On February 16, 2026, XRP Ledger introduced an official digital hub inside the xSPECTAR metaverse to support learning, interaction, and community building for the XRPL ecosystem. The initiative offers a structured virtual venue for developers, users, and partners without adding new protocols or financial products, while broader metaverse usage data shows strong NFT adoption and identity tooling. On-chain metrics for late 2025 further indicate rising XRPL transaction volumes, significant stablecoin circulation, and real‑world asset value that recently edged past Solana on a key tokenization measure.

Logan Paul sold a Pikachu Illustrator Pokémon card graded PSA 10 for $16,492,000 at Goldin Auctions, setting an auction record for trading cards as of February 16, 2026. The card's scarcity, Gem Mint condition, and provenance fueled bidding, with the record verified by Guinness World Records and the grade provided by PSA. Observers cautioned the sale may represent a singular liquidity event rather than a broad market reset.

On 16 February, the number of XRP holders climbed to a record 507,110, even as the token traded around $1.50 after a 9% daily drop. Long-term and institutional investors maintained exposure, but derivatives data showed rising short interest, $245.7 million leaving perpetual markets, and a funding rate near 0.0101%, keeping downside pressure on price. XRP remains in a descending channel, with key levels around $1.67 on the upside and $1.11 if selling intensifies.

Bitcoin's latest price drop has coincided with a sharp rise in bearish bets, as Santiment's on-chain data shows aggregated funding rates sliding to notably negative levels. This extreme short positioning, last seen in August 2024 before a major multi-month rebound, indicates that a large share of derivatives traders are positioned for further downside. With Bitcoin trading around $68,740 and funding below -0.01%, any move above key resistance zones such as $75,000 could trigger a short squeeze, though a rapid recovery is not guaranteed.

A major Ethereum whale withdrew 19,820 ETH worth $40.14 million from Binance and OKX after previously accumulating 60,784 ETH valued at $126 million, while another trader opened a 20x leveraged ETH long using $1 million USDC on Hyperliquid. As Ethereum exchange reserves fell 6.47% to $31.843 billion and Binance top traders' long/short ratio reached 3.33, positive funding rates and shrinking liquidity pointed to deliberate, Ethereum-focused positioning rather than short-term speculation.

Ether fell about 20% in February and briefly slipped under $2,000, while more than 2.5 million ETH moved into accumulation addresses and over 30% of supply remained staked. Derivatives data shows open interest at $11.2 billion, elevated leverage and sizable liquidation clusters around $1,909, $2,200 and above, as a possible Adam and Eve bottom pattern on the four‑hour chart signals room for a rally toward the $2,473–$2,634 zone.

According to recent technical analysis, a head and shoulders setup on Solana's weekly chart, combined with Fibonacci extension levels, projected downside targets near $47-$49 after a rejection around $252.9. On the daily chart, price imbalances at $95 and $110 and a bearish order block between $120-$127 now form major resistance, while SOL trades in a short-term range between $76.6 and $89.8 with $83.2 as a key pivot.

Crypto investment firm Paradigm has released a research note arguing that Bitcoin mining is wrongly grouped with AI data centers as a constant strain on power grids. The report claims miners function as flexible electricity demand that responds to prices and grid stress, and estimates Bitcoin mining at about 0.23% of global energy use and 0.08% of worldwide carbon emissions.