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Ethereum continues to struggle below the $2,000 level as persistent selling pressure and elevated uncertainty weigh on broader crypto market sentiment. Despite occasional rebound attempts, price action remains fragile, with volatility still elevated after months of corrective momentum. The inability to decisively reclaim this psychological threshold has reinforced caution among traders, particularly as liquidity conditions tighten and macro uncertainty continues to influence risk appetite across digital assets.

Recent analysis from Darkfost adds further context to the current market structure. According to the data, the ongoing correction is now affecting all investor cohorts, including Ethereum’s largest holders. Notably, the unrealized profit ratio for whale groups has shifted into negative territory across the board. Wallets holding between 1,000 and 10,000 ETH show an unrealized profit ratio of approximately -0.21, while those with 10,000 to 100,000 ETH stand near -0.18. Even the largest cohort — addresses holding more than 100,000 ETH — has slipped into negative territory around -0.08.

Ethereum Whales Unrealized profit ratio | Source: CryptoQuant This development is notable because Ethereum has not yet revisited its April lows, suggesting the depth of unrealized losses is expanding earlier than in some previous corrective phases. Such conditions can increase market sensitivity, as even traditionally resilient holders may reassess positioning amid prolonged volatility.

Whale Stress Raises Capitulation Risk While Bottom Formation Signals Emerge Darkfost further notes that if Ethereum extends its decline, large holders could face increasing financial pressure. Sustained downside would deepen unrealized losses across whale cohorts, potentially forcing some participants to reduce exposure or liquidate portions of their holdings. Historically, such capitulation events among large investors tend to amplify short-term volatility, particularly when liquidity conditions are already fragile.

However, despite the negative profit ratios now visible across whale groups, Ethereum has so far managed to stabilize above recent local support zones. This relative resilience suggests that, while sentiment remains cautious, immediate large-scale distribution from whales has not yet materialized. The distinction is important because unrealized losses alone do not necessarily trigger selling unless accompanied by liquidity stress, leverage pressure, or broader market shocks.

Periods in which major holders experience stress have often coincided with medium-term bottom formation phases in previous cycles. As weaker hands exit and leverage unwinds, markets sometimes transition into accumulation regimes characterized by lower volatility and gradual stabilization.

Still, this interpretation should be approached cautiously. Whale positioning is only one element of market structure, and confirmation typically requires improving liquidity, stronger spot demand, and supportive macro conditions before a sustained recovery can take hold.

Ethereum Price Structure Remains Fragile Below Key Averages Ethereum continues to trade under clear technical pressure, with the weekly chart showing a sustained inability to reclaim the $2,000 region decisively. Following the sharp rejection from the 2025 highs near the $4,800 zone, price action has transitioned into a sequence of lower highs and weakening rebounds, typically associated with corrective market phases rather than accumulation-led recoveries.

ETH testing critical demand level | Source: ETHUSDT chart on TradingView Technically, ETH is currently positioned below several major moving averages that previously acted as dynamic support. These levels now function as resistance, limiting upside attempts unless a strong reclaim occurs with expanding volume. The recent decline toward the $1,900 area reflects persistent selling pressure, while repeated failures near the mid-$2,000 range reinforce cautious market sentiment.

Volume activity has moderated compared with the impulsive rally phase, suggesting reduced speculative participation. While declining volume during corrections can sometimes signal seller exhaustion, confirmation of stabilization usually requires sustained buying interest rather than temporary rebounds.

From a structural perspective, immediate support appears concentrated near the recent local lows around the $1,800 region, while resistance remains clustered between roughly $2,200 and $2,600. Until Ethereum reclaims these levels convincingly, the broader technical outlook remains vulnerable, with consolidation or further downside still plausible.

Featured image from ChatGPT, chart from TradingView.com 

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Bitcoin is plunging. Hard.

François Villeroy de Galhau, the governor of the Bank of France, is sounding the alarm over bitcoin’s recent decline. The cryptocurrency has just fallen to $60,000, a drop of nearly 40% from its peak of the previous year, which exceeded $100,000. Villeroy warns against the extreme volatility impacting investors seeking stability. He emphasizes the need for caution before adopting these ultra-risky digital assets.

Not new.

In 2023, bitcoin was still climbing to historic highs. But in recent months, it’s been a descent into hell. For the governor, this is “a natural market correction, a return to economic reality.” He doesn’t mince words. The massive sales observed on Binance and Coinbase have amplified the downward trend, creating a panic spiral among holders.

And Villeroy is not entirely against cryptos. He sees potential in blockchain but remains wary of its use for speculative assets. “The technology can be interesting, but not in this giant casino context,” he says in essence. He advocates for stricter regulation to protect consumers and avoid systemic risks.

France is not alone in its concern. Other European institutions are also sounding the alarm. The European Commission is currently working on new regulations that could change the game in the coming months. Brussels is discussing, but no official statement has yet been released. The market is awaiting clarifications.

On February 5, 2026, a major holder nicknamed “the Whale” liquidated a massive portion of their bitcoins. This created a terrible shockwave. Other investors panicked and sold out of fear of further declines. On Twitter, the hashtag #BitcoinCrash exploded with over 500,000 uses in less than 24 hours. Anxiety reigns. For more details, see Binance halts new registrations in france.

Changpeng Zhao, head of Binance, calls for calm.

But traditional stock markets are not immune to the tremors. The CAC 40 fell on February 6, with some fearing contagion to classic markets. Analysts at Société Générale are closely monitoring the situation and speak of “overflow risks.” BNP Paribas has even reduced its exposure to cryptocurrencies in the face of this wild volatility.

The Financial Markets Authority launched an investigation on February 7, 2026, after complaints from investors citing potential manipulations. The AMF is working with international regulators to analyze suspicious transactions. It’s not yet clear if irregularities will be found, but the institution is not taking any chances.

Christine Lagarde has scheduled an emergency meeting at the ECB for February 10. The implications of cryptocurrencies on financial stability will be on the agenda. Bruno Le Maire, Minister of Economy, expresses his concerns at a press conference and emphasizes the importance of effective regulation. “We support innovation, but not at the expense of stability,” he says.

Villeroy de Galhau reminds that bitcoin has experienced these cycles since its creation in 2009. Several spectacular rises and falls have marked its history. “Caution remains essential for investors,” he stresses during his appearance on BFM Business on February 6, 2026. He insists that these fluctuations are no surprise to those familiar with the sector. This follows earlier reporting on Bitcoin Falls to ,000 After Fed.

Some investors see a buying opportunity despite the drop. They are betting on a future rebound of bitcoin, believing that the fundamentals remain solid. But for now, the volatility continues to scare many market players. Exchange platforms remain silent and have not officially reacted to the governor’s statements.

The Bank of France is closely monitoring the evolution of the cryptocurrency market. It collaborates with other central banks to analyze potential impacts on the global financial system. Regular meetings are held to assess emerging risks. Villeroy mentions that these discussions are crucial for anticipating potential crises.

On February 8, 2026, the Financial Stability Board convened an emergency meeting in Paris. This council brings together representatives of major central banks and financial institutions to assess the repercussions of bitcoin’s fall. No official statement has been released following this meeting. The markets are waiting for clear signals on upcoming measures.

Several American investment funds have already started drastically reducing their exposure to cryptocurrencies. BlackRock withdrew nearly $2 billion from its bitcoin ETFs this week, while Fidelity temporarily suspended new subscriptions. These institutional movements amplify the downward pressure and fuel fears of a broader sector collapse.

Small investors are paying the high price of this debacle. According to an AMF study published in January, more than 3.2 million French people hold cryptocurrencies, often without understanding the risks. Consumer associations have been multiplying alerts since the start of the decline. UFC-Que Choisir received more than 1,500 complaints in one week, mainly from individuals who invested their savings in bitcoin.

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BGD Labs, the development group led by former CTO Ernesto Boado and responsible for the success of Aave V3, announced that they will cease their contributions to the protocol on April 1, 2026. They confirmed they will not renew their contract due to concerns over centralization, asserting that Aave Labs exerts absolute control over the brand and maintains an adversarial attitude toward external collaborations.

BGD Labs are rage quitting Aave DAO after 4 years.

They built Aave v3, governance infra, Umbrella, and most core systems.

Why they're leaving:

– Aave Labs pivoted from independent company to central contributor pushing v4
– Aave Labs controls the brand, comms, and has voting… pic.twitter.com/MqRR105eEK

— Ignas | DeFi (@DefiIgnas) February 20, 2026 This breakdown in the relationship has a profound impact, as BGD Labs accuses the organization of prioritizing a V4 version developed in isolation, undermining the decentralized spirit of the DAO. Although founder Stani Kulechov thanked BGD for its technical leadership and dismissed immediate operational risks, the community fears that the loss of this technical group could weaken the security and open innovation that characterized the DeFi protocol.

In the short term, the market must monitor the transition to other code groups and the approval of a proposed $200,000 security retainer fund to cover emergencies until June. The critical next step will be to observe whether this conflict drives a governance reform or accelerates the migration of liquidity toward competing protocols that guarantee greater structural transparency.

Source:https://x.com/DefiIgnas/status/2024844595448946809

Disclaimer: Crypto Economy Flash News is compiled from official and public sources verified by our editorial team. Its purpose is to provide quick information on relevant events in the crypto and blockchain ecosystem. This information does not constitute financial advice or investment recommendations. We recommend always verifying the official channels of each project before making related decisions.

Crypto Price Prediction Today 20 February – XRP, Bitcoin, Ethereum Bitcoin Ethereum XRP

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2 minutes ago

A wave of new catalysts across crypto markets, paired with strengthening chart structures, is fuelling expectations that XRP, Bitcoin and Ethereum may be posting fresh all-time highs (ATHs) sooner than anticipated.

Below is a breakdown of key narratives gaining traction in headlines and technical chart patterns that hint at powerful tailwinds heading towards summer.

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

XRP (XRP): Ripple’s Expanding Blockchain Strategy Puts $5 in FocusXRP ($XRP) currently capitalizes a lofty $88 billion, making it the leading asset in global crypto payments.

Ripple designed the XRP Ledger (XRPL) to modernize international moeney transfers, offering near-instant settlement and ultra-low fees through a blockchain alternative to SWIFT. Its infrastructure is built to serve banks, enterprises, and individual users alike.

A recent announcement shows Ripple intensifying its focus on XRPL as a foundation for stablecoin issuance and real-world asset tokenization, while reinforcing XRP’s role as the core liquidity and utility token within the ecosystem.

Outside crypto communities, both the United Nations Capital Development Fund and the White House have recognized XRP as a practical solution for enhancing cross-border payments.

Momentum accelerated further after U.S. regulators approved spot XRP exchange-traded funds (ETFs), opening the door for compliant institutional and retail exposure.

Taken together with a developing bullish flag pattern on the charts, these factors could drive XRP toward the $5 level by Q2.

Bitcoin (BTC): Is Another Record High Coming This Summer?Bitcoin ($BTC), the original and largest cryptocurrency by market cap, set a record high of $126,080 on October 6.

Since then, consecutive selloffs sparked by geopolitical uncertainty over potential U.S. military involvement in Iran and Greenland have sunk it 46%, sending it below $70,000.

Bitcoin’s maxis maintain their chosen asset is “digital gold”. It’s a compelling narrative that has drawn interest from institutions and retail investors seeking a hedge against inflation, currency debasement, and macroeconomic risk.

Growing institutional participation, reduced post-halving supply pressure, and the prospect of clearer U.S. crypto legislation soon could reignite upside momentum and drive multiple new highs this year.

Speculation has also intensified around Donald Trump’s proposal for a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve. If implemented, it could seal Bitcoin’s dominance as the flagship crypto for years to come.

Ethereum (ETH): The Engine of DeFi Could Return to Record TerritoryEthereum ($ETH) is the backbone of decentralized finance with a market capitalization of $236 billion.

The network hosts $54 billion TVL, making it the most financially active blockchain by a wide margin.

In a renewed bull cycle, ETH could challenge and surpass the $5,000 resistance zone as early as June, exceeding its prior ATH of $4,946 set last August.

Looking further ahead, Ethereum’s journey toward five-figures hinges on clearer regulatory guidance in the U.S. and supportive macroeconomic conditions. Both are essential to onboarding institutions, particularly through stablecoins and tokenized real-world assets.

From a technical perspective, ETH is trading below its 30-day moving average, with the relative strength index sitting near oversold levels around 33. For bullish investors, now is a compelling accumulation opportunity.

Bitcoin Hyper Brings Solana-Grade Speed and Functionality to BitcoinWhile XRP, Bitcoin, and Ethereum likely have plenty of growth to come, the biggest gains in bull markets often come from early-stage innovations that reshape the ecosystem.

Enter Bitcoin Hyper ($HYPER). The project dramatically upgrades Bitcoin’s usability by introducing Solana-level performance via a Layer-2 protocol. The solution slashes transaction fees while preserving Bitcoin’s security.

Users can stake assets, generate yield, trade tokens, and interact with smart contracts directly, all without bridging funds away from the Bitcoin network.

With $31.5 million already raised in its ongoing presale, and growing interest from whales and major exchanges, $HYPER is rapidly becoming one of the most closely followed crypto launches of the year.

Investors looking to secure $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

Journalist

Posted: February 21, 2026

As the market becomes more mainstream, any bear-market triggers have broad ripple effects. With digital assets now held in treasuries and by public investors, even a modest pullback could erode market trust quickly.

Technically, controlling the supply is crucial to stabilizing sentiment. Following this principle, Tron [TRX] executed an acquisition, purchasing 177,587 TRX tokens and boosting its treasury to over 682.6 million TRX. This was aimed at enhancing ‘long-term shareholder value.’

Meanwhile, on-chain liquidity is showing signs of recovery. Tron’s Total Value Locked (TVL) has risen nearly 2% in the past 24 hours, and was exceeding $4 billion as of writing. This suggests that engagement remains healthy despite the FUD.

Taken together, Tron is executing a classic market playbook. 

Strong on-chain liquidity, combined with TRX acquisitions, reinforces investor confidence and helps preserve stakeholder value. These moves show a clear focus on maintaining commitment in a volatile environment.

From a technical perspective, this isn’t just a coincidence. Looking at TRX’s price chart, it seems the network is executing a classic “buy the fear” strategy, the kind that often sets the stage for breakout rallies once the market shifts back to risk-on.

Tron’s TRX builds momentum around key support In today’s market, no move is really a “coincidence.”

With Tron making recent TRX acquisitions and strong DeFi inflows, it’s clear the network is trying to buck risk-off sell-offs by psychologically encouraging HODLing. In turn, keeping investors from offloading.

This strategy is especially notable as TRX trades near a critical support that, back in mid-December 2025, sparked a nearly 15% rally over the month to $0.30, before the market crash wiped out 100% of those gains.

Source: TradingView (TRX/USDT)

This strategy is especially notable as TRX trades near a critical support that, back in mid-December 2025, sparked a nearly 15% rally over the month to $0.30, before the market crash wiped out 100% of those gains. 

Strategically, Tron’s recent moves suggest it’s aiming to protect that floor and set the stage for a potential repeat rally. Strong TVL comes into play here, signaling robust liquidity, active investor participation, and confidence.

Combined with TRX acquisitions, this reinforces $0.27 as a potential price floor. In turn, this supports for a breakout once the market shifts risk-on. If this trend holds and Tron breaks past $0.30 resistance, it could signal a strong buying opportunity.

Final Summary Tron’s TRX acquisitions and rising TVL reinforce $0.27 as a key price floor. In turn, boosting investor confidence and stabilizes sentiment. With TRX trading near critical support, a move past $0.30 resistance could trigger a strong buying opportunity, following a classic “buy the fear” strategy.

Bitcoin Bitcoin Price Prediction Market

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8 minutes ago

Bitcoin price is getting closer to the decision zone by the day.

Price is trapped inside a clear triangle structure, with converging support and resistance squeezing volatility.

This kind of compression rarely lasts. When markets tighten like this, they usually explode in one direction, and it could be either way.

Each rejection from resistance and bounce from support has narrowed the range, forming a classic apex setup. As the price approaches that apex, the probability of a sharp move increases.

One constructive sign is the formation of higher lows within the triangle. Buyers are stepping in slightly earlier on each to show underlying demand building during consolidation.

For now, Bitcoin is balanced but which side of Bitcoin price prediction has more control?

Bitcoin Price Prediction: Can This Explode To The Upside Now?Bitcoin is still trading inside a tightening triangle, with descending resistance near $71,000 and rising support climbing from the $64,000 area.

Price keeps compressing into the apex, and that type of structure rarely stays like this for long.

Source: BTCUSD / TradingViewThe key detail is that higher lows continue to form on each dip.

As long as $64,000 holds, the structure leans constructive. A clean breakout above $71,000 would likely trigger momentum toward $80,000 first, then open the path toward the next major upside target.

Still, downside risks remain if the first support fails, exposing $60,000.

New Bitcoin Presale Brings Solana Technology to The BTC BlockchainBitcoin 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

Nakamoto Inc. (NASDAQ: NAKA) announced today that it has completed its acquisitions of BTC Inc. and UTXO Management GP, LLC (“UTXO”), finalizing merger agreements previously announced earlier this month.

The transaction was structured entirely through the issuance of Nakamoto common stock. BTC Inc. and UTXO securityholders received 364,795,104 shares of Nakamoto stock, at a combined value of $81,632,852 based on Nakamoto’s closing price on February 19, 2026, of $0.248. In a form 8-K filing yesterday, Nakamoto disclosed that the two businesses reported a combined revenue of $80.5 million, $34.2 million in EBITDA (Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, and Amortization), and $40.1 million in net income for the 12-month period ending September 30, 2025.

The deal followed the terms of Nakamoto’s call option under its Marketing Services Agreement, which was previously approved by shareholders.

BTC Inc. is a global Bitcoin media company that produces Bitcoin Magazine, one of the longest-running publications covering the cryptocurrency industry. 

The company also organizes The Bitcoin Conference, a series of events held across the U.S., Asia, Europe, and the Middle East, which attracted over 67,000 attendees in 2025. BTC Inc. also operates Bitcoin for Corporations, a membership platform for companies using Bitcoin as a treasury asset.

UTXO Management serves as an adviser to a hedge fund focused on Bitcoin and related investments. Its team allocates capital across public and private markets in the Bitcoin ecosystem.

The firm’s integration into Nakamoto expands the company’s investment and advisory capabilities.

Nakamoto: A portfolio of bitcoin adjacent companies 

David Bailey, Chairman and CEO of Nakamoto Inc., said earlier this week that the “acquisition aligns with our plan to operate a portfolio of companies across media, asset management, and advisory services. BTC Inc. and UTXO provide recurring earnings and institutional capabilities that support our growth strategy.”

Brandon Green, CEO of BTC Inc., added, “Joining Nakamoto allows us to scale our media and event platforms and extend our reach to a wider audience of companies and investors in Bitcoin.”

Tyler Evans, Chief Investment Officer of Nakamoto and UTXO, said the combination provides an opportunity to reinforce Bitcoin’s role in modern capital markets and to develop new investment strategies.

With the acquisition complete, Nakamoto now operates a diversified portfolio of Bitcoin-native enterprises spanning media, events, asset management, and advisory services. 

The company intends to use the combined platform for future strategic initiatives, including additional Bitcoin accumulation and potential acquisitions.

Bitcoin Magazine is published by BTC Inc, a subsidiary of Nakamoto Inc. (NASDAQ: NAKA)

By PYMNTS  |  February 20, 2026

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Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse thinks there is a 90% chance the CLARITY Act will be signed into law by the end of April, he said in a Thursday (Feb. 19) interview on Fox Business.

“The White House is pushing hard on this, and I think that is a big reason why it will get done,” Garlinghouse said. “It needs to get done for U.S. leadership.”

Conceding the bill is not perfect, Garlinghouse said Ripple’s stand on the bill is, “Don’t let perfection be the enemy of progress.” He added that the progress of the CLARITY Act stalled because some in the crypto industry pushed for the bill to be closer to perfect.

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“The industry can’t live in limbo, so our argument is, the CLARITY Act, it needs to get done for the industry to thrive here in the United States,” Garlinghouse said.

Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong, who said Jan. 14 that Coinbase had withdrawn its support for the Senate Banking Committee’s draft of a market structure bill for digital assets, said Thursday that the legislation is making progress.

“Market structure is making great progress, and I believe we’re going to reach a win-win-win outcome,” Armstrong said in a Thursday post on X. “A win for the crypto industry. A win for the banks. And, most importantly, a win for the American consumer.”

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Representatives of the cryptocurrency and banking industries negotiated details of the CLARITY Act Thursday in a meeting hosted by the White House, Coinbase reported Thursday. This was the third such meeting focused on the crypto market structure bill.

While some progress was made, significant barriers remain, including the banking industry’s demand that the CLARITY Act reverse a provision in the GENIUS Act, which is now law, that allowed crypto firms to offer rewards on stablecoins, according to the report. In addition, Democratic lawmakers are pressing to prohibit senior government officials from having significant business interests in the crypto industry.

Thursday’s meeting lasted well beyond its scheduled two hours, with White House officials pressuring the participants to reach a compromise, per the report.

TLDR: Treasury T-bill issuance holds a +0.80 correlation with Bitcoin price over the last four years of data. M2 money supply has decoupled from Bitcoin, making it an unreliable indicator for forecasting price direction. The Fed balance sheet scores a near-zero correlation of -0.07 with Bitcoin, removing it as a credible signal. T-bill issuance peaked in late 2024, and Bitcoin has shown renewed weakness as early 2026 issuance declines. T-bill issuance is gaining recognition as Bitcoin’s most reliable macro indicator, pushing aside long-favored metrics like M2 money supply.

A crypto analyst recently shared data pointing to a +0.80 correlation between Treasury T-bill issuance and Bitcoin over four years.

That figure towers above what M2 and the Federal Reserve balance sheet have managed to produce. With Bitcoin last trading around $67,721, the conversation around macro signals is shifting in a clear direction.

Why M2 and the Fed Balance Sheet No Longer Tell the Full Story T-bill issuance is stepping into the spotlight as M2 money supply loses its grip as a Bitcoin forecasting tool. Crypto analyst Axel Bitblaze posted on X that Bitcoin has already decoupled from M2 in observable stretches.

During those periods, M2 stayed flat or moved higher, yet Bitcoin did not respond accordingly.

This chart is worth watching next time..

Not M2 supply, not the fed balance sheet. as we’ve already seen M2 decouple.

there were periods where M2 was flat or even up and $BTC didn’t care..

same with the fed balance sheet. correlation here is basically zero at -0.07.

the chart… pic.twitter.com/bR4UhXX0xr

— Axel Bitblaze 🪓 (@Axel_bitblaze69) February 20, 2026

The Federal Reserve balance sheet has also struggled to track Bitcoin’s price behavior with any consistency. Bitblaze recorded the correlation between the Fed balance sheet and Bitcoin at just -0.07. That number effectively removes it from serious consideration as a directional signal.

T-bill issuance, however, has held a +0.80 correlation with Bitcoin across the same four-year period. For a notoriously volatile asset like Bitcoin, that reading carries real weight.

Analysts are now paying closer attention to how Treasury market activity channels liquidity into broader risk appetite.

The Four-Year Timeline That Makes T-Bill Issuance Hard to Ignore The case for T-bill issuance as a Bitcoin signal is built on a timeline that stretches back to late 2021. Bitblaze noted that issuance peaked around that time, and Bitcoin soon followed with its own cycle top.

When issuance began falling through 2022, Bitcoin crashed in the months that came after.

The connection held again in mid-2023, when T-bill issuance bottomed out alongside Bitcoin’s price floor. From that low point, both began climbing in tandem, with Bitcoin trailing the issuance trend by a visible lag.

Through 2024 and into 2025, rising issuance continued to pull Bitcoin higher with that same delayed rhythm.

Then in late 2024, T-bill issuance peaked once more. As early 2026 arrived, issuance started declining, and Bitcoin’s price weakened in step.

Bitblaze summed it up directly: “When the blue line goes up, BTC follows with a delay. When it rolls over, BTC struggles.” The four-year record now has traders watching Treasury issuance schedules as closely as any on-chain metric.

The United States Supreme Court invalidated the controversial trade levies imposed by the Trump administration, ruling the use of emergency powers for this purpose illegal. Following the announcement, the president lashed out at the court, calling the decision a “disgrace,” while analysts like Lawrence Herman warn that trade stability with key partners such as Canada has already been severely fractured.

The legal resolution had an immediate impact on the crypto market, particularly on Bitcoin, an asset that historically suffers in the face of trade tensions. The pioneer’s price experienced erratic movements, dropping to $66,500 and then, within minutes, rebounding above $68,000, reflecting investor uncertainty regarding the potential end of projected revenues totaling $1.5 trillion.

Moving forward, the market will be closely watching the “backup plan” mentioned by the White House and potential retaliation against the judicial system. With trade tensions still simmering under new legal guises, the sustainability of Bitcoin’s $68,000 support level will depend on whether confidence can be restored in import relations with China, Mexico, and the European Union.

Source:https://goo.su/JzVVS

Disclaimer: Crypto Economy Flash News is compiled from official and public sources verified by our editorial team. Its purpose is to provide quick information on relevant events in the crypto and blockchain ecosystem. This information does not constitute financial advice or investment recommendations. We recommend always verifying the official channels of each project before making related decisions.

XRP is struggling to reclaim higher price levels as persistent selling pressure and broader market uncertainty continue to weigh on sentiment. Despite intermittent rebound attempts, momentum remains fragile, with traders hesitant to commit capital amid elevated volatility and cautious liquidity conditions. The asset has yet to establish a convincing higher high, reinforcing the perception that XRP remains in a transitional phase rather than a confirmed recovery trend.

A recent CryptoQuant report provides additional context through exchange flow data. According to the analysis, Binance recorded a sharp spike in XRP exchange inflows during a previously highlighted period that preceded a strong rally. Large inflows typically reflect tokens moving onto exchanges, a dynamic often interpreted as potential sell pressure since assets become readily available for liquidation. Such spikes can increase short-term supply and amplify volatility.

XRP Ledger Exchange Inflow | Source: CryptoQuant However, inflows do not always result in immediate distribution. In the referenced case, the surge in exchange deposits coincided with rising volatility and ultimately preceded a significant price expansion. This suggests that some inflow events may represent strategic positioning, liquidity preparation, or internal reallocation rather than outright selling. As XRP navigates current uncertainty, monitoring exchange flow behavior remains critical for assessing whether renewed volatility could once again precede a directional breakout.

The report explains that liquidity dynamics provide important context for understanding XRP market structure, particularly when evaluating volatility risk and potential price inflection points. USD liquidity measures the depth of capital supporting XRP trading pairs. During the previous rally phase, USD liquidity expanded significantly, allowing price advances to be absorbed without excessive volatility. Recently, however, USD liquidity has been declining, suggesting thinner market depth compared with the expansion period. Reduced depth typically increases sensitivity to order flow and can amplify price swings.

XRP Ledger Liquidity XRP | Source: CryptoQuant Liquidity measured in XRP terms reflects the availability of tokens on the sell side. Prior to the last major breakout, XRP liquidity compressed notably, indicating reduced active supply on exchanges. That contraction phase aligned closely with the beginning of the strong upward move. Currently, XRP liquidity is trending lower again, showing similarities with earlier pre-expansion conditions.

Historically, this combination of exchange inflow spikes alongside liquidity compression has preceded volatility expansion. Rising USD liquidity tends to support sustained trends, while declining liquidity often introduces fragility into market structure.

At present, exchange inflows remain moderate, but both USD and XRP liquidity are contracting. This suggests a thinner environment where price reactions could become sharper. These indicators provide structural context, but they should be evaluated alongside derivatives positioning, funding trends, and broader macro conditions before drawing directional conclusions.

XRP remains under sustained technical pressure, with the weekly chart reflecting a clear corrective phase following the sharp rally that pushed the price above the $3.00 region in 2025. Since that peak, price structure has shifted toward a sequence of lower highs and lower lows, a pattern typically associated with weakening momentum rather than consolidation. The recent move toward the $1.40 area highlights continued selling pressure and cautious positioning among market participants.

XRP testing critical demand level | Source: XRPUSDT chart on TradingView From a technical standpoint, XRP is currently trading below key moving averages that previously acted as dynamic support. These averages now function as overhead resistance, limiting upside attempts unless price can reclaim them decisively. The shorter-term average has rolled over more aggressively, while the longer-term trend line remains upward sloping but lagging, suggesting residual macro support alongside deteriorating short-term momentum.

Volume activity has moderated compared with the impulsive rally phase, indicating reduced speculative participation. However, declining volume during corrections can also signal seller exhaustion if accompanied by stabilization in price structure.

Immediate support appears concentrated near the recent lows around the $1.30–$1.40 zone, while resistance remains clustered near the $1.80–$2.20 range. Until XRP reclaims higher levels with strong participation, the broader trend remains fragile.

Featured image from ChatGPT, chart from TradingView.com 

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Bitcoin faces persistent selling pressure, struggling to reclaim the $69,000 mark. Traders exercise caution as market volatility remains high, with liquidity conditions tightening. Short-term momentum currently favors sellers, keeping the market defensive and risk-averse.

In the past 30 days, $8.24 billion worth of Bitcoin, held by large-scale investors known as “whales,” has been transferred to Binance. Analyst Maartunn highlights this as the highest inflow to the exchange in over a year. Such movements indicate significant repositioning by major market players. Binance continues to serve as a key platform for large transactions, suggesting strategic shifts among these investors, whether for distribution or hedging purposes.

The dominance of whale activity contrasts sharply with retail participation. Retail inflows stand at approximately $11.91 billion but have stagnated recently. This has narrowed the retail-to-whale ratio to 1.45, reflecting cooling momentum among smaller investors. Retail traders show declining conviction, while whale deposits rise, suggesting a strategic reallocation of capital by larger entities.

As Bitcoin consolidates below its resistance levels, the influence of these whale movements becomes critical. The market’s structure is becoming more top-heavy, with institutional actors gaining prominence over retail traders. Bitcoin’s future direction may hinge on the strategies of these large players rather than the sentiments of smaller investors.

Bitcoin’s price structure shows signs of stress. The cryptocurrency has been in a corrective phase since peaking near $120,000 in late 2025. Recent price action reveals a breakdown from the $90,000-$95,000 zone, leaving Bitcoin around the $68,000 area.

Technically, Bitcoin trades below its short-term moving average, which is now sloping downward, indicating bearish momentum. While its long-term average remains upward, it sits well below current prices, pointing to a transitional market phase. The recent increase in trading volume during sell-offs suggests active distribution rather than a passive decline.

Some stabilization appears near the $65,000-$70,000 support zone, a level that previously acted as a breakout point. For a bullish reversal, Bitcoin would need to reclaim the $75,000-$80,000 range. Failing to maintain current levels might lead to deeper retracement toward established long-term support. For more details, see Bitcoin ETFs Keep Billion Despite.

The evolving dynamic between whale and retail activity on Binance shapes the market’s immediate future. Investors will be watching closely to see if whale strategies will dictate the next move. Further developments depend on whether Bitcoin can hold its critical support levels or face greater downward pressure.

On February 20, Maartunn noted that the whale activity on Binance could signal upcoming market shifts. The large inflows underscore a strategic repositioning as these investors navigate the current volatile environment. This behavior suggests that whales might be anticipating further price movements and are positioning themselves accordingly.

In contrast, smaller investors appear hesitant. The recent flattening of retail inflows, totaling around $11.91 billion, indicates a pause in retail speculation. This hesitance could be due to the recent price corrections and the uncertain market outlook. Retail traders might be waiting for clearer signals before committing more capital.

The ongoing dynamics on Binance, with whales dominating recent transactions, highlight the exchange’s critical role in the crypto market. As one of the largest cryptocurrency exchanges globally, Binance’s activity often serves as a bellwether for broader market sentiment. The current whale behavior might set the stage for potential price movements in the near term.

As Bitcoin hovers near the $68,000 level, attention remains on whether it can sustain support or face further declines. The next few weeks could be pivotal, with market participants closely monitoring whale actions and their potential impact on Bitcoin’s trajectory. The market waits to see if these large players will trigger a shift in price direction or if the current downtrend will persist. More on this topic: Bitcoin Fights Uphill Battle as Rally.

On February 20, Maartunn’s analysis also noted a significant shift in the retail-to-whale ratio on Binance. This shift indicates a growing gap in influence, with whales increasingly driving market dynamics. This change comes as retail investors display caution, possibly due to heightened volatility and recent price declines.

The influx of whale-held Bitcoin into Binance coincides with a broader downtrend in Bitcoin’s price, which has been unable to regain its previous highs. As of now, Bitcoin remains below the $69,000 threshold, a critical level that traders are closely monitoring. The market’s ability to stabilize or reverse may hinge on whether whales continue to exert their influence through strategic transactions.

Binance, as a major player in the cryptocurrency exchange space, finds itself at the center of these significant market movements. The exchange’s ability to handle such large-scale transactions underscores its role as a key liquidity provider. This capacity becomes especially crucial when whale activity surges, as it has in recent weeks.

The current environment remains uncertain, with Bitcoin’s future direction influenced heavily by these whale strategies. February 20 marks a pivotal point where the market awaits further signals from these large investors. Their actions could dictate the next phase of Bitcoin’s price trajectory, leaving smaller investors to respond accordingly.

Post Views: 14

Bitcoin's current bear market could worsen over the next year if the flagship digital asset fails to address concerns about quantum computing.

In a Feb. 20 report, Charles Edwards, Capriole founder, claimed that Bitcoin’s market value should already be discounted for quantum risk and warned that the discount could deepen quickly if the network does not move toward quantum-resistant code.

According to him:

“Bitcoin will be worth half as much in little over a year if we do not progress an upgrade to quantum proof Bitcoin. Without progress, Bitcoin’s Quantum Discount Factor jumps to 75% in 2029.”

This projection implies that Bitcoin's price could drop to around $30,000 from its current level of $68,000 by next year.

However, he warned that this could be worse, as Bitcoin’s value could fall to zero after Q-Day if the network is unable to address quantum computing threats.

Despite these fears, Edwards argues that Bitcoin's current price is undervalued by about 30% as its current fair valuation is around $120,000, which would drop to $96,000 when accounting for quantum risk.

Bitcoin's Fair Value (Source: Capriole)He wrote:

“In other words if you are a long-term investor in Bitcoin, and optimistic we will solve on the quantum threat in the next 2-3 years, then Bitcoin in the $60,000s is an attractive long-term opportunity.”

Essentially, the point is not that a quantum attack is imminent. Edwards’ framework is that markets may start marking down Bitcoin before any “Q-Day” event if investors believe the network’s governance and migration process will take years.

In his model, the risk becomes a valuation discount now because Bitcoin upgrades are slow and require broad coordination across developers, nodes, miners, exchanges, and wallet users.

Why the market can discount a future threat todayEdwards’ note argues that quantum risk has moved from a fringe topic to a timeline problem.

He cites a threshold of roughly 2,300 logical qubits as sufficient to threaten Bitcoin’s current cryptography and estimates, based on compiled industry forecasts, that a cryptographically relevant quantum event is likely by 2030 and increasingly probable by 2031.

According to him:

“Bitcoin Q-Day is likely to occur by 2030 (60% chance) and probable by 2031 (80% chance).”

Bitcoin Price Discount Factor and Q-Day Probability (Source: Capriole)However, his more immediate concern is Bitcoin’s response time.

Edwards estimates it would take roughly two years, and possibly one to three years, to move a majority of active users to quantum-resistant wallets and code, even in an aggressive scenario.

That gap between the pace of quantum progress and the pace of Bitcoin governance is the basis for his “discount factor” argument.

Meanwhile, this logic is no longer confined to crypto-native commentary.

Last year, BlackRock amended the prospectus of its iShares Bitcoin Trust ETF, explicitly warning that advances in quantum computing could render Bitcoin’s cryptography ineffective.

According to the firm, this could potentially compromise wallet security and force network-wide changes that may require broad consensus and one or more forks. The filing also says there is no assurance that those transitions would be implemented successfully or on time.

For markets, that matters because it reframes quantum computing as a coordination and governance risk rather than just a hardware risk.

Even if the technology arrives later than feared, uncertainty around readiness can still pressure valuation in the meantime.

What is at stake, and why the debate is hardEdwards breaks the Bitcoin quantum problem into two parts.

First, migrating active users to a quantum-resistant version of Bitcoin. Second, dealing with older or exposed coins that may be vulnerable if quantum systems can recover private keys from public keys.

He estimates that 20% to 30% of the Bitcoin supply is “public key exposed,” including older output types and dormant coins, and warns that those coins could become a major source of forced supply in a worst-case scenario.

At current prices, that 20% to 30% range translates into a very large pool of value. Using Bitcoin’s 21 million supply cap and a spot price near $67,178, the at-risk range would be roughly $282 billion to $423 billion.

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Notably, CoinShares’ February 2026 assessment puts numbers on the “long exposure” problem.

It estimates that exposure is concentrated in legacy Pay-to-Public-Key (P2PK) outputs, which are equivalent to roughly 1.6 million BTC, about 8% of the supply, because those formats leave public keys plainly visible.

However, the portion that could cause “appreciable market disruption” if stolen quickly is far smaller: CoinShares estimates 10,200 BTC sit in UTXOs large enough to matter in a rapid liquidation scenario.

Bitcoin has proposals, but consensus is the hard partTo solve the quantum computing threat, Edwards proposes a “dead man’s switch” concept after migration, in which coins that do not move to quantum-resistant outputs within a set window could be frozen.

He argues that the approach would better preserve network value, but also acknowledges it would be difficult to gain consensus because it cuts against Bitcoin’s “not your keys, not your coins” culture for users who lose access and cannot migrate.

He says that such a forced liquidation would undermine confidence in Bitcoin’s “hard money” thesis and could trigger a deep bear market.

Meanwhile, the Bitcoin community is not standing still, and proposals are being pushed to mitigate the risks.

A draft proposal, BIP 360, is now in the Bitcoin Improvement Proposals repository.

It introduces Pay-to-Merkle-Root (P2MR), a proposed soft fork output type designed to reduce certain long-term quantum risks and pave the way for future post-quantum signature integration.

The draft explicitly says it is a first step and notes that protection against faster “short exposure” attacks may still require post-quantum signatures.

Outside of crypto, standards bodies are also pushing institutions to start preparing.

NIST says organizations should begin migrating systems to quantum-resistant cryptography, reflecting a broader shift toward long-lead planning rather than last-minute reaction.

That supports the idea that the market debate is moving from “if” to “when and how.”

For Bitcoin investors, that leaves a narrower question than the headline suggests. The issue is not whether quantum computers can break Bitcoin today.

The issue is whether Bitcoin can show sufficient visible progress along an upgrade path to prevent quantum risk from becoming a larger discount in an already fragile market.

Posted in

Key takeaways:

A minor 4.3% Bitcoin price increase to $69,600 could trigger over $600 million in forced liquidations for bearish traders.

Rising network hashrate and the BIP-360 quantum security proposal are helping to diminish long-term technical concerns.

Bitcoin (BTC) has remained confined within a relatively tight range of $65,900 to $70,500 over the past week. This stagnation has encouraged bearish traders, particularly as other major asset classes displayed resilience. However, even if Bitcoin requires months to reclaim the $90,000 level, excessive bearish confidence could trigger a wave of forced liquidations in futures positions, rapidly shifting momentum back to the bulls.

Bitcoin futures liquidation heatmap estimate, USD. Source: CoinGlassAccording to CoinGlass estimates, a price rally to $69,600 would force the liquidation of over $600 million in short BTC futures. For context, when Bitcoin climbed from $60,200 to $70,560 on Feb. 6, short liquidations totaled $385 million. Currently, a mere 4.3% move upward from the $66,700 level could deliver an even more significant blow to those betting on further declines.

Bulls may also find a catalyst in weakening macroeconomic data. The US reported sluggish gross domestic product growth for the fourth quarter of 2025, with an annualized rate of 1.4% falling short of the 2.9% analysts expected, per Yahoo Finance. This slower economic activity negatively impacts corporate earnings outlooks, typically reducing investor appetite for stock market exposure.

Meanwhile, underlying US inflation rose more than anticipated in December, dampening hopes for near-term interest rate cuts. The US personal consumption expenditures price index, excluding food and energy, increased by 0.4% month over month. As the S&P 500 loses bullish steam, investors may be forced out of their comfort zones to seek higher returns in onchain markets.

S&P 500 futures (left) vs. gold/USD (right). Source: TradingViewEscalating Middle East tensions may prompt investors to seek alternative hedges, particularly after gold prices rallied 25% in just three months. Gold’s market capitalization has climbed to a staggering $35.2 trillion—nearly eight times larger than Nvidia (NVDA US), which sits at $4.6 trillion. 

As Bitcoin trades approximately 47% below its all-time high, the risk-reward profile for the cryptocurrency may become increasingly attractive to macro traders. For now, Bitcoin bears retain control, as evidenced by the lack of demand for long positions in the futures market.

BTC perpetual futures annualized funding rate. Source: Laevitas.chThe BTC perpetual futures funding rate has failed to stay above the 6% neutral threshold over the last two weeks. More telling is the recent stretch of negative funding rate, suggesting that bears are committed to their positions even as Bitcoin retests the $66,000 support level. Regaining conviction remains a hurdle for the bulls, who witnessed $1.6 billion in liquidations during the three-day crash that started on Feb. 6.

Recovering hashrate and BIP-360 progress strengthen Bitcoin network securityWhile some of Bitcoin’s recent weakness was attributed to network security concerns, those risks are now dissipating.

Bitcoin network 7-day hashrate estimate, exahashes/sec. Source: HashrateIndexThe seven-day average hashrate has recovered to 1,100 exahashes per second, matching levels from late January. Earlier fears that miners were abandoning the network to pivot toward the artificial intelligence sector have proven premature, as the industry shows remarkable resilience.

Furthermore, the introduction of BIP-360 has addressed much of the uncertainty surrounding quantum computing threats. This proposal outlines a framework for post-quantum protection through a backwards-compatible soft fork. By removing the vulnerable key-path spend found in Taproot, the proposal hides public keys onchain until the moment of spending. 

This technological roadmap provides a clear path for bulls to regain the narrative, potentially forcing a short squeeze that could propel Bitcoin back above $70,000.

This article does not contain investment advice or recommendations. Every investment and trading move involves risk, and readers should conduct their own research when making a decision. While we strive to provide accurate and timely information, Cointelegraph does not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of any information in this article. This article may contain forward-looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties. Cointelegraph will not be liable for any loss or damage arising from your reliance on this information.

XRP continues to maintain its macro bullish structure despite experiencing a deeper corrective move than initially anticipated. Although price action has tested lower levels, it has not confirmed a higher-timeframe breakdown, suggesting the pullback is still part of a broader consolidation within an ongoing uptrend rather than a full trend reversal.

XRP Dips Deeper, But HTF Level Still Holds In a recent XRP update, Hov noted that price action pushed deeper toward the lows than what would typically be acceptable for the previously considered diagonal scenario. The move forced a reassessment of the short-term structure. Despite that deeper sweep, the broader setup has not completely broken down.

Importantly, XRP has yet to produce a higher-timeframe close below the critical support level. Price is holding the area by a narrow margin, and as long as a decisive HTF breakdown is avoided, the broader bullish structure cannot be invalidated.

Given the recent price behavior, Hov adjusted the corrective count, labeling the structure as a sideways combination correction within a larger-degree Wave 4. The pullback delivered a precise tag of the 50% retracement level, adding technical confluence to the idea that this could be a mature corrective phase rather than the start of a broader reversal.

Source: Chart from Hov on X The next key development to watch is a clear five-wave advance from the recent low. XRP has already shown a clean micro five-wave structure off the bottom; something many other altcoins are lacking, as they continue to print overlapping three-wave moves instead. That relative structural strength keeps the bullish case alive.

A sustained push toward the $2 region in a confirmed Wave 5 would increase confidence that a durable low is in place. From there, analysts would look for a controlled wave 3 retracement into support as confirmation, signaling that the market is preparing for continuation rather than a deeper breakdown.

Technical Structure Remains Firmly Bullish XRP continues to maintain a technically bullish posture despite recent consolidation. Price action has pulled back, but the broader structure has not shifted into bearish territory. Momentum may have cooled, yet the underlying trend remains constructive.

According to Steph Is Crypto, the key level to monitor is the 200-week moving average. As long as XRP holds above that long-term indicator, the macro uptrend remains intact. In previous market cycles, sustained bearish phases often began after a decisive break below this level, something that has not occurred in the current setup.

At present, XRP appears to be consolidating within a broader bullish framework, meaning the structure still favors upside continuation unless proven otherwise. Trend dynamics have not flipped, and until major support gives way, the long-term outlook stays technically positive.

XRP trading at $1.41 on the 1D chart | Source: XRPUSDT on Tradingview.com Featured image from Peakpx, chart from Tradingview.com

The $24 billion RWA market gets a one-of-a-kind boost via Dubai’s XRP-powered real estate market transition.

Market Sentiment:

Bullish Bearish Neutral

Published: February 20, 2026 │ 8:25 PM GMT

Created by Kornelija Poderskytė from DailyCoin

With the global crypto markets still in a very cautious mode, the quiet Ripple (XRP) tokenization process carries on in an unprecedented magnitude. In the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the Dubai Land Department (DLD) joined forces with the digital tokenization firm Ctrl Alt to open secondary trading for 7.8 million tokens tied to objects in the area.

Dubai’s Luxury Estates End Up On XRP ChainPreviously, this XRP Ledger-based tokenization platform opened real-world asset (RWA) trading for 10 objects in Dubai, cumulatively representing $5 million in valuation. Now, the second phase is set to test this newly-furbished real-estate market’s market efficiency, including on-demand liquidity, governance & XRP investor protection devices.

Thrilled to see Phase Two launch for Dubai @Land_Department Real Estate Tokenization Project! Building on the pilot, controlled secondary market trading is now live for tokenized properties on the XRP Ledger, secured by @Ripple Custody via our partner @CtrlAltCo

This is massive…

— Reece Merrick (@reece_merrick) February 20, 2026 All transactions on the secondary RWA market are to be executed only on Ripple’s XRP Ledger, while crypto custody is taken care of by Ripple. In the second phase of this Dubai real-estate tokenization project, Crtl Alt, the infrastructure partners, will dish out RWA management tokens that can be seamlessly affixed to the real estate projects.

$24B RWA Market Anticipates Clarity Act VerdictReshaping the real estate ownership model in Dubai, Ripple’s regulatory win the Dubai Land Department (DLD) attributes to the growing $24 billion Real World Asset (RWA) market, heavily boosted by stablecoin adoption – including Ripple’s own RLUSD stablecoin. Launched last year, the RLUSD is presented as a compliance-first stablecoin.

Garnering $1 billion in market cap two months into launch, RLUSD gave Ripple enough power to apply for a traditional banking license in the United States, but the outcome mostly relies on one factor – the Clarity Act. With the fate of this stablecoin-focused crypto bill being discussed behind closed doors in Washington, the timing could be decisive.

Ripple’s CEO Brad Garlinghouse expects the negotiations to bear fruit in the progress of The Digital Asset Market Clarity Act by the end of March, 2026. Many market connoisseurs are giving 90% chance of that to happen, but some further amendments had drawn push-back from other crypto industry figures, making this prediction slightly on the optimistic side.

Stay in the loop with Dailycoin’s top crypto news now:
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People Also Ask:What is Dubai’s latest move with real estate tokenization?

Dubai Land Department launched Phase Two today (February 21, 2026). It enables controlled secondary market trading for tokenized property shares.

Which blockchain is used?

Notably, all on-chain transactions run on the XRP Ledger (XRPL). Tokens are secured by Ripple Custody through partner Ctrl Alt.

What was achieved in the pilot phase?

Previously, the pilot version tokenized 10 properties worth over $5 million (AED 18.5 million). It issued about 7.8 million tokens.

Why does this matter for XRP and XRPL?

It marks a major real-world asset (RWA) adoption milestone. A Ripple executive called it a massive step for tokenized real estate in Dubai.

DailyCoin's Vibe Check: Which way are you leaning towards after reading this article?

Market Sentiment

100% Bullish

This article is for information purposes only and should not be considered trading or investment advice. Nothing herein shall be construed as financial, legal, or tax advice. Trading forex, cryptocurrencies, and CFDs pose a considerable risk of loss.

Dogecoin (CRYPTO: DOGE) and Shiba Inu (CRYPTO: SHIB) are trading flat, with both meme coins compressed in symmetrical triangles signaling imminent 10-15% moves in either direction. Dogecoin's Coiled Spring DOGE's Parabolic SAR flipped below price at $0.09562—the first constructive signal in weeks suggesting the $0.083 capitulation low may have marked bottom.

Vitalik Buterin is building a "cypherpunk principled non-ugly ethereum" as part of his future vision for the largest onchain ecosystem.

In response to a post on X arguing that Buterin "should let the original ethereum die a slow and painful death by fragmentation (tempo, reth, l2s, app chains, institutions, etc) and rebuild it as a cypherpunk chain from first principles on risc v just to show who was the boss," Buterin responded:

"I'm actually trying to do something even more ambitious: Create ‘cypherpunk principled non-ugly ethereum’ as a bolt-on to the present-day system, in a way that's as tightly integrated and interoperable as possible, and then grow it over time, in the mean time making sure ethereum itself gains the cypherpunk and simplicity properties that just necessarily have to be system-wide (eg. censorship resistance, zk prover friendliness, consensus properties)."

FOCIL inclusion The statement comes on the heels of the controversial Fork-Choice Enforced Inclusion Lists (FOCIL) mechanism being officially "scheduled for inclusion" by Ethereum devs on Thursday for the upcoming Hegota hard fork. FOCIL was named as the consensus-layer (CL) headliner for Hegota, which is scheduled for late 2026, following the next Glamsterdam hard fork in the coming months, during Thursday’s All Core Devs call.

FOCIL, entered as EIP-7805, is essentially a bid to ensure Ethereum remains censorship-resistant at the protocol level by forcing validators to include all transactions. It does this by enabling committees of Ethereum validators to enforce transaction inclusion in blocks via fork-choice rules and inclusion lists (IL).

If a proposed block ignores valid transactions from the committee's ILs — including transactions that may violate OFAC sanctions — the chain forks away from it, guaranteeing that any valid, public-mempool transaction gets included within a bounded number of slots.

FOCIL has been a controversial proposal, and was previously excluded from inclusion in Glamsterdam. Critics argue it could create legal ramifications for Ethereum validators and increase protocol complexity. Still, FOCIL, alongside other protocol improvements, is key to Buterin’s vision for the future of a more cypherpunk and "harder" Ethereum.

Harder Ethereum In another X post, Buterin noted that FOCIL pairs well with EIP-8141, an account abstraction upgrade also as part of Hegota that would enable native support for smart wallets, multisig, quantum-resistant keys, and gas-sponsored privacy transactions without wrappers.

"With EIP-8141 (AA), transactions from smart wallets, privacy protocols, etc, could be sent *through a public mempool, and directly received by a FOCIL includer*, no wrappers, ‘public broadcasters’, or other intermediaries required," Buterin wrote. "Ethereum is going hard."

Both upgrades are part of the Ethereum Foundation's trilateral goals of scaling, hardening, and simplifying the Ethereum base layer, as laid out in a recent blog outlining "protocol priorities for 2026."

"Harden the L1 is a new track, and it reflects something we think deserves dedicated focus: making sure that as Ethereum scales and evolves, it retains the properties that make it valuable in the first place," the authors wrote.

At the same time, Buterin has also pushed to make a "lean Ethereum," by reducing technological complexity and bloat through a full network redesign. Part of this initiative is the so-called “Beam Chain” that would be ZK-native from the start by enshrining ZK-EVM proofs directly into L1 validation.

Leaner Ethereum Another part is the long-term goal of swapping out the Ethereum Virtual Machine for RISC-V as Ethereum’s native virtual machine. RISC-V supports compiling a wider range of programming languages like Solidity, Rust, and C, while offering greater ZK support, for the Ethereum execution layer, devs have argued.

All this comes months into a radical refocusing on Ethereum's base layer scalability and functionality that kicked off last year amid increasing competition from alternative chains like Solana. As part of the reorganization of the Ethereum Foundation, Buterin has become a more vocal leader of the ecosystem, seen by a willingness to back controversial and difficult decisions.

This arguably came to a head earlier this month when Buterin more or less abandoned the "rollup-centric roadmap" he had championed for years, which looked to scale Ethereum through a network of Layer 2s.

Rather than allowing Ethereum to “die a slow and painful death by fragmentation,” from other Layer 1 users of the EVM, like Tempo, or other parasitic chains, Buterin has once again affirmed a decision to build in action.

"Ethereum has already made jet engine changes in-flight once (the merge), we can do it ~4 times more! (state tree, Lean consensus, ZK-EVM verification, VM change)," he said on Friday.

Disclaimer: The Block is an independent media outlet that delivers news, research, and data. As of November 2023, Foresight Ventures is a majority investor of The Block. Foresight Ventures invests in other companies in the crypto space. Crypto exchange Bitget is an anchor LP for Foresight Ventures. The Block continues to operate independently to deliver objective, impactful, and timely information about the crypto industry. Here are our current financial disclosures.

© 2026 The Block. All Rights Reserved. This article is provided for informational purposes only. It is not offered or intended to be used as legal, tax, investment, financial, or other advice.

TL;DR

Bitwise CIO Matt Hougan projects Bitcoin could compound 28% annually for 10 years, versus typical 5% equity and 4% bond expectations. He says the market looks like a classic 2018 or 2022-style bear phase, reinforced by investor belief in four-year cycles and heavy retail drawdowns. Hougan cites institutional BTC and ETH accumulation, DeFi, stablecoins, and tokenization, expects a U-shaped 2026 bottom and 2027 alignment, while ETFs broaden slowly over time. Matt Hougan, CIO at Bitwise, argues Bitcoin could deliver a 28% compound annual return over the next decade, far above the roughly 5% he contrasts for equities and about 4% for bonds. The punchline is Bitcoin as a long-horizon portfolio outlier, even in a fragile tape. He framed the forecast as a potential asset-allocation disruptor, while acknowledging the current mood is still bruised. At press time, Bitcoin traded at $68,122, up 1.5% over 24 hours, a reminder that sentiment can shift quickly. He expects fundamentals to strengthen first, with valuations catching up in a phase.

https://twitter.com/BitwiseInvest/status/2024492767183868401

Why the long-term call survives a rough cycle Hougan’s optimism is paired with a sober read on where the cycle sits. He calls the current environment a classic bear market, echoing the 2018 and 2022 crypto winters. Speaking about market structure, he said crypto still appears to follow a four-year cycle, even if prior catalysts like halving events or large industry failures may matter less than before. In his view, cycles persist because investors expect them, and positioning around the timeline reinforces the pattern. The result is self-fulfilling behavior that can extend drawdowns. That framing sets expectations for patience, not instant V-shaped recoveries.

He argues the cycle pressure is visible in who is holding and who is hurting. Institutions kept accumulating Bitcoin and Ethereum through late 2025 while many retail participants absorbed steep losses. Hougan noted numerous altcoins are down 70% or more from prior highs, and extreme fear readings suggest the downturn began earlier than many expected. Yet he maintains that weaker prices do not automatically mean weaker fundamentals. Instead, he points to steady building and usage as the market reprices risk, a dynamic that can look ugly before it clears. For allocators, that gap is actionable.

On fundamentals, Hougan points to expanding DeFi, stablecoins, and tokenized real-world assets, plus major digital-asset efforts at BlackRock and tokenization strategies at Apollo. His base case is a slow U-shaped recovery: 2026 as a bottoming year, with 2027 bringing prices closer to strengthening fundamentals. He expects ETFs to widen gradually beyond Bitcoin and Ethereum, but with institutional capital concentrated in leading assets or index-style products. He also said forced selling by corporate holders like MicroStrategy would likely require a prolonged 80% decline. Regulatory clarity may still take years. He frames crypto as a 10-to-15-year transformation.

The tokenized shares were issued by the BNP Paribas' AssetFoundryTM platform using a "permissioned access model on Ethereum."

TL;DR:

Ethereum is trading in the ninth decile of drawdowns, a level that historically precedes annual returns of 81%. BitMine faces $7 billion in unrealized losses but is doubling down with new massive purchases. Analysts project a V-shaped recovery similar to the eight correction cycles recorded since 2018. On Friday, two main topics captured investors’ attention: Ethereum’s price and BitMine’s predictions. Currently, the asset is struggling to hold below the psychological barrier of $2,000, leaving the majority of its holders in the red.

https://twitter.com/BitMNR/status/2024518687143731679

While the scenario is 100% bearish, BitMine maintains a defiant and optimistic stance, backed by on-chain valuation metrics. Data from Fundstrat reveals that Ethereum’s realized price stands at $2,241, implying that the asset is trading at a significant discount compared to its average acquisition cost.

Essentially, the quantitative analysis confirms that the cryptocurrency has entered the “ninth decile” of extreme drawdowns. Generally, when Ethereum reaches these oversold levels, it tends to experience a solid recovery with an 87% success rate over the following twelve months.

BitMine’s Strategy Amid Market Capitulation Far from reducing its exposure in the face of a $7 billion unrealized loss, BitMine appears to be doubling its bet. Recently, the firm acquired an additional 10,000 ETH through Kraken, adding to previous purchases of 35,000 units on platforms such as BitGo and FalconX.

The firm’s chairman, Tom Lee, maintains that severe corrections are an intrinsic feature of Ethereum’s history. Since 2018, the asset has overcome eight declines of over 50%, consistently achieving dynamic V-shaped rebounds that reward the patience of large-scale accumulators.

In short, the firm’s confidence is not based solely on sentiment, but on the statistical opportunity offered by current prices. If history repeats itself in 2026, the current inflection point could represent one of the best entry windows of the last decade.

Bitcoin has until the end of the year to recover, or the Power Law will be invalidated.

The Power Law model isn't a prophecy. It's a time-based regression that treats Bitcoin's long-run price path as a power curve, and the “deadline” talk centers on a rising floor. Better yet, a lower band that rises every day, regardless of the price.

If Bitcoin chops sideways or sells off through the fall, that floor eventually catches up to price, creating the first headline break of a model that's held for the asset's entire history.

As of mid-February 2026, Newhedge's live Power Law tracker shows the central trendline near $121,733 and the floor near $51,128.

Bitcoin trades around $67,000 as of press time, well above the floor, but far below the trend.

The floor isn't static. Because the model is anchored to time since Bitcoin's genesis block on Jan. 3, 2009, and grows roughly to the power of 5.8, the floor drifts upward by about 0.093% per day, or roughly $47 per day at current levels.

By Oct. 1, the floor is projected to be around $62,700. By Oct. 31, it hits approximately $64,400. By year-end, it reaches $68,000.

That means if Bitcoin stays flat near $67,000 through the fall, the floor catches it by mid-December. Any serious dip below the mid-$60,000s in the fourth quarter turns into a “first break” narrative.

The model in plain EnglishThe Bitcoin Power Law family of charts fits the asset's long-run price trajectory to a power curve in time, often visualized as a straight line on a log-log plot.

Newhedge frames it as a long-term log-log power-law model and attributes it to astrophysicist Giovanni Santostasi, with prices growing roughly to the power of 5.8 over time.

Most versions aren't single lines, but corridors. A central regression represents “trend” or “fair value,” and parallel upper and lower rails act as “resistance” and “support.”

Santostasi frames his Power Law Theory as an attempt to describe Bitcoin as a scale-invariant growth system and argues that it is scientific and falsifiable.

That framing matters. If the model is falsifiable, it needs a pre-committed rule, such as a weekly close below the floor for a specified number of weeks. Without that rule, any break can be dismissed as noise.

Why October mattersThe October deadline is shorthand for time tightening.

Because the model is time-based, the floor rises every day even if Bitcoin does nothing. That turns sideways markets into a countdown narrative. By late October, the floor enters the mid-$60,000s.

Any sustained price action below that level creates a clean headline: “Bitcoin breaks Power Law floor for the first time.”

But a floor break wouldn't “invalidate Bitcoin.” It would invalidate a specific parameterization, such as the site, bands, and data source.

It would signal a regime change relative to the historical fit, suggesting slower growth than the long-run curve implies. And it would hand critics a clean narrative. Log-log regressions can look stable in-sample but be statistically fragile.

Amdax's Tim Stolte has been a widely circulated critic on precisely these grounds, arguing that power-law fits to Bitcoin are spurious correlations driven by sample window sensitivity.

A 4-to-6% drawdown from current levels, enough to tag or break a mid-$60,000 floor, isn't exotic. It's routine volatility. One-month at-the-money implied volatility on Bitcoin recently sat around 51.77% on Feb. 10.

Deribit's DVOL explainer provides a rule of thumb for converting annualized volatility to the expected daily move: divide by the square root of 365, roughly 19. That translates to expected single-day swings in the mid-single-digit percentage range.

A sharp risk-off episode could easily push Bitcoin into the low $60,000s or below.

Fidelity's Jurrien Timmer has publicly framed roughly $65,000 as a “line in the sand” level, referencing power-law-style trend framing. That helps the story feel less like crypto numerology and more like a widely watched psychological level that happens to rhyme with the model's rising floor.

When institutional voices cite the same zone, the model's band becomes a self-fulfilling coordination point.

Chart shows Bitcoin's Power Law floor rising toward current price, projected to reach $64,400 by late October 2026.Three scenarios for the fourth quarterThere are three potential scenarios for the fourth quarter.

The first is the “chop is dangerous” frame. Even if Bitcoin is flat, the floor rises toward it. Every week of consolidation shrinks the cushion. By late October, the buffer disappears entirely if the price stays near current levels.

Second, the “volatility makes breaks plausible” frame. Mid-teens monthly move magnitudes are normal given the current implied volatility. A 4-to-6% drawdown is not an outlier event.

If Bitcoin gaps down on a macro surprise or on accelerated ETF outflows, the floor gets tested immediately.

Third, the “mainstream anchor” frame. The mid-$60,000s keep showing up not just in power-law charts but in institutional commentary. That makes the zone a coordination point.

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When enough participants treat a level as significant, it becomes significant through reflexivity.

The model ignores drivers, yet drivers determine where Bitcoin trades within the channel. Two variables matter most: ETF flow regime and risk-off volatility bursts.

Bitcoin has recently been trading in an environment where ETF demand is discussed as cooling or turning. US spot Bitcoin ETFs drove the rally from late 2023 through early 2024, but flows have moderated.

If outflows accelerate or inflows stall, the marginal bid weakens.

Additionally, recent sharp downside moves have been tied to broader risk sentiment, such as equity market stress, inflation surprises, and geopolitical shocks.

Those are exactly the regimes that create “gap risk” relative to a smooth trendline. The power-law model assumes continuous compounding. Real markets have discontinuities.

Use the image_prompt18:48Bitcoin's current 31% cushion above the Power Law floor shrinks to zero by mid-December if price remains flat.What a break would meanA floor break would not “invalidate Bitcoin.” It would invalidate a specific parameterization, signal a regime change versus the historical fit, or hand critics a clean narrative.

Log-log regressions can look stable in-sample but be statistically fragile. They're vulnerable to spurious correlation risk, sensitivity to sample window, and overfitting.

However, the debate is becoming scientific again.

A recent academic preprint from February 2026 agrees that the Bitcoin price is approximately power-law-in-time but finds a different slope, roughly 4.2, on 2011-to-February-2026 data.

The paper argues that “activity-warped time,” which adjusts the time axis for volatility and transaction volume, improves fit and out-of-sample performance. Even sympathetic research sees parameter instability.

The power-law model isn't wrong. It's a first-order approximation that evolves as the system matures.

DatePower Law Floor (proj.)BTC level that would avoid a floor break (≈ floor)Cushion if BTC = $67,000 (USD / %)Headline risk tagNow (mid-Feb 2026)$51,128$51,128+$15,872 / +31.1%LowOct 1, 2026$62,700$62,700+$4,300 / +6.9%MediumOct 31, 2026$64,400$64,400+$2,600 / +4.0%HighMid-Dec 2026 (catch-up under flat BTC)~$67,000~$67,000$0 / 0.0%HighDec 31, 2026$68,000$68,000–$1,000 / –1.5%HighWhat to watchDistance-to-floor, updated weekly, is the cleanest tracker. Whether “break” means a wick, a daily close, or a weekly close should be defined upfront.

Volatility regime matters: if implied vol pops, the probability of a floor tag rises mechanically. ETF flow headlines and macro risk-off episodes are the “why now” drivers that would push prices into the testing range.

Model disagreement itself is worth tracking. Different parameterizations produce different floors.
Some use the genesis block as the starting point. Others anchor to the first exchange price. Some refit annually. Others hold parameters fixed.

Those choices create meaningful divergence. A break on one chart might not show up on another.
The October deadline isn't a prophecy. It's a mechanical consequence of a time-based regression. The floor rises every day.

If Bitcoin chops sideways or sells off, the floor catches up. By late October, the cushion disappears.

Whether that matters depends on whether you believe the model has predictive power or is just a curve-fitted historical artifact. Either way, the next eight months will provide a clean test.

Mentioned in this articlePosted in

Abu Dhabi’s playing the long game on Bitcoin, comparing the apex digital asset to gold.

Market Sentiment:

Bullish Bearish Neutral

Published: February 20, 2026 │ 6:07 PM GMT

Created by Kornelija Poderskytė from DailyCoin

Abu Dhabi government-linked investment funds have reportedly purchased about $1 billion worth of Bitcoin, a move that lands as U.S.-listed Bitcoin ETFs are seeing fresh redemptions and traders debate whether another leg down is brewing.

Abu Dhabi Funds increased its bitcoin position by 46% to $1 Billion. As we've said–institutions are buying while retail is selling.

The old HODL meme remains undefeated–simple but not easy.

Earlier this week, it was also revealed via 13F filings that Jane Street was the… pic.twitter.com/h0afjoxFaq

— Cam Stromme (@21Bullish) February 18, 2026 The reported allocation, circulating in the crypto press, would rank among the larger sovereign-associated spot buys in recent quarters. Details remain thin, including which funds were involved and whether the exposure was acquired directly in spot markets or via intermediaries.

A Sovereign-Sized UAE Bid Meets a Jittery TapeThe timing is striking.

Sponsored

Bitcoin ETFs in the U.S. logged roughly $133 million in net outflows in the latest session referenced by industry reports, with sentiment gauges still parked in “extreme fear.” That combination—large, headline-grabbing buying on one side and steady de-risking on the other—has kept intra-day moves choppy and conviction fragile.

🇦🇪ABU DHABI SEES BITCOIN SIMILAR TO GOLD

The Abu Dhabi Investment Council says it is building an allocation to Bitcoin, calling it “a store of value similar to gold.” pic.twitter.com/SeWJ0vTAWS

— Coin Bureau (@coinbureau) February 18, 2026 Derivatives markets are also flashing big caution. Options positioning described by market watchers suggests traders are paying up for downside protection around a potential retest of the $60,000 level, implying that even bulls are hedging the possibility that spot demand won’t be enough to keep prices pinned above key supports.

What To Watch: Confirmation, Flows & HedgesFor the Abu Dhabi story to matter beyond a single-day bounce, investors will want confirmation and follow-through: signs of additional official-sector accumulation, or at least evidence that the reported purchase was not a one-off tactical trade. Absent that, ETF flows are likely to remain the cleanest public read on marginal U.S. demand.

In the near term, the push-pull between ETF redemptions and large discretionary buyers could widen ranges rather than establish a clear trend.

If outflows persist while options markets continue to lean defensive, sellers may test the market’s willingness to defend$60,000; if flows stabilize, a sovereign-scale bid could become the narrative that shifts risk appetite back toward BTC accumulation.

Discover DailyCoin’s trending crypto scoops today:
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DailyCoin's Vibe Check: Which way are you leaning towards after reading this article?

Market Sentiment

100% Bullish

This article is for information purposes only and should not be considered trading or investment advice. Nothing herein shall be construed as financial, legal, or tax advice. Trading forex, cryptocurrencies, and CFDs pose a considerable risk of loss.

Key points:

Bitcoin bulls are struggling to sustain the intraday rallies, indicating that every minor rise is being sold into.

Select major altcoins are showing weakness, signaling a drop to their strong support levels.

Bitcoin (BTC) bulls pushed the price above $68,300 but are struggling to maintain the higher levels. BTC is likely to record its fifth consecutive red monthly candle in the absence of a major rally in the next few days. That is the longest losing streak since 2018/19 when BTC fell for six successive months. A minor positive for the bulls is that the losing streak in 2018/19 was followed by a 131.6% rally over the following five months, per CoinGlass data.

Another indicator signaling a possible rally to the upside is the Bollinger Bands. According to crypto analyst Dorkchicken, the monthly Bollinger Bands are at their “tightest” level on record. All previous such instances have resulted in a bullish breakout, except the breakdown to $16,000 from $20,000 in 2022.

Crypto market data daily view. Source: TradingViewAlthough signs point to a possible up move, traders should keep a close watch on BTC exchange-traded funds (ETFs) flows to gauge institutional activity. US spot BTC ETFs have recorded $403.9 million in net outflows this week, according to SoSoValue data. Unless Friday witnesses sharp inflows, reversing losses of the past three days, the ETFs are on track for a five-week outflow streak. A sustained recovery may be difficult without institutional participation.

Could buyers push BTC and select major altcoins above their overhead resistance levels? Let’s analyze the charts of the top 10 cryptocurrencies to find out.

Bitcoin price predictionBTC bulls have maintained the price above the immediate support at $65,118, indicating demand at lower levels.

BTC/USDT daily chart. Source: Cointelegraph/TradingViewBuyers will have to push the Bitcoin price above the 20-day exponential moving average ($71,247) to gain the upper hand. If they manage to do that, the BTC/USDT pair may climb to the breakdown level of $74,508. Sellers are expected to aggressively defend the $74,508 level, as a break above it suggests the pair may have formed a short-term bottom. The pair may then ascend to the 50-day simple moving average ($82,258).

Sellers will have to yank the price below the $65,118 level to signal strength. The pair may then retest the Feb. 6 low of $60,000, which is likely to attract solid buying by the bulls.

Ether price predictionEther (ETH) has been consolidating between the $1,750 and the $2,111 level, indicating uncertainty about the next directional move.

ETH/USDT daily chart. Source: Cointelegraph/TradingViewThere is minor support at $1,897, but if the level cracks, the ETH/USDT pair may drop to the $1,750 support. Buyers are expected to fiercely defend the $1,750 level, as a close below it may sink the pair to $1,537.

The bulls will be back in the driver’s seat on a close above the $2,111 resistance. If they can pull it off, the Ether price may rally to the 50-day SMA ($2,665). Sellers may again attempt to halt the recovery at the 50-day SMA, but if the buyers prevail, the pair may surge to $3,045.

XRP price predictionThe failure of the bulls to push XRP (XRP) above the 20-day EMA ($1.50) suggests a lack of demand at higher levels.

XRP/USDT daily chart. Source: Cointelegraph/TradingViewThe XRP/USDT pair may slide to the support line, which is a crucial level to watch out for. If the XRP price turns up sharply from the support line and breaks above the 20-day EMA, it suggests that the pair may remain inside the descending channel for some more time. Buyers will have to pierce the downtrend line to signal a short-term trend change.

Contrarily, a break and close below the support line indicates that the bears are in command. The pair may then tumble to $1.11 and subsequently to $1.

BNB price predictionBNB (BNB) has been gradually sliding toward the $587 to $570 support zone, indicating that the bears are in control.

BNB/USDT daily chart. Source: Cointelegraph/TradingViewIf the BNB price turns down and skids below the support zone, the BNB/USDT pair may start the next leg of the downtrend to the psychological level at $500.

This bearish view will be negated in the near term if the bulls push the price above the $669 resistance. If that happens, the pair may surge to the breakdown level of $730 and then to the 50-day SMA ($797). Such a move suggests that the pair may have bottomed out in the short term.

Solana price predictionSolana (SOL) bulls are attempting to maintain the price above the immediate support at $76, but the bounce lacks strength.

SOL/USDT daily chart. Source: Cointelegraph/TradingViewThat heightens the risk of a break below the $76 level. If that happens, the SOL/USDT pair may plummet to the Feb. 6 low of $67. Buyers are expected to mount a strong defense at the $67 level, as a close below it may sink the pair to $50.

The first sign of strength will be a break and close above the breakdown level of $95. That indicates the bears are losing their grip. The Solana price may then rally to the 50-day SMA ($114).

Dogecoin price predictionBuyers are attempting to push Dogecoin (DOGE) above the 20-day EMA ($0.10), but the bears have held their ground.

DOGE/USDT daily chart. Source: Cointelegraph/TradingViewA minor positive in favor of the bulls is that they have not given up much ground to the bears. That increases the possibility of a break above the 20-day EMA. If that happens, the DOGE/USDT pair may rally to the breakdown level of $0.12.

Contrary to this assumption, if the Dogecoin price turns down and breaks below $0.09, it suggests that the bulls have given up. That might sink the pair to the critical $0.08 support. 

Bitcoin Cash price predictionBitcoin Cash (BCH) has slipped below the 20-day EMA ($548), indicating that the bears are attempting to take charge.

BCH/USDT daily chart. Source: Cointelegraph/TradingViewIf the Bitcoin Cash price sustains below the 20-day EMA, the BCH/USDT pair may plummet to the next major support at $500. Buyers are expected to vigorously defend the $500 level, as a close below it may open the doors for a fall to the vital support at $443.

The bulls will have to push and maintain the price above the 50-day SMA ($575) to signal strength. The pair may then jump to $600 and later to $631. Buyers are expected to encounter aggressive selling in the $631 to $670 zone.

Hyperliquid price predictionHyperliquid (HYPE) bounced off the 50-day SMA ($27.89) on Thursday, indicating that the bulls are buying on dips. 

HYPE/USDT daily chart. Source: Cointelegraph/TradingViewBuyers will have to drive the Hyperliquid price above $32.50 to seize control. The HYPE/USDT pair may then pick up momentum and surge to the $35.50 to $38.42 resistance zone.

On the contrary, if the price turns down from the 20-day EMA ($30.01) and breaks below the 50-day SMA, it suggests that the bulls are losing their grip. The pair may then slump toward the $20.82 support, where buyers are expected to step in. 

Cardano price predictionBuyers are struggling to push Cardano (ADA) above the 20-day EMA ($0.28), but a minor positive is that they have not ceded much ground to the bears.

ADA/USDT daily chart. Source: Cointelegraph/TradingViewThe bulls will again attempt to drive the Cardano price above the 20-day EMA. If they succeed, the ADA/USDT pair may march toward the stiff overhead resistance at the downtrend line. Buyers will have to achieve a close above the downtrend line to signal a potential short-term trend change.

Sellers are likely to have other plans. They will strive to tug the price below the support line, indicating the resumption of the downtrend. The next stop on the downside is likely to be $0.15.

Monero price predictionMonero (XMR) has been consolidating in a downtrend, indicating that the bears have kept up the pressure.

XMR/USDT daily chart. Source: Cointelegraph/TradingViewSellers will attempt to strengthen their position by pulling the Monero price below the $309 level. If they manage to do that, the XMR/USDT pair might drop to the $276 level. Buyers are expected to defend the $276 level with all their might, as a close below it may sink the pair to $247.

On the upside, the bulls will have to drive and maintain the price above the 20-day EMA ($360) to signal strength. The pair may then climb to the 61.8% Fibonacci retracement level of $414.

This article does not contain investment advice or recommendations. Every investment and trading move involves risk, and readers should conduct their own research when making a decision. While we strive to provide accurate and timely information, Cointelegraph does not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of any information in this article. This article may contain forward-looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties. Cointelegraph will not be liable for any loss or damage arising from your reliance on this information.

Metaplanet denied claims of hidden activity, and maintained that all Bitcoin purchases, wallet addresses, and capital deployment decisions were publicly disclosed in real time.

Metaplanet’s CEO Simon Gerovich said claims that the firm’s disclosures are insincere are “inflammatory and contrary to the facts.” He added that over the past six months, as volatility increased, the Japanese public company allocated more capital to its income business and sold put options and put spreads, which are actively managed as option positions.

The response follows accusations circulating online questioning Metaplanet’s disclosure practices and use of shareholder funds. The claims state that Bitcoin purchases were not disclosed promptly, including a large purchase made near the September price peak using proceeds from an overseas public offering, followed by a period without updates.

Gerovich’s Defense In his latest post on X, Gerovich said part of these funds was used to purchase Bitcoin for long-term holding, and that these purchases were disclosed at the time they were made. The exec added that all BTC addresses are publicly available and can be viewed through a live dashboard, which allows shareholders to check holdings in real time. He went on to assert that Metaplanet is one of the most transparent listed companies in the world.

Metaplanet made four purchases during September and announced all of them promptly. While the month was a local peak, Gerovich stated that the company’s strategy is not about timing the market, maintaining that the focus is to accumulate Bitcoin long-term and systematically, and that every purchase is disclosed regardless of price.

On options trading, Gerovich noted the criticism stemmed from a misunderstanding of the financial statements. He said selling put options is not a bet on BTC’s price rising, but a way to acquire Bitcoin at a cost lower than the spot price through premium income. He explained that this strategy reduced effective acquisition costs in the fourth quarter. He revealed that Bitcoin per share, the company’s primary key performance indicator, increased by more than 500% in 2025.

Financial Statements And Borrowings On financial results, Gerovich clarified that net profit is not an appropriate metric for evaluating a Bitcoin treasury company. He pointed to the operating profit of 6.2 billion yen, which indicates a growth of 1,694% year over year. According to the exec, the ordinary loss comes solely from unrealized valuation changes on long-term Bitcoin holdings that the company does not intend to sell.

Three disclosures related to borrowings were made – when the credit facility was established in October, and when funds were drawn down in November and December. Borrowing amounts, collateral details, interest rate structures, purposes, and terms were disclosed. The identity of the lender and specific interest rate levels were not disclosed at the counterparty’s request, despite the terms being favorable to Metaplanet.

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