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An on-chain developer has announced that a new wave of deceptive non-fungible token (NFT) scams is sweeping across the XRP Ledger (XRPL), putting wallet holders on high alert. The attacks, which rely entirely on human error, have prompted growing concern within the XRP community about the threat of social engineering in the crypto space. 

Developer Sounds Alarm On New XRP Scam

XRP wallet holders are facing new sophisticated scam attempts as fraudsters flood the XRP Ledger with fake NFT passes designed to trick users into surrendering control of their funds. Wietse Wind, the developer behind the Xaman wallet and a prominent figure in the XRP community, has sounded the alarm on X, urging members to stay vigilant.

Wind made it clear that neither he nor his team is distributing passes or NFTs of any kind. He warned that anything claiming otherwise is the work of bad actors. Notably, the new scam tactic relies on social engineering. Fraudsters send unsolicited NFTs to Xaman wallet owners and then wait for victims to engage with an offer tied to those assets.

When a user willingly accepts or signs the transaction, they may unknowingly hand over something of value in exchange for a worthless or malicious token. Wind described the mechanic plainly, likening it to a situation where someone presents a bad deal, and the victim voluntarily accepts it, walking away with something useless. 

Security observers have warned that the attacks are not the result of any hack, technical breach, or flaw in the XRP Ledger itself. Instead, the entire scheme depends on one moment of human error. They caution that a random NFT appearing in a wallet should be treated as a red flag and strongly advise users not to engage, sign, or click anything related to unexpected tokens. 

Wind confirmed that changes at the NFT code level alone would not fully resolve the scam problem since the vulnerability lies in user behavior rather than the underlying technology. For now, the safest course of action is to cancel any unsolicited offers immediately and spread awareness throughout the XRP community. 

How To Cancel Scam Offers

Wind has offered guidance to affected users on how to protect themselves. He directed wallet holders to navigate to the ‘Events’ and ‘Requests’ sections to locate the suspicious offer, then hit the ‘Cancel’ button. While the developer reassured the community that simply ignoring the offer without any interaction would also prevent loss of funds, he has nonetheless strongly urged users to take the extra steps of canceling any suspicious offers outright.

Meanwhile, on the ground level, members of the XRP community have begun sharing their own encounters with the new scam. A blockchain enthusiast on X, going by the name Crypto Analytics, revealed that he personally received one of the fraudulent offers via his Bithomp wallet. He noted that the team at XRPL Labs had flagged the NFT offers as fraudulent on the wallet, giving users additional warning when they encounter the malicious scams. 

Ethereum’s long-range protocol roadmap may move faster than many expect as AI tools improve, according to Vitalik Buterin, who pointed to a recent experiment that used agentic coding to assemble an ambitious reference client spanning much of Ethereum’s planned 2030-era architecture.

The comment came after developer Jiayao Qi, posting as YQ via X, unveiled ETH2030, an experimental Ethereum client built to target the network’s draft “2030+” roadmap. The project weighs in at 702,000 lines of Go, covers 65 roadmap items across eight phases, passes 36,126 official Ethereum state tests, and can sync with mainnet through an integration with go-ethereum v1.17.0. Qi said the client was built in roughly six days using Claude Code at a cost of about $5,750 and 2.77 billion tokens.

AI Could Speed Up Ethereum Roadmap

Buterin called the effort “quite an impressive experiment,” while also stressing that a prototype built at that speed comes with obvious limits. “Such a thing built in two weeks without even having the EIPs has massive caveats,” he wrote. “Almost certainly lots of critical bugs, and probably in some cases ‘stub’ versions of a thing where the AI did not even try making the full version. But six months ago, even this was far outside the realm of possibility, and what matters is where the trend is going.”

That distinction mattered more to Buterin than the raw demo itself. In his view, AI is not just compressing development time. It could change how Ethereum engineers approach assurance. “Probably, the right way to use it, is to take half the gains from AI in speed, and half the gains in security,” he said. “Generate more test-cases, formally verify everything, make more multi-implementations of things.”

He tied that directly to ongoing formal verification work around Ethereum. Referring to the Lean Ethereum effort, Buterin said one collaborator had already used AI to produce a machine-verifiable proof of a complex theorem underpinning STARK security. “A core tenet of @leanethereum is to formally verify everything, and AI is greatly accelerating our ability to do that,” he wrote. “Aside from formal verification, simply being able to generate a much larger body of test cases is also important.”

ETH2030 itself was presented less as a candidate client than as a stress test for the roadmap. Qi repeatedly framed it as a rough draft, not production software, and argued that its value lies in forcing hard engineering questions into the open now rather than years from now.

The roadmap, as implemented in the project, aims at a version of Ethereum with 10,000-plus TPS on L1, finality in seconds instead of 15 minutes, solo staking for 1 ETH, stateless nodes running on a $7 Raspberry Pi, and more than 1 million TPS across L1 and L2. But the experiment also surfaced deep coupling between upgrades, from block access lists and gas repricing to PeerDAS, native rollups and fast finality.

Qi was blunt about the gaps. Pure-Go cryptographic implementations lag production code by roughly 10x to 100x, the consensus logic has not been battle-tested on a live beacon chain, and the jump from roughly 5 million gas per second today to a 1 billion gas-per-second target remains highly speculative under real-world MEV and contract dependency patterns.

Buterin did not claim AI would make those problems disappear. In fact, he cautioned against expecting a secure protocol from a single prompt. “There WILL be lots of wrestling with bugs and inconsistencies between implementations,” he wrote. “But even that wrestling can happen 5x faster and 10x more thoroughly.”

That, more than the headline numbers, is the point now in front of Ethereum researchers and client teams. If AI can speed both implementation and verification, the roadmap may not just be a distant architectural sketch. As Buterin put it, people should at least be open to the “possibility” that Ethereum’s roadmap could be completed “much faster than people expect, at a much higher standard of security than people expect.”

At press time, ETH traded at $1,956.

Dogecoin and Shiba Inu are currently facing bearish sentiment due to the crypto market downtrend. On-chain metrics also highlight the current sentiment, with market participants choosing to stay on the sidelines amid this downtrend.

On-chain Metrics Signal Bearish Sentiment Towards Dogecoin and Shiba Inu

Santiment data shows that Dogecoin’s Price Daily Active Addresses (DAA) divergence has dropped to -49%, signaling weak demand in the meme coin’s ecosystem even as price continues to drop. This figure marks a two-month low for DOGE and comes amid its recent drop below the psychological $0.10 level. 

Furthermore, the Daily Active Addresses on the Dogecoin network continue to waver. Data from Santiment shows that the DAA on the network dropped from as high as 87,727 on January 31 to as low as 38,696 on February 28. The total Active addresses over the last seven days are below 300,000, which also signals the low demand for the meme coin at the moment. 

Like Dogecoin, Shiba Inu is also facing weaker demand amid the recent price downtrend. Santiment data shows that the Price DAA Divergence has dropped to -29%, the lowest level this year. This notably coincides with SHIB’s decline to its lowest level this year, with the meme coin now down 25% year-to-date (YTD). 

Shiba Inu’s Daily Active Addresses have also remained flat since the start of the year, indicating that investors are opting against investing in the second-largest meme coin by market cap. For context, SHIB’s DAA on March 1 was just 1,984, down from the multi-month high of 377,000 recorded in October last year. Since the start of this year, the Daily Active Addresses have remained below 10,000. 

It is worth noting that Dogecoin and Shiba Inu remain at risk of further declines as tensions between the U.S. and Iran escalate. Further declines in these meme coins are likely to lead to a drop in these on-chain metrics as market participants stay on the sidelines amid this uncertainty. 

Derivatives Metrics In The Red As Traders Sit On The Sidelines

Dogecoin and Shiba Inu’s derivatives metrics are also in the red as crypto traders sit on the sidelines amid the current market sell-off. CoinGlass data shows that DOGE’s derivatives trading volume is down by over 34% down to $2.36 billion. Open interest is down over 9%, dropping to $907 million, while options trading volume has crashed 31%. The long/short ratio is below 1, signaling that most traders are shorting DOGE at the moment. 

Similarly, Shiba Inu’s derivative metrics signal that sellers are currently dominating the market, as bulls remain cautious amid market uncertainty. CoinGlass data shows that SHIB’s derivative trading volume has crashed 28%, down to $132 million, while open interest is down to $54 million.

Iran and the Middle East are on fire again. US and Israeli forces launched a series of airstrikes on Iran over the weekend, killing Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei — a development that sent shockwaves through global markets and sparked fresh debate about what comes next for the US economy. And amid all the chaos, one prominent voice in the crypto world is already drawing a straight line from the bombing runs to Bitcoin prices.

Arthur Hayes Makes His Case

Arthur Hayes, co-founder of crypto exchange BitMEX, published a blog post this week arguing that US military action in the Middle East has a historical pattern — and that pattern tends to be good for crypto.

His reasoning goes back decades. According to Hayes, every sitting US president since 1985 has sent forces into the Middle East. Each time, the Federal Reserve followed by cutting interest rates or pumping more money into the financial system to help cover the costs.

The Gulf War in 1990. The aftermath of the September 11 attacks in 2001. The troop surge in Afghanistan in 2009. Each episode, Hayes argues, came with a looser money supply.

His conclusion: if US President Donald Trump keeps spending heavily on what Hayes calls “Iranian nation-building,” the Fed may eventually feel pressure to ease up on its current tight monetary stance. That, in turn, could send money flowing into riskier assets — including Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies.

Iran-US War: Markets Stay Calm For Now

So far, the markets aren’t panicking. Stock futures dipped only slightly when trading opened Monday. Oil prices spiked at first, then pulled back, erasing nearly half the early gains. The S&P 500 shed less than 1%. Financial newsletter The Kobeissi Letter was blunt about it — this was no doomsday open.

To everyone calling for World War 3:

This is NOT a futures open that is anywhere near WW3.

In fact, oil prices have already erased nearly half of their opening gap higher and the S&P 500 is down less than 1%.

Gold is up a mere 2% and Bitcoin is now positive on the day.

Don’t…

— The Kobeissi Letter (@KobeissiLetter) March 1, 2026

Crypto social media told a different story in tone, if not in substance. Reports say mentions of “World War 3” spiked across platforms over the weekend, according to data from analytics firm Santiment.

But those numbers were still well below the levels recorded last June, when a prior round of Israeli strikes on Iranian nuclear and military sites led to nearly two weeks of direct conflict between the two countries.

A Pattern Worth Watching

Hayes himself is urging caution for now. He admits there’s no way to know how long Trump will stay committed to a costly military campaign in Iran, or how much market pain the administration can stomach before pulling back.

His advice to crypto investors is to wait — specifically for a concrete Fed rate cut or money-printing signal before making big moves.

“The time to back up the truck and buy Bitcoin,” he wrote, is right after the Fed acts, not before.

Featured image from Getty Images, chart from TradingView

Arthur Hayes argues that a deeper US conflict with Iran could ultimately become a bullish macro setup for Bitcoin, not because war is constructive for markets, but because it may push the Federal Reserve toward cheaper and more abundant money.

Why Bitcoin Could Surge

In his March 2 essay iOS Warfare, the BitMEX co-founder laid out a simple thesis: if President Donald Trump commits the US to a prolonged and expensive campaign tied to Iran, the political and fiscal strain could raise the odds of monetary easing. For Hayes, that matters more than the conflict itself. “The longer Trump engages in the extremely costly activity of Iranian nation-building,” he wrote, “the higher the likelihood the Fed lowers the price and increases the quantity of money to support Pax Americana’s latest bout of Middle Eastern adventurism.”

Hayes’ argument rests on a historical pattern rather than a direct forecast on oil, geopolitics or battlefield outcomes. He points to prior US military engagements in the Middle East and says major conflicts were followed, or accompanied, by easier monetary policy. In his reading, wars do not just damage confidence and strain public finances; they also create conditions in which the Fed has cover to cut rates, support liquidity and help stabilize asset markets.

To support that view, Hayes cites several episodes going back to 1990. After the Gulf War began, he notes, the Fed initially stayed put but signaled that worsening conditions could force a shift. From the August 21, 1990 FOMC discussion, he quotes: “The heightened uncertainties and the prospectively less satisfactory performance of the economy stemming from events in the Middle East had greatly complicated the formulation of an effective monetary policy. In the opinion of several members, events appeared likely to unfold in a direction that would require an easing of policy at some point to counter weakening tendencies in the economy that had been in train before the oil price increase.”

He also highlights the Fed’s response after the September 2001 attacks and the launch of the Global War on Terror. In an emergency meeting, then-Chair Alan Greenspan said: “It’s clear that the events of last week, at a minimum, have created a heightened degree of fear and uncertainty that is placing considerable downward pressure on asset prices, increasing the probability of an asset price deflation, with its obvious impact on the economy. Therefore, I propose a 50-basis point cut in the federal funds rate target.”

For Hayes, those episodes show that geopolitical shocks can become monetary events. His framing is blunt: when war dents confidence, threatens growth or pressures markets, the policy answer tends to be lower rates and more liquidity. That, in turn, is the backdrop he believes tends to favor Bitcoin.

Still, Hayes is not calling for an immediate risk-on trade. He says the market does not yet know how long Trump would stay committed to reshaping Iran, nor how much market or political pain the administration can absorb before changing course. Because of that, he argues the cleaner trade is to wait for confirmation from policy rather than front-run the thesis too early.

“The prudent action is to wait and see,” Hayes wrote. “The time to back up the truck and buy Bitcoin and high-quality shitcoins like HYPE is immediately after the Fed cuts rates and or prints money to support the government’s goals in Iran.”

At press time, Bitcoin traded at $66,218.

Despite maintaining its position as the leading meme coin in the market, Dogecoin has suffered immensely in the market decline. It failed to reach a new all-time high in the 2024-2025 market run-up and has crashed tremendously as selling ramped up. Even now, the bleed seems not to have stopped, with crypto analyst MyCryptoParadise warning investors that the recent recovery could be a crash.

Why The Dogecoin Pullback Could Be Temporary

The analysis focuses on Dogecoin’s recovery and its failure to break above any important levels. Instead, the crypto analyst explains that the meme coin is actually still respecting the descending resistance trendline. This failure to break shows that DOGE is still experiencing significant structural weakness.

Another important thing to note is that the price is still holding inside the 1-Hour supply zone, as well as the order block and Fair Value Gap (FVG) zone. This means that the likelihood of the Dogecoin price moving downward is still higher than the possibility of a sustained recovery.

This also spreads into the volume spread, where there has been a plateau in buying action. This trend, the crypto analyst points out, shows that there is distribution happening for DOGE. Thus, it seems the big players are using these spikes to actually sell their holdings. This means that the recovery is unlikely to last long as the price just pumps into more dumping.

Mapping Out The DOGE Price Weakness

In addition to the points above, MyCryptoParadise also outlines a key weakness confirmation that has popped up on the Dogecoin chart. This was the fact that the meme coin was still under the upper trigger line of the buying climax. In a case like this, it points to supply being way too strong that demand cannot absorb it completely.

If this weakness continues, then the recovery could be stopped dead in its tracks. The first support of the downward move would be at $0.09, where buyers would have a chance to make their stance. However, a break below this level would trigger a move toward $0.08030.

Nevertheless, there is still a chance that the bulls could take over, and the analyst says that this can only happen if the Dogecoin price can break above the resistance at $0.10875. To completely invalidate the bearish scenario, this break would have to be done with strong momentum, and that would trigger a bullish continuation.

Trump Media & Technology Group is weighing a plan to spin off Truth Social into a separate publicly traded company, based on reports released this week. The move is being discussed as the company faces mounting losses tied in part to digital asset holdings. Talks are ongoing, and no final agreement has been signed.

Trump’s Truth Social Could Stand On Its Own

According to reports, the company is considering distributing shares of a new Truth Social entity to existing investors. That standalone company could later merge with a special purpose acquisition company, giving it its own stock listing. The discussions are said to be active but remain subject to board and shareholder approval.

Truth Social has served as the main social platform linked to US President Donald Trump. A spin-off would separate it from the broader corporate structure, which has recently shifted direction. By placing the platform in its own vehicle, the company could allow investors to assess the social media business apart from other ventures now underway.

Reports note that regulatory filings would be required before any transaction is completed. The structure is still being shaped behind closed doors.

Crypto-Related Losses Add Pressure

Financial results have cast a shadow over the company’s plans. Based on recent disclosures, Trump Media posted a net loss of more than $700 million for the past year, a sharp increase from the year before. A large portion of that loss has been linked to changes in the value of digital assets and related financial instruments held on its balance sheet.

Revenue remained modest, hovering in the low millions, while paper losses from asset revaluations expanded. Some of those losses were non-cash items, meaning no money left the company directly. Still, the figures were significant and weighed heavily on overall results.

The crypto exposure has drawn attention because it highlights the risks tied to volatile asset classes. When prices fall, balance sheets can suffer quickly. That impact was felt over the past reporting period, and it has shaped the company’s financial picture.

Energy Deal Reshapes Company Direction

The spin-off talks come after Trump Media agreed to merge with fusion energy firm TAE Technologies in a deal valued at about $6 billion. That agreement signaled a shift away from being seen mainly as a social media operator.

Once that merger is finalized, the company’s core focus would lean more toward energy development. Truth Social, if separated, would operate independently. Shares in the new social media company could be issued to existing holders before the broader restructuring closes.

Featured image from Getty Images, chart from TradingView

The US Bitcoin Spot ETFs have experienced a resurgence in market inflows following an extended period of overwhelming withdrawals amid a deep price correction. The positive netflows recorded last week represent the first in six trading weeks, five of which resulted in total net outflows valued at $3.8 billion. Notably, the rebound in ETF inflows is independent of Bitcoin’s choppy price action, indicating that institutional investors may be building positions for a potential market recovery.

Bitcoin Spot ETFs End February On Red Note Despite Late Surge

According to data from SoSoValue, investors deposited an excess of $787.31 million in the Bitcoin Spot ETFs between February 23 and 27, representing a positive ending to a rather turbulent trading month. Despite this late market rally, February still reported total net outflows of $206.52 million, representing the fourth consecutive negative monthly performance.

With respect to the last trading week, BlackRock’s IBIT recorded a staggering net deposit of $502.99 million, accounting for a significant portion of investors’ bullish activity. The undisputed market leader now boasts of total cumulative net inflows of $61.81 billion within 28 trading months. Interestingly, Grayscale’s GBTC emerged as a distant runner-up with aggregate inflows of around $89.43 million, and remains the third largest Bitcoin Spot ETFs with net assets of $10.29 billion.

Meanwhile, Bitwise’s BITB also recorded a standout performance with net inflows of $68.30 million, representing its first in three trading weeks. Fidelity’s FBTC, Grayscale’s BTC, Ark Invest/21 Shares, and VanEck’s HODL also experienced significant net deposits, ranging between $19 million to $34 million. On the other hand, Invesco’s BTCO and Franklin Templeton’s EZBC registered minimal net inflows of around $2m -$3 million, while Hashdex’s DEFI, WisdomTree’s BTCW, and Valkryie’s BRRR reported zero netflows.

At the time of writing, the total cumulative netflows of the Bitcoin Spot ETFs are $54.80 billion, while total net assets are now valued at $83.40 billion, representing 6.36% of the Bitcoin market cap. Meanwhile, Bitcoin continues to trade at $66,504.55, reflecting a 3.82% gain in the past day.

Ethereum Spot ETFs Record First Green Performance In 6 Weeks

Alongside their Bitcoin counterparts, the Ethereum Spot ETFs also experienced a turnaround in investor activity over the last week. More data from SoSoValue shows these investment funds registered a total netflow of $80.46 million, to terminate a five-week negative streak that began in mid-January. Total cumulative inflows for the Ethereum ETFs are now valued at $11.60 billion, while net assets are estimated at $10.96 billion.

According to a recent report, Hyperliquid saw the surge in trading volume over the weekend, as it became the venue to bet on commodities and other traditional asset classes. Following the escalation of tensions between the United States, Israel, and Iran, Bitcoin and the crypto market succumbed to significant downward pressure.

However, the crypto market wasn’t the only asset class that saw trader activity on Saturday, February 28, as perpetual swap futures tied to various commodities on Hyperliquid also witnessed significant price action. These moves offered some insight into what to expect when the global financial markets open on Monday.

Hyperliquid Trading Volume Surges For Traditional Assets

According to the latest market data, perpetual swap futures of commodities, including oil, gold, and silver, saw significant jumps in their prices on Saturday. This price rise was triggered by the military actions of the United States and Israel against Iran, who responded on the day by targeting specific US assets in the Middle East.

Specifically, the price of oil jumped by more than 5%, as Iran threatened to restrict the passage of vessels through the Strait of Hormuz. The Strait of Hormuz is a body of water that connects the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea, and it controls ~20% of the world’s petroleum liquids consumption.

The Strait of Hormuz situation:

Reuters is now reporting that Iran is notifying vessels that it is CLOSING the Strait of Hormuz.

If officially closed, 20+ MILLION barrels of oil PER DAY will be impacted, or 20% of global supply.

What’s next? Let us explain.

(a thread) pic.twitter.com/GPFaNVKUsW

— The Kobeissi Letter (@KobeissiLetter) February 28, 2026

Unsurprisingly, these price rises were backed by significant volume, as traders looked for war risk hedges in Hyperliquid’s round-the-clock perp market. Market data shows that silver led activity among the commodity-linked perps on the exchange, with over $227 in trading volume on Saturday. Meanwhile, the gold perpetual swap futures recorded a trading volume of approximately $173 million on the day.

The events of the past weekend and the ensuing market activity has reopened the conversations around round-the-clock trading for all asset classes. According to a Bloomberg report, Wall Street is becoming more attentive to platforms like Hyperliquid, where users are allowed to create perpetual futures tied to broader assets, including equities and commodities.

Jake Ostrovskis, head of over-the-counter trading at Wintermute, told Bloomberg:

As Middle East tensions escalated, crypto sold off and because Bitcoin trades 24/7, it became the most liquid asset available for traders looking to hedge or express a view on the move. The fact that BTC is acting as a proxy for broader risk being the only market open is exactly why more asset classes, commodities included and need to move to 24/7 trading. Round-the-clock price discovery is a structural upgrade for market efficiency, and we’re heading in the right direction.

Ultimately, this growing conversation around round-the-clock somewhat ties into recent efforts by the large financial institutions to embrace tokenization.

HYPE Price Jumps 20%

As a result of the activity and volume surge, the price of HYPE, Hyperliquid’s native token, enjoyed a bullish resurgence of nearly 20% on Saturday. As of this writing, the cryptocurrency is vaued at about $30.5.

Bitcoin has reacted as expected to the conflict between the United States and Iran, continuing a pattern that has always appeared during previous geopolitical escalations. Crypto prices are digesting the latest developments, and analysts are comparing the current price structure to similar moments in 2022 and 2023, when Bitcoin initially sold off before staging strong recoveries.

War Headlines And The 20%-40% Rally Pattern

Recent geopolitical tensions are coming at an already fragile period for the crypto market. Bitcoin is already down 48% from its all-time high and is on track to close its fifth consecutive red monthly candle. The leading cryptocurrency has also recorded its worst start to the first two months of a year, falling 24% since January. February closed 14.8% below its open, making it the third-worst February in Bitcoin’s history. The only weaker Februarys were in 2025, when Bitcoin closed 17.5% below its open and in 2014, when the monthly close was 33% below its open.

Crypto analyst Ted Pillows shared a weekly chart depicting how Bitcoin behaved during previous diplomatic escalations. In February 2022, when Russia attacked Ukraine, Bitcoin dropped before rallying approximately 40% in the months that followed. In June 2025, after Israel attacked Iran, Bitcoin was initially sold off again, but it later recovered about 25%.

Now, following US strikes on Iran on Saturday, Bitcoin has once again reacted to the downside. The question raised by Pillows is whether the same post-shock recovery pattern will play out again.

Bitcoin Price Chart. Source: @TedPillows On X

Another analyst, Sherlock, focused on shorter-term reactions. He noted that during past US or Israeli strikes on Iran, Bitcoin typically fell sharply over the weekend and recovered within 24 to 48 hours.

In April 2024, after Iran struck Israel, Bitcoin dropped 8% overnight and recovered within two days. In October 2024, a 3% drop was erased within 24 hours.

In June 2025, US strikes led to a 6% decline that was recovered by Sunday, followed by a 62% rally over the next two months to new all-time highs in October. Interestingly, the initial move lower in each case occurred before traditional financial markets reopened.

Market Already Deeply Corrected

It is important to note that the current setup is different from prior episodes because Bitcoin was already in a strong uptrend during the 2025 geopolitical shock. Today’s market structure looks very different, as Bitcoin has been in a prolonged drawdown for five months.

Bitcoin’s weekly RSI is currently at the lowest level in its history. The Fear & Greed Index has also been in extreme fear for 22 consecutive days. Furthermore, leveraged positions have been heavily reduced, with open interest at low readings.

Panic selling in previous instances followed the geopolitical event itself. This time, however, much of the forced selling and deleveraging appears to have occurred before the strike. Based on this caveat, weak hands have largely exited and excess leverage has already been cleared. Therefore, Bitcoin may not sustain prolonged downside from the tensions and could stabilize sooner than in previous episodes.

Featured image from Unsplash, chart from TradingView

Throughout February, the Bitcoin price barely showed real hopes of a trend shift from its stark bearish structure. However, in the last day, the flagship cryptocurrency has witnessed a modest amount of buying momentum, which might suggest an incoming short-term rebound, despite the ongoing conflict between the US and Iran. However, data from a recent on-chain analysis has revealed a contrary perspective to this speculation.

Illiquid Supply Dominates Bitcoin Market

In their latest Quicktake post on CryptoQuant, the analytics group, Arab Chain, highlights that the liquid supply of Bitcoin on the Binance exchange has recently increased significantly. This post hinges on data obtained from the BTC Binance Liquid Vs Illiquid Supply Model. For context, this metric measures how much Bitcoin held on Binance is readily tradable (liquid) as against the amount on the exchange that is inactive or intended to be held long-term (illiquid).

Arab Chain reveals in the post that Binance currently holds a total of around 670,000 BTC in its reserves. Of that amount, approximately 83,000 BTC stands as the liquid supply, and about 587,000 BTC exists as an illiquid supply, placing the liquidity ratio at around 12%. It is also worth noting that the current liquid supply portion stands close to levels that were last seen in 2024.

Nonetheless, this uptick in liquid supply still falls within a broader story: Binance’s Bitcoin reserves remain overwhelmingly illiquid. The analyst explains that this behavior,  where illiquidity surmounts liquidity, is often associated with less-active holdings, or relatively long-term positions, even as they are held on Binance. 

Because illiquid supply is disproportionately higher than liquid supply, there is a counterbalance between expected sell pressure and the unmoving hands. This existing stability, according to Arab Chain, is due mostly to the fact that the readily available amount of Bitcoin pales in comparison to the total amount of BTC on the platform.

 

Rising Liquid Supply Signals Increasing Market Readiness

However, it remains that the liquid supply on Binance is steadily climbing, as it recently reached 2024 levels. As Arab Chain points out, liquid supply is more reactive to speculative activity and tends to expand alongside trading activity. Conversely, liquid supply often shrinks as the market enters periods of calmness or repositioning.

Hence, while this is not a direct signal of bearish intent, the current growth in liquid supply to 2024 levels suggests that Bitcoin traders are preparing for imminent volatility. It could also mean that investors are reallocating their positions or positioning in expectations of future price movements.

If this rise in liquid supply is followed by increasing sell pressure, it could be the signal to expect ensuing distribution. On the other hand, if demand should absorb the additional supply currently entering the market, the Bitcoin price could continue on its recovery journey. At press time, Bitcoin trades for $67,604, reflecting a 2.97% gain in 24 hours.

Over the weekend, the Bitcoin price and the crypto market witnessed significant pressure amid escalating tensions between the United States and Iran. After reports of Israeli strikes on Iran, the premier cryptocurrency dropped below $64,000 while dragging the rest of the market along with it.

While the price of BTC seems to have recovered from the conflict-induced slump, there is still the small issue of its broader structure. According to a market expert, Bitcoin may have avoided a negative outcome after holding above $60,000 over the weekend.

BTC Price Closes February Above Pivotal Support

In a recent post on the X platform, Chartered Market Technician Tony Severino shared an insight into the current technical outlook of the Bitcoin price as February came to a close. According to the crypto market expert, the flagship cryptocurrency appears to have bounced back from a crucial support level around the $60,000.

Severino’s analysis is based on the ascending channel pattern on the Bitcoin price chart on the monthly timeframe. An ascending channel is a pattern in technical analysis marked by two major (upward-sloping) trendlines: the upper line connecting the swing highs and the lower line connecting the swing lows.

As seen in the chart above, the asset usually trades within an ascending channel, with the upper boundary line often functioning as a barrier to further growth and the lower trendline serving as a support cushion. Investors can trade between the pattern’s support and resistance levels or after price breaks out (bullish signal) or breaks down (bearish signal).

In the market leader’s case, the price has been approaching the lower trendline for the majority of February, implying that a major decision was imminent. According to Severino, the Bitcoin price has never closed beneath this lower boundary, even during the COVID crash in 2020.

Unsurprisingly, the premier cryptocurrency rebounded from the support cushion around $63,000, recovering from the early-weekend slump triggered by the ongoing clash between the United States, Israel, and Iran. Typically, the next target after this bounce-back is the channel’s midline, which could be as high as $475,000.

While historical data and patterns are often good ways to predict future market movements, Severino acknowledged that the chance of the Bitcoin price soaring to as high as $475,000 is indeed slim. Moreover, the current price structure is still bearish, meaning that the market conditions would need to improve for the flagship cryptocurrency to take advantage of this rebound.

Bitcoin Price At A Glance

As of this writing, the price of BTC stands at around $67,919, reflecting an almost 3% increase in the past 24 hours.

The conversation around real-world asset (RWA) tokenization is heating up, and the numbers are staggering. After digital asset securities firm Securitize highlighted the potential for a $400 trillion global asset market to move on-chain, attention quickly shifted to the blockchains positioned to support that scale. The XRP ecosystem, specifically the XRP Ledger, is increasingly being discussed as a possible infrastructure layer for this next phase of financial digitization.

How The XRP Ledger Supports Asset Tokenization

Crypto commentator Archie is sounding the alarm for the XRP community, pointing to Securitize teasing a massive $400 trillion real-world asset (RWA) opportunity that could reshape global finance and potentially position the XRP Ledger at the center of the shift. According to Archie’s post on X, a recent update from the tokenization giant stated that only about $25 billion in assets have been tokenized, with an estimated $400 trillion in traditional assets. 

This includes global stocks, bonds, real estate, private funds, and other traditional instruments that are still sitting on outdated ledgers and are all ready to move on-chain. Securitize CEO Carlos Domingo has repeatedly emphasized the figure, framing it as the total addressable market for tokenization. The thesis is that tokenization can deliver instant settlement, 24/7 trading, fractional ownership, and enhanced liquidity.

A key part of this narrative involves Securitize integration efforts with the Ripple ecosystem, including its RLUSD partnership, which connects institutional tokenized assets with the Ledger. Meanwhile, major institutional products such as BlackRock’s BUIDL and VanEck’s VBILL, with other large institutional funds, are already tokenized on the Ledger. Users can now swap holdings into RLUSD on Securitize’s platform, a development that could channel utility and flow directly into the XRPL network.

Archie highlighted that the Ledger’s fast settlement speeds, low transaction fees, and native compliance features make it suitable for institutional adoption. Thus, if a fraction of these project trillions in real-world assets were to settle natively on XRPL, it could significantly boost demand for the token through liquidity provisioning and transaction fees.

Framing the development as more than speculation, Archie describes the ongoing tokenization push as a structural shift in global finance that could lead to one of the largest wealth transfers in modern history.

Why The Token Could Rise Parabolically Instead Of Gradually

The future trajectory of XRP may not rise gradually like other cryptocurrencies. Instead, it could explode parabolically as seen during the 2017 bull cycle. An analyst known as Ripple Mother has noted that with the right market conditions and adoption, the altcoin could potentially surge above $100 within a single day, delivering gains of over 30,000% and dramatically reshape the broader crypto market.

Former Ripple Chief Technology Officer (CTO) David Schwartz has addressed speculation that the crypto firm can block transactions on the XRP Ledger (XRPL). He explained the only way this could happen amid claims that the network is centralized. 

Ripple CTO Emeritus Explains How An XRP Transaction Can Be Blocked

In an X post, the former Ripple CTO said that there is no way to prevent valid transactions on the XRP Ledger unless users agree to change the validity rules to make them invalid. Schwartz made this statement in response to whether Ripple or he, as one of the original developers, can freeze a wallet and prevent a transaction. 

Meanwhile, in response to who can unlock and lock escrows, the former Ripple CTO said that anyone who wants to escrow tokens can lock them in escrow. Once an escrow expires, anyone can unlock it. Schwartz also addressed claims that the XRPL Ledger was centralized because Ripple has a “Unique Node List,” which effectively makes the validators permissioned.

The former Ripple CTO described the claims that the crypto firm could have absolute power and control of the chain as “objectively nonsensical.” He noted that this is similar to claiming that someone with a majority of mining power can create a billion BTC. Justin Bons, Cyber Capital’s founder, who made the claim, explained that he meant Ripple could double-spend or censor the network, similar to someone holding a majority of mining power on the Bitcoin network.

Schwartz rebutted this claim, stating that the XRP Ledger and Bitcoin don’t work the same. He noted that on the XRPL, one can count the number of validators that agree with one’s node. The former Ripple CTO added that a node will not agree to double-spend or censor unless there is a particular reason why the validator wants to do so. 

XRPL ‘Carefully’ Designed To Be Decentralized

The former Ripple CTO reiterated that they carefully and intentionally designed the XRP Ledger so that they could not control it. He explained that they did so, given the regulatory environment and practical realities of being a company and having investors. As such, there was no guarantee that they would always have control over their own actions. 

Schwartz gave an example of how Ripple must honor U.S. court orders, as it cannot refuse such requests. As such, they decided from the onset that they did not want control over the XRP Ledger and that it would be to their benefit not to have control. He also mentioned that it would not make sense if Ripple ever censored transactions or double-spent, even if they had the power to do so, because if they ever did, it would destroy trust in the XRPL.   

Featured image from GitHub, chart from TradingView

British gamblers searching for ways to bet with cryptocurrency are more likely to end up on an illegal website than a regulated one. That is part of what prompted the UK Gambling Commission to start asking whether something needs to change.

Tim Miller, the regulator’s executive director for research and policy, told an industry gathering in London last Thursday that the Commission now wants to look seriously at allowing crypto to be used as a payment method at licensed online gambling platforms in Great Britain.

Illegal Sites Are Driving The Conversation

Miller’s case for taking another look at crypto payments was not built purely on demand, though he acknowledged that appetite among bettors is growing. He made the remarks during the Betting and Gaming Council’s annual general assembly.

The more pointed argument was about where that demand currently goes. According to reports, Miller told attendees that crypto ranks among the two most common search terms that lead British gamblers straight to unregulated, illegal sites.

Blocking crypto from licensed platforms, in other words, may be sending consumers somewhere far less protected rather than discouraging them altogether.

That framing marks a shift. For years, the default position from regulators has been that crypto and gambling together create too much risk. Miller’s comments suggest the Gambling Commission is now weighing whether the bigger risk is doing nothing.

No deadline was attached to the review. Miller said he had asked the Industry Forum — an advisory group made up of representatives from across the gambling sector — to map out the available options.

Whatever path is chosen, he made clear it would come with strict conditions. Affordability checks, suitability assessments, and full compliance with UK gambling rules would all still apply. Accepting crypto would not give casinos any special treatment or exemptions.

A Bigger Regulatory Framework Sets The Timeline

The Gambling Commission’s exploration does not exist in isolation. Any move toward crypto payments at licensed venues would be tied directly to the Financial Conduct Authority’s new crypto oversight framework, which is currently being finalized.

According to reports, the FCA is expected to wrap up its consultation process in March, with the full regime set to take effect in October 2027. Companies wanting to operate under the new rules will need to seek authorization from the FCA, with the application window expected to open in September 2026.

Crypto firms that miss that window face a more restricted path. Reports say they would be allowed to continue running existing products under transitional rules but would not be permitted to roll out new offerings until full authorization is granted.

Featured image from Pexels, chart from TradingView

Bitcoin’s long-term structure has always been examined through the perspective of its halving cycle, and one crypto pundit believes the pattern is pointing to a clear price bottom. 

The analysis centers on a recurring time-based rhythm tied to each halving event, and it proposes a specific window for when accumulation could begin again. Crypto pundit Blockchainedbb projected that the Bitcoin phase may be heading into another structured reset phase that drags on for a while, and it may not be until Q4 2024 before the best time for buying BTC presents itself.

The Bitcoin 135-Week Rule Before Halving

The timing framework is based on a recurring pattern observed ahead of Bitcoin’s halving events, highlighted by pundit Blockchainedbb. According to his analysis, each previous major Bitcoin cycle price low formed somewhere around 135 weeks before a halving takes place.

The weekly chart shared in the analysis shows previous halving dates, including May 11, 2020, and April 19, 2024, and overlays green accumulation zones around profitable long-term entry points. Price compression into those zones in previous cycles came before explosive upside moves that eventually led to new all-time highs.

Applying the same calculation forward, Blockchainedbb estimates that the next meaningful bottom could form in late Q4 of this year. The projected price range for that bottom is between $50,000 and $58,000. This range is derived by extrapolating the current cycle’s structure from the previous halving-era bottom.

If the pattern repeats itself again, that means Bitcoin will continue trading in a range of lower lows for most of the year, then position Q4 as the accumulation window before the next sustained uptrend of higher highs kicks in.

Q2 And Q3: A Trader’s Market

Under this approach, Q1 and Q4 are considered by the pundit as the primary windows for investors looking to build longer-term exposure. Q4 is seen as the likely bottoming phase, while Q1 is projected for investors to exit at an approximate price of $75,000. 

On the other hand, Bitcoin price history shows that the remaining quarters, Q2 and Q3, are environments better suited for active short-term traders than long-term holders. According to the pundit, Q2 and Q3 have always been characterized by directional moves and breakdowns below key technical levels, particularly the 200-week exponential moving average for altcoins. During these phases, short-term positioning and tactical trades tend to dominate.

Therefore, the most positive long-term technical outlook is for investors to wait for the more favorable structural window in the fourth quarter of 2026. As it stands, the next Bitcoin halving is projected to take place sometime in April 2028. It will happen at block height 850,000, reducing the block reward from 3.125 to 1.5625 BTC.

Prominent British multinational bank Barclays Plc is exploring the development of a blockchain platform to support payments, signaling a deeper push by traditional finance lenders into digital-asset technology. Notably, the move places Barclays alongside global rivals that are racing to modernize payment infrastructure amid rising adoption of blockchain products, especially stablecoin.

Barclays Mulls Blockchain Payments Infrastructure

According to a Friday report by Bloomberg, Barclays Plc is assessing the creation of a blockchain payment platform capable of supporting payments and settlement services, according to people familiar with the matter. The banking giant has sent out requests for information (RFIs) to prospective technology partners as part of its evaluation process and is aiming to select providers as early as April.

Barclays is exploring new offerings, and the potential use cases for the blockchain platform reportedly include stablecoin-based payments and tokenized deposits. Notably, this move aligns Barclays with peers that have already launched similar initiatives.

Last year, JPMorgan Chase & Co. launched its blockchain-based deposit token, JPM Coin, to serve institutional clients, enabling faster internal transfers and cross-border payments. Meanwhile, BNP Paribas, Bank of America, and Citigroup, alongside six other banks, have united to launch a jointly backed stablecoin. 

In January 2026, Barclays announced a strategic investment in Ubyx on January 7, 2026, marking its first direct stake in a US-based stablecoin settlement firm to develop regulated, tokenized money. With intentions to launch a blockchain payment platform, the UK bank looks to advance its interest in the digital asset ecosystems.

Stablecoins To Gain Momentum In Mainstream Payments

Without a doubt, stablecoins remain one of the most attractive blockchain products to traditional banks. These digital tokens, typically pegged to fiat currencies like the US dollar, are increasingly seen as a disruptive force in global payment.

In July 2025, US President Donald Trump assented to the GENIUS Act, thereby creating a regulatory framework that would encourage institutional participation in the stablecoin operations, among other benefits. 

According to Bloomberg Intelligence, stablecoins could account for more than $50 trillion in annual payments by 2030 if present adoption continues to accelerate. Meanwhile, the US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is predicting a total stablecoin market cap of $2 trillion by 2028 and $3 trillion by 2030.

At press time, the stablecoin market cap is valued at $315 billion based on data from CoinMarketCap. Tether’s USDT accounts for 60% of these figures with a market cap of $187 billion, followed by Circle’s USDC.

Recent on-chain data shows a significant increase in Bitcoin flowing into certain wallets, suggesting renewed accumulation. Despite experiencing months of bearish pressure and major sell-offs, some investors appear to be using the ongoing market downturn as an opportunity to strengthen their positions. With the recent accumulation ramp-up, the question remains whether now may be the time to get back into the market. 

Bitcoin Accumulation Rise Amidst Price Downturn

The Bitcoin price has been grinding lower in recent trading sessions, slipping below $64,000. The world’s largest cryptocurrency has failed to hold multiple support levels, with each leg down further suppressing any meaningful upside momentum.  

Related Reading: Expert Trader Who Correctly Predicted Bitcoin Top Just Shared A Chart Pointing Below $4,000

Yet beneath the surface of this declining price and market sell-offs, certain holders are quietly accumulating BTC. On-chain data from Glassnode reveals that over the past three weeks, so-called ‘old supply,’ which refers to wallets holding BTC that have sat dormant for at least six months, has risen by a whopping 188,000 BTC. This substantial amount of coins is valued at more than $12.75 billion.

Notably, the recent rise in BTC accumulation among old supply indicates that many seasoned investors are choosing to sit and hold their coins rather than sell into weakness, as many retail participants have been doing. The renewed accumulation also comes as whales continue to execute large-scale BTC withdrawals, with Whale Alert recently reporting a recent outflow of more than $266 million from exchanges.

Adding more fuel to the ongoing accumulation trend, Spot Bitcoin ETFs have recorded significant inflows. Data from SoSoValue shows that Bitcoin ETFs had attracted a combined inflow of $1.02 billion between February 24 and 26. This rise in demand further indicates that investors are now entering the market, likely positioning for a potential rebound. 

BTC Sell-Offs Show Signs Of Exhaustion

Prominent Bitcoin analyst Willy Woo has shared relatively good news, issuing a sobering outlook for BTC’s price. In a recent X post, Woo suggested that the market may be entering an extended period of weakness before any meaningful recovery takes shape. The bearish outlook comes as the analyst acknowledges that the recent wave of selling pressure from investors appears to have exhausted, potentially giving Bitcoin more room to consolidate sideways for about a month.

With the bearish sell-down easing, Woo predicts Bitcoin could initiate a brief rebound back to the mid-$70,000 range. However, he cautioned that such a recovery would likely be rejected. The analyst pointed to deteriorating liquidity across both spot and futures markets as a key reason for this rejection. He stated that he had never seen Bitcoin rally when both sources of liquidity were trending bearishly at the same time.

Looking further ahead, Woo projected that Bitcoin’s current bearish trend could persist well into the year, with a potential turning point expected to arrive sometime in Q4 2026. Subsequently, he suggested that BTC’s bullish momentum may also return in either Q1 or Q2 of 2027. 

On the question of how far current prices could fall, Woo estimated that a plunge to $45,000 could mark a bear market bottom for BTC. He also stated that if global macro breaks down, $30,000 could be the fallback support level, with $16,000 highlighted as the final line of defense to maintain Bitcoin’s bull trend.

Bitcoin has experienced another net loss over the past week, with the premier cryptocurrency struggling to reclaim key technical levels. Meanwhile, a recent market evaluation shows that while price action is volatile, it is largely range-trapped between $60,000 to $70,000.

Bitcoin’s $60,000 Shield: Long-Term Holders Refuse To Fold

In a recent QuickTake report, a pseudonymous analyst with the username GugaOnChain analyzed Bitcoin’s current market structure, describing a battle between long-term conviction and short-term pressure.  According to data from the on-chain platform, Bitcoin remains in a mature bear market, consistent with projections made in December 2025.

Analyst GugaOnChain noted that at the $60,000 support level, long-term holders are described as the primary defensive force. In particular,  the 12 -18-month UTXO cohort has grown from 9.67% to 11.09%, indicating that more Bitcoin is aging into long-term storage. 

This suggests strengthening conviction among holders who accumulated over a year ago and are choosing not to sell despite market weakness. However,  he notes that historical bear market bottoms have seen this cohort reach much higher levels (30-44%), implying that while structural support is forming. A definitive macro bottom may not yet be confirmed.

BTC’S Next Move Hinges On US Institutions Returning

Interestingly, a low Binary Coin Days Destroyed (CDD) reading of 0.14 reinforces the idea that older coins remain dormant. Long-term holders are not distributing or panic selling, effectively acting as a liquidity anchor that prevents a deeper collapse below $60,000. 

On the resistance side near $70,000, active whales holding between 1,000 and 10,000 BTC are identified as the main source of selling pressure. Their distribution directly counters long-term holders’ resilience and caps upward momentum. Meanwhile, the Coinbase Premium Index remains negative (-0.04), signaling weak US institutional demand and a broader macro environment marked by risk aversion. Without strong institutional inflows, the market lacks the catalyst needed for a sustained breakout.

Additionally, short-term holders are experiencing capitulation, reflected in an MVRV-STH (Market value to Realized value – Short-term holders) ratio of 0.74, meaning many are holding at a loss and exiting positions. Overall, this shows that Bitcoin is undergoing a cleansing phase. While long-term value is gradually emerging, sustainable upside depends on the return of US institutional demand and a shift in macro conditions.

As of this writing, the price of BTC stands at around $63,823, reflecting a 5.75% jump in the past 24 hours. 

A piece of paper ruined everything. South Korea’s National Tax Service (NTS) published an official press release last Thursday meant to highlight its crackdown on tax dodgers — and somewhere in the process, a full wallet seed phrase was photographed, printed, and sent out to the public without anyone apparently noticing.

By the time someone did, $4.8 million worth of tokens had already walked out the door.

One Photo, One Mistake, Millions Gone

The press release included an image of a Ledger hardware wallet placed next to a handwritten sheet containing the wallet’s complete mnemonic phrase — the string of words that functions as the master key to any crypto wallet.

No blurring. No masking. Nothing. According to reports from Korean media outlets including Naver and Chosun, the release was part of a broader NTS enforcement campaign targeting people who owed taxes, with seized crypto assets shown as evidence of the agency’s work.

What was meant to showcase government action instead handed anyone with sharp eyes full access to the funds inside.

Blockchain researchers who examined the wallet’s transaction history found three separate incoming transfers totaling 4 million PRTG (Pre-Retogeum) tokens, followed by a single outgoing transfer that swept the entire balance to another address. Clean. Quick. Gone.

Researcher Says Actual Losses May Be Smaller Than They Appear

Associate professor Jaewoo Cho of Hansung University’s Blockchain Research Center confirmed the theft publicly on X, writing that the 4 million tokens — valued at roughly $4.8 million — were taken directly from the mnemonic phrase exposed in the NTS release.

국세청에서 보도자료로 유출(공개)한 니모닉에서 10시간 전에 PRTG 토큰 400만 개, 약 480만 달러어치가 탈취된 것을 확인했습니다.https://t.co/q6Ck7lxazK pic.twitter.com/JWnVI5Ua0N

— 조재우(Jaewoo Cho) (@clayop) February 27, 2026

He also examined other wallets whose seed phrases may have been visible in the same image and said those did not appear to carry significant risk.

Cho added that because PRTG tokens are hard to convert into cash, the real financial damage could be far smaller than the headline number suggests. He expressed hope that the incident would push South Korean government agencies to finally build proper systems for holding seized crypto assets.

The NTS has not issued a public response to the incident as of this writing.

A Pattern Of Custody Problems In South Korea

What makes this story harder to ignore is that it did not happen in isolation. Reports say South Korean police separately discovered in February 2026 that 22 Bitcoin seized during a 2021 hacking case had gone missing from a cold wallet kept inside a Gangnam police station vault.

Two suspects were arrested after investigators determined the coins had been moved using a mnemonic phrase that authorities had never held control over.

The coins, worth roughly $1.4 million, are gone.

Featured image from Unsplash, chart from TradingView