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In a significant move, Morgan Stanley has submitted an application for a new national bank charter that will enable it to offer crypto custody and staking services. This report comes days after the recently appointed head of digital asset strategy, Amy Oldenburg, confirmed the financial services giant’s digital asset push.

Morgan Stanley Continues To Bet On Digital Asset Industry With Fresh OCC Filing

According to a Bloomberg report on Friday, February 27th, Morgan Stanley filed for a de novo national trust bank charter to allow it custody digital assets. The Wall Street behemoth said in its application that the charter will also be used to conduct crypto trading and staking for its investment clients.

Bloomberg reported that the application, through Morgan Stanley Digital Trust, was filed on February 18th, according to the website of the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency. The firm will offer its digital asset management services throughout the United States, with its main office in Purchase, New York, the filing showed.

This move reinforces Morgan Stanley’s strategic push for crypto and the broader digital asset industry. Earlier in January, the financial services giant filed for Bitcoin, Ether, and Solana exchange-traded funds (ETFs) in the United States, while also forging a new head of digital-asset strategy role for Oldenburg.

As reported by Bitcoinist, Oldenburg revealed that Morgan Stanley’s near-term goal is to enable E*Trade clients to buy and sell spot crypto, initially via a partnership before possibly moving to a native custody and exchange solution.

Oldenburg said about crypto custody:

It’s a totally different environment to know that you are custodying your assets,” Oldenburg continued. “You have legal custody with Morgan Stanley, and Morgan Stanley is overseeing those assets for you. There’s always those that are going to want to self-custody. That’s a natural part of this space, especially in the Bitcoin space.

Morgan Stanley’s recent moves highlight a growing trend since the start of President Donald Trump’s latest administration, especially among Wall Street firms, as they soften their crypto stance and venture into the digital asset industry. The United States president has been a vocal supporter of the crypto industry, while pushing for regulatory clarity in the space.

Crypto Market Capitalization Takes A Tumble

As of this writing, the global cryptocurrency market capitalization stands at $2.34 trillion, reflecting an over 2% decline in the past 24 hours.

Курс первой криптовалюты опустился ниже $64 000 после сообщений о скоординированных ударах США и Израиля по территории Ирана.

Министерство юстиции США сообщило о заморозке и изъятии криптовалют на сумму более $580 млн, связанных с китайскими преступными организациями.

Аналитики платформы Lookonchain сообщили об обнаружении группы инсайдеров, заработавших около $1,02 млн на событиях, связанных с расследованием блокчейн-детектива ZachXBT в отношении платформы Axiom.

Data shows a large amount of crypto long contracts have been liquidated as the Bitcoin price has plunged below the $66,000 level.

Crypto Market Has Faced $267 Million In Liquidations Over The Past Day

According to data from CoinGlass, a mass amount of liquidations have just occurred in the crypto market. A “liquidation” is a forceful closure that occurs when a derivatives market contract accumulates a loss of a specific percentage (as defined by the platform).

The risk of a contract being liquidated depends on how volatile the asset is behaving, as well as on how much leverage the trader has opted for. In the crypto market, coins tend to show volatility on a regular basis and contracts are usually leveraged, so it’s not uncommon for a mass amount of liquidations to take place at once.

During the past day, Bitcoin and other assets have seen some sharp price action and once again, liquidations have piled up on derivatives exchanges. Below is a table that shows the numbers related to this liquidation event.

In total, the crypto market has faced liquidations of nearly $268 million in the last 24 hours. Out of these, $188.5 million of the contracts involved have been bullish bets.

Long contracts being disproportionately affected by the event is naturally down to the fact that prices have overall moved down inside the window. Bitcoin has slipped under $66,000, while Ethereum is edging toward $1,900.

In terms of the contribution to the event by individual symbols, ETH has beaten BTC to the top spot this time around, as the below heatmap showcases.

Usually, Bitcoin racks up the highest amount of liquidations in the sector. Though, while behind this time, BTC with contracts amounting to $86 million is still almost level with ETH’s $88 million figure. Ethereum being ahead of the original cryptocurrency may be down to the fact that its price has seen a swing of a larger percentage over the past day.

In some other news, the Bitcoin spot exchange-traded funds (ETFs) are looking to end the week with net inflows, as data from SoSoValue shows.

During the last five weeks, the Bitcoin spot ETFs saw consecutive net outflows. It would appear, though, that the streak could break with the current week. So far, this week has seen net inflows of almost $815 million into the US funds.

BTC Price

Bitcoin is down to the $65,600 mark following its drop of 3% during the past day.

Бывший генеральный директор обанкротившейся биржи MtGox Марк Карпелес (Mark Karpelès) предложил внести разовое изменение в правила консенсуса сети Биткоина, которое позволило бы вернуть около 80 000 BTC, похищенных с площадки в 2011 году.

Minnesota lawmakers are weighing a proposal that would prohibit Bitcoin (BTC) and other cryptocurrency kiosks across the state, as concerns mount over the role the machines play in financial scams.

According to a CBS report, members of the Minnesota House Commerce Finance and Policy Committee took up the issue Thursday after DFL Rep. Erin Koegel, the committee’s co-chair, introduced House File 3642. The legislation would ban crypto kiosks commonly referred to as Bitcoin ATMs.

Crypto ATMs As ‘Effective Tools’ For Scammers

The proposal was formally presented and debated with input from lawmakers and law enforcement officials. Representatives from both sides of the aisle indicated they share concerns about the growing number of scams linked to the machines and expressed interest in curbing their use.

Koegel said authorities have repeatedly warned that the kiosks are being exploited to target vulnerable residents. “We have heard from our law enforcement officials that they are a prime target who are looking to take advantage of our loved ones,” she said.

Local investigators echoed those concerns. Detective Lynn Lawrence of the Woodbury Public Safety Department told lawmakers that scammers routinely rely on crypto kiosks to move stolen funds. “These machines remain one of the most effective tools that scammers are continuing to use to steal money,” Lawrence said.

Sgt. Jake Lanz of the St. Cloud Police Department described a recent case in which an elderly woman was manipulated into handing over $80,000 through such a machine. He noted that older residents are frequently targeted. 

“It’s definitely a target of our aging population,” Lanz said, adding that these investigations are especially challenging because once funds are deposited into a crypto ATM, they are often transferred rapidly and routed overseas, making recovery difficult.

 CoinFlip Urges Balanced Rules

The Minnesota Department of Commerce has also voiced support for the measure. Sam Smith, speaking on behalf of the department, said officials back HF 3642 and plan to introduce a broader consumer protection package in the coming days that would include the proposed ban. 

“The department strongly supports HF 3642. In the coming days, the department will also present a broader protection proposal that includes this ban,” Smith said.

Not everyone in the industry agrees with eliminating the machines. In a statement provided to WCCO, a spokesperson for CoinFlip defended the role of crypto kiosks in the financial system. 

The company argued that, much like traditional banks operate physical branches and ATMs, cryptocurrency also requires a physical access point to serve consumers who want to participate in the digital economy. 

The spokesperson described kiosks as a practical bridge between physical cash and digital assets, using a familiar interface that allows hundreds of thousands of people worldwide to engage with cryptocurrencies.

CoinFlip said it takes consumer protection seriously and maintains high standards for compliance and transparency. The company pointed to its public support of Minnesota’s existing regulatory framework and said it favors clear rules and disclosures applied consistently across the industry. 

The spokesperson added that CoinFlip is prepared to work with state lawmakers and other stakeholders to strengthen protections against bad actors while preserving residents’ ability to purchase cryptocurrency in the manner they prefer.

Featured image from OpenArt, chart from TradingView.com 

Руководитель по развитию продукта хранения цифровых активов в Citibank Ниша Сурендран (Nisha Surendran) представила инициативу на Всемирном стратегическом форуме, назвав ее шагом к тому, чтобы «сделать биткоин банковским активом».

Сотрудники налоговой службы Южной Кореи случайно опубликовали сид-фразу конфискованного криптокошелька. В результате неизвестные вывели с него 4 млн токенов PRTG на сумму $4,8 млн.

US Federal authorities announced Thursday that more than $580 million in crypto tied to Chinese transnational criminal organizations has been seized or frozen as part of an aggressive crackdown on large-scale investment and confidence scams targeting Americans.

The action was carried out by the D.C. Scam Center Strike Force, a joint initiative involving the US Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) Criminal Division, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). 

DOJ, FBI Dismantle Major Crypto Fraud Pipeline 

According to a statement released by the DOJ, the digital assets were allegedly stolen by Chinese transnational criminal organizations that operate sophisticated crypto investment fraud schemes and other confidence scams designed to drain victims of their life savings.

Prosecutors said these criminal networks rely heavily on US-based internet services and social media platforms to identify and contact victims. Recent estimates suggest that the broader scam industry is siphoning nearly $10 billion each year from Americans.

US Attorney Jeanine Pirro said the strike force was formed in November specifically to coordinate efforts against these operations. In just three months, she said, authorities have made substantial progress. 

“Freezing, seizing, and forfeiting cryptocurrency worth more than $578 million from these criminals” represents a major step forward, Pirro stated. She emphasized that the organizations behind the schemes are motivated solely by profit and are willing to exploit anyone. 

“These criminals don’t care who you are, what you believe in, or what you ate for breakfast — all they want is to steal from good and honest Americans to line the pockets of Chinese organized crime,” she said.

Pirro added that recovering crypto is only one element of the broader strategy. Her office intends to pursue forfeiture proceedings through the courts in an effort to return as much of the recovered funds to victims as possible. 

Addressing those who have been defrauded, she said authorities are committed to fighting to reclaim stolen savings from what she described as Chinese organized crime groups.

How Overseas Fraud Networks Trap American Victims

The strike force is focusing much of its attention on large scam compounds operating in Southeast Asia. Investigators say Chinese criminal networks run many of the most notorious facilities, often located in countries such as Burma, Cambodia and Laos. 

Teams are working to identify and pursue senior figures within these organizations, including affiliates of Chinese organized crime groups believed to be directing operations from within those countries.

Many of the scams fall under the category of Cryptocurrency Investment Fraud, commonly referred to by fraudsters as “pig butchering.” The term reflects the method used: perpetrators spend weeks or months building relationships with victims — “fattening” them up — before persuading them to invest increasing sums of money. 

Victims are typically encouraged to buy legitimate cryptocurrency through established platforms. Once trust is secured, they are directed to transfer their holdings into fraudulent investment websites or mobile applications controlled by the scammers.

Law enforcement officials say these schemes frequently begin with unsolicited messages on social media or text messages sent to US-based phone numbers. 

After initiating contact, scammers cultivate personal relationships and present fabricated investment opportunities promising high returns. By the time victims realize the platforms are fake, their funds have already been moved beyond reach.

Featured image from OpenArt, chart from TradingView.com 

Binance expanded its product suite on January 5 with the launch of gold futures trading, offering users 24/7 access to price exposure on the precious metal. The move reflects a broader trend within digital asset platforms: the convergence of traditional macro assets and crypto-native infrastructure. By introducing round-the-clock gold derivatives, Binance is positioning itself at the intersection of commodities and digital trading liquidity, enabling participants to hedge, speculate, or diversify without relying on legacy market hours.

According to analysis shared by top analyst Darkfost, the timing is not coincidental. Since the beginning of 2024, gold has delivered an exceptional performance, rising nearly 160%. This sustained rally has reinforced gold’s role as a macro hedge amid inflationary pressures, geopolitical tensions, and shifting monetary expectations. As capital increasingly rotates toward hard assets, demand for flexible trading vehicles has intensified.

The strong price momentum has naturally encouraged the development of gold-linked derivatives within crypto markets. For exchanges, this represents both a diversification strategy and a response to evolving trader preferences. For market participants, it offers continuous access to a traditionally time-restricted asset class.

Gold Volumes Surge As Crypto Traders Seek Macro Exposure

The rapid adoption of Binance’s gold futures product reveals more than opportunistic speculation — it reflects structural demand for macro exposure within crypto-native infrastructure. Reaching nearly $35 billion in cumulative trading volume, with over $4 billion recorded on the most active day, indicates that this is not a niche experiment but a product resonating with significant liquidity.

A weekly average of $4.7 billion in volume further confirms sustained participation rather than a short-lived launch spike. Importantly, trading activity accelerated sharply after gold experienced a rapid two-day correction exceeding 20%. That reaction suggests traders are not merely passively holding exposure; they are actively managing volatility, using crypto rails to access macro hedges in real time.

This behavior highlights a broader shift: crypto investors increasingly treat exchanges as multi-asset platforms rather than purely digital token venues. The ability to trade gold derivatives continuously, without the constraints of traditional market hours, creates tactical flexibility that legacy markets cannot match.

For Binance, the strategic implication is clear. By integrating late-cycle macro assets like gold into its derivatives ecosystem, the exchange reinforces its position as a cross-market liquidity hub. It is not simply listing products — it is structuring access to global risk themes through crypto-native infrastructure.

BNB Holds Macro Structure As Binance Expands Market Reach

BNB remains technically constructive on the weekly timeframe despite recent volatility. After rallying toward the $1,300 region, price corrected sharply but is now stabilizing near the $600–$650 zone. Importantly, BNB continues to trade above its 200-week moving average, which remains upward sloping — a signal that the broader macro structure is still intact.

While the 50-week average has flattened and short-term momentum has cooled, the asset has not broken down into a lower macro range. The recent pullback appears corrective rather than structurally destructive. Volume expanded during the selloff phase, reflecting de-risking across the broader crypto market, but has since moderated as price consolidates.

From a structural standpoint, BNB’s resilience is closely tied to Binance’s dominant market position. The exchange continues to lead global spot and derivatives liquidity, and the recent success of its gold futures product — generating tens of billions in volume — reinforces its role as a cross-asset liquidity hub. As Binance expands beyond crypto-native products into macro-linked derivatives, it strengthens the utility layer supporting BNB.

BNB’s long-term trajectory remains correlated with Binance’s ecosystem growth. If the platform continues capturing multi-asset volume — including gold — structural demand for BNB could remain supported despite broader market turbulence.

Featured image from ChatGPT, chart from TradingView.com 

A Citibank executive has announced the firm’s plan to introduce infrastructure “to make Bitcoin (BTC) bankable” as part of a broader institutional push to integrate the flagship cryptocurrency into traditional financial systems.

Citi To Integrate Bitcoin Into Traditional Finance

On Thursday, Nisha Surendran, Citi’s head of digital asset custody development, revealed that the bank will introduce infrastructure to integrate Bitcoin and traditional finance in 2026.

Speaking at Strategy World 2026 in Las Vegas, the executive highlighted the need for a 24/7 dollar or digital money as the world adapts round-the-clock assets like Bitcoin and transitions into 24/7 systems and processes.

Surendran shared Citi’s “one big idea” to “make Bitcoin bankable.” As she explained, the baking giant plans to launch its own infrastructure that integrates BTC into traditional finance later this year, although no specific date was disclosed.

To achieve this, Citi will focus on three key areas: core custody and safekeeping capabilities, institutional-grade key management, and wallet infrastructure. This will enable clients to hold and manage Bitcoin positions alongside traditional assets.

“We will also be bringing Bitcoin into the fold of the $30 trillion traditional assets that our clients entrust to us today. It will be the same framework that’s applied now, brought to Bitcoin,” Surendran stated.

Notably, the bank is set to offer its clients a “single service model across crypto, securities, and money,” extending the same reporting channels, compliance frameworks, and tax workflows that traditional assets fall into to BTC.

In addition, Citi will focus on simplification and standardization, noting that its clients won’t have to deal with wallets, keys, and one-time addresses as it will “take care of those problems” through its infrastructure.

Morgan Stanley Joins Institutional Push

Citi’s initiative follows broader efforts to make BTC accessible within traditional finance. On Wednesday, banking giant Morgan Stanley revealed that it is preparing to expand its BTC and crypto offerings beyond simple access.

Also at Strategy World 2026, Amy Oldenburg, Morgan Stanley’s head of digital asset strategy, shared the bank’s plan to move toward native custody and an internal exchange stack, while also exploring yield and lending services backed by the flagship cryptocurrency.

Morgan Stanley will first allow E-Trade clients to buy and sell spot crypto assets through a partnership before moving to a native custody and exchange platform over the next year, the executive affirmed.

Oldenburg suggested that this would put Morgan Stanley in a position to be the first major bank to offer that combination in-house. She shared that the firm must build its own platform before introducing BTC offerings to ensure its clients’ security.

“We really need to build this out internally. We can’t just primarily rent the technology to do this. People expect Morgan Stanley, they trust our brand, to be no-fail. And when you sit in that position, you have a significant responsibility to your clients to make sure that you’re delivering that in any level of technology,” the executive stressed.

Additionally, she confirmed that it is exploring crypto yield and lending products, but noted that the bank is still in the early design stage of those products. Earlier this year, Morgan Stanley filed for a registration statement for an Ethereum Trust with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

In October 2025, the bank also expanded its access to crypto fund investments for all clients, moving away from its previous customer restrictions. This shift allowed financial advisors to present crypto funds to any client, including those with retirement accounts.

Ethereum is navigating a period of heightened volatility and uncertainty as it hovers around the critical $2,000 threshold. While recent price action suggests temporary stabilization after weeks of selling pressure, conviction remains limited. The $2,000 level is functioning less as confirmed support and more as a psychological battleground where short-term positioning, liquidity conditions, and sentiment are colliding.

A recent analysis from Arab Chain offers additional structural insight through the ETH Binance Liquid vs. Illiquid Supply Model. This framework separates Ethereum held on Binance into liquid supply — coins readily available for trading — and illiquid supply, which is comparatively less likely to move in the short term. As of February, Binance’s total ETH reserves stand at approximately 3.57 million ETH. Of this amount, around 1.16 million ETH is classified as liquid supply, while 2.40 million ETH is categorized as illiquid.

This distribution matters. A relatively smaller liquid component can limit immediate sell-side pressure, but it does not eliminate risk if sentiment deteriorates. Conversely, a larger illiquid base may reflect longer holding behavior or strategic positioning rather than imminent distribution.

At a moment when price hovers near a key technical pivot, the composition of exchange reserves becomes a meaningful variable in assessing Ethereum’s next structural move.

Liquid vs. Illiquid Supply Signals A Fragile Equilibrium

The current reserve composition on Binance suggests Ethereum is operating within a structurally balanced environment rather than an immediate distribution phase. With illiquid supply accounting for the majority of the 3.57 million ETH held on the platform, a substantial portion of coins appears relatively dormant. Illiquid balances are typically associated with longer holding horizons or reduced trading frequency, which tends to dampen immediate sell-side pressure.

This matters at a time when ETH is hovering near $2,000. A dominant illiquid share implies that most holders are not actively positioning for a rapid exit. In previous cycles, sharp increases in liquid supply often preceded volatility spikes, as coins became readily available for market execution. That dynamic is not yet evident at scale.

By contrast, liquid supply historically expands during speculative phases, when traders rotate capital aggressively or prepare for directional exposure. The absence of a pronounced expansion suggests that, for now, speculative intensity remains contained.

The relatively stable gap between liquid and illiquid supply indicates equilibrium between holding behavior and active trading. However, this balance is conditional. A meaningful shift toward higher liquid supply would increase the probability of renewed volatility. Conversely, sustained illiquid dominance could help absorb price shocks and moderate downside acceleration.

Ethereum Tests Long-Term Support As Downtrend Accelerates

Ethereum remains under structural pressure as price hovers near the $2,000 region following a sharp breakdown from the $3,200–$3,400 zone. The weekly chart shows a clear loss of bullish structure, with lower highs forming since the late-2025 peak and momentum decisively shifting to the downside.

Price is now trading below the 50-week and 100-week moving averages, both of which are beginning to flatten or slope downward. This configuration typically signals weakening intermediate momentum and a transition into a corrective phase. Notably, Ethereum briefly tested levels near $1,800 before bouncing, suggesting the presence of reactive demand in that liquidity pocket. However, the recovery remains limited and has not yet reclaimed key moving averages.

The 200-week moving average, positioned lower on the chart, remains upward sloping, indicating that the broader macro trend has not fully reversed. Historically, this level has served as strong structural support during deeper cycle corrections. If downside pressure resumes, this zone could become a critical area to monitor.

Volume expanded significantly during the recent selloff, reflecting forced positioning adjustments rather than gradual distribution. Since then, activity has moderated, pointing to temporary stabilization.

Featured image from ChatGPT, chart from TradingView.com 

Ripple is reshaping how builders on the XRP Ledger get funded in 2026, arguing that the ecosystem has reached a point where support needs to flow through more than Ripple-linked programs alone. The change matters because it signals a deliberate move away from a relatively centralized funding structure toward a broader network of DAOs, independent hubs, universities and venture partners.

In its latest ecosystem update, Ripple said more than $550 million has already been deployed into XRPL initiatives since 2017, spanning non-equity grants, builder incentives, strategic partnerships and growth programs. Since 2021, those efforts have included hackathons, builder bounties, XRPL Grants and the XRPL Accelerator, with nearly 200 projects supported across areas including payments, DeFi, tokenization, AI, gaming, e-commerce and enterprise finance.

XRP Ledger Enters New Phase

The core message is that 2026 marks a structural pivot. Ripple said ecosystem funding has historically flowed through Ripple-supported channels, but that the next phase will lean on a “more distributed model” in which independent organizations, regional hubs, venture firms and community-led initiatives take on a larger role. The company framed the objective as giving builders “multiple channels” to access capital and support, rather than relying on a single gatekeeper.

At the center of that shift is a new FinTech Builder Program aimed at startups building institutional-grade financial applications on XRPL. Ripple said the program will focus on use cases including stablecoin payments, credit infrastructure, tokenization and regulated financial services, while offering more than a traditional grants track. According to the post, founders will get support “across the entire development lifecycle,” from product design through market launch, with help on XRPL integration, strategy and partnerships.

Ripple also outlined a wider support stack around that program. That includes expanded accelerator partnerships with venture firms and startup platforms, regional startup competitions, and builder awards meant to help projects after hackathons or competitions, when early traction still needs a bridge to something durable. The emphasis throughout is less on one-off experimentation and more on getting teams to production-ready financial products.

The more interesting signal, though, may be where decision-making starts to move. Ripple highlighted XAO DAO as a hybrid DAO built for XRPL that will fund developers, community builders and early-stage ideas through microgrants. It said the DAO is designed to “amplify community voice” and create feedback loops where members submit proposals, vote on priorities and help steer the ecosystem’s direction.

In parallel, XRPL Commons is positioned as an independent pillar of support, with Ripple explicitly saying the aim is to ensure that “no single organization becomes the sole gatekeeper” for ecosystem funding.

Other pieces of the 2026 map point to geographic and institutional expansion. Ripple said XRP Asia is being developed as a dedicated APAC hub with a long-term plan for localized funding and regional ecosystem growth.

UDAX, first launched with UC Berkeley in fall 2025, is set to expand this year to Fundação Getulio Vargas in São Paulo, Oxford in the summer, and Berkeley again in the fall. Ripple also pointed to growing venture participation from firms including Dragonfly, Pantera, Franklin Templeton and Tenity as another sign that XRPL is trying to mature from grant-backed experimentation into a venue for fundable, production-scale startups.

At press time, XRP traded at $1.3773.

It has been a brutal few months for Dogecoin in terms of price action. At the time of writing, Dogecoin is trading just below $0.10, below all of its moving averages, and sitting more than 86% below its all-time high. 

The price action looks bad for Dogecoin; however, a look at the on-chain data tells an entirely different story of resilience and network activity that’s being ignored. If history is any guide, this is exactly the kind of environment before a major recovery.

Dogecoin’s Network Growth

Price is often the last thing to move during rallies. Before any significant rally materializes, bullish sentiment tends to show up first in the data, and right now, Dogecoin’s network data is showing signs that demand serious attention. At the time of writing, daily active addresses are currently around 54,500, having recently spiked to nearly 58,000 this week. 

Even more notable is the longer-term trend. As noted by crypto analyst PennybagsCX on X, average address activity has grown from 806,000 earlier in the year to above 1.05 million in recent readings. This growth is happening during a price dip, showing participants are choosing to engage with the network at a time when it would be easy to walk away.

For context, Dogecoin currently ranks third among all Proof-of-Work blockchains by 24-hour active addresses, commanding a 12% share of total PoW activity and outperforming blockchains like Dash and Bitcoin Cash.

Buyers Are Hunting, Long-Term Holders Holding

Derivatives’ positioning is also starting to tilt bullish. According to Coinglass’ long/short ratio data across Binance, OKX, and Bybit, retail traders are heavily positioned on the long side. On Binance, the retail long/short ratio stands at 2.29, while whale accounts show a ratio of 2.73, both indicating bullish sentiment. Whale positions on Binance also have a 1.94 long bias.

Retail positioning on OKX is more pronounced, with a long/short ratio of 3.49, categorized as extremely bullish. Whale accounts on OKX show a 1.61 ratio leaning bullish, although whale positions currently have a more cautious stance in open exposure at 0.79.

Bybit data shows similar optimism, with retail at 2.98 and whale accounts at 2.99 on the long side. Whale positions on Bybit are also close to neutral at 0.99, suggesting balanced positioning but not outright bearish pressure. The only note of caution in the data is Smart Money Sentiment, which reads as bearish across all three of the biggest Dogecoin exchanges.

Another telling signal has been the Taker Volume Ratio, which recently climbed to around 63%. This means traders executing market buy orders are dominating the activity. When the ratio moves above 50%, it means a stronger demand, as buyers are willing to pay prevailing prices.

Furthermore, Dogecoin’s Profit-Days metric has surpassed 1,100 for the first time in its history. This long-cycle indicator moves based on sustained profitability among holders. History shows that moves above 800 days are major turning points that were followed by parabolic runs in subsequent months.

While Bitcoin investors often prioritize price targets, support zones, and percentage moves, a recent breakdown by analyst @ArdiNSC shifts attention toward a different and often overlooked metric: time. He argues that the duration of consolidation within a downtrend can reveal more about the strength of underlying market forces than price movement alone. In other words, the clock inside each range can be just as important as the candles that form it.

Why Time Inside A Bitcoin Range Matters

The analyst explained on X that the length of time Bitcoin spends trading sideways reflects how supply and demand interact at that level. Instead of focusing only on distance traveled, he emphasized that the market’s ability—or inability—to resolve a range quickly can signal the underlying strength of buyers or the pressure applied by sellers.

To illustrate this approach, he highlighted two consolidation phases on the daily BTC/USD chart. The first structure formed after a sharp decline, lasted 55 days, and covered about 21% before breaking lower. The second, active as of February 26, 2026, spans roughly 20% but has developed in only 22 days. Although their percentage width is almost identical, their timelines differ dramatically.

The prolonged 55-day range shows buyers actively absorbing supply for nearly two months, slowing the decline and forcing the market to work through significant demand before sellers finally regained control. In this framework, a range’s vertical height reflects the price distance required for redistribution, while its horizontal duration captures how long that redistribution takes. A long-lasting structure implies sustained contention between both sides; a short-lived one points to imbalance.

This makes the current 22-day range especially important. It has already reached a similar depth in less than half the time. If it breaks lower soon, it would signal that sellers now overpower buyers much more quickly at comparable price levels—an indication of fading demand during the broader downtrend.

What The Current Structure Suggests

The chart reinforces this time-driven interpretation. The initial consolidation expanded gradually before its decisive breakdown, reflecting a slow and steady absorption of buying pressure. The current formation emerged after another sharp decline but is unfolding far more rapidly within a similar percentage band.

Duration becomes the deciding factor from here. A swift downward resolution would confirm that buyer resistance has weakened relative to the earlier range. Achieving a similar structural outcome in fewer days would show reduced demand at this stage of the decline. Alternatively, if Bitcoin holds the range longer than expected or breaks upward with conviction, it would indicate renewed buyer engagement and potential accumulation. In that case, the zone could develop into meaningful support on future retests.

This perspective reframes common market-structure analysis. Price levels attract attention, but the time spent within them often reveals more about shifting conviction. In the current downtrend, the duration of Bitcoin’s consolidation may offer the clearest insight into which side is preparing to take control next.

A battle over energy cost is brewing in the crypto space, as a new report from technical analyst Bullrunners pits Bitcoin’s (BTC) energy-hungry Proof of Work (PoW) system against XRP’s comparatively lightweight network. The new analysis has thrown fresh fuel on one of crypto’s oldest rivals, sparking intense debate among crypto community members as they attempt to defend their preferred blockchain network. 

XRP Vs. Bitcoin’s Energy Cost

A new report from Bullrunners has reignited the long-standing debate between Bitcoin and XRP, this time over a striking difference in energy consumption between the two networks. According to the report, posted on X this Tuesday, XRP consumed just $73,000 worth of electricity to run its entire network over the course of a full year. Bitcoin, by contrast, used over $10 billion in electricity during the same period. 

Breaking that down further, Bullrunners shared an image which showed that a single Bitcoin transaction carries an energy cost equivalent to powering an average American household for 38 to 49 days, consuming between 1,100 and 1,400 kilowatt-hours (kWh). Meanwhile, a single XRP transaction uses approximately 0.0079 kilowatt-hours (kWh), roughly the amount of energy needed to power a light bulb for a few seconds. 

Based on this sheer difference in energy consumption, Bullrunners concluded that the XRP network uses up to 99.999% less energy than Bitcoin. 

Notably, a major reason for this extraordinary energy gap is how each blockchain network validates transactions. Bitcoin’s PoW system requires miners worldwide to continuously compete by solving complex mathematical puzzles using energy-intensive hardware that consumes vast amounts of electricity. 

On the other hand, XRP relies on a special XRP Ledger (XRPL) Protocol Consensus algorithm. Instead of mining, a group of trusted nodes communicates and votes across several rounds until they reach an agreement on which transactions are valid. With no competition and no energy-intensive mining hardware, the XRP network can settle transactions at a fraction of Bitcoin’s energy cost. 

Bitcoin And XRP Rivalry Spark Intense Community Debate

Bullrunners’ energy report quickly drew sharp reactions from members of the crypto community, with supporters of each blockchain network offering different interpretations of what Bitcoin and XRP’s energy numbers really mean. 

One supporter argued that Bitcoin’s energy consumption is not wasteful, but essential to its security. He described the network’s PoW mechanism as a process that converts real-world energy into a form of unforgeable digital scarcity. He went on to challenge XRP’s decentralization, pointing out that Ripple holds billions of the token and could influence supply without the constraints of a hard cap. 

XRP supporters fired back with their own case, advocating that the XRP Ledger’s energy efficiency places it ahead of not just Bitcoin but also Ethereum, even after it transitioned to a Proof of Stake (PoS) consensus in 2022. They maintained that XRP is much more energy-efficient than Ethereum on both a per-transaction and network-wide basis.

The cryptocurrency market appears to be maintaining its newfound bullish traction, but the price of XRP has fallen to the $1.4 mark after a pullback on Thursday. Amid the ongoing volatility that has rocked the market over the past months, the altcoin is set to make a critical move that could transition it into a bullish phase.

Market Ignores XRP’s Major Reset

XRP’s price seems to have lost its latest upward move that was triggered by a broader market bounce. Citing several on-chain and price dynamics, the leading altcoin is quietly undergoing what many investors believe is a major structural reset. Xaif Crypto, a market expert and investor, shared that while the token is preparing for a major reset, many in the market seem to be overlooking its potential and the significance of the impending move.

Over the last 90 days, Open Interest has been witnessing a sharp decline across nearly every major cryptocurrency exchange. According to the data, the open interest on Binance, the world’s leading crypto exchange, totaled at -7.7 million XRP, Bybit’s open interest lost over -12 million XRP, and Kraken bled out -8.3 million XRP. This is billions of dollars in speculative leverage being taken out of the market.

Xaif Crypto highlighted that beneath the surface, this is just the setup rather than the end. When open interest contracts are this hard across multiple platforms simultaneously, it simply implies that the weak hands are exiting. Even the overleveraged betters are also vanishing from the market.

Currently, the market is left with a clean slate, and historically, this is the point where the next big move emerges. “Smart money doesn’t chase pumps, it enters during the silence,” Xaif Crypto added.

Activity On Bittrue On The Rise

While other trading platforms struggle with declining open interest, Bitrue saw a spike in XRP activity as institutional appetite grows. The platform recorded a 212% increase in spot buying volumes, surpassing the sell-side by over 2x. This surge coincided with a persistent accumulation from institutional investors since the launch of the XRP Spot ETFs.

Since its launch, the funds have attracted a net total of $1.1 billion in assets, with weekly inflows and only 5 days of outflows. As institutional and retail support grows, Bitrue predicts a possible supply squeeze that will probably cause the altcoin to surpass its main rivals in Q2 2026.

Bitrue is known for being the first to champion flexible earn investments with the altcoin and offer it as a base trading pair for spot. The platform has been working to include the token into its services since its inception in 2028, and now users are encouraged to add it to their portfolios. 

Its most recent plan is to establish itself as a crucial liquidity hub for the XRPL utility by modifying its short-term business strategy. Bitrue intends to capitalize on this impending market shift. Furthermore, they are focused on increasing support for the altcoin and other coins that are part of the XRPL ecosystem, such as RLUSD, which is currently utilized as a basic trading pair.

Talks of a potential altcoin season this cycle have since subsided compared to previous years, despite the recent decline in the Bitcoin (BTC) price and dominance. Notably, a crypto analyst has shared a new long-term chart showing the total altcoin market capitalization relative to Bitcoin at a level that has historically preceded major alt seasons. Based on his analysis, the alt market has fully reset and could be gearing up for a fresh altcoin season if historical trends play out as expected.

Historic Alt Season Setup Forms As Bitcoin Ratio Hits Base Zone

In a recent analysis on X, market expert @CyrilXBT shared a monthly chart tracking the ratio of the total crypto market, excluding the top 10 assets, to Bitcoin. According to the analysis, the chart currently sits at approximately 0.129, a level the analyst describes as the same base or accumulation zone that has launched every major altcoin season in crypto history. 

@CyrilXBT noted that this zone is where all alt seasons are born, with each past altcoin rally beginning when the ratio stopped falling and stabilized around the $0.12 to $0.13 range. Looking at the chart, the analyst noted that during the 2015-2016 cycle, the ratio starts near zero and remains flat, with minimal volatility. Following this, a dramatic spike occurred during the 2017-2018 bull run, pushing the altcoin vs Bitcoin ratio above 0.3, marking one of the first major alt seasons. 

By 2020, the ratio crashed back below the 0.129 level, erasing most of its previous gains as it consolidated near the low-ranged accumulation/base zone. Notably, 2021 marked the largest altcoin season spike in history, with the ratio exploding upward to over 0.55 amid the bull market frenzy. During this time, volume hit new highs, with bars towering above those of previous years. 

New Alt Season Conditions Take Shape

Similar to the 2020 crash, the 2022-2024 cycle saw a post-peak correction, with the ratio trending downward as Bitcoin regained dominance. In the current 2025-2026 cycle, the altcoin vs Bitcoin ratio has finally returned to the historically significant 0.129 accumulation zone, with BTC.D falling to a yearly low of 57.9%. 

@CyrilXBT has suggested that the current positioning mirrors the pre-altseason setup that led to a major altcoin explosion in previous years. He noted that the rising trendline connecting successive altcoin season peaks on the chart points to a ratio of roughly 0.80 to 0.90 as the next potential target for this cycle. 

As the ratio stabilizes and historical trends repeat, @CyrilXBT argues that recent market performance does not indicate that altcoins are dead. Rather, it shows that the market has fully reset and could be quietly creating the conditions for its next alt season.    

Bitcoin core developer Matt Corallo used a fresh Blockstream announcement this week to push back on a familiar line in the quantum debate: that nobody serious is working on post-quantum cryptography for Bitcoin. The immediate trigger was Blockstream’s preview of OP_SHRINCSVERIFY, but the broader point was that the work did not appear out of nowhere; it sits on top of research that has already been published and debated in public.

Bitcoin’s Post-Quantum Critics Are Wrong

Corallo’s post was blunt: “And the Bitcoin fudsters keep trying to claim no one is working on PQC in Bitcoin…” Blockstream, in turn, framed Jonas Nick’s upcoming talk at OPNEXT 2026 (on April 16, 2026) around a specific technical artifact rather than a vague promise, saying, “He’ll be presenting on OP_SHRINCSVERIFY.” It described the proposal as “a new opcode enabling SHRINCS,” a construction aimed at 324-byte stateful post-quantum signatures with static backups.

The event lineup itself also reinforces Corallo’s point. Quantum is not a one-off mention tied only to Jonas Nick’s OP_SHRINCSVERIFY session. The main stage schedule also includes Alex Pruden of Project 11 speaking on “Quantum Bitcoin,” and later a “Quantum/Investor fireside” featuring Robert Mitchnick of BlackRock and David Duong of Coinbase.

In other words, post-quantum risk and the response to it are showing up repeatedly across both the technical and institutional sides of the program.

The subtext was hard to miss: whatever one thinks about Bitcoin’s quantum timetable, the claim that the problem is being ignored is increasingly difficult to sustain.

What SHRINCS Actually Is

Nick laid out SHRINCS in a December post on Delving Bitcoin as a hybrid hash-based signature design that combines a stateless scheme such as SPHINCS+ with a stateful scheme based on unbalanced XMSS. The design goal is to get the efficiency benefits of stateful signing when wallet state is intact, while keeping a stateless fallback available if that state is lost or a backup has to be restored.

In Nick’s words, the scheme is “extremely efficient when only a few signatures are required” and “can be backed up with a static seed.” Bitcoin Optech later summarized the same trade-off more plainly: cheaper normal-path signing, heavier fallback signing when state integrity is in doubt.

That efficiency claim is where the proposal gets interesting for BTC. Nick wrote that the normal-path SHRINCS signature size is min(292 + q·16, s_l) + 16, where q is the number of signatures already produced through the stateful path. For q = 1, that yields the now-circulating 324-byte figure, which he said is more than 11x smaller than the smallest NIST-standardized alternative, ML-DSA, in that setting.

The earlier paper by Nick and Mikhail Kudinov made the broader case for hash-based signatures in Bitcoin, arguing that they are attractive post-quantum candidates because their security reduces to hash assumptions, while keeping public keys small and verification cost per byte within a workable range.

None of that means Bitcoin suddenly has a settled post-quantum roadmap. Nick’s Delving post explicitly invited feedback, and the December mailing-list discussion raised unresolved questions about hardware performance, signature limits, wallet design, and whether Bitcoin should standardize stateful schemes alongside stateless ones. Bitcoin Optech also covered SHRINCS as part of ongoing consensus-change discussion, not as an adopted upgrade.

That is why Corallo’s jab matters. The more precise framing is not that BTC has solved post-quantum cryptography, but that the engineering work is already underway in public view, with concrete proposals, concrete trade-offs, and increasingly concrete opcodes attached to them.

For a debate that often swings between complacency and panic, OP_SHRINCSVERIFY is evidence of something more grounded: Bitcoin’s post-quantum discussion is no longer theoretical hand-waving, even if it is still very much a research problem.

At press time, BTC traded at $66,630.