On 28 February 2026, Barclays said it is engaging technology vendors to develop a blockchain platform for payments, deposits, and settlements. The bank targets a partner decision by April 2026 and has taken a stake in Ubyx, while the stablecoin market is close to $300 billion and a tokenized sterling pilot with HSBC and Lloyds is scheduled through mid-2026.

On Saturday, Bitcoin fell toward $63,000, with daily losses near 4%, after the United States and Israel announced a military operation in Iran. A video address by President Donald Trump said the raids targeted nuclear infrastructure, while crypto markets absorbed the shock alone as liquidations exceeded $250 million within four hours.

Bitcoin fell as much as 4.2% to $62,938 and Ether dropped 5% to $1,783 after Israel said it had carried out a preemptive strike on Iran, with around $128 billion in crypto market capitalization wiped out. Former US president Donald Trump released an eight-minute Truth Social video stating the US took part in the action and describing the aim as removing what he called imminent threats from Iran.

Ripple plans to unlock 1 billion XRP from its escrow accounts on March 1, 2026 as part of its structured monthly token release framework first set up in 2017. The company originally locked 55 billion XRP, or 55% of the total supply, into time-based escrow contracts that can release up to 1 billion XRP each month, with a large share frequently re-escrowed. In February 2026, Ripple released 1 billion XRP and reportedly returned about 700 million to escrow, while XRP traded around $1.31 with prices under key moving averages and showing ongoing downside pressure.

On February 27, 2026, the OCC finalized a rule that broadens permissible activities for national trust banks, with implementation set for April 1, 2026. The update allows crypto trust banks to offer custody and safekeeping as a primary business, with firms such as Ripple, Circle, Paxos, and Crypto.com holding conditional approvals.

On February 28, 2026, Morgan Stanley was reported to have submitted an application to the US Office of the Comptroller of the Currency to establish Morgan Stanley Digital Trust as a national trust bank focused on digital asset custody. The proposed wholly owned subsidiary would manage crypto assets for clients, including trading, transfers, swaps, and fiduciary staking services, positioning the bank alongside other federally supervised digital asset custodians.

Bitcoin’s Net Realized Profit/Loss slumped to around -$330 million on 06 February as its price briefly tested the $63,000–$65,000 band, before stabilizing toward $68,000–$70,000. On-chain data indicates heavy BTC accumulation between $60,000 and $70,000, while the Coinbase Premium Gap flipped to +14.7% on 27 February after months of negative readings, hinting at a potential return of US-led demand.

Bitcoin’s price fell sharply to a multi-day low below $63,600 after reports that Israel launched a preemptive strike on Iran and announced a state of emergency. Within minutes, BTC dropped from $66,000 to $63,600 before bouncing to around $64,000, extending losses from a rejection at $68,000 the previous day. The broader crypto market also saw increased volatility, with many altcoins declining by more than 2% over the past hour and total liquidations reaching $450 million in 24 hours.