Из жизни альткоинов

Свободное падение стоимости криптовалют закончилось. Большинство из тех, кто хотел продать, уже наверняка успели избавиться от активов. Правда, радоваться пока рано. Ожидание военных действий США против Ирана и отсутствие позитива на крипторынке могут возобновить и усилить обвал цен.

In 2025, about $141 billion in stablecoins reportedly ended up in the hands of illicit actors. Much of this activity was funneled through a few networks that favored stablecoins for their predictable value and quick transfers.

Much of that movement is tied to a small number of networks that use stablecoins for their speed and price stability. That does not mean widespread criminal use across all stablecoins. It points to concentrated channels where these tokens meet a specific need: moving value reliably outside regular banking rails.

Sanctions Linked Networks Drive The Bulk Of Flows

According To TRM Labs, sanctions-related flows made up roughly 86% of detected illicit crypto transfers last year. Around $72 billion of the stablecoin total traced back to a ruble-pegged token linked to Russian networks.

These networks are not isolated. Reports note overlaps with entities tied to China, Iran, North Korea, and Venezuela, which shows how stablecoins can act as bridges between different sanctioned systems.

The mechanics are simple: price stability matters when you need predictable settlement and low volatility risk. Stablecoins offer that.

Guarantee Marketplaces And Human Trafficking Rely On Stablecoins

Volume on certain marketplaces surged, mostly in stablecoins. Some escrow and guarantee sites — which act like middlemen for high-value transfers — saw tens of billions of dollars flow through their systems.

Reports note these venues are almost totally stablecoin-denominated, which raises red flags about their role in moving funds tied to illicit trade. Chainalysis and others have also pointed to sharp increases in flows to networks connected to human trafficking and escort services, and those operations leaned heavily on stablecoins for payments.

In these cases, payment certainty and liquidity matter more to the buyers and sellers than the chance of gains.

Different Types Of Crime Use Different Paths

Scams, ransomware, and thefts often start in Bitcoin or Ether and then shift into stablecoins later in the laundering chain. That pattern is common because attackers want an asset that holds value while they move it through fewer hands.

Market Cap

Meanwhile, the global stablecoin market has grown into a multi‑hundred‑billion‑dollar sector, with total market capitalization topping roughly $270 billion in early 2026.

According to data tracking site Stablecoin.com, the combined value of all major stablecoins consistently sits above the mid‑hundreds of billions mark, with fiat‑backed coins accounting for most of that total.

Two issuers dominate the sector. Tether’s USDT leads by a wide margin, with a market cap often reported at around $180 billion or more, and representing more than two‑thirds of the total stablecoin market.

Circle’s USD Coin (USDC) sits in second place with a market cap often above $70 billion, jointly holding over 90% of stablecoin capitalization when combined with USDT.

Smaller stablecoins like Ethena USDe, DAI, and PayPal USD make up a much smaller portion of the market but signal ongoing diversification among providers, the data tracker said.

Featured image from Unsplash, chart from TradingView

Президент Euro Pacific Capital, экономист Питер Шифф (Peter Schiff) посоветовал инвесторам побыстрее избавиться от биткоинов, так как первую криптовалюту ждет резкое падение.

Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse used a Feb. 18 appearance on Fox to argue that US crypto policy is nearing a turning point, predicting the long-stalled CLARITY Act will pass by the end of April and framing regulatory certainty as a direct catalyst for broader industry growth, including for XRP, which he emphasized has already cleared a key legal hurdle.

Why Ripple CEO Garlinghouse Is Bullish

Garlinghouse pointed to shifting Washington momentum and said prediction markets have moved in favor of passage. “The CLARITY Act spiked because of comments yesterday, from [a] senator […] I think now 90% will pass by the end of April,” he said. “I said a couple weeks ago I thought at the end of April […] people talked about [being] optimistic.”

He added that the White House is now actively pressing stakeholders, describing a meeting “today with a lot of leaders on both sides (crypto and banking) in the White House, […] [with] the White House pushing hard.”

Pressed on Ripple’s position, Garlinghouse argued the bill’s flaws are less important than ending what he cast as a policy vacuum that has pushed the sector into enforcement battles. “Our position [is] very much, don’t let perfection be the enemy of progress,” he said. “No bill is perfect […] we need clarity.”

He contrasted Ripple’s posture with the broader industry’s situation by referencing the company’s long-running US legal fight. “Ripple has been fortunate — sued by [the] government — a judge […] say[ing] XRP is not a security. We have clarity,” Garlinghouse said, before reiterating the point in starker terms when asked directly: “Not a security. Courts ruled clearly.”

In his telling, the CLARITY Act is meant to keep crypto from being forced into a securities regime that doesn’t map cleanly onto how many networks and tokens function. “If something is a security, all kinds of obligations because […] you own part of the company,” he said, contrasting that with crypto tokens where holders typically don’t receive dividends or governance rights analogous to electing a board. He also claimed the prior administration’s approach “failed in courts,” arguing that a modern framework is required for the US to compete.

Ripple’ Strategy And XRP

The interview also touched on the sector’s pullback from highs. Garlinghouse tied some of that weakness to policy delays. He said the CLARITY Act getting “pushed [and] stalled, late January […] did not help,” while arguing Ripple entered 2026 with strong momentum after what he called “a tremendous year in 2025.”

On relative performance, he claimed XRP has held up better than other majors. “To your point, crypto markets, XRP best performing major crypto, down 20%,” he said, while noting other assets were down materially more from peaks.

He framed Ripple’s strategy as proving demand through enterprise use cases rather than retail narratives: “The more we demonstrate real practical utility using technologies to solve real problems, [the] more you see that play out in a positive way.”

Garlinghouse cited Ripple’s M&A push as part of a broader effort to build infrastructure that appeals to corporate finance teams. He said Ripple has spent “three billion dollars [on] acquisitions since 2023,” including expanding into “custody, prime [brokerage], treasury management, stablecoin [and] payment” capabilities.

He highlighted the treasury-management firm it acquired, saying it “processed 13 trillion dollars payments last year,” and emphasizing how early institutional stablecoin adoption still is: “Crypto-enabled, zero of those were stablecoin enabled.”

For now, he suggested dealmaking is taking a back seat to integration. “We bought two big companies last year […] the first half of this year [is] very much on let’s pause […] integrate,” he said, adding: “For time being, we’re going to slow down, before we speed up.”

Garlinghouse also argued the CLARITY fight is no longer “crypto versus banks,” pointing to big incumbents wanting a rulebook. He said the “vast majority of the crypto industry” is prepared to accept imperfect language, including around customer rewards, because it would be “a major step forward.” He added that banks are now leaning in as well, citing Goldman Sachs leadership as wanting “the same level playing field” to compete as traditional finance moves deeper into crypto.

At press time, XRP traded at $1.4196.