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Криптовалютная биржа OKX получила от мальтийского регулятора лицензию платежного учреждения (PI), разрешающую проводить платежи с использованием стейблкоинов на территории Евросоюза.

Speculation around institutional XRP accumulation intensified after claims surfaced that SBI Holdings had acquired $10 billion worth of the digital asset. The narrative gained traction quickly, feeding bullish sentiment and reinforcing assumptions about deep corporate exposure to XRP. However, a direct clarification from the company’s leadership has now reframed the conversation, replacing viral figures with verifiable financial reality.

Where The $10 Billion XRP Claim Originated

The controversy began with social media commentary on X (formerly Twitter) by @Strivex_, linking SBI Holdings’ expanding crypto footprint—particularly its Singapore activity—to a presumed multi-billion-dollar XRP treasury. The claim suggested the Japanese financial giant was holding approximately $10 billion in the token on its balance sheet. This interpretation positioned SBI not just as a strategic partner within Ripple’s ecosystem but as one of the largest direct corporate holders of the asset.

CEO Yoshitaka Kitao moved swiftly to dismantle that narrative. Responding publicly, he clarified that the circulating figure misrepresented the firm’s exposure structure. SBI does not custody $10 billion worth of XRP tokens, nor does it maintain a treasury position of that scale in the cryptocurrency itself. Kitao emphasized that such a holding would introduce significant volatility risk, an exposure profile inconsistent with SBl’s balance-sheet management strategy.

Instead, the company’s financial linkage to XRP is indirect, operating through corporate ownership rather than token accumulation. This distinction is critical because equity exposure and digital asset custody carry fundamentally different risk, liquidity, and accounting implications. By correcting the misunderstanding, Kitao repositioned SBI’s involvement as strategic and institutional.

Indirect Exposure, Direct Influence

SBI Holdings’ actual stake sits in Ripple Labs, where it owns roughly 9% equity. This shareholding provides economic participation in Ripple’s enterprise growth, technology deployment, and institutional payment expansion – without requiring direct XRP token holdings. Based on private market estimates that place Ripple’s valuation above $50 billion, SBI’s stake translates to an implied value of approximately $4.5 billion. While substantial, this figure is less than half the viral $10 billion claim and reflects ownership in corporate infrastructure rather than cryptocurrency reserves.

Kitao has described this Ripple stake as a “hidden asset” within SBl’s broader valuation framework. The characterization signals that the market may not fully price in the upside tied to Ripple’s expansion, particularly as blockchain settlement and cross-border payment rails scale globally.

The partnership itself is longstanding, dating back to 2016, and extends beyond passive investment. SBI has actively supported Ripple’s institutional penetration across Asia. Its recent acquisition of a majority stake in Singapore-based exchange Coinhako illustrates this operational alignment, establishing a digital asset corridor between Japan and Southeast Asia. Further collaboration includes participation in Ripple’s $1 billion treasury initiative alongside Evernorth Holdings, designed to accelerate institutional XRP utilization.

Through these initiatives, SBI maintains exposure to XRP’s real-world deployment across liquidity provisioning, settlement infrastructure, and payment corridors – even without holding the token directly.

Businessman and TV personality Kevin O’Leary, known as “Mr. Wonderful” from Shark Tank, has won a $2.8 million judgment after a US federal court entered default against popular YouTuber Ben “BitBoy” Armstrong.

The ruling comes after Armstrong failed to respond to a defamation lawsuit related to false claims he made on social media, which accused O’Leary of involvement in a 2019 boating accident that resulted in fatalities.

Those claims were never proven in court, and reporters have noted the legal action focused on restoring reputation and seeking damages for harm caused by the statements.

Court Enters Default Judgment

The court award totals roughly $2.8 million in combined damages. That figure breaks down into about $78,000 for reputational injury, $750,000 for emotional distress, and $2,000,000 in punitive damages meant to punish the conduct.

#bitboy #Mrwonderful pic.twitter.com/mCUsuwESm6

— F Joe (@FJOE_CRYPTO) February 14, 2026

Judge Beth Bloom presided over the matter in the US District Court for the Southern District of Florida, which handled filings and issued the judgment. The ruling came after procedural steps that allow a plaintiff to obtain judgment when a defendant fails to respond.

Allegations And Timeline

Reports say the posts at the center of the case appeared in March of last year. They accused the businessman of being connected to lethal conduct and alleged a cover-up. O’Leary has never been charged in relation to that incident, and later court records showed related parties were cleared at trial.

The defamation suit alleged the statements crossed the line from opinion into false factual claims that damaged reputation and caused distress. Because Armstrong did not appear or meaningfully answer the complaint, the court treated the claims as conceded for purposes of final judgment.

Crypto Connection And Implications

Armstrong is a well-known personality in the world of cryptocurrency, operating the popular site BitBoy Crypto. His messages reach thousands of cryptocurrency fans and investors, which helped to spread the false claims.

Although the case itself is not related to cryptocurrency, it shows the legal danger that cryptocurrency influencers may face when posting unverified or defamatory information online. This decision may make other personalities in the cryptocurrency world more careful about what they post online.

Featured image from Getty Images, chart from TradingView

Затяжной спад на криптовалютном рынке заканчивается — криптозима либо уже подошла к концу, либо завершится не позднее апреля, заявил сооснователь Fundstrat Global Advisors и председатель BitMine Immersion Technologies Том Ли (Tom Lee).

Японская компания Metaplanet, один из крупнейших корпоративных владельцев биткоинов, отчиталась о годовом нереализованном убытке на 102,2 млрд иен (около $664 млн). Это немного лучше, чем прогноз самой фирмы. Причина убытков — переоценка хранящихся биткоинов.

Криптовалютные биржевые фонды четвертую неделю подряд фиксируют чистый отток средств. За последнюю семидневку инвесторы вывели $173 млн, а суммарные потери за четыре недели достигли $3,74 млрд, сообщила управляющая компания CoinShares.

Ric Edelman says Bitcoin can reach $500,000 by the end of the decade and, unlike many headline-grabbing forecasts, he’s putting a simple allocation math behind it.

In a Feb. 15 interview with Altcoin Daily, the longtime financial adviser and founder of Edelman Financial (now managing roughly $330 billion, by his account) framed his target as the “conservative” case in a range of increasingly aggressive calls circulating in crypto. “I believe that Bitcoin can reach $500,000 by the end of the decade,” Edelman said. “And there are other predictions that are even more bold than mine… many are predicting a million. Others are predicting as much as two to 5 million in pricing.”

Why Edelman Calls $500,000 Bitcoin ‘Conservative’ By 2030

What he objects to, he said, is not optimism, it’s the lack of disclosed assumptions. “The problem I have with a lot of the predictions is that they are opaque. They haven’t explained why they believe what they’re saying,” Edelman said. “So I’ll be transparent and tell you how I get to 500,000 by 2030… this is not a straight line… it’s going to be very bumpy along the way.”

Edelman’s case rests on a broad-based shift in global portfolio construction, not a single catalyst. He argues Bitcoin still isn’t owned by the “average investor” worldwide but that adoption can expand through sovereign and institutional channels over time. He listed potential buyers across the capital stack: “government holdings, sovereign wealth funds and institutional holdings, endowments, pension funds, hedge funds, insurance companies, banks, brokerages, etc.”

From there, Edelman zooms out to the size of the global asset pool. He estimated the combined value of global stocks, bonds, real estate, gold, and cash at roughly $750 trillion. The key step is the portfolio slice: if diversified investors ultimately assign just 1% to Bitcoin, that implies about $7.5 trillion of inflows, which he says would translate into roughly $500,000 per coin when combined with Bitcoin’s existing value.

“It’s simple arithmetic,” Edelman said. “If you take the attitude… that everybody who owns a diversified portfolio ends up owning just 1% of their portfolio in Bitcoin — that’s inflows of $7.5 trillion… That plus the current value of Bitcoin translates to about $500,000 per coin. It’s really that simple.”

He added two reinforcing observations: that allocations are already happening, and that when they happen they may be larger than 1%. “We’re beginning to discover… more and more people are allocating,” he said. “And… they’re allocating closer to 5% of assets.”

While Edelman emphasized Bitcoin’s long-term adoption curve, he also argued the broader crypto stack matters, particularly Ethereum, which he tied to stablecoin growth. He called it “funny” that investors can be bearish on crypto prices while simultaneously bullish on stablecoins, given where much of that activity settles today.

“If you believe stablecoins are the winner, how can you not be a supporter of Ethereum? Because almost all the stablecoins are trading on Ethereum,” Edelman said. Pressed for a number, he suggested Ethereum could reach “between $4,000 and $10,000,” adding that a doubling would be “very easy to suggest” in his view.

At press time, BTC traded at $68,986.

Председатель крупнейшего корпоративного держателя биткоинов компании Strategy Майкл Сейлор (Michael Saylor) заявил, что фирма сможет выдержать падение BTC до $8000.

Russia’s crypto scene is bigger than many realize, and regulators are sounding the alarm. Reports say daily crypto turnover inside the country may be around 50 billion rubles. That adds up fast — more than 10 trillion rubles a year by simple math — and officials say much of it moves beyond formal oversight.

Russia’s deputy finance minister, Ivan Chebeskov, raised the figure while speaking about the need for clearer rules. According to reports, he warned that millions of people are taking part, and that those flows are largely happening outside official systems.

That puts the state in a tight spot: clamp down and push activity further underground, or bring it under some kind of control and monitoring.

Regulators Move To Catch Up

The central bank’s tone has shifted. Once favoring a hard ban, the Central Bank of Russia now talks about licensing and limits.

On the same panel, Vladimir Chistyukhin, the first deputy chairman of Russia’s central bank, said lawmakers could take action during the spring session of the State Duma, which would give firms time to prepare for new rules.

The proposed approach aims to let ordinary people have small exposure while keeping bigger wagers in regulated hands.

Sanctions And The Push For Rules

Meanwhile, European Union officials have been worried about crypto being used to get around sanctions. Reports have disclosed that the EU is pushing for tougher limits on transactions tied to the country.

That pressure changes incentives. Some of the crypto use is likely about savings and protection from ruble swings. Some could be about moving value across borders.

Investor Limits And Traceability

A draft rule floated by regulators would cap what non-qualified buyers can hold each year. Reports note a proposed limit of 300,000 rubles for casual investors. At the same time, privacy coins would be excluded from the list of allowed assets.

Together, those steps show the goal is clear: allow participation, but keep tight limits and ensure transactions can be tracked. Requiring licenses also points to a push to shift activity away from shadow networks and into supervised, formal systems.

The Blind Spot: Annual Flows Escape Oversight

For now, the picture looks like a maze — billions in yearly crypto flows moving through channels the state does not fully see. The $129 billion estimate underscores how large and complex this market has become inside Russia.

Whether new rules can bring those funds into clearer view, or simply reroute them deeper into the shadows, will determine if authorities regain their footing or continue losing sight of one of the country’s fastest-growing financial arenas.

Featured image from Pexels, chart from TradingView

Разработчик второй по величине криптовалюты Эфириум Виталик Бутерин заявил, что рынки предсказаний нуждаются в перезагрузке, так как сейчас они не представляют ценности для криптоиндустрии.

Генеральный директор SkyBridge Capital Энтони Скарамуччи (Anthony Scaramucci) утверждает, что появление в январе 2025 года мемкоинов, связанных с семьей президента США Дональда Трампа, оказало негативное влияние на крипторынок.

Партнер компании Castle Island Ventures Ник Картер (Nic Carter) заявил, что крупные инвесторы могут потерять терпение в отношении разработчиков Биткоина из-за промедлений с решением проблемы квантовых вычислений.

SBI Holdings CEO Yoshitaka Kitao pushed back on a viral claim that the Japanese financial group holds $10 billion worth of XRP, arguing instead that SBI’s more consequential exposure sits in its equity position in Ripple Labs, a stake he suggested the market may be underappreciating.

The exchange began after an X account described SBI as “a major partner of Ripple” and “holder of $10 billion in XRP,” tying the claim to SBI’s growing footprint in Asia through the acquisition of Coinhako, a regulated crypto platform based in Singapore. Kitao replied directly, disputing the framing and pointing to SBI’s ownership in Ripple rather than a headline XRP number.

“Not $10 bil. in XRP but around 9% of Ripple Lab. So our hidden asset could be much bigger,” Kitao wrote in a Feb. 15 post.

SBI CEO Dials Up Ripple Valuation Speculation

Kitao’s response effectively reframed the conversation from balance-sheet token inventory to private-market ownership. Rather than validate a specific XRP figure, he emphasized SBI’s stake in Ripple Labs, a detail that matters because equity value is ultimately a function of Ripple’s overall valuation, not the spot price of XRP.

In a separate post the same day, Kitao went further, explicitly tying his view to Ripple’s broader footprint. “When it comes to Ripple Lab’s total valuation which obviously include its ecosystem that Ripple has created, that would be enormous,” he wrote. “SBI owns more than 9 % of that much.”

Community member “BankXRP” amplified the implications by referencing recent reports that place Ripple’s valuation at “$50B+,” arguing that such a mark would put SBI’s 9% stake at “$4.5B+,” with “massive future upside as the CEO hints.”

While Kitao did not put a dollar figure on SBI’s stake, the 9% number sets a clean valuation yardstick. If SBI’s Ripple ownership were worth more than $10 billion, Ripple’s implied valuation would need to exceed roughly $111 billion, because $10 billion divided by 0.09 equals about $111.1 billion.

Put differently, at a $90 billion Ripple valuation, a 9% stake would be about $8.1 billion; at $50 billion, it would be about $4.5 billion. The threshold for “more than $10 billion” is therefore not a subtle rounding error, it requires a triple-digit billions valuation for Ripple.

Notably, SBI’s roughly 9% position appears to be the product of a long-running strategic relationship rather than a single headline trade: SBI’s own investor materials describe the Ripple relationship as having been “established” in September 2012, with the group later investing in Ripple in March 2016 and then deepening operational ties through the SBI Ripple Asia joint venture (SBI 60%, Ripple 40%) launched in May 2016.

SBI also participated as an investor in Ripple’s $200 million Series C financing announced in December 2019, a round that included SBI alongside other backers, one of the clearer public datapoints showing continued equity exposure as Ripple raised capital.

At press time, XRP traded at $1.46.

Коэффициент прибыли от продажи биткоина (aSOPR) опустился в зону 0,92–0,94. Это уровень, который исторически предшествовал серьезным фазам медвежьего цикла, сообщили аналитики компании CryptoQuant.

Основатель крупнейшей криптовалютной биржи Binance Чанпэн Чжао (Changpeng Zhao) считает, что одно из главных преимуществ большинства криптовалют ― полная прозрачность транзакций ― может сдерживать массовое использование цифровых активов.

Сенат Вирджинии одобрил законопроект, регулирующий работу криптоматов и направленный на защиту жителей штата от мошенничества с цифровыми активами. Документ передан на подпись губернатору.

Покупаете-продаете криптовалюты в России? Зарабатываете на разнице курсов? Держите немного стейблкоинов про запас? Может быть, майните? Налоговую службу сейчас интересуют практически все. Но когда именно криптоинвестор обязан перед ней отчитываться?

Figure Technology confirmed that some customer files were stolen after an employee was tricked, according to reports. The company says the intrusion happened when an internal account was used to download a limited batch of records. The breach did not stem from a flaw in its blockchain system, but from human error.

Reports say the stolen material was later posted online by a hacker collective that claimed responsibility. The group is said to have released about 2.5GB of data after alleging that ransom talks broke down. That public dump quickly drew attention across the crypto and fintech space.

Customer Names, Contact Details Among Items Exposed

Based on reports that reviewed samples of the leaked files, the exposed data includes full names, home addresses, dates of birth, and phone numbers. These are the kinds of details often used in identity fraud or targeted scams.

The exact number of affected customers has not been shared publicly. That missing figure leaves uncertainty about how large the fallout could be.

Security researchers warn that even when bank accounts or crypto wallets are untouched, personal data alone can create serious risk. Phishing calls, fake loan offers, and account takeover attempts often follow this type of leak.

Figure Hit By Social Engineering Attack

According to coverage of the incident, attackers used a social engineering method to gain access to an employee’s credentials or active session. Instead of breaking through code, they relied on deception. Once inside, files were downloaded through that employee’s access rights.

The company said it detected suspicious activity and moved to block it. Outside forensic specialists were brought in to review system logs and determine what was accessed. A broader internal review is also under way.

ShinyHunters claimed responsibility for the breach on its leak site. The group has been linked to prior data exposures involving tech and finance firms. In this case, the data was made public after payment demands were reportedly rejected.

Figure said it will notify customers whose information was involved. Free credit monitoring services are being offered to those who receive formal notice. Impacted individuals are being advised to watch for unusual activity and unsolicited messages.

Funds And Core Services Secure

Reports note that lending operations and on-chain systems were not breached. The platform’s core financial infrastructure was not described as affected. Still, the exposure of personal records carries its own weight.

Financial companies remain frequent targets because they hold detailed customer files. A single employee account, if misused, can open a door wider than expected. That lesson has surfaced again here.

Regulators may seek further details in the coming weeks. Customers will be waiting for clearer numbers. The long-term cost, both financial and reputational, will depend on how widely the data spreads and how quickly protective steps are taken.

Featured image from Yahoo Finance, chart from TradingView

The Bitcoin bear market caught some parts of the crypto crowd by surprise, as several investors expected prices to recover at different stages of the correction. However, some sections of the market saw this corrective phase, using on-chain data as the basis of their prognosis.

One such group is the on-chain data analysts who called the emergence of the bear market based on the decline in apparent demand. Using this same model, a prominent market researcher has come forward with a potential catalyst for Bitcoin’s price recovery.

Bitcoin ETFs Kick Off 2026 With $1.8 Billion Outflows

In a recent post on the social media platform X, pseudonymous analyst Darkfost shared that spot Bitcoin ETFs (exchange-traded funds) may play a huge role in the crypto market turnaround. According to market data, demand for crypto via exchange-traded funds has been weak so far in 2026.

This cautious stance from investors and “contraction in liquidity” has had a significant effect on the market, as prices keep tumbling to new lows every other week. Darkfost highlighted that early 2026 has looked more like a period of risk reduction on the spot Bitcoin ETF side, which has been largely driven by substantial capital inflows and strong speculative momentum.

Darkfost wrote in the X post:

Market participants appear to be reassessing their risk exposure in a more uncertain macroeconomic and geopolitical environment. 

Unsurprisingly, recent on-chain data support the increasing apathy of investors towards the Bitcoin ETF market. According to data highlighted by Darkfost, the year 2026 is starting with around $1.8 billion in net outflows, which is in stark contrast to the strongly positive levels witnessed in 2024 and at the start of 2025.

Sustained capital inflows and a significant expansion in market liquidity characterized these periods. However, it is worth mentioning that 2025 ended on a more negative note, with ETF inflows declining from $27 billion to around $20 billion by year’s end.

Hence, this trend shows that the current weakness in demand seems more like a gradual decline than a sudden drop. In any case, this demand weakness has left the Bitcoin market unprotected and more vulnerable to selling pressure and short-term volatility.

Darkfost concluded that a sustained run of Bitcoin ETF inflows could be a “key catalyst” to restoring a stronger market structure and investor confidence. The signs, however, have not been encouraging so far, as the US-based BTC exchange-traded funds bled roughly $360 million in net outflows over the past week.

Bitcoin Price At A Glance

As of this writing, the price of BTC stands at around $70,600, reflecting an almost 2% jump in the past 24 hours.

US lawmakers on Friday stepped up pressure over a reported foreign stake in a crypto firm tied to US President Donald Trump, asking the Treasury’s foreign-investment watchdog to explain whether the deal threatens national security or should be reviewed.

Trump And The $500 Million Deal

Reports say an Abu Dhabi-linked vehicle paid about $500 million for roughly 49% stake in World Liberty Financial (WLFI). That investment is said to have put a foreign investor in line to be the largest outside shareholder and to win board seats.

Based on reports, critics worry about what access a large shareholder could have to customer data, system controls, or strategic decision-making at a company that handles stablecoins and user wallets.

Sheikh Named As A Backer

Accounts point to an investment vehicle tied to Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan. Reports say the deal closed in January 2025, a timing that has drawn extra attention from legislators, given its proximity to the transition in Washington.

Some money from the transaction reportedly flowed to entities linked to the company’s founders and affiliates. That detail has raised questions about disclosure and whether any rules governing foreign deals were followed.

Lawmakers Want Answers

Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren and New Jersey Senator Andy Kim have written to Scott Bessent asking whether the Committee on Foreign Investment in the US — CFIUS — has reviewed the transaction or should now open a formal probe into the Trump-linked crypto venture.

The lawmakers set a response deadline and asked for documents and a clear statement on any national security concerns. Their letter frames the matter as one of foreign access to sensitive financial and identity information, and of potential influence over a firm connected to a sitting president.

Board Appointments And Tech Ties Add To Scrutiny

Reports note that executives with ties to G42 were named to the company’s board after the deal. That link has prompted fresh questions, since G42 has been inspected in past US intelligence reviews for its foreign partnerships.

Lawmakers say those kinds of connections merit a close look when the investor traces back to a foreign government official or agency.

Trump-Linked Crypto: What Happens Next

If CFIUS opens a formal review, it could demand documents, interview executives, and impose mitigation steps or block parts of the deal. If no review is launched, lawmakers say they will press further through oversight hearings and document requests.

The unfolding inquiry highlights a knot of issues: foreign capital in crypto, the handling of consumer data, and how political ties intersect with cross-border investments.

Featured image from David Hume Kennerly/Getty Images, chart from TradingView