On 20 February 2026, Deutsche Bank said it is expanding Ripple-based infrastructure across cross-border payments, foreign exchange and digital asset custody. The bank targets near-instant settlement and lower costs, with internal projections pointing to up to 30% operational savings; the rollout focuses on enterprise messaging and routing rather than direct XRP usage.

On February 19, 2026, Chainalysis outlined how on‑chain cryptocurrency flows linked to darknet markets and fentanyl precursor suppliers can anticipate overdose trends by three to six months. The firm reported that darknet market inflows neared $2.6 billion in 2025, while mid‑2023 saw a sharp drop in payments to fentanyl precursor suppliers that aligned with declining opioid deaths in the U.S. and Canada. Larger crypto transfers above $500 also showed a strong relationship with stimulant‑related hospitalizations in Canada, underscoring blockchain’s dual role as both a facilitator of illicit activity and a tool for public health forecasting and law enforcement.

According to CryptoQuant, Ethereum derivatives have seen sharp deleveraging, with aggregate open interest sliding from $33.3 billion to about $11 billion, a 66% decline. CoinGlass also tracked roughly $189 million in 24‑hour liquidations as price moved toward $1,900, while exchange balances reached a multi‑year low of 16.1 million ETH.

On-chain analytics platform Parsec confirmed in an X post on a Thursday that it will shut down after operating for five years, with CEO Will Sheehan citing a misalignment with the industry's evolving focus. The firm, backed by Uniswap, Polychain Capital and Galaxy Digital, had concentrated on DeFi and NFTs, segments that have seen lower leverage and weaker sales volumes compared with prior peaks.

About 30,600 Bitcoin options with roughly $2 billion notional are expiring on Friday, Feb. 20. Coinglass places max pain near $70,000 and Deribit cites a 0.59 put/call ratio; another 212,000 Ethereum contracts worth about $404 million also roll off. Spot markets remain range-bound, with Bitcoin near $67,290 after a $65,700 weekly low.

An analyst said Aster had only six daily active addresses, 51 weekly, and 346 monthly, prompting scrutiny of the perpetual DEX. Aster disputed the figure, citing a mislinked contract, while metrics show fees rising from a $5 million weekly average in January to over $8 million in early February and 91k new users in the past seven days.

Crypto and banking representatives met at the White House on Thursday for a third session in 16 days, following meetings on Feb. 2 and Feb. 10. Adviser Patrick Witt pushed a trade‑off to permit stablecoin rewards only on transaction activity, not balances. No agreement was reached, but Ripple and Coinbase executives described the talks as constructive.

Dogecoin fell under the $0.1050 area against the US Dollar and is consolidating below $0.10, according to Kraken data. Immediate hurdles are near $0.10, $0.1005 and $0.1040, with a bearish trend line visible on the hourly chart. Failure to clear $0.1040 could leave $0.0955, $0.0920 and $0.0880 as key supports.