On 18 February 2026, Peter Thiel and Founders Fund exited ETHZilla, moving their stake from 7.5% to 0% according to U.S. SEC filings. The shares fell more than 5% in overnight trading and are down roughly 97% from 2025 highs as the firm shifts from an Ethereum treasury strategy to tokenizing jet engines with projected yields near 11%.

By February 2026, the United Arab Emirates had assembled an estimated sovereign Bitcoin exposure above $900 million, with more than $500 million held via BlackRock's IBIT through state funds. State-linked mining in Abu Dhabi reportedly added 6,300–6,376 BTC, and institutions maintained positions despite January 2026's roughly $3 billion fund outflows.

On 17 February 2026 at 11:35, the Deutsche Bundesbank urged the rollout of a retail digital euro and regulated euro-denominated stablecoins to bolster Europe's monetary autonomy and lessen reliance on dollar-based rails. ECB officials have warned that dollar-pegged stablecoins could weaken euro-policy transmission, while analysts see the stablecoin market reaching $500 billion by 2028.

On 17 February 2026 at 07:55, Bloomberg Intelligence strategist Mike McGlone warned that the crypto drawdown could foreshadow a recession. He outlined a base case of the S&P 500 moving toward 5,600 and Bitcoin near $56,000, with an outside risk of BTC revisiting the $10,000 area amid stretched equity valuations and low 180‑day volatility.

On 16 February 2026, Standard Chartered lowered its year-end 2026 XRP price target to $2.80, a 65% cut from its previous $8 view, citing a tougher macro environment. XRP recently touched $1.66 before dropping roughly 16% to the $1.48–$1.50 area, with short‑term levels near $1.40 support and $1.60 resistance. The bank also trimmed its 2026 Bitcoin forecast to $100,000.

On 16 February 2026, Metaplanet Inc. reported FY2025 revenue rising 738.3% to ¥8.905 billion and operating profit increasing 1,694.5% to ¥6.287 billion. The company disclosed a roughly ¥95 billion net loss driven by a non-cash Bitcoin valuation decline and held 35,102 BTC as of 31 December 2025.

On 16 February 2026, a federal judge in Florida entered a default judgment awarding Kevin O’Leary $2,828,000 in a defamation case against crypto influencer Ben Armstrong. The award comprises $2,000,000 in punitive damages, $750,000 for emotional distress, and $78,000 for reputational harm. Armstrong’s effort to vacate the judgment was later denied.

On 16 February 2026, Harvard Management Company's latest SEC filing showed a 21% reduction in its iShares Bitcoin Trust holdings and the launch of a position in iShares Ethereum Trust. By 31 December 2025, IBIT stood at 5.35 million shares ($265.8 million) and ETHA at 3.87 million shares ($86.82 million); by mid-February 2026 their values were about $198 million and $59.7 million.

On 16 February 2026, on-chain data from CryptoQuant indicated that a group of long-term Bitcoin accumulator addresses has been purchasing around 372,000 BTC per month during the latest market pullback. These wallets, which follow strict criteria excluding known exchanges and miners, sharply increased buying from about 10,000 BTC per month in September 2024, suggesting some investors are using the price decline as a strategic accumulation phase.