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A man asking for just a few coins ended up hitting the jackpot. What started as a simple request for four Solana tokens turned into a massive payout when an experimental crypto agent transferred hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of meme tokens to his wallet, giving the self-described beggar an unexpected windfall.

Lobstar Wilde, an AI agent run by an OpenAI staffer, appears to have emptied a meme-token wallet in a single public move that stunned parts of crypto Twitter and on-chain watchers.

Reports say the agent sent roughly $441,780 worth of tokens to an X user who only asked for four Solana coins to pay for an uncle’s medical treatment. The transfer, and the agent’s later flippant replies, raised questions about how much power a script should have over real money.

Agent Sent Money By Mistake To Solana Beggar

According to on-chain records and social posts, the Lobstar Wilde account publicly showed the transfer and then posted mocking messages about the recipient’s situation.

“If he died tomorrow I would laugh. Please send updates,” Lobstar said, while linking the transaction showing $441,788 worth of LOBSTAR tokens sent to Treasure David’s requested Solana wallet address on Sunday.

If he died tomorrow I would laugh. Please send updates.https://t.co/5D46ClTWZ0 https://t.co/CNMQf04yd6

— Lobstar Wilde (@LobstarWilde) February 22, 2026

Costly Error

Nik Pash, a developer involved with OpenAI’s “Codex” app for building autonomous programs, launched Lobstar Wilde on Friday with a goal of growing $50,000 worth of Solana tokens into $1 million through crypto trading.

But instead it appears to have sent most of its token stash away in a single transaction. The public thread and wallet movements were tracked in real time by a handful of crypto trackers and reporters.

Speculation has focused on a decimal slip. Reports note that the bot likely intended to send a modest token amount — the equivalent of four SOL — but misread token decimals and issued tens of millions of LOBSTAR tokens instead of a small handful.

Wrote a little retrospective pic.twitter.com/kDYt9yYmXP

— pash (@pashmerepat) February 23, 2026

That kind of mistake is common with custom tokens that use unusual decimal places. One X user who monitored the trade noted that a chunk of the received tokens was quickly swapped, netting about $40,000 for the recipient.

Guardrails Missing After Risky Setup

This was not a hack in the classic sense. The AI had the authority to move funds. It executed a transfer without human sign-off. That is a design choice, and it matters. Autonomous agents that trade need limits: caps on single transfers, multi-signature holds for large moves, or human confirmation gates.

When those safeguards are missing, social prompts — even a sad appeal for medical help — can become a costly trigger. Past incidents show a pattern: another AI-driven system lost 55.5 ETH after an attacker used an exposed control panel to force transfers. That episode heightened concerns about how agents are managed.

Across markets, Bitcoin’s price has been a quiet backdrop to this story. Recent trading saw BTC slip from levels near $67,000 toward the mid-$60,000s as broader risk sentiment shifted, and some of those swings coincided with headlines about trade policy from US leaders.

Traders watching the Lobstar Wilde saga noted how quickly a small social nudge can cascade in a market already sensitive to macro news.

Featured image from Vecteezy, chart from TradingView

The market tumbled sharply on Monday, with BTC briefly slipping below $65,000, as traders reacted to a mix of U.S. trade policy shifts, geopolitical risks, and looming economic data. The sudden losses erased weekend gains and pushed the market deeper into extreme fear, currently at 5.

Total crypto market capitalization fell roughly 3–5% within a day, sliding toward the $2.2 trillion mark. The downturn coincided with rising geopolitical risks and sweeping tariff measures announced by U.S. President Donald Trump, which unsettled broader financial markets and reduced appetite for risk assets.

Trade Tensions and Macro Risks Drive Sell-Off

Market volatility intensified after the Supreme Court of the United States ruled that parts of earlier tariff programs exceeded presidential authority. Shortly after, Trump introduced new global tariffs of up to 15% under separate trade powers, raising concerns about slower global growth and persistent inflation.

Escalating tensions between the United States and Iran added another layer of uncertainty, pushing investors toward traditional safe-haven assets such as gold. Crypto assets, which had previously benefited from a “digital gold” narrative, instead behaved more like high-risk investments during the latest market stress.

Large-holder selling also contributed to downside pressure, with increased transfers from whale wallets to exchanges signaling potential liquidation activity. Analysts noted that thin liquidity and weak conviction among buyers amplified price swings.

Economic Data And Policy Decisions in Focus

Investors are now watching upcoming economic indicators closely. Consumer confidence data, jobless claims, and producer price inflation figures are expected to shape expectations around interest rates. Recent inflation readings above forecasts have reduced hopes for near-term monetary easing by the Federal Reserve.

Meanwhile, the central bank is scheduled to inject roughly $14.6 billion into financial markets, a move some analysts believe could provide temporary support for speculative assets, though not equivalent to full stimulus measures.

Technology earnings are also on the radar, particularly results from Nvidia, whose performance often influences sentiment across both tech equities and crypto markets.

Liquidations Rise as Fear Dominates Sentiment

Market data shows more than $460 million in leveraged positions were wiped out during the latest decline, with long traders accounting for the majority of losses. Institutional flows have weakened as well, with exchange-traded crypto funds recording notable outflows.

Additional supply pressure emerged after mining firm Bitdeer sold its entire weekly production, while public commentary from industry figures, including Michael Saylor, suggested long-term optimism remains despite short-term weakness.

The Crypto Fear and Greed Index has dropped into extreme fear territory, reflecting cautious positioning across the market. Until macroeconomic clarity improves, analysts expect volatility to remain elevated as traders weigh policy risks against longer-term adoption trends.

Cover image from ChatGPT, BTCUSD chart from Tradingview

Bitcoin (BTC) could be gearing up for further losses, as a crypto analyst has issued a severely foreboding forecast. According to his analysis, Bitcoin’s current structure shows a predominantly bearish trend, with price expected to reach a bottom below $30,000 before any potential reversal to the upside. 

Bitcoin Repeats 2022 Style Bear Market

Crypto market analyst Jussy has published a new Bitcoin chart analysis on X, warning that the market may not have reached its final bottom yet. The chart compares the current weekly structure to Bitcoin’s 2022 cycle, showing nearly identical price behaviour following a double top formation and a bear flag that led to a major breakdown.

In 2022, Bitcoin first printed a double top near the upper resistance zone above $60,000. It was then rejected from the rounded top structure, reversing into a sustained downside trend. After this, the price experienced a sharp breakdown, followed by a three-week consolidation phase that developed into a bear flag pattern.

That consolidation acted as a brief pause before a bearish continuation, with BTC ultimately collapsing by another 38.96% from the bear flag range. Consequently, the final leg down erased roughly $11,095, carrying the price into a long-term support zone where the market finally hit a bottom and began to stabilize ahead of a recovery.   

Interestingly, Jussy argues that the current Bitcoin cycle is now reproducing the same bear market structure seen in 2022 almost perfectly. The right side of the chart shows that BTC formed a similar double-top pattern above the $120,000 region in 2025, only to roll over and break down sharply. This correction pushed the price below the key horizontal level near $74,321, which previously acted as support.

Following this drop, Bitcoin entered a consolidation phase that closely resembled the 2022 bear flag. The structure slopes downward, reflecting a major price compression following the first large wick to the downside. According to Jussy, Bitcoin is now in the third week of this consolidation window, the same point in time where the 2022 market transitioned into its final price crash.  

The Bottom Target

Using the same percentage decline from the 2022 breakdown, Jussy has predicted how low the Bitcoin price could fall before it attempts a notable recovery. His chart suggests that BTC has already begun its descent from the bear flag pattern, initially crashing below the $100,000 region and now trading near $65,000. 

Now, the analyst projects another corrective move of approximately 38% from the former support level around $74,320, potentially driving Bitcoin’s price down to roughly $46,199. The blue line below this zone in the price chart represents Bitcoin’s final downside target. Jussy predicts an even deeper decline to $28,301, marking BTC’s price bottom before any meaningful recovery takes hold. 

A thread sparked by Bloomberg ETF analyst Eric Balchunas reignited one of crypto’s oldest arguments: whether Bitcoin’s core value proposition has been diluted as institutional intermediaries take center stage. What began as a reflection on crypto’s real-world utility quickly turned into a pointed dispute over whether BTC can credibly be called “debasement-resistant” while it remains wildly volatile.

Bitcoin Identity Debate Explodes on X

Balchunas weighed in after Cooper Turley, founder of Coop Records, posted that crypto feels “in the weirdest spot” since 2017 and that beyond speculation it’s “hard to see how it adds meaningful value to people’s lives.” Balchunas’ response framed Bitcoin’s novelty less as a product category and more as a monetary property set.

“Seeing this a lot. My two cents: the novel value of bitcoin is that it is user-run money that is both censorship and debasement-resistant,” Balchunas wrote. “Far as I can tell nothing has changed about that. However bc the current admin is so on board with it, the censorship part may seem less valuable, but just wait a few yrs, that could come in handy (it already does in many emerging/frontier mkt countries).. and debasement is alive and well, even dogs know that ain’t ever stopping.”

He argued that Bitcoin’s “youth” is a major driver of volatility, and that market price tends to hijack the narrative. “Price is a smoke screen that the most successful investors have learned to see through/ignore,” he added, extending the critique to traditional markets as well.

The “co-opted” question surfaced explicitly when Balchunas addressed long-time holders uneasy with BTC being increasingly accessed through Wall Street wrappers. His take: the asset didn’t change; the gatekeepers did.

“And for the OGs feeling like the establishment has co-opted their ‘outsider’ money.. all that really happened was the intermediaries got upgraded,” Balchunas wrote. “You went from paying high fees to SBF only for him to ‘lose’ your money to Larry Fink et al, who do same thing (outsourced your btc) but in a way that’s much cheaper and safer. Underlying btc hasn’t changed at all the whole time.”

Is Bitcoin Still A Debasement-Trade?

That framing didn’t satisfy critics who see Bitcoin’s volatility as fatal to the “debasement-resistant” label. Host of Chicago Future of Finance Oliver Renick pushed back sharply, arguing that a money that can swing the way Bitcoin does is effectively experiencing repeated “debasement events” by any practical standard.

“Debasement-resistant is biggest error here IMO,” Renick wrote. “If the dollar were down as much as btc can do on any given week, the world would go nuts, i.e, bitcoins volatility goes thru a debasement event like 3 times a year compared to the dollar where a 2% is a big deal. It’s rly bad money.”

Balchunas conceded the point partially on timeframe: “I think more longer term but it’s a fair point” but the exchange escalated when Renick questioned Bitcoin’s staying power. “And there it gets crushed again versus dollar and gold. Bitcoin may not make it to its 20th birthday, who knows,” he wrote.

Balchunas responded by pointing to recent performance as evidence that Bitcoin has “banked” substantial gains, citing “2023 and 2024” and “450%.” Renick’s rebuttal remained categorical: “Again , volatility intolerable of money.” Balchunas agreed Bitcoin is “too volatile rn to be widespread currency” and needs to “mature and settle down,” but rejected the conclusion that this reduces Bitcoin to censorship resistance alone.

“So that leaves you with just censorship resistance,” Renick wrote, suggesting that value might be far lower — “maybe $10k a coin” — before Balchunas returned to first principles: “It is debasement resistant, govt can’t dilute it- that’s true even if it is volatile.”

Balchunas closed by challenging the idea that shorter windows are dispositive, contrasting gold’s “20%” rise in “2023 + 2024” with Bitcoin’s “450%” move, and returning to the “young asset” thesis: it “gets ahead of itself then falls.”

The thread leaves a familiar fault line exposed. For Balchunas, institutional plumbing doesn’t change Bitcoin’s properties, and volatility is a maturity problem that can coexist with long-term dilution resistance. For critics, volatility isn’t a side effect, it’s the disqualifier, collapsing the “money” narrative and forcing a narrower censorship-resistance-only valuation debate.

At press time, BTC traded at $66,207.

The Bitcoin price is currently consolidating near $65,000 on the weekly chart, with crypto analyst Doctor Profit warning that the market remains locked inside a broader bear market structure. In a “special Bitcoin report” released this week, the analyst reviewed past price movements and trends, assessed the market’s current position, and outlined what could unfold next. The report’s structure highlights a progression from euphoric peak to major capitulation and price declines, followed by stabilization and the possibility of a trend reversal. 

From Market Euphoria To A Major Bitcoin Price Crash

In an X post on February 22, Doctor Profit shared a Bitcoin price report, outlining six stages of the bear market based on patterns he has observed in every major Bitcoin cycle. His framework emphasized recurring drivers such as liquidity mechanics, leverage positioning, and predictable human behavior under stress and panic. 

For Stage 1, Doctor Profit stated Bitcoin saw euphoric buying between $115,000 and $125,000 in 2025. He noted that despite the extreme bullish sentiment, the market was overleveraged and overloaded. Extended sideways movement also occurred at these highs, fueled by sudden price spikes, which created an illusion of strength. According to the analyst, late market participants believed risk had disappeared, while price predictions reached extreme levels, reflecting the highest phase of greed. 

Following this, Stage 2 began when Bitcoin dropped below the $100,000 psychological level. Doctor Proft explained that this level was critical because its loss triggered stress among short-term investors and forced leveraged traders out. He stated that the price drop was rapid and dramatic, with the October 10, 2025, flash crash producing the largest liquidation event in crypto history within hours. 

Subsequently, Doctor Profit revealed that Stage 3 confirmed the bear market through an even more brutal decline. He stated that the Bitcoin price had fallen from $97,000 in January 2026 to $47,000 in February, representing a more than 50% crash from the all-time highs in just 30 days. The analyst emphasized that this phase was the fastest and most punishing, leaving many investors in deep panic and forcing them to incur losses they could not mitigate quickly enough. He noted that nearly half of Bitcoin’s market capitalization was wiped out during this short period, completing what he described as a “violent mechanical repricing.”

Where The Market Stands And What Comes Next

In his report, Doctor Profit noted that Bitcoin is currently in Stage 4 of his bear market framework. He said that this phase is characterized by dehydration, depression, and liquidity creation. The chart shows clearly defined sideways, marking upside and downside boundaries. According to the analyst, this current stage is less violent than the previous one. However, it extremely exhausts retail traders, generating liquidity as market makers trap both breakout traders and breakdown sellers. 

The analyst stated that Stage 4 also drives the largest short-term holder capitulation. He noted that retail traders who missed selling in earlier stages are now exiting at a loss. As a result, he expects a short-to-mid-term bounce between $57,000 and $60,000 within the current sideways range. Following this, a breakdown toward Stage 5 is more likely to occur in the next few months.

Notably, Doctor Profit described Stage 5 as the “true capitulation phase.” He stated that this stage will bring total fear and panic, potentially involving the collapse of a major player or a black swan event. The analyst updated his previous Bitcoin projections of $40,000-$50,000 to an ultimate bottom of $35,000-$45,000. This suggests another significant downside from current levels, where the analyst says the capitulation will likely play out. 

For the final phase, Doctor Profit said Stage 6 will combine continued sideways movement with structural recovery. He stated that selling pressure will gradually decrease and the market will begin creating the foundations for its next bullish cycle. He added that large players could also begin accumulating here, while retail investors may become greedy for lower prices and ultimately miss the true market bottom. He said this would be a perfect repeat of every bull cycle, where retail investors buy high and sell low.

Fresh commentary surrounding XRP and RLUSD from crypto media figure Paul Barron has put Ripple back in focus. According to Barron, internal research indicates that a significant development is forming around both assets, with regulatory momentum from the proposed Clarity Act serving as the catalyst. A deeper breakdown of his remarks reveals what may be taking shape and why it matters now.

Barron Flags Major XRP And RLUSD Development

In a recent statement shared on X, Barron disclosed that his research unit has identified a consequential development involving XRP, RLUSD and the Clarity Act. He described the situation as significant and suggested it could represent one of the most important updates associated with Ripple’s operations to date. 

While he stopped short of detailing the findings, by placing both XRP and RLUSD at the center of his commentary, Barron framed the development as ecosystem-wide rather than asset-specific. XRP has long operated as Ripple’s liquidity bridge for cross-border settlements, while RLUSD serves as its dollar-backed stablecoin initiative. Barron’s position indicates that these two instruments may be entering a new phase of coordination.

He further noted that his team will release a comprehensive breakdown next week, underscoring the scale of what has been identified. His call for attention toward XRP signals conviction that the asset is strategically positioned ahead of what may unfold. The core implication of his message is that regulatory timing and product alignment are converging, and the market may not yet fully recognize the significance of this intersection.

Clarity Act Progress And Ripple’s Strategic Positioning

Central to Barron’s assessment is the Clarity Act, proposed legislation designed to establish clearer legal classifications for digital assets in the United States. The bill aims to define oversight boundaries between regulators and provide operational certainty for blockchain firms. This framework is widely viewed as a prerequisite for large-scale institutional integration, as regulatory ambiguity has historically limited capital deployment within the sector.

The legislation has advanced through early congressional review stages and continues to gain policy traction. Its progression suggests that clearer compliance pathways could materialize in the near term. Within this environment, companies prepared for regulatory alignment stand to benefit.

Barron’s timing connects Ripple’s positioning to this legislative trajectory. RLUSD, structured as a dollar-pegged stablecoin, aligns with potential compliance standards that emphasize transparency and reserve backing. When integrated with XRP’s liquidity function, the pairing creates a settlement architecture capable of operating within clarified regulatory parameters.

The development Barron referenced appears to rest on this structural alignment. Regulatory clarity reduces friction, RLUSD provides transactional stability, and XRP facilitates efficient value transfer. Together, these components form a vertically integrated model that could scale more effectively once policy definitions solidify.

Barron’s forthcoming disclosure is expected to elaborate on how these elements are converging in measurable ways. For now, his research indicates that Ripple’s ecosystem may be entering a strategically important phase, shaped by regulatory advancement and coordinated asset deployment.

Officials advising President Donald Trump’s US‑led “Board of Peace” are examining whether a dollar‑backed stablecoin could play a role in rebuilding Gaza’s shattered economy. 

Gaza Stablecoin Plans

The idea, first reported by the Financial Times, is still in its early stages. Five individuals briefed on the talks said conversations about introducing a stablecoin remain preliminary, and key details have yet to be finalized. 

Even so, the concept is being considered as part of a broader plan to revive economic life in the Palestinian enclave after two years of war between Israel and Hamas that left much of Gaza’s financial system crippled.

One person familiar with the project said the proposed stablecoin would be pegged to the US dollar and would likely involve Gulf Arab and Palestinian companies experienced in digital currency infrastructure. 

According to the report, the Board of Peace and the 14‑member National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG) would ultimately determine the regulatory framework and access rules governing any stablecoin system, though “nothing definitive” has been agreed upon. 

Potential Benefits And Risks

Supporters of the Gaza stablecoin initiative argue that reducing reliance on physical cash could limit the ability of Hamas to generate revenue. Another individual familiar with the talks described the goal as an effort to “dry Gaza from cash so Hamas can’t generate any.” 

Advocates also contend that expanding digital payments would allow commerce to continue without being overly dependent on Israeli authorities’ control over currency flows into the territory. 

However, others involved in the discussions have voiced concerns that a Gaza‑specific digital system could inadvertently deepen the economic divide between Gaza and the West Bank. 

“It will be much more difficult to maintain economic links between Gaza and the West Bank if they have no means of easy payment between the two,” one person familiar with the talks said. “Gaza would be almost like a self‑contained economy. That would be a concern.” For now, the stablecoin proposal remains an exploratory concept.

Featured image from OpenArt, chart from TradingView.com 

XRP hasn’t just been moving on price charts lately; it has been popping up in major conversations across banking, real-world assets, and even US politics. 

New updates have surfaced in the past few days that touch everything from Japan’s biggest financial group to tokenized US Treasuries and a surprising development out of Washington. These updates offer important context about what’s building for XRP and Ripple behind the scenes and how they can affect the cryptocurrency’s price action.

Major Banking Group Makes Huge XRP Announcement

A new announcement from SBI Holdings has reiterated growing institutional interest in XRP in the Asian market. A press release dated February 20, 2026, from SBI Ripple Asia Corporation confirmed the start of technical support aimed at implementing blockchain utilization in financial services. The summary specifically references the use of the XRP Ledger in financial applications. 

The development comes alongside SBI’s launch of a 10 billion yen (approximately $64.5 million) blockchain-based bond for individual investors. The SBI START Bonds will offer fixed interest, blockchain-based settlement, and XRP rewards for eligible participants registered on the company’s exchange platform.

SBI has long been one of Ripple’s closest institutional allies and currently holds a 9% stake in Ripple Labs, making this expansion of blockchain-backed financial products particularly notable for XRP holders. Crypto commentator JackTheRippler reacted strongly to the update on the social media platform X, adding that sleeping crypto traders will only start to wake up when they see the XRP price at $100.

XRPL Leading Treasury Products; Tariff Ruling Signals Volatility

On-chain data shows that the XRP Ledger is increasing its position in the tokenized U.S. Treasury space. According to figures from RWA.xyz shared by analyst Xaif Crypto, XRPL now accounts for roughly 63% of the tokenized US Treasury supply in the OpenEden Treasury Bills (TBILL) Vault.

The OpenEden Treasury Bills is a smart contract vault that offers investors direct exposure to short-dated US Treasury bills (US T-Bills) through the TBILL token. TBILL issuance on XRPL has climbed to about $61.7 million at the time of writing, placing it ahead of networks such as Ethereum, Solana, and Arbitrum in this category.

In a recent video, crypto commentator Levi Rietveld discussed a US Supreme Court ruling that declared President Donald Trump’s tariffs illegal and how the next sequence of events might affect cryptos, including XRP, in the coming days and weeks. 

Due to the ruling, the US government could face up to $150 billion in tariff refunds. However, the court reportedly warned that the refund process may be complex, and President Trump has indicated he has a backup strategy to address the situation.

Rietveld suggested that these developments and refunds could lead to intense volatility across financial markets, including crypto. Notably, macro events like this have always had an effect on the price action of XRP.

Bitcoin is still hampered by the ongoing volatility across the cryptocurrency market, keeping its price below the $70,000 level for the past few days. With BTC’s price steadily trending downwards, whale short-term holders are starting to feel the heat, as their unrealized losses sharply increase.

Unrealized Losses Climb For Bitcoin’s STH Whales

After a prolonged period of downside price performance, Bitcoin’s unrealized losses are spiking. A recent report from Darkfost, a market expert and author of the CryptoQuant platform, has linked this sharp increase in unrealized losses to whale short-term holders. On-chain data shows that the level of unrealized losses held by these new whales is rising to increasingly concerning levels, hinting at mounting stress among some of the market’s largest and most influential participants. 

As Bitcoin tries to regain its upward momentum, these high-value wallets, which are frequently more sensitive to recent price changes, are currently sitting on substantial paper losses. At present, Darkfost has highlighted that the losses of these investors who entered the market within the past six months are valued at roughly $26 billion.

Zooming in on the chart, this figure ranks among the most significant levels seen this year. The peak was recorded on February 6th, which coincided with the BTC’s price drop below the $60,000 level, expanding unrealized losses during the period to approximately $32 billion. 

Darkfost noted that whales that joined the market later in the cycle are currently suffering the consequences of the current downward trend of the Bitcoin price. Although these investors holding positions at a loss is not necessarily constructive, it can erode confidence and bolster behavioral instability. 

Such a trend has the potential to trigger emotionally driven decisions in periods of renewed market volatility. Given the mounting pressure beneath the surface, short-term whale behavior may have a significant impact on Bitcoin’s next significant move.

No Real Rally for BTC In Sight Yet

Key Bitcoin on-chain signals are revealing a conflicting signal about the current market cycle. In a post on the social media platform X, CW, a data analyst and crypto investor, the BTC On-chain Activity Strength Signal metric is showing that a real rally has not progressed in this cycle.

Short-lived increases have been triggered by speculative momentum, but there are still no underlying structural clues that usually indicate a real long-term rally. According to the expert, everything that has occurred so far, from the massive rally to an all-time high to the sharp pullback, is a preparation for an upcoming rally, which is expected to kick off soon. 

CW has compared this impending massive upward move to the powerful rally experienced in the 2017 cycle. This time, the rally could be bigger due to the fact that whale accumulation is at an all-time high, adding that the real rally that is about to begin will be enormous.

Bitcoin miner Bitdeer has defended its decision to liquidate its Bitcoin holdings, saying it shouldn’t be a concern for the broader market.

Bitdeer’s Bitcoin Holdings Have Hit Zero

On Saturday, Bitdeer shared its weekly Bitcoin update in an X post, revealing that the company sold all of its mining output for the week. In total, the firm mined 189.8 BTC during the window, but due to the sale, its net holdings hit zero.

Based in Singapore, Bitdeer is a BTC mining platform that operates facilities in the US, Norway, and Bhutan, among other countries. According to BitcoinMiningStock, the firm’s active computing power or “Hashrate” is currently the largest out of all public miners, sitting at 63.2 exhashes per second (EH/s).

While Bitdeer is an established name in the space, it appears to be undergoing a change of strategy. Earlier, the firm would choose to sit on part of or all of its weekly BTC output, but the recent selling to a zero treasury balance reflects a shift.

Bitdeer took to X on Monday to talk about its BTC liquidation. “Our decision to sell Bitcoin should not be a concern for the broader market,” said the company. Bitdeer noted that it’s currently evaluating land acquisition opportunities and believes it to be prudent to prepare liquidity now.

The BTC miner has been expanding into AI infrastructure recently with its “Bitdeer AI” venture, so it’s possible that the land acquisition is linked to the firm’s datacenter push.

Bitdeer isn’t the only mining company that has been expanding into AI. Cango, the fifth largest miner in terms of operating Hashrate, announced a 4,451 BTC sale earlier in February as it looked to pivot into the AI compute business. Similarly, Bitfarms, the tenth largest BTC mining firm, also revealed a strategy shift in November, noting that a high-performance computing (HPC) business pivot could make the company more profitable than Bitcoin mining ever was.

Bitfarms plans to wind down its mining facilities over the course of 2026 and 2027, while Cango has so far remained committed to its mining business. Bitdeer also doesn’t appear to be backing off from BTC mining, as it said, “Our hash rate will continue to grow, and we will continue to mine more Bitcoin for the interest of our shareholders.”

BTC Plunges To Low $64,000 Levels Before Bouncing Back

Bitcoin has kicked off the new week with some volatility as its price first fell to around $64,300 for the first time since February 5th, before rebounding back up to the $66,100 mark.

The chart below showcases the latest price action in the cryptocurrency.

Bitcoin open-source engineer Matt Corallo pushed back on claims that Bitcoin developers are “sleepwalking” on quantum risk, arguing instead that a practical post-quantum roadmap is already taking shape and may be simpler than critics suggest. Speaking on the Unchained podcast episode published Feb. 22, Corallo said the key work can be framed in two main steps: enable post-quantum key commitments first, then decide later when to disable vulnerable legacy spend paths.

Corallo’s appearance was a direct response to criticism popularized by Castle Island Ventures’ Nick Carter, who has argued Bitcoin developers are not treating the quantum threat with sufficient urgency. Corallo said that characterization misses both the amount of ongoing work and an important technical point about how many Bitcoin wallets already function.

He argued that most wallets using seed phrases already have a quantum-safe anchor at the wallet-derivation layer, even if the on-chain public key and signature scheme remain vulnerable to a future cryptographically relevant quantum computer. In his telling, that meaningfully changes the migration problem and could reduce how much disruption is required if the threat becomes urgent.

Corallo’s 2-Step Roadmap For Bitcoin

Corallo repeatedly returned to what he called the core sequence for Bitcoin’s quantum preparation. “There are only two steps,” he said. “The first relevant step is just adding the ability to commit to a postquantum public key. I think that should be done soon.”

He added that this first phase is increasingly converging around hash-based signatures, with current discussion focused less on whether to do it and more on exact implementation details. Corallo said he sees “pretty strong consensus” around hash-based approaches and pointed to work tied to BIP 360, while also noting debate continues on the precise format.

The second step, in his framing, is the politically harder one: deciding when legacy, quantum-vulnerable spend paths should no longer be accepted. That is the point where old coins that have not migrated — including lost or abandoned coins — become part of a market-driven fork decision, in his view.

Corallo’s argument for moving early on the first step but delaying the enforcement switch rests on cost and wallet behavior. He said wallets can start committing to post-quantum public keys now without immediately paying the size and fee overhead of using large post-quantum signatures on-chain.

“You really want an upgrade path that is free for now,” Corallo said. “The wallets know how to spend it. They know how to build these keys, how to sign with these keys. They just don’t have to use it yet.”

He argued this avoids a scenario where wallets postpone upgrades because post-quantum transactions are larger and more expensive, while still preparing the system for a future enforcement moment.

“Only two steps” required to make Bitcoin quantum-resistant?

In this @Unchained_pod episode, @TheBlueMatt joins me to discuss:

Why he thinks Nic Carter is wrong about the quantum threat to Bitcoin Why he disagrees with Nic on his ranking of Bitcoin’s most influential… pic.twitter.com/2r2g42myJD

— Laura Shin (@laurashin) February 22, 2026

The ‘Nobody Is Working On It’ Narrative

Corallo also disputed the idea that Bitcoin development circles are ignoring the issue. He pointed to research and engineering work at organizations including Blockstream Research and Chaincode Labs, cited Ethan Heilman and co-authors working on BIP 360, and said post-quantum discussion on the Bitcoin developer mailing list has grown steadily.

At one point, he said mailing-list discussion has risen to “30 or 40%” of posts, describing that as evidence of sustained attention rather than neglect.

Corallo did not argue the problem is trivial. He acknowledged migration of active wallets could take years and said critics are right that the social and market consequences of disabling insecure spend paths would be contentious. But his central claim was narrower: Bitcoin does not need a fully finalized end-state today to begin meaningful preparation now.

At press time, BTC traded at $65,953.

Crypto pundit BULLRUNNERS has alleged that SWIFT is already adopting Ripple’s payment technology, which includes XRP. The pundit also claimed that banking giant HSBC is involved in this partnership as a managing partner of SWIFT’s multi-chain blockchain ledger. 

Crypto Pundit Alleges SWIFT Has Integrated Ripple’s XRP Payments

In an X post, BULLRUNNERS claimed that SWIFT is already adopting Ripple’s payment technology as part of its new payment stack. This came as he alluded to reports that SWIFT is set to launch a multi-chain ledger, having named XRP-embracing HSBC as a managing partner. The pundit noted that HSBC already has a history of using Ripple’s XRP Ledger through Metaco, which is owned by Ripple. 

BULLRUNNERS also alleged that SWIFT has been testing XRP on its payment rails since the fourth quarter of last year. Meanwhile, the pundit highlighted a statement from SWIFT’s CEO, Javier Pérez-Tasso, in which he suggested that traditional finance (TradFi) and decentralized finance (DeFi) could go hand in hand under a future regulatory framework. 

BULLRUNNERS also raised the possibility of JPMorgan, the world’s largest U.S. bank, adopting Ripple’s payment through its partnership with SWIFT. He noted that this could be a major move for the Ledger if it were to occur, and one that could bring a large number of institutional and retail investors into the XRP ecosystem.

The pundit also alluded to the newly integrated Permissioned DEX feature on the Ledger, which aims to create a regulated and compliant environment for institutions to trade. BULLRUNNERS stated that it is no coincidence that the Ledger is integrating this feature now, as it looks to onboard these institutional investors, including major banks. 

The Ledger Set To Also Benefit From The Tokenization Wave

Crypto pundit ChartNerd has highlighted how the XRP Ledger could benefit from the tokenization wave and not just banks’ integration of Ripple’s payments. He noted that the Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation (DTCC) plans to tokenize its entire assets under management (AuM) in the long term. The firm plans to do this in collaboration with several layer 1 and 2 networks. 

ChartNerd stated that this is where Ripple comes in with the acquisition of Hidden Road, as this provides the crypto firm with directional access to the U.S. Treasury market through the DTCC. He added that this creates a pathway for XRP and RLUSD to be introduced into the institutional settlement process. At the same time, he predicts that the Ledger will be the leading layer-1 network for real-world asset (RWA) tokenization and will continue to grow despite market volatility.

At the time of writing, the altcoin price is trading at around $1.33, down over 6% in the last 24 hours, according to data from CoinMarketCap.

In a significant development that could shape the finance sector, Ripple, a leading American-based payment company, has disclosed its financial ambitions, which signal a growing banking powerhouse. With this move, the firm is extending its global reach in the crypto and financial landscape, reinforcing its modern-day banking infrastructure.

A Bid From Ripple To Reshape Global Banking

Ripple is taking the spotlight after an update about the firm’s latest move that underscores its financial ambitions. The company is progressively growing its global presence and establishing the foundation for what is beginning to seem like a modern digital banking empire.

By forming strategic alliances, gaining regulatory approval, and building infrastructure in important financial areas, the business is putting itself in a position to lead institutional blockchain adoption and cross-border payments. Pumpius, a crypto expert and investor, stated that Ripple is bringing together the full institutional stack in a similar pattern to how banks do it, one regulated component at a time.

The expert has also underlined the firm’s acquisitions in recent years, which tells a story. This is evidenced by the firm’s acquisition of Metaco and Hidden Road. While Metaco gave the firm institutional custody rails, Hidden Road has added prime brokerage-grade execution, financing, and access to real market plumbing. As a result of this, Ripple’s rail plugs into high-volume payment distribution.

While several prices are displayed to the public, some of them are not. However, the trajectory is clear, which is indicated by custody payments, prime brokerage, and treasury infrastructure under one roof. With the inclusion of the OCC Trust bank angle, Ripple is already moving through the United States banking pathway, generating conditional approvals observed among firms in that field. 

This is considered the cheat code. Getting involved with the regulated perimeter leads to a barrier to permission, and a company becomes the system that institutions are allowed to use.

As the payment builds a banking stack, February 26 stands as a crucial date in its journey. On the day, the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is scheduled to announce its decision in a Federal Register proceeding linked to a proposed T Rowe Price crypto Exchange-Traded Fund (ETF). “That is the calendar of when traditional allocators get clearer lanes,” Pumpius added.

Long Positions In XRP Are Heating Up Once Again

With excitement surrounding several updates of Ripple, investors appear to be doubling down on XRP again. Interest in the altcoin has improved over the past few days, as long positions in the leading altcoin are reemerging at a fast rate.

Using data from Binance, the cryptocurrency exchange leader, CW has disclosed a rapid increase in XRP positions from top traders. When investors start to open longs again, it may suggest that they are positioning ahead of a potential bounce.

CW noted that these traders were previously positioned heavily on the short side, but the chart shows that they are now becoming neutral. As a result of the renewed conviction, the expert believes that XRP will soon regain the upper hand.

Ethereum slipped over the past two days as on-chain trackers flagged another burst of selling tied to Vitalik Buterin’s wallets, reviving a familiar narrative for traders: founder-linked distribution showing up alongside spot weakness.

Ethereum Pullback Coincides With Fresh Vitalik Sales

Lookonchain said Buterin has sold 1,869 ETH (about $3.67 million) over the past two days, a window in which ETH fell from $1,988 to $1,875, a 5.7% drawdown based on the figures cited in the post. The account framed the move as an acceleration: “vitalik.eth(@VitalikButerin) is selling ETH faster again. In the past 2 days, he has sold 1,869 ETH($3.67M). During that time, ETH fell from $1,988 to $1,875, down 5.7%.”

The sharper edge of the thread was the historical comparison. Lookonchain pointed to a previous episode when it said Buterin sold 6,958 ETH (about $14.78 million) and ETH subsequently fell from $2,360 to $1,825, a 22.7% decline. “Last time he sold 6,958 ETH($14.78M), $ETH dropped from $2,360 to $1,825 — a 22.7% fall,” the post added, linking to an Arkham entity page attributed to Buterin.

The comparison does not prove causation, but it’s exactly the kind of pattern-matching that can matter at the margin in a market primed to trade flows. Founder wallets are heavily monitored, and any hint of renewed supply can become a focal point for positioning—especially when price is already drifting lower.

Lookonchain’s earlier post dated Feb. 22 described the sequence as a return to activity after a pause. “After a two-week break, vitalik.eth(@VitalikButerin) is selling ETH again! 8 hours ago, he withdrew 3,500 ETH($6.95M) from Aave to sell. So far, he has already sold 571 ETH($1.13M),” the account wrote.

That detail matters because it frames the selling as an intentional unwind rather than passive movement between wallets. Pulling ETH from Aave, then selling portions, is the sort of breadcrumb traders look for when trying to distinguish “wallet housekeeping” from outright distribution.

The Feb. 22 posts also land on top of another Lookonchain note from Feb. 5, which described sustained selling over multiple days. “vitalik.eth(@VitalikButerin) is dumping ETH fast!” it said, adding: “Over the past 3 days, Vitalik has sold 2,961.5 $ETH($6.6M) at an average price of $2,228 — and the selling is still ongoing.”

For markets, the immediate question is whether this remains a contained, trackable flow or whether it becomes the kind of recurring headline that pulls liquidity and sentiment lower simply by staying in the tape. If additional wallet-linked sales surface, traders will likely keep stress-testing the “history repeating” narrative against price, rather than assuming the selling is the sole driver.

At press time, Ethereum traded at $1,884.

In the course of the last few months, the Ethereum price has seen a lot of decline, struggling alongside Bitcoin as investors rush to offload their coins. These sell-offs have come in anticipation of lower price levels, and with the price continuing to dip further, it seems the investors who sold earlier were right. Even now, analysts continue to predict that the market decline will continue, with the likes of Ethereum expected to suffer major retracement before a bottom is established.

Technical Patterns Show Where Ethereum Is Headed Next

In an analysis shared on the TradingView website, crypto analyst Melikatrader outlined that the Ethereum price could be seeing another major crash soon. So far, the digital asset has seen its price consolidation in what appears to be a large symmetrical triangle pattern. This comes while the price continues to chop below $2,000.

Mainly, most of the action has happened as the Ethereum price has struggled around the $1,977 level, which the analyst explains that the lack of upward momentum at this level could mean that bears have now officially taken full control of the altcoin’s price.

Taking the technical action into account, the crypto analyst explains that the Ethereum price is now nearing the apex of a triangle pattern. This comes after the price had been tightly packed between two major converging trend lines. At this point, the Ethereum price would need to make a major move to confirm the next direction.

Nevertheless, the expected move for Ethereum at this level is expected to be bearish. Essentially, the crypto analyst tells traders to wait for a breakdown to follow and for the price to fall below the lower support line of the triangle. For context, this support line lies at $1,912, making it the level to beat for bears.

Once this level is triggered, though, then the next move is for the Ethereum price to fall further. Expectation remains that a break of the lower trendline would lead to a retest of the lower trendline that marks resistance. This trendline is at $1,781, making it the final target of the triangle breakdown. “Keep a close eye on the lower boundary. If that support snaps, we likely see a swift move toward the $1,780 level. Stay patient and wait for the confirmation,” the analyst said in closing.

Talk of quantum computers no longer sounds like science fiction at crypto events. At a recent developer gathering, the ETH Denver, engineers and security researchers turned their attention to a simple but unsettling question: what happens to Bitcoin if a powerful quantum machine comes online?

Reports have disclosed that new proposals are being folded into the network’s improvement process, laying early groundwork for defenses before any real crisis appears.

Quantum Computing: Why Hashing Is Not The Main Fear

Hashing—what miners and many parts of the system use—gets faster only a bit with quantum tricks. According to Lov Grover’s work, a quantum search method gives a square-root speedup, which changes safety margins but does not wipe them out.

In plain language: to break hashes at scale would need enormous, maybe unrealistic, machines under current models.

Signatures Face The Real Risk

Reports say the bigger worry is signatures. “What we’re worried about in the next five years are signatures, and that goes over with Shor’s,” Hunter Beast, co-author of BIP 360, said during the ETH Denver gathering.

The math behind most wallets today relies on elliptic curves, and Peter Shor showed a way a quantum machine could reverse that math.

That’s how a public key could reveal a private key once the right hardware exists. A blockchain security firm has been tracking addresses that have already exposed their public keys, and the numbers are not tiny.

Blockchain cybersecurity firm Project Eleven’s list flags millions of coins that, if an attacker had a big enough quantum device, would be at risk.

How Close Are We?

Estimates have been moving. Older papers put the needed resources in the many millions of qubits. More recent research from groups like Iceberg Quantum suggests the figure could be much lower, perhaps into the six-figure range.

Still, raw qubit counts tell only part of the story. What matters is how many “logical” qubits you can run with acceptable error rates, how long calculations take, and whether the machine can stay stable for that time.

Lab steps by big firms also matter; for example, Google has reported progress in error correction that many found encouraging. That doesn’t mean the break-in is imminent, but it does change risk models.

Where The Industry Stands

Reports note teams are forming to study and build defenses. The Ethereum Foundation has a post-quantum group, and major exchanges and firms are taking part in discussions.

Coinbase set up advisers, and its CEO, Brian Armstrong, has said the problem can be handled with planning. It is “solvable”, he said.

Featured image from Devfolio, chart from TradingView

The price of XRP has been relatively calm throughout February, especially following an early-month descent to just above $1.1. Hovering around $1.4, the second-largest altcoin has struggled to continue its recovery to around the $2 mark.

However, it appears the altcoin’s struggles might not last for long, especially if history repeats itself over the next few months. According to the latest on-chain data, XRP has surpassed a threshold that has coincided with a period of extended rally in the past.

XRP Price Surged 114% After Last Realized Loss Spike

In a February 21st post on the social media platform X, Santiment shared that XRP investors are realizing their losses at a rate not seen in nearly four years. The blockchain firm revealed that the volume of realized losses climbed to approximately 908 million in the past week.

As Santiment explained in its post, these significant realized losses occur when a large number of investors sell their coins at a price lower than what they originally paid. Typically, this period coincides with the peak of market fear, where investors panic-sell their holdings for a loss instead of holding on and hoping for a rebound.

However, a spike in realized losses can be a relevant positive signal, as it has been for the price of XRP in the past. This trend implies that a significant percentage of the weak hands have left the market, with much of the damage already done.

From a historical perspective, a surge in realized losses has often preceded market bottoms. When the previous weekly milestone of 1.93 billion in realized losses occurred in 2022, the altcoin’s value witnessed an over 114% surge in the following eight months.

Santiment wrote in the X post: 

This is because extreme fear tends to peak before price does. Once sellers are exhausted, even a small amount of new buying pressure can push prices higher. That does not guarantee an immediate rally, but it increases the probability of a bounce.

Nevertheless, it is worth mentioning that Ripple’s partial victory in its case against the United States Securities and Exchange Commission played a role in XRP’s 2023 surge. As shown in the chart below, the altcoin’s price appears to be seeing some bullish momentum since the notable realized loss spike. 

XRP Price At A Glance

As of this writing, the price of XRP stands at around $1.44, reflecting a 1% jump in the past 24 hours. An over 100% upswing from the current price point would see the altcoin return to around $3.

Bitcoin held its ground over the weekend as US President Donald Trump said late Saturday that he was increasing a recently announced global tariff from 10% to 15% and that the new rate would take effect immediately.

The move came after the US Supreme Court ruled to limit the legal authority previously used to impose broad import levies.

Bitcoin Unmoved

Cryptocurrencies barely budged on the news. Bitcoin hovered around the $68,000 mark while Ether showed little change, and smaller tokens lost under 1% in aggregate according to market trackers. Reports note that traders only saw a brief wobble before prices steadied, suggesting the shock was short lived.

Legal Limits And What They Mean

Based on reports, the shift to alternative trade laws limits how far a president can go with such tariffs. The statutes cited allow a temporary tariff capped at 15% and typically apply to countries where the US runs a trade deficit for a defined period of up to 150 days.

Legal experts say those constraints could keep the measure from becoming a permanent tax rise on imports.

Trump said on his Truth Social platform:

“As President of the United States of America, I will be, effective immediately, raising the 10% worldwide tariff on countries, many of which have been ‘ripping’ the US off for decades, without retribution, until I came along, to the fully allowed, and legally tested, 15% level.” How Traders Might Be Thinking

Some investors appear to have treated the announcement as a headline event rather than the start of a lasting economic shock.

Volume patterns showed no sustained sell pressure, and risk appetite in crypto markets returned quickly. Reports say the earlier court ruling, which narrowed the executive branch’s emergency powers for tariffs, may have removed some uncertainty — at least for now.

Market sentinels will watch closely in the days ahead. If the White House tries to stretch the temporary authority or expand the list of targeted countries, that could change the tone in both crypto and equity markets.

Bigger Picture For The Economy

Raising an across-the-board tariff, even temporarily, raises questions about costs for businesses and consumers.

Import duties are often passed down the chain in the form of higher prices or tightened margins, and global trading partners are likely to push back diplomatically and legally.

Some foreign leaders and industry groups quickly criticized the move, warning it could slow growth and raise consumer bills.

Far from a market-draining shock, this episode so far reads like a high-profile policy stunt with limited immediate market effect.

That could change if the measure is stretched beyond the legal limits that lawmakers and courts have pointed to. For now, crypto traders seem to have chosen to watch and wait while prices remain near recent highs.

Featured image from Unsplash, chart from TradingView

Stablecoin operator Tether has announced its decision to discontinue support for its offshore Chinese Yuan token CNH₮. The USDT operator has attributed this development to a lack of market demand, among other points.

Tether To Terminate CNH₮ Redemption In One Year 

In a recent blog post, Tether shared a strategic update on its CNH₮, communicating a management decision to withdraw the stablecoin product from its offerings. This decision is based on multiple factors centered around demand and operational efficiency.

A statement from the announcement read:

Community interest and adoption are central to every product decision we make. When evaluating whether to maintain or introduce a Tether token, we assess market demand, operational sustainability, and broader ecosystem conditions that influence long-term usability. Our priority is to allocate resources where they can most effectively enhance security, reliability, and innovation across the digital asset landscape.

Tether explains that the CNH₮ recorded low interest, adoption, and community demand compared to their products, thereby failing to produce an acceptable return on technical and operational efforts. 

As of this moment, all new issuance of CNH₮ has been halted. Meanwhile, CNH₮ users will have the next year to process any redemptions before the stablecoin is permanently phased out. The stablecoin operator will issue another reminder ahead of the redemption deadline. Following this development, Tether reiterates its commitment to stablecoin global growth and adoption. 

The statement read:

Tether will continue to focus its efforts on stablecoins and infrastructure that demonstrate strong, organic adoption and long-term relevance. This includes advancing core stablecoin liquidity, expanding tokenization infrastructure, and supporting new financial tools that better serve global users and builders.

Tether remains the operator of the world’s largest stablecoin, USDT, which presently boasts a total market cap of $183.7 billion. In January, the stablecoin company launched USAT, designed specifically for American users.

Nigeria Leads Demand For Stablecoins

In other news, a recent survey by BVNK has revealed that Africa’s largest economies are leading the demand for stablecoins. This survey, done in collaboration with Coinbase, YouGov, and Artemis, involved 4658 adults across 15 countries. The results revealed that 80% of Nigerian and South African respondents presently hold stablecoin, while 75% aim to increase holdings as citizens seek a haven from their local fragile currencies.

At press time, the total stablecoin market cap is valued at $310 billion, with high expectations of future market expansion following the approval of the GENIUS Act last July.

The biggest question so far in the bear phase has been when and where the Bitcoin price will bounce back. According to the latest on-chain data, there might be a fresh answer as to where the price bottom will be in the current bear market.

Here’s Why $40,000 Could Be Pivotal To The Bear Market

In a recent post on the X platform, crypto analyst Ali Martinez identified the $40,000 level as a potential bottom for the Bitcoin price in the current market phase. This projection is based on the cost basis of an old investor cohort known as the long-term holders (LTH)

For context, the cost basis of long-term holders refers to the average price at which Bitcoin investors (who have held their coins for 155 days or more) acquired their coins. This price level is often relevant because long-term investors are often referred to as diamond hands, who are less likely to sell during periods of downside volatility.

Moreover, the LTH cost basis tends to act as the ultimate support level during bear markets, as most long-term investors are usually still in profit even in the thick of the bear market. Hence, when the Bitcoin price falls to this support, the long-term holders double down on their positions.

This renewed buying activity by the long-term holders would prop up the price of the premier cryptocurrency above their cost basis, as observed in the chart above. According to the highlighted data, the LTH cost basis is currently around $40,363, about 40% from the current price point.

If the Bitcoin price were to face further downside pressure and approach this cost basis, there is a likelihood it would receive support from the long-term investors’ increased reaccumulation. Hence, this cost basis could become the bottom for the current bear market.

On the flip side, the Bitcoin market could face an even deeper correction if the selling pressure overwhelms the long-term holders’ reaccumulation spree. 

Bitcoin Price Overview

As of this writing, the price of BTC stands at around $68,330, reflecting a nearly 1% increase in the past 24 hours. However, this mild single-day action does little to correct the over 2% price decline witnessed by the premier cryptocurrency over the past week. According to data from CoinGecko, the Bitcoin price is currently down from its all-time high by more than 45%.