Ripple has launched a new share repurchase plan of up to $750 million from investors and employees, placing the blockchain payments company at a $50 billion valuation. The program, reported on Wednesday and set to run through April, follows a prior September effort to buy back $1 billion in shares that saw limited shareholder participation. Following the latest announcement, XRP briefly recovered to around $1.39, even as the asset continues to show losses over recent multi‑week periods.

Oil-linked trading on decentralized exchange Hyperliquid saw 24-hour volumes climb past $1 billion, with the CL-USDC perpetual contract alone exceeding $1.2 billion and becoming the platform's second-largest market after Bitcoin. The surge in activity, alongside a more than 30% jump in oil futures toward $120 per barrel and rising open interest to $183 million, coincided with a roughly 10% rally in the HYPE token and a bullish $150 price target for August 2026 from Arthur Hayes.

In a Thursday report, Reuters indicated that the CLARITY Act, a long-awaited U.S. crypto market structure bill, may fail to become law in 2026 amid growing resistance from major banks. Lenders are opposing key clauses on stablecoin rewards and yield-bearing products, rejecting a White House compromise that crypto firms have agreed to. With Senate floor time shrinking ahead of midterm campaigning, analysts warn that the legislative window to pass and send the bill to the President could close as early as July.

This week XRP briefly reclaimed the $1.40 level while its key support near $1.30 remains under pressure. Analyst Sam Daodu highlights a trading range between $1.30 and $1.50 for 2026, warning that XRP’s close correlation with Bitcoin means a drop in BTC, especially below $60,000, could trigger a sharper decline in XRP despite recent gains.

After a 62% correction that drove XRP toward $1.10 on February 6, the token has moved back to a decade-old ascending support trendline associated with major historical rallies. An analyst notes that this test now coincides with a fully developed US spot XRP ETF market holding about 797 million XRP and $1.24 billion in inflows since November 2025. Key technical levels include support around $1.27 and $1.10–$1.11, with upside resistance near $1.47–$1.50 and a possible long-term target between $2.50 and $4.00 by late 2026.

Bitcoin has moved back above $73,000 for the first time since early February, with on-chain analyst Ali Martinez suggesting the move could evolve into a relief rally. Spot Bitcoin ETFs reportedly absorbed about $776 million in BTC last week and roughly $789 million since the week starting March 2, helping to support the price near $73,200. Martinez notes that on-chain resistance looks relatively light between $72,000 and $81,000, with stronger supply clusters only emerging around $83,307 and $84,569.

MARA Holdings, a major Bitcoin mining firm, has updated its treasury policy to allow the sale of BTC from its balance sheet, marking a shift away from its previous long-term holding approach. The company currently controls 53,822 BTC valued at about $3.59 billion and cited potential liquidity needs, debt obligations in 2027, and prolonged price weakness as reasons it may sell part or all of its holdings. Analyst commentary notes MARA's estimated production cost of roughly $87,000 per BTC versus a market price near $66,690, raising questions about profitability and the potential market impact if significant reserves are liquidated.

Bitcoin ended February with its fifth consecutive monthly loss, only the second such sequence in its history, after dropping about 15% to roughly $63,000 before a rebound to $68,600 at the start of March. Some traders are increasing upside call option exposure ahead of the next Federal Reserve meeting, while analysts compare the current pattern to the 2018–2019 cycle that preceded a 308% rally and outline key support zones near $65,000 and $58,000.

CME Group has introduced cash-settled futures contracts linked to Cardano (ADA), Chainlink (LINK), and Stellar (XLM), with trading on these products beginning on February 9. With these additions, the exchange now lists futures on seven leading crypto assets, a set it estimates reflects more than 75% of total cryptocurrency market value. The firm also reported an average daily volume of 278,300 crypto derivatives contracts in 2025, equivalent to about $12 billion in notional value, and plans to launch a Nasdaq CME Crypto Index futures product on March 16, subject to regulatory approval.