Wallet

Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin has proposed using transaction simulations and related tools to better align onchain execution with user intent. In a recent post on X, he suggested that users first define the action they want to take and then approve or cancel after viewing a simulated outcome, supported by mechanisms like spending caps and multisig checks. He argued that while user intent is inherently complex and perfect security is unattainable, overlapping ways of expressing intent can make low-risk actions easier and high-risk actions more difficult.

In the week just concluded, the Shiba Inu team launched the SOU (Shib Owes You) NFT initiative to help users affected by last September's Shibarium hack. Following this, Shibarium-focused account Susbarium and team member Lucie warned that scammers are creating fake SOU portals and phishing links to drain wallets. Users are being reminded that SOU NFTs will not be airdropped and can only be claimed via the official SHIB website, and that they should avoid suspicious links and never share private keys or seed phrases.

According to Arkham, Vitalik Buterin holds more than 240,000 ETH worth about $467 million and ranks as the largest accessible individual holder. In late January 2026 he withdrew 16,384 ETH, followed by sales totaling around 2,961 ETH over three days in early February routed via CoW Protocol.

An Ethereum developer detailed how ERC-5564 enables native stealth addresses using public meta-addresses and one-time destinations to keep wallets and histories private. The design introduces viewing and spending keys, plus optional delegation for payment scanning. He also noted gas requirements for fresh addresses and potential spam-triggered scans, with sender-included ETH and filters proposed as mitigations.

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.

Developers are deploying AI agents to monitor and secure smart contracts after crypto platforms lost over $3.4 billion to hacks in 2025. OpenAI's EVMbench now tests whether these systems can detect, fix, or even exploit live blockchain vulnerabilities. Early findings show AI is more effective at exploitation than safe remediation, raising concerns it could empower both defenders and attackers across decentralized finance.

Ether.fi said in a Wednesday announcement it will migrate its non-custodial ether.fi Cash card product from Scroll to OP Mainnet. Over the coming months, the team plans to move ~70,000 active cards, ~300,000 accounts and millions in user TVL, citing OP Mainnet's liquidity, broader asset access and the ability to cover gas fees.

HYLQ Strategy Corp completed an OTC acquisition of 18,333,334 qONE from the Quantum Labs Foundation, totaling $100,000 inclusive of bonus tokens, per a company press release. The USDC-settled deal backs qLABS’ quantum-resistant stack on Hyperliquid; qONE launched on February 6, 2026, and qLABS highlighted the announcement on February 18, 2026.

Kamilah Stevenson, host of a wealth-focused YouTube show, argues that crypto custody is less about passive storage and more about ensuring investors can act when markets or regulations shift. She contrasts retail's focus on safety alone with institutional practices that prioritize segregation, bankruptcy-remote structures, OTC execution, and tax-advantaged wrappers. The core message is that the main risk in a more regulated environment may be being locked into setups that limit movement, borrowing, or portfolio rotation when needed.

On Feb. 13, cybersecurity expert Dmitry Smilyanets reported receiving a fake Trezor-branded letter demanding an "Authentication Check" by Feb. 15 or risk device restrictions, with a QR code leading to a phishing site. The scam, which mislabels Trezor CEO Matěj Žák as "Ledger CEO," targets hardware wallet users whose postal data was exposed in past breaches and attempts to trick them into entering seed recovery phrases. Similar physical letters and QR-based attacks have been reported against Ledger users since at least October last year, following multiple data leaks impacting both Ledger and Trezor customers.