In a Thursday interview in Palm Beach, Eric Trump said that despite Bitcoin's recent drop below $67,000 and its extended downturn, cryptocurrencies and blockchain are still poised to underpin mainstream financial systems. He highlighted World Liberty Financial's tokenized Maldives resort project and the USD1 stablecoin, while also discussing pending U.S. policy debates on stablecoin yields and ongoing lawsuits over alleged politically motivated bank account closures.

The energy markets are on a knife-edge. On February 20, 2026, crude oil benchmarks are surging toward levels not seen in half a year. As geopolitical chess pieces move across the Middle East and U.S. inventory data defies every analyst’s prediction, the question for every trader is simple: Is $70 oil inevitable, or are we at a massive bull trap?

BTCC has introduced BTCC TradFi, enabling users to trade forex, commodities, indices, and stocks alongside tokenized metals, all margined and settled in USDT. The rollout follows strong 2025 performance in tokenized metals, including $5.72 billion in gold volume and a peak daily silver volume of $301 million, with 25+ instruments and leverage up to 500x available.

Blockchain analytics firm TRM Labs reported that illicit entities received roughly $141 billion in stablecoins in 2025, the highest level in five years, driven mainly by sanctions-linked networks and large-scale money laundering. Sanctions-related activity made up 86% of all illicit crypto flows, with around $72 billion tied to the Russian ruble-pegged A7A5 token, while overall illicit use represented about 1% of an estimated $12 trillion in annual stablecoin transactions.

XRP, Shiba Inu and Dogecoin are showing signs of weakness after recent attempts at recovery. XRP is in a cooling phase amid an 85% collapse in trading activity from its sell-off peak, while DOGE hovers just below $0.10 and SHIB remains trapped in a bearish structure. Overall price action points to consolidation and limited upside potential for these assets in the near term.

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.

ProShares launched the GENIUS Money Market ETF under ticker IQMM, investing solely in short‑term U.S. Treasurys and designed to qualify as reserve assets for stablecoin issuers. The fund uses a floating NAV, intraday trading, and same‑day settlement, with prospectus notes that yields could be lower versus broader money market mandates.