes and equity. The funds are going toward data center expansion, AI, and high-performance computing, plus debt management.

The stock price has been falling, and miners overall are feeling pressure as block rewards shrink and competition rises.

Maybe this is a balance sheet reset and a pivot toward new revenue streams. But when a miner stops holding and starts selling consistently, the market pays attention.

Bitcoin Price Prediction: Should BTC Investors Be Nervous?

Bitcoin just broke below the lower edge of the triangle. That flips the short-term structure from compression to weakness.

Source: BTCUSD / TradingView

The rising support that was holding price together failed, and BTC slid back toward $65,000. That kills the clean breakout setup and opens the door for a deeper test around $64,000. Lose that, and $60,000 becomes the next key downside level.

This is not a macro collapse yet. Price is still well above the broader $60,000 swing low. The higher time-frame structure only breaks if that base is decisively lost.

In the short term, the chart remains cautious. To shift momentum back up, BTC needs to reclaim the broken trendline and push above $71,000.

New Bitcoin Presale Brings Solana Technology to The BTC Blockchain

Bitcoin Hyper ($HYPER) is a new presale built to make Bitcoin faster and cheaper to use.

This Bitcoin-focused Layer-2, powered by Solana technology, brings speed, lower fees, and real on-chain functionality while preserving Bitcoin’s core security.

It transforms Bitcoin from a passive chart pattern into an active ecosystem for payments, staking, and scalable applications.

The traction is already real. The Bitcoin Hyper presale has raised over $31 million so far, with $HYPER priced at $0.0136751 before the next increase.

Staking rewards currently reach up to 37%.

If Bitcoin explodes higher, Bitcoin Hyper benefits. If Bitcoin keeps consolidating, Bitcoin Hyper still captures activity. Either way, momentum does not need to wait.

To buy HYPER before it lists on exchanges, simply visit the official Bitcoin Hyper website and connect a wallet (such as Best Wallet).

Visit the Official Bitcoin Hyper Website Here

The post Bitcoin Price Prediction: A Major Bitcoin Mining Company Just Sold All Its BTC — Should Investors Be Nervous? appeared first on Cryptonews.

Feeding KIMI AI carefully worded prompts unlocks eye-popping 2026 price outlooks for XRP, Pepe, and Cardano heading into 2026.

Based on KIMI’s data-driven models, all three could deliver gains of at least 5x by the end of next year.

Below we assess how realistic KIMI’s targets are.

XRP ($XRP): KIMI Maps a Longer-Term Route Toward $8

In a recent update, Ripple reiterated that XRP ($XRP) remains the cornerstone of its plan to establish the XRP Ledger as a global, enterprise-ready payments infrastructure.

Source: KIMI

With fast settlement times and negligible transaction costs, the XRP Ledger could capture meaningful share in two rapidly expanding segments of crypto adoption: stablecoins and tokenized real-world assets.

XRP currently trades near $1.40. According to KIMI’s extended forecast model, the token could advance to $8 by the end of 2026, implying a near sixfold increase.

Market indicators support this outlook. XRP’s Relative Strength Index (RSI) sits around 39 and rising, while price action remains below the 30-day moving average, conditions that suggest now presents an attractive accumulation zone.

Additional momentum could come from multiple sources, including institutional demand following the approval of U.S.-listed XRP ETFs, Ripple’s growing network of global partnerships, and potential regulatory clarity if the U.S. CLARITY bill advances this year.

Pepe ($PEPE): KIMI Teases a 2,300% Upside Scenario

Pepe ($PEPE), launched in April 2023, has since become the largest meme coin outside the doge category, with a market capitalization of $1.7 billion.

Derived from Matt Furie’s “Boy’s Club” comics, PEPE’s instantly recognizable avatar and strong cultural resonance have kept it in the spotlight across social platforms.

Despite intense competition in the meme coin space, PEPE has maintained its leadership thanks to a loyal community and the many copycat tokens it has inspired.

Occasional cryptic posts from Elon Musk on X have also fueled speculation that PEPE may rank alongside DOGE and BTC in his personal portfolio.

At the time of writing, PEPE trades around $0.0000041, roughly 85% below its December 2024 ATH of $0.00002803.

Under KIMI’s most aggressive assumptions, PEPE could rally nearly 2,300% this year, climbing to $0.000098 and decisively surpassing its previous record.

Cardano (ADA): KIMI Gives Hoskinson’s ETH Contender 1,300% Gains

Founded by Charles Hoskinson, Cardano ($ADA) emphasizes peer-reviewed research, high security standards, scalability, and long-term network sustainability.

With a market capitalization near $10 billion and over $128 million in total value locked (TVL), Cardano’s ecosystem continues growing despite the downturn.

KIMI’s projections suggest ADA could climb slightly above 1,300%, rising from about $0.27 today to nearly $3.80 by the end of 2026. That level would place it well above its 2021 peak of $3.09.

However, ADA is currently trading at its lowest level since October 2024.

Given the volatile market conditions seen this year, further downside is possible, including a possible collapse down to $0.15 in a bear market.

Maxi Doge: A New Meme Contender Emerges as Majors Target Higher Levels

Pepe’s inherent meme coin magic (volatility) means KIMI thinks it could 24x this year. However, given its large market cap, even Pepe’s headroom for growth is limited by its size.

Maxi Doge ($MAXI) is not, however. Having raised $4.6 million so far in its ongoing presale, it’s one of the hottest under-the-radar meme coins around.

The project centers on Maxi Doge, a brash, gym-obsessed, unapologetically degen alpha doge and an envious distant cousin and self-proclaimed rival to Dogecoin.

Its tone and branding tap directly into the raw, irreverent energy that powered the 2021 meme coin boom.

MAXI is an ERC-20 token built on Ethereum’s proof-of-stake network, giving it a far smaller environmental footprint than Dogecoin’s proof-of-work model.

Early presale buyers can currently stake MAXI tokens for yields of up to 67% APY, with rewards decreasing as the staking pool expands.

The token is currently selling for $0.0002805, with automatic price increases at each funding milestone. Purchases are supported through wallets such as MetaMask and Best Wallet.

Stay updated through Maxi Doge’s official X and Telegram pages.

Visit the Official Website Here.

The post Strange New Chinese AI ‘KIMI’ Predicts the Price of XRP, PEPE and Cardano By the End of 2026 appeared first on Cryptonews.

Pro-Ripple attorney John Deaton is not holding back.

As renewed chatter about a potential pardon for Sam Bankman-Fried circulates, Deaton has sharply rejected any attempt to rewrite the FTX collapse.

He pushed back against claims that the exchange was solvent before bankruptcy, dismissing projections that FTX could have reached a $78B net asset value by 2025.

Source: SBF

A chart by Sam floating around claims that if FTX had not collapsed in November 2022, its assets would have exploded higher with the rest of crypto.

Deaton is not buying it.

He says real court findings and real creditor losses matter more than “what if” models, especially when those projections lean on illiquid tokens that may never have delivered that value anyway.

For him, this is about accountability. He does not want the damage to retail investors softened by hindsight math.

It is not directly about XRP fundamentals. But Deaton carries weight in the XRP community because of his role in the SEC fight. His tone fits the pro-law, anti-corruption stance many of his supporters share.

XRP Price Prediction: Could XRP Price React Now?

XRP did break out of the descending channel. That was the first real structural shift after weeks of lower highs. But instead of exploding higher, price stalled near $1.61 and pulled back to retest the breakout zone.

This is the key moment.

Source: XRPUSD / TradingView

If XRP slips back inside the channel and starts printing lower highs again, the breakout turns into a fakeout. That opens room toward $1.30, with $1.10 as the bigger downside scenario.

But if price holds this former resistance as support and bounces, the breakout remains valid. Stay above the channel, and another retest at $1.61 becomes likely.

Clear that level cleanly, and $1.90 comes into view. Woohoo, that could feel like a bull market again, although it seems far-fetched for now.

Maxi Doge Standing Out As One Of The Best Meme Coins In 2026

Maxi Doge ($MAXI) does not have utility and is proud of that

It is built for narrative velocity. unique meme identity. High-conviction positioning. Community-driven momentum that flares when sentiment rotates away from slow institutional plays and toward asymmetric upside.

Early traction is already strong. The $MAXI presale has raised around $4.6 million so far, with staking rewards offering up to 68% APY for early participants.

If blue chips are stuck proving themselves on the chart, Maxi Doge is positioned for the phase where attention shifts and moves get fast.

Visit the Official Maxi Doge Website Here

The post XRP Price Prediction: Pro-Ripple Lawyer Slams Sam Bankman-Fried Pardon — Could XRP React? appeared first on Cryptonews.

Ethereum faces imminent risk of collapse to $1,475 after co-founder Vitalik Buterin executed a massive sell-off of nearly 9,000 ETH this week.

vitalik.eth(@VitalikButerin) is selling $ETH faster again.

In the past 2 days, he has sold 1,869 $ETH($3.67M). During that time, $ETH fell from $1,988 to $1,875, down 5.7%.

Last time he sold 6,958 $ETH($14.78M), $ETH dropped from $2,360 to $1,825 — a 22.7% fall.… pic.twitter.com/v2x6Q3ZTme

— Lookonchain (@lookonchain) February 23, 2026

The high-profile wallet activity coincides with a broader technical breakdown, as the asset struggles to maintain support above $1,850 amidst rising sell volume and widespread market de-risking.

Vitalik Buterin sold roughly 9,000 ETH, leaving a supply overhang of over 7,350 ETH in the updated wallet balance.

Ethereum has officially entered a bear pennant breakdown, technically targeting a slide to $1,475 by early March.

The sell-off aligns with a broader market retreat, significantly threatening the psychological $1,500 support level.

Why Is Founder Selling Triggering Alarm?

The market’s sharp reaction stems from both the volume of the sale and historical precedent. Founder-led selling often acts as a bearish signal for retail traders, and previous sales by Buterin have preceded price declines of almost 23%.

With roughly 7,350 ETH still remaining in the wallet, traders fear a continued supply overhang could suppress price action throughout the week.

This localized selling pressure compounds macro headwinds. Broad market sentiment has already shifted due to nervousness surrounding tariffs, which recently caused a de-risking event across major altcoins.

While long-term institutional holders like Consensys maintain significant treasuries, the immediate liquidity shock from a founder sale creates a tangible drag on short-term momentum.

Discover: The best meme coins in the world right now

Technical Breakdown Points to $1,475 Bottom

The price action on the charts confirms the bearish narrative. Ethereum has entered the “breakdown phase” of a prevailing bear pennant pattern.

Early on Monday UTC, ETH dropped approximately 5.60% in 24 hours to hover near $1,850, slicing through the pennant’s lower trendline. Rising trading volumes accompanied the move, indicating strong conviction from sellers.

Source: TradingView

According to standard technical analysis principles, a bear pennant breakdown typically resolves when the price falls by a magnitude equal to the previous downtrend’s height.

Applying this to the current chart suggests a downside target of $1,475, precisely aligning with the psychological support zone of $1,500.

While Buterin continues to advocate for protocol improvements, recently backing censorship resistance upgrades, these long-term fundamentals are currently overshadowed by chart weakness.

Can Ethereum Hold Critical Support?

The path forward depends heavily on whether buyers can defend the sub-$1,800 region.

If the bearish momentum continues, a test of $1,475 appears inevitable by early March. Conversely, invalidating this outlook requires a swift reclaim of the pennant’s lower trendline and a sustained close above the $2,000 resistance level.

Despite the current gloom, some analysts, including those at Intellectia.ai, suggest that a 2026 return to $3,000 remains firmly feasible once this correction exhausts itself.

Discover: The next crypto to explode

The post Ethereum Faces $1,500 Downside as Vitalik Buterin Sells 9,000 ETH appeared first on Cryptonews.

Missouri lawmakers advanced House Bill 2080 to the House Commerce Committee on February 19, taking a significant step toward establishing a state-run Bitcoin Strategic Reserve Fund.

Sponsored by Representative Ben Keathley, the legislation mandates a five-year holding period for digital assets and positions Missouri alongside other Republican-led states aggressively integrating cryptocurrency into public finance.

Key Takeaways

HB 2080 authorizes the State Treasurer to custody Bitcoin for a minimum of five years.

The fund relies exclusively on private gifts and grants, prohibiting taxpayer funding for purchases.

Missouri joins Arizona and Texas in competing to formalize state-level digital asset reserves.

Missouri Legislation Revives Crypto Treasury Push

HB 2080 would amend Chapter 30 of Missouri law to allow the State Treasurer to receive and hold Bitcoin. This is Representative Ben Keathley’s second try after a similar bill failed in March 2025. Now it has been perfected and sent to the House Commerce Committee, showing the issue is back on the agenda.

The timing is interesting. While Missouri is pushing a long term Bitcoin reserve, recent data shows spot Bitcoin ETFs have logged multiple weeks of outflows, hinting that short term institutional demand has cooled.

Source: Theblock

If approved, the reserve would go live by August 28, 2026. Supporters frame it as a hedge against federal inflation, focusing on long term strategy rather than daily price swings.

Strict Holding Periods and Funding Mechanics

The bill is clear on one thing. Any donated Bitcoin must be held for at least five years before it can be sold or transferred.

Source: Legiscan

The Treasurer would have to use cold storage, keeping private keys offline to reduce security risks.

There is also a transparency layer. The state must publish reports every two years covering fund activity, security audits, and transactions.

State Policy Joins Federal Momentum

Missouri is not acting alone. Several states are racing to position themselves as crypto friendly hubs. By creating a legal path to hold Bitcoin, lawmakers hope to attract talent and capital.

NEW: Arizona's Digital Assets Strategic Reserve Fund bill (SB1649) cleared the Senate Finance Committee in a 4-2 vote.

Eligible assets explicitly include #Bitcoin, $XRP, Digibyte, and stablecoins. The bill now advances to the Rules Committee. pic.twitter.com/kpN6ds0dBv

— Bitcoin.com News (@BitcoinNews) February 17, 2026

The broader regulatory backdrop is also shifting. Federal discussions around clearer crypto rules are gaining momentum, which could make state level reserves easier to expand in the future.

Right now, the bill only allows donation based accumulation. But it sets a precedent. If federal clarity improves, that framework could grow.

If HB 2080 passes, Missouri becomes an early test case for putting decentralized assets inside a state treasury system.

Discover: Here are the crypto likely to explode!

The post Missouri Advances Bitcoin Reserve Bill to House Committee in Policy Push appeared first on Cryptonews.

Traders on prediction market Polymarket are pricing in a 75% chance that Bitcoin (BTC) will plunge below $55,000, signaling a sharp shift 18% overnight rise in bearish sentiment as the asset struggles to hold the $65,000 support level.

Source: Polymarket

This quantified bearish data arrives as Bitcoin struggles to remain the 14th biggest asset in global market cap rankings.

Why Are Prediction Markets Signaling Bearish Sentiment?

The pessimistic outlook follows a difficult weekend where Bitcoin’s market capitalization fell to $1.31 trillion, dropping briefly behind the Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (VOO).

Prices have retreated roughly 31% over the last year from highs near $100,000, driven by fading post-halving momentum.

Recent data shows the total crypto market cap has reached a 45% drawdown. Since its October 5, 2025, high of $4.3 trillion, crypto has shed nearly $2 trillion to command a combined market cap of $2.35 trillion.

Institutional appetite appears to be waning temporarily, with spot Bitcoin ETFs logging a fifth straight week of outflows.

While the asset holds above $66,000 for now, the recent fall below $65K reignited fears that macro headwinds and geopolitical tensions are overpowering the traditional inflation-hedge narrative.

Discover: The best meme coins on Solana right now

Breaking Down the Polymarket Data

The 72% probability figure derives from active contracts on Polymarket, where volume on bearish strikes is surging.

Bets on BTC falling below $50,000 and $45,000 now hold odds of 62% and 47% respectively, with combined trading volumes exceeding $1.5 million.

Heavy crypto wagering persists across the world, even as the Dutch regulator orders Polymarket to halt operations in specific jurisdictions and US state regulators crack down on prediction markets.

Technical indicators support this caution; analysis from BeInCrypto highlights bearish RSI divergence on weekly charts, often a precursor to deeper corrections.

While prediction markets can overshoot, the high confidence in sub-$55K prices aligns with Standard Chartered’s projection of a dip to $50,000 before any structural recovery to $100,000, according to news widely circulated from a recent note to investors.

Standard Chartered warns Bitcoin could drop to $50K
Price now near $65K
Are you buying this dip… or waiting for capitulation? $BTC $ETH

— FlashNews (@FlashNewsInvest) February 13, 2026

CryptoQuant CEO Ki Young Ju similarly noted in a recent interview that $55,000 may represent the ultimate market bottom for this cycle.

What Does This Mean for BTC Price?

For traders, the $55,000 level is the critical line in the sand. If the current $63,300 support cluster fails, liquidation cascades could rapidly validate the prediction market’s bearish thesis.

However, on-chain data shows resilience: long-term holder selling dropped 67% in February, from 244,919 BTC to just 81,019 BTC, suggesting the “smart money” is finished selling.

As traders buy crash protection via puts, a reclaim of $72,200 remains necessary to invalidate the bearish structure.

Despite short-term fear, Polymarket prediction markets still assign a 78% probability of BTC hitting $75,000 before 2027, indicating that most market participants view this potential drop as a severe but just a temporary correction.

Discover: The next crypto to explode

The post Polymarket Shows 75% Odds of Bitcoin Dropping Below $55K – What Traders Need to Know appeared first on Cryptonews.

Crypto Stablecoins might be about to rewrite part of the US debt story. New research from Standard Chartered says the sector could drive up to $1T in fresh demand for US Treasury bills by 2028.

As stablecoin issuers grow, they are expected to become major buyers of government debt, turning digital dollars into a serious force in traditional finance.

Key Takeaways

$2 Trillion Trajectory: Analysts project the total stablecoin market capitalization will surge to $2 trillion by the end of 2028, up from roughly $300 billion today.

Treasury Scarcity: Issuers are expected to absorb approximately $1 trillion in short-term T-bills, creating a potential supply shortfall without Treasury adjustments.

Regulatory Drivers: The GENIUS Act framework mandates high-quality liquid assets for reserves, forcing issuers to concentrate holdings in the 0-3 month debt sector.

Why Are Stablecoins Becoming a Financing Powerhouse?

Stablecoins are no longer just trading tools. They are turning into steady buyers of US government debt. After the GENIUS Act passed in July 2025, regulated issuers are required to hold reserves in high quality liquid assets, mainly short dated Treasuries.

Supply is sitting near $300B today. Standard Chartered sees the recent slowdown as temporary and expects strong growth ahead, especially from emerging markets.

As people in high inflation countries move into dollar stablecoins, the backing reserves flow straight into US debt. Crypto demand supports Treasury markets in the background.

Breaking Down the $1 Trillion Projection

Standard Chartered analysts Geoffrey Kendrick and John Davies broke down the mechanics.

They expect stablecoins to grow toward a $2T market cap by 2028. That expansion alone could create $0.8T to $1T in new demand for short dated Treasury bills, mainly at the front end of the yield curve.

Source: MacroMicro

In simple terms, stablecoin issuers may become some of the biggest buyers of T-bills. If issuance patterns stay the same, the report suggests around $0.9T in excess demand over the next three years.

About two thirds of that growth is projected to come from emerging markets. And most of it would be net new demand, not just a reshuffling of existing Treasury allocations.

That is a serious structural bid forming under US debt.

Implications for U.S. Debt Issuance

The scale is big enough that the US Treasury cannot ignore it.

If issuance does not adjust, short dated T bills could become tight. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has already hinted that stablecoins may become an important part of financing the US government.

It creates a two way benefit. The dollar strengthens its role in digital markets, and the government gains a steady buyer for its debt.

But tighter integration means tighter oversight. As new stablecoin rules advance, coordination between private issuers and public debt management will only grow.

Innovation is happening around different collateral models, yet Treasuries still sit at the center for regulatory approval.

Discover: Here are the crypto likely to explode!

The post Could Stablecoins Fix U.S Debt? Standard Chartered Sees $1T in Treasury Demand appeared first on Cryptonews.

Strategy (formerly MicroStrategy) Chairman Michael Saylor has hinted on X that the firm is poised to execute its 100th Bitcoin acquisition, marking a symbolic milestone nearly six years after the company began its aggressive treasury reserve policy.

The Orange Century. pic.twitter.com/8zelTduTPC

— Michael Saylor (@saylor) February 22, 2026

The upcoming purchase follows a persistent buying streak, with the firm accumulating assets consistently over the downturn despite trading conditions that have placed its massive position $12.4 billion underwater.

Key Takeaways

Strategy currently holds 717,131 BTC acquired at an average cost of $76,027 per coin, totaling an investment basis of over $54 billion.

Michael Saylor teased the milestone with a “StrategyTracker” chart captioned “The Orange Century,” indicating the firms’s 100th distinct purchase is imminent.

The accumulation continues despite unrealized losses, with Bitcoin trading near $64,700 compared to the firm’s break-even price.

Strategy has accumulated its holdings through 99 separate transactions since August 2020.

While spot Bitcoin ETFs log their fifth straight week of outflows, implying cooling institutional demand, Saylor’s firm continues to absorb supply aggressively.

The company’s persistence highlights a divergence between short-term institutional flows and high-conviction long plays by corporate treasuries.

Discover: The best crypto to diversify your portfolio with

The Orange Century: The Accumulation Stats of Michael Saylor

In his latest X post on Saturday, Saylor shared a chart from the firm’s “StrategyTracker” with the caption “The Orange Century.”

For those who have followed Michael Saylor closely over the past few years, a formal Form 8-K filing announcing a completed acquisition could be just around the corner.

According to company data, the firm has purchased Bitcoin consistently over the 2020s so far, including a purchase every month since November 2024. A purchase this week would mark the 100th total buy event since the strategy began.

If it’s not going to zero, it’s going to a million. $BTC

— Michael Saylor (@saylor) February 20, 2026

The firm now controls 717,131 BTC, approximately 3.4% of the total 21 million supply cap, valued at around $47.5. However, the aggressive buying at market peaks has pushed the average cost per coin to $76,027.

With Bitcoin trading below $67,000 as traders buy crash protection, the treasury faces significant unrealized losses.

Despite this price action, the company remains committed to its dollar-cost averaging strategy, leveraging capital markets to finance continued accumulation.

Dilution Concerns and Strategic Pivots

To sustain this buying pressure, Strategy has evolved its financing approach. Fortune reports that the firm has shifted toward issuing preferred stock to raise capital, a move analysts warn could turn the company into a “dilution machine” relative to Bitcoin per share (BPS) metrics.

The company issued $7 billion in preferred stock in 2025 alone, carrying high dividend obligations.

Source: TradingView

While Bitcoin hashrate shows a V-shaped recovery signaling network health, Strategy’s balance sheet is under scrutiny as it navigates $6 billion in debt maturities due in 2028.

The firm plans to “equitize” this convertible debt over the coming years, potentially increasing share counts further to protect the Bitcoin stack.

Discover: The best new crypto in the world

Corporate Treasury Implications

Strategy’s influence has inspired other entities to hedge with crypto, seen in smaller scale executions like the Consensys and Sharplink ETH treasury holdings.

However, no other public entity approaches Strategy’s scale.

As the firm approaches its 100th purchase, the market watches closely to see if Saylor can maintain shareholder value while managing heavy debt loads in a sub-$70,000 Bitcoin environment.

The post Michael Saylor Hints at Strategy’s 100th Bitcoin Purchase Milestone appeared first on Cryptonews.

The Bitcoin price fell more than -5% overnight, which caused the asset known as ‘digital gold’ to break below the psychological $65,000 level after President Trump announced plans to raise global tariffs to 15%.

Tariff concerns have been at the root of much of the recent woes across the crypto markets, with Trump regularly sparking mass liquidations with talk of financial sanctions on China, the EU, and others.

This recent move triggered a sharp risk-off rotation across asset classes, causing a -3.2% slump across the total crypto market and leading to the Fear & Greed Index to drop to 5/100, a level not seen since the COVID crash of March 2020.

As of mid-morning on this Monday trading session, BTC USD has recovered slightly from its daily drop, reclaiming $65,000 and now trading at $65,700.

(SOURCE: CoinGecko)

Why Are Trump’s Tariffs Rattling Crypto Markets?

The sell-off intensified after President Trump utilized Section 122 of the 1974 Trade Act to impose a 15% tariff on imports, overriding a prior Supreme Court rejection of similar measures, which has caused uproar across the US.

This regulatory unpredictability has spooked risk assets, causing a decoupling from regional stock markets. Jeff Mei, COO at BTSE, stated that the “sudden uptick in tariff rates is causing investors to sell crypto assets in anticipation of a more serious market decline.”

Beyond trade economics, geopolitical fears are compounding the selling pressure. With prediction markets pricing in potential military strikes against Iran, traders are liquidating speculative positions to secure capital.

(SOURCE: PolyMarket)

The combination of aggressive trade policy and continued military provocations has created a hostile environment for risk-on assets like crypto.

At the same time, gold is back trading above $5,000 and looking set for a new all-time high while the S&P500 is trading just below its own previous highs, underscoring how crypto is the biggest casualty of the global economic situation.

DISCOVER: Next Crypto to Explode in 2026

ETF Outflows Signal Institutional Caution for the Bitcoin Price

(SOURCE: CoinGlass)

Institutional appetite appears to be waning alongside retail sentiment. According to CoinGlass data, US spot Bitcoin ETFs recorded nearly $320 million in net outflows last week, marking the fifth straight week of negative flows amid cooling demand.

While Gold gained +2.6% last week, continuing to act as a traditional safe-haven asset, Bitcoin has seemingly shed its “digital gold” narrative amid this ongoing volatility.

Markus Thielen, head of research at 10x Research, noted that the drop is driven less by a single headline and more by weak liquidity, suggesting the market is in a “typical bear-market phase” characterized by uncertainty and low conviction.

What Happens Next for Us?

The technical picture has obliterated immediate support levels. While traders were previously buying crash protection near $67,000, that floor has now crumbled.

This weakening price action is lending credibility to Standard Chartered, slashing its Bitcoin price prediction for 2026 to just $50,000.

Standard Chartered warns Bitcoin could drop to $50K
Price now near $65K
Are you buying this dip… or waiting for capitulation? $BTC $ETH

— FlashNews (@FlashNewsInvest) February 13, 2026

Thielen expects further downside, potentially testing that $50,000 level before a true bottom can be formed.

Prediction markets verify this bearish outlook. Polymarket shows that 62% of users believe that Bitcoin USD will fall below $50,000 this year, aligning with Standard Chartered’s prediction.

Bulls must quickly reclaim $67,500 to prevent another cascading liquidation after more than $500M was wiped out in the past 24 hours.

EXPLORE: Best New Crypto Presales in 2026

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