Kraken said on Thursday that xStocks has exceeded $25 billion in cumulative transactions less than eight months after launch, counting centralized and decentralized trades plus minting and redemptions. The platform reports $3.5 billion in onchain volume and over 80,000 unique onchain holders, alongside a 150% increase since November.

Public Bitcoin miners are preparing roughly 30 GW of AI-oriented power capacity, nearly triple the 11 GW they run today, to navigate tighter margins after the 2024 halving. Some operators, including HIVE Digital, report growing AI/HPC revenue, while investors urge faster pivots; market volatility since Q4 saw Bitcoin drop below $60,000 before stabilizing in February.

Modern Treasury, a U.S.-based payments operations software provider, has introduced an integrated PSP service that supports stablecoin settlement alongside ACH transfers, wire payments and real-time payment networks. The platform currently works with Global Dollar (USDG), Pax Dollar (USDP) and USDC, with plans to add USDt later, and incorporates these assets into a single compliance framework so clients can process fiat and crypto payments through the same infrastructure.

Dragonfly Capital has closed its fourth crypto-focused investment fund, securing $650 million for projects centered on tokenized real-world assets and financial infrastructure. The firm plans to back blockchain-based payments, lending, stablecoin systems and traditional-style financial products such as card-like services and money market-style funds. The new raise comes after a period of reduced crypto venture activity and a shift in capital flows toward more mature companies accessing public markets.

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.

Over the past 30 days, tokenized real‑world assets increased 13.5%, according to RWA.xyz. As of Feb. 16, Ethereum led network gains with roughly $1.7 billion in net growth, followed by Arbitrum at $880 million and Solana at $530 million, while the broader crypto market fell by about $1 trillion, per CoinGecko.

Anchorage Digital has introduced a structure with Kamino and Solana Company that lets institutions borrow onchain against natively staked SOL while the tokens stay in regulated custody and continue earning rewards. The initiative extends Anchorage’s Atlas collateral platform and arrives as U.S. lawmakers debate the CLARITY Act and broader rules for DeFi and digital assets.

BlackRock will list its USD Institutional Digital Liquidity Fund (BUIDL), a $2.1 billion tokenized U.S. Treasury product, on the Uniswap DEX to enable institutional trading. The move, facilitated by Securitize, includes an undisclosed UNI purchase and will begin with a limited group of eligible institutions and market makers before wider availability.

Strategists at State Street warn the US dollar could slide up to 10% this year if the Federal Reserve eases more than markets assume, with two cuts seen as a base case and risk skewed to three. A softer greenback could push flows toward Bitcoin and other risk assets, while futures pricing points to a first cut in June.