A crypto commentator links rising U.S.–Iran conflict risk and pending U.S. tariff decisions to potential volatility for XRP and other large‑cap digital assets. While a Trump adviser is cited as seeing a high chance of a limited strike on Iran that could drag markets lower, Ripple executives and Molt Media point to surging odds for the Clarity Act, with probabilities discussed at 84% by 2026 and up to 90% by the end of April. The video frames any war‑driven pullback as a possible entry point ahead of what it portrays as a regulatory‑driven uptrend for XRP.

Ethereum’s long-term roadmap is shifting from minor tweaks toward a deeper redesign of its base layer, centered on initiatives such as Lean Consensus and FOCIL to cut technical debt and raise Layer 1 throughput. Researchers including EigenCloud’s Soubhik Deb and analyst Ladislaus describe how these workstreams target fast finality, post-quantum resilience, and protocol-level inclusion guarantees while easing reliance on validator altruism. At the same time, Ethereum’s liquidation heatmap shows aggressive long and short positioning, with traders watching geopolitical developments as a potential trigger for sharp moves in both directions.

By February 20, 2026, Tether's USDT had fallen by about 1.5 billion dollars this month, after supply peaked near 187 billion dollars in early January and slipped below 184 billion on February 18. The pullback follows MiCA-related restrictions across Europe and exchange delistings, while USDC's supply has grown nearly 5 percent to roughly 75.7 billion dollars.

On February 20, analyst CoinsKid shared a liquidity chart indicating that the capital pool supporting recent Bitcoin and XRP advances may be shrinking, potentially dampening short-term momentum. Bitcoin is trading around $67,551.43, with modest daily gains but weekly and monthly losses, while market participants debate whether fading crypto liquidity could rotate into gold or return through institutional and ETF-driven flows.

According to the analysis, XRP continues to post lower highs and lows inside a descending channel while trading under the 100-day and 200-day moving averages near $1.90 and $2.30. A rebound from $1.20 did not retake $1.80, and on the BTC pair price hovers around 2,000 sats after rejection at 2,200–2,400.

Following a drop toward $1.8K, Ethereum has moved into a choppy range and a 4-hour triangle squeeze is nearing its apex. Key resistance sits at the 0.5 Fib at $2,396, with upside levels at $2,549 and $2,658–$2,767 if reclaimed, while a downside break could revisit the $1,800–$1,746 base.

On Feb. 20, 2026, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled President Trump's global tariffs illegal, per Walter Bloomberg, nixing duties projected to raise $1.5 trillion over the next decade. Bitcoin dipped to $66,500 before rebounding above $68,000 within minutes, and later traded below $68,000 as Trump called the decision a "disgrace."

US spot Bitcoin ETFs recorded $165.8 million of outflows on Thursday, lifting weekly withdrawals to $403.9 million. According to session data, year-to-date losses are nearing $2.7 billion as trading volumes fell about 21% to their lowest since late December. Analysts describe the start of 2026 as historically weak for the category.