On Feb. 21, on-chain metrics flagged a sharp surge in XRP deposits to Binance led by large holders. According to CryptoQuant contributor Darkfost, more than 31 million XRP flowed in, dominated by the 100k–1M and >1M cohorts, increasing near-term sell-side risk while Bitcoin remains rangebound. XRP briefly fell to $1.33 before trading around $1.3947.

In the latest weekly Commitment of Traders report, technical analyst Tom McClellan highlights that non-commercial traders in Bitcoin futures have swung decisively toward net long exposure, a shift he describes as happening "with some urgency." He argues that, given the limited presence of traditional commercial hedgers in Bitcoin, these large speculators effectively act as the smart-money group, and that prior extreme readings in this cohort have aligned with significant market outcomes. McClellan stresses, however, that these COT extremes represent a market condition rather than a precise trading signal, even as Bitcoin changes hands around $65,663.

On Feb. 18, Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse avoided giving a direct answer on whether the company plans to buy a bank, instead reiterating Ripple's focus on serving institutional clients and collaborating with existing financial players. He highlighted the growth of Ripple's RLUSD stablecoin, its New York trust license and conditional OCC charter, and argued that clearer US legislation has already boosted demand for stablecoins and XRP Ledger-based payments.

Macro analyst Lyn Alden told Coin Stories host Nathalie Brunell that bitcoin should not expect a dramatic policy rescue, arguing the next policy shift will look like a gradual balance-sheet expansion rather than a "nuclear" print. Brunell cited Jerome Powell's "slow" approach around $40 billion in T-bill purchases, while bitcoin last traded near $67,556.

During the current Bitcoin correction, on-chain metrics show a sharp increase in whale-dominated BTC inflows to Binance, while derivatives open interest has been retreating across major exchanges. CryptoQuant contributor Darkfost highlights a jump in Binance’s whale inflow ratio from 0.4 to 0.62 between Feb. 2 and Feb. 15 and notes that open interest has fallen almost every month since the cycle top, with BTC trading around $67,823 at press time. These shifts suggest a broader de-risking phase spanning both spot and futures markets, as large holders and leveraged traders reduce exposure or are forced out by volatility.

On Feb. 16, Jake Claver defended his $100 XRP thesis in a Memes and Markets interview, casting it as a sequence of prerequisites tied to institutional tokenization, on-chain liquidity, and regulated market infrastructure. He said custody, identity, and liquidity must be in place so XRPL stablecoins and intermediary XRP can enable markets for tokenized stocks and real estate.

Dogecoin is signaling a weekly bearish cross as the 20-week EMA dips under the 200-week EMA. Price action sits in a $0.08–$0.13 range with spot near $0.10–$0.11, leaving bulls eyeing a reclaim toward the daily 200 MA/EMA and bears watching a retest of $0.08 amid dense liquidation levels.

In a weekly note dated Feb. 14, analyst Will Taylor said crypto market sentiment has fallen to "historical lows" and highlighted XRP priced against gold as sitting in a major long-term support zone. He argued that Bitcoin dominance is in a tightly compressed phase pointing to incoming volatility, while indicators on altcoins and XRP’s ratios versus gold and Ethereum suggest a potential shift toward renewed relative strength.

On Feb. 11, 2026, James "Checkmate" Check told host Danny Knowles that Bitcoin's slide into the $60,000 area pushed it into "deep value" across several mean-reversion models, while capitulation-style losses matched 2022 cycle lows. He estimated the probability that a meaningful bottom is already in at "more than 50/50", "probably 60%", and cited roughly $7.5 billion in ETF outflows during the drawdown.