As 2026 begins, Ethereum is trading near $2,000 after falling about 60% from its 2025 peak, while Bitcoin has slid 45–50%, yet several analysts foresee a sharp rebound. Tom Lee of BitMine Immersion Technologies and Fundstrat projects Ethereum could reach $12,000–$22,000 and Bitcoin $200,000–$250,000 in 2026, with other institutions also issuing bullish Ethereum targets. Large players such as BitMine and Ark Invest are still accumulating Ethereum and related stocks even as retail investors remain cautious and prior forecasts have missed.

At Consensus Hong Kong 2026, Cardano co‑founder Charles Hoskinson outlined using blockchain in mainstream apps like dating platforms to verify profile details and curb fake accounts. ADA hovered near $0.28, with closes of $0.272692 (February 13), $0.295266 (February 14), $0.281780 (February 15), and $0.285681 (February 16). He also pointed to a late‑March debut for Cardano's privacy‑focused Midnight partner chain.

Roundhill Investments has submitted a proposal to the SEC to list six exchange-traded funds that would let retail investors take positions on 2028 U.S. election results via standard brokerage accounts. The funds would use event contracts with binary payouts depending on whether Democrats or Republicans win the presidency, Senate, or House, and could later roll into the 2032 cycle if approved.

On February 14, 2026, the European Central Bank approved a major expansion of its EUREP emergency lending scheme, opening euro liquidity lines to almost all central banks worldwide. Each approved institution will be able to borrow up to €50 billion against high‑quality euro‑denominated government bonds, with the new framework taking effect from July 2026 and full access expected in the third quarter. The measure is intended to strengthen the euro’s international role and provide a standing safety net during periods of market stress.

In late 2025, the Federal Reserve proposed tailored "payment accounts" that would let qualified non-bank crypto exchanges and fintech firms connect directly to systems such as FedNow and Fedwire without full banking licenses. The plan, which drew public comments from December 2025 until February 6, 2026, has prompted strong opposition from major U.S. banks over systemic risk concerns and strict limits on interest, emergency lending, and overnight balances. Coinbase has emerged as a key supporter, arguing that direct access could cut digital asset payment costs by 20–30 percent, though it warns that current restrictions may make the framework impractical for large-scale operations.

X outlined plans on February 14, 2026 to let users execute stock and crypto trades directly from their feeds by tapping ticker symbols like $BTC or $TSLA. The in-feed tool is part of a broader push that includes money-transmission licenses in more than 40 U.S. states, a Visa payments tie-up, and internal tests of the X Money wallet.

US consumer prices rose 2.4% in the 12 months through January 2026, easing from 2.7% in December and undershooting economists' expectations. While the softer reading and modest monthly gains suggest some relief on inflation, Chicago Fed President Austan Goolsbee signaled the central bank is not ready to cut interest rates until it sees more sustained progress. Traders largely expect the Federal Reserve to hold rates at its March 18, 2026, meeting, with future moves dependent on upcoming inflation and labor data.

Bitcoin is trading near $67,000 in early 2026 while the Crypto Fear and Greed Index has fallen to a rare 5–8 range, signaling extreme pessimism. Former Ripple CTO David Schwartz has described Bitcoin as a technological dead end that mainly depends on user trust, even as JPMorgan strategists project a future rebound in digital assets driven by institutional investors.

African stablecoin cash-out costs vary widely, with Botswana’s median fee at 19.4% in January 2026 and the continental median near 3%. Markets with more providers, such as South Africa at about 1.5%, tend to be cheaper, while limited competition keeps fees elevated in places like Congo above 13%.