KPMG principal Jamison Sites said in an interview that U.S. tax rules still do not clearly define stablecoins, even as legislation such as the CLARITY Act and GENIUS Act advances. He warned that this gap forces businesses accepting stablecoin payments to track cost basis on each transaction, complicating reporting and potentially slowing broader adoption.

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.

XRP has faced persistent selling and weak demand in recent weeks, with price action reflecting limited bullish conviction as it trades below key moving averages. According to CryptoQuant, the XRP supply ratio on Binance fell from 0.027 to 0.025 over the past ten days, implying roughly 200 million XRP have been withdrawn into private custody. This outflow reduces immediate exchange liquidity and suggests a segment of market participants may be positioning for potential recovery while price struggles near the $1.30–$1.40 support zone.

Altcoin momentum has improved, yet multiple market signals indicate a broad altcoin season has not started. BTC dominance remains under a key threshold while ETH/BTC’s rebound has not shifted the larger trend, and recent exchange activity indicates capital still leans toward Bitcoin rather than Ethereum and other large-cap networks.

On Thursday, Bitdeer Technologies Group's stock fell 17.38% to $7.94 after the Bitcoin mining and AI infrastructure firm unveiled a $300 million convertible senior note offering with an additional $45 million purchase option. This is Bitdeer's second such issuance after a $150 million offering in April 2024, and its shares are now down 29% year-to-date and nearly 70% below the January 2025 all-time high of about $26.

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?

XRP extended its decline below $1.40 and is now trading under $1.420 and the 100-hourly Simple Moving Average while it consolidates recent losses. The price faces immediate resistance around $1.4320 and $1.450, with a key bearish trend line near $1.4620 capping recovery attempts. If XRP fails to clear this zone, support levels at $1.3980, $1.3850 and $1.3620 could come into play on another move lower.

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.