Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong told CNBC at the World Liberty Forum in Florida that the latest Bitcoin decline reflects market psychology and profit taking rather than weakening fundamentals. He called the move temporary and said Coinbase is repurchasing shares and adding BTC at lower prices, while on‑chain data indicates whales have accumulated more than 200,000 BTC.

On October 28, 2025, T. Rowe Price filed for an actively managed crypto ETF that includes Hedera's HBAR alongside major-cap coins, with the SEC decision scheduled for February 26, 2026. While HBAR now fluctuates between $0.0818 and $0.1058 after dropping from $0.225, futures markets show heavy liquidations and negative funding, even as a separate Canary Capital HBAR ETF logged $949.12K in inflows on Wednesday.

Options data from laevitas.ch show two‑month BTC puts priced 13% above comparable calls on Thursday, signaling a defensive stance. Laevitas also tracked neutral‑to‑bearish strategies dominating Deribit in the past 48 hours, while Farside Investors reports $910 million in U.S.-listed spot ETF outflows since Feb. 11. BTC was rejected near $71,000 on Sunday yet held above $66,000 through the week.

Alibaba's KIMI model outlines end-2026 price scenarios for XRP, SHIB and PEPE, projecting XRP up to $8, SHIB toward $0.000059, and PEPE near $0.000098. The outlook references current prices of $1.41 for XRP, $0.000006187 for SHIB, and $0.0000042 for PEPE, implying potential gains of roughly sixfold, 850%, and 2,233%.

The European Central Bank plans to choose payment service providers for its digital euro project in early 2026, with a 12‑month pilot starting in the second half of 2027. The first issuance is aimed for 2029, and the currency is designed to work with existing cards and wallets while capping merchant fees. Officials expect it to strengthen European payment systems and reduce reliance on stablecoins and global card networks.

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.

On February 18 at ETHDenver, SEC Chair Paul Atkins said regulators should not overreact to falling crypto prices as Bitcoin hovered around $66,000 and other major tokens declined. Instead, he outlined Project Crypto, a joint SEC–CFTC effort to define asset classifications, rules for tokenized securities on automated market makers, and custody guidance, while Commissioner Hester Peirce stressed that long‑term value depends on building useful products rather than short‑term market moves.

Monthly Lightning Network volume reached an estimated $1.1 billion in November 2025 across 5.2 million transfers. The report notes 2025 transaction counts trail 2023’s peak of 6.6 million and projects new growth as individuals and businesses test AI-driven payment agents, alongside rising institutional use and a capacity of 5,606 BTC in December 2025.