On February 18, 2026, CoinFello said it will unveil its onchain AI agent during ETHDenver's opening ceremonies. Attendees get early access through BuffiBot in the ETHDenver app, which supports text and real-time voice; the agent also launches as an EIP-8004 component, and post-conference access to CoinFello will continue while BuffiBot remains event-exclusive.

Address poisoning is a scam that tampers with a user's transaction history instead of attacking private keys, convincing victims to send funds to a maliciously crafted lookalike address. Incidents including a roughly 3.5 wBTC theft from a Phantom Chat phishing campaign in February 2026 and a $50 million USDT loss in 2025 show how interface design and user habits can lead to large losses. By abusing dust transfers, copy buttons and truncated address displays, attackers exploit behavior and wallet UX to make poisoned addresses appear trustworthy.

At a Mar-a-Lago forum hosted by the Trump family's crypto platform, CEOs from Coinbase, Binance and Goldman Sachs joined U.S. market leaders and officials. World Liberty announced a partnership with Securitize to tokenize loan revenue interests tied to a Trump-branded Maldives resort, which the Trump Organization said in November is set to complete in 2030 with 100 villas.

US Senator Bernie Moreno told CNBC at Mar-a-Lago that the US CLARITY Act could pass Congress by April. According to Polymarket, odds of 2026 passage spiked to 90% on Wednesday before easing to 72%. Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong, who withdrew support in January over stablecoin and SEC provisions, now says there is a path forward.

Coinbase plans to migrate Base onto a unified, internally managed software stack that replaces its prior dependence on Optimism's core technology and external tooling. The move will let Base package its own client binary, target up to six hard forks per year, and introduce Base-specific governance, security council signers, and fee systems. As Base gains more control over upgrades and infrastructure, Optimism faces reduced influence over one of its largest Layer 2 ecosystem partners.

On February 18, 2026, The Hyper Foundation said it will fund the Hyperliquid Policy Center in Washington, D.C. with 1 million HYPE tokens, valued at about $29 million, with the tokens to be unstaked later today. Jake Chervinsky will serve as founding CEO, and the nonprofit will advocate for clear rules for perpetual derivatives and on-chain market infrastructure in the U.S.

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.

On Wednesday, Hyperliquid Foundation said it would help establish the Hyperliquid Policy Center with a donation of 1 million HYPE tokens valued at about $29 million. The independent research and advocacy group, led by Variant Fund advisor Jake Chervinsky, aims to promote clear U.S. regulations so that DeFi can develop and have representation in Washington, D.C.