Raw News Items
77 itemsFebruary 16, 2026
- CryptoSlate
Coinbase diamond hands vs Binance panic sellers — the $60,000 stress test
Bitcoin's recent price crash towards $60,000 did more than just shave billions off market capitalizations or liquidate leveraged positions. It served as a massive, chaotic stress test that exposed a widening behavioral fracture between the two most dominant venues in the digital asset economy. On on...
- DecryptScore: 90
EU Moves to Ban All Crypto Transactions with Russian Entities: Report
Lawmakers want to make it illegal for any party in the EU to transact with Russian counterparties using crypto, to help enforce sanctions.
- CryptoSlateScore: 85
EU crypto reporting goes live and Netherlands immediately votes on 36% Bitcoin tax – even if you don’t sell
The scoop: The Netherlands has just moved to tax Bitcoin like a stock, marked to market. Lawmakers in the Dutch House backed a Box 3 overhaul that would tax “actual returns,” including annual price changes in liquid assets like BTC, at a flat 36%, even if you never sell. The plan targets Jan. 1, 202...
- CointelegraphScore: 85
TradFi giant Apollo enters crypto lending arena via Morpho deal
The $940 billion asset manager will collaborate on DeFi lending infrastructure and could acquire up to 90 million MORPHO tokens.
- CointelegraphScore: 85
How South Korea is using AI to detect crypto market manipulation
South Korea’s regulators are deploying AI systems to monitor crypto trading, flag manipulation and strengthen digital asset enforcement.
- CryptoSlateScore: 80
If the SEC stays softer, Aave’s DAO could start capturing $100M+ annualized revenue
Aave Labs posted a governance proposal on Feb. 12 asking tokenholders to endorse a strategic package that would direct 100% of Aave-branded product revenue to the DAO treasury, formalize brand protection, and center the roadmap on Aave V4. The initiative was named the “Aave Will Win Framework....
- CoinDeskScore: 80
OKX snags European payments license for stablecoin and crypto card expansion
The Payments Institution license, gained in Malta, aligns the exchange with European Union regulatory requirements that take effect in March 2026.
- The BlockScore: 80
Harvard trims bitcoin ETF holdings by 21%, builds $87 million ether position
Harvard trimmed its Bitcoin exchange-traded fund holdings by 21% in Q4 and opened an $86.8 million Ethereum ETF position.
- The BlockScore: 80
Bitcoin ETF outflows and crowded shorts leave market primed for volatility, analysts say
Bitcoin trades near $69,000 despite growing whale accumulation as crypto searches for a catalyst amid outflows and fragile market structure.
- CointelegraphScore: 80
When will crypto’s CLARITY Act framework pass in the US Senate?
The CLARITY Act moved quickly through the House of Representatives since it was introduced in June 2025 but has been plagued with delays in the Senate.
- CointelegraphScore: 75
Grayscale seeks to convert Aave trust into ETF on NYSE Arca
Grayscale joins Bitwise in filing to launch a standalone Aave product in the US, betting that Wall Street has retained its appetite for altcoins.
- CointelegraphScore: 75
Animoca Brands secures Dubai crypto license to expand services in Middle East
Dubai’s regulator approved the license on Feb. 5, allowing Animoca Brands to target institutional and qualified investors under the oversight of Dubai’s VARA.
- The BlockScore: 75
Animoca Brands secures Dubai VASP license to provide broker-dealer and investment services
The licence allows the firm to offer regulated virtual asset services in and from Dubai for global institutional and qualified investors.
- CointelegraphScore: 75
OKX secures EU payment license to expand stablecoin services
OKX secured a Malta payment institution license to support EU-compliant stablecoin services, including OKX Pay and the OKX Card.
- CointelegraphScore: 75
Crypto funds log fourth week of outflows at $173M as BTC dips below $70K
Crypto funds saw $173 million outflows last week as Bitcoin and Ether slipped, while XRP and Solana bucked the trend across global markets.
- CointelegraphScore: 75
Binance denies report on Iran-linked sanctions breaches and investigator firings
Binance said an internal review with external counsel found no sanctions violations and that it continues to meet its regulatory obligations under monitoring and oversight.
- CoinDeskScore: 75
Harvard cuts bitcoin exposure by 20%, adds new ether position
The shift may be due to complex market dynamics, potentially reflecting the unwinding of a trade that capitalized on bitcoin treasury companies trading at premiums to their mNAV.
- DecryptScore: 75
Harvard Cuts Bitcoin ETF Stake, Adds Ethereum Exposure in Q4 Filing
Harvard Management Company trimmed its Bitcoin ETF position while starting a new stake in a spot Ethereum fund.
- CryptoSlateScore: 75
Bitcoin has 6 weeks to avoid 2026 being the most bearish period in history – one price matters now
The scoop: Bitcoin is on pace for a fifth straight monthly drop if February closes red, its longest losing streak since 2018, while spot ETF flows flip persistently negative, reinforcing a new reality: post-ETF BTC is trading like a rates-and-risk instrument. If it doesn't reverse in March and recla...
- CointelegraphScore: 75
Hong Kong regulator adds Victory Fintech to list of approved trading platforms
The addition is the first crypto company to be licensed by the Securities and Futures Commission since June 2025, when the regulator approved Hong Kong BGE.
- DecryptScore: 70
UK Prime Minister Seeks New Powers to Regulate AI Chatbots as Child Safety Concerns Mount
The move would bring AI chatbots under UK online safety laws, enabling rapid age limits and feature curbs to protect children.
- DecryptScore: 70
Bitcoin Leverage Heats Up as Traders Bet on Price Rebound
Bitcoin's futures basis has widened amid retail dip buying surges, but one expert warns the setup may end in an "over-leveraged shakeout."
- The BlockScore: 70
Global crypto ETP outflows extend to fourth week as $3.7 billion exits in past month: CoinShares
Crypto investment products have posted a fourth straight week of outflows, with $3.74 billion exiting over the past month, per CoinShares.
- DecryptScore: 70
Animoca Granted Dubai License Amid Stricter Crypto Oversight
Animoca Brands calls Dubai a strategic hub for institutional clients as the emirate builds compliance-driven crypto markets.
- CoinDeskScore: 70
Animoca Brands clears major regulatory hurdle with new Dubai license
Animoca said the license allows it to commence operations in Dubai, offering broker-dealer services and digital asset management and investments.
- The BlockScore: 70
deBridge launches MCP, enabling AI agents to execute non-custodial cross-chain transactions
deBridge has launched MCP, enabling AI agents to carry out non-custodial cross-chain swaps, bridging, and multi-step transactions.
- CointelegraphScore: 70
Crypto services platform Nexo relaunches in the United States
Nexo exited the US in 2022, citing regulatory hostility toward the crypto industry from federal and state financial regulators.
- CoinDeskScore: 70
Nexo re-enters the U.S. market three years after its ‘dead end’ exit
The digital assets wealth platform’s rollout includes regulated yield accounts, credit lines and exchange access backed by Bakkt.
- DecryptScore: 70
Nexo Taps Bakkt For US Return Three Years After SEC Settlement Over Lending Product
Its lending product faced scrutiny under former SEC Chair Gary Gensler
- CointelegraphScore: 70
Harvard endowment reduces stake in Bitcoin ETF, adds Ether exposure
The management company behind the university’s $56.9 billion endowment opened a new position in BlackRock's spot Ether ETF, while reducing its Bitcoin ETF stake by 21%.
- The BlockScore: 70
Wintermute launches institutional tokenized gold trading, expects market to reach $15 billion in 2026
Wintermute has launched institutional tokenized gold trading as the $5.4 billion sector surges 80% in three months.
- CointelegraphScore: 70
Bitcoin accumulation wave puts $80K back in play: Analyst
Demand from Bitcoin accumulation addresses reached a new high, with analysts citing a futures market CME gap as a prediction point for their higher short-term price targets.
- CointelegraphScore: 70
Germany‘s central bank president touts stablecoin and CBDC benefits for EU
Joachim Nagel said euro-pegged stablecoins would offer the bloc more independence from US dollar-pegged coins soon to be allowed under the GENIUS Act.
- CryptoSlateScore: 65
CLARITY Act is turning into a proxy war over who pays Americans for holding “digital dollars”
The fight over CLARITY has always been sold as a battle for rules, a way to finally give the U.S. crypto market a clean lane to run in. That story still matters. The past week made something else clearer: the legislation is becoming a proxy war over who gets to pay Americans for holding digital doll...
- CointelegraphScore: 65
Solution worse than problem? Adam Back opposes BIP-110 Ordinals fix
Blockstream's Adam Back said BIP-110 could be used to freeze user funds, but the proposal’s creator argues there are safeguards in place to prevent it.
- CointelegraphScore: 65
Strategy to equitize convertible debt over 3-6 years: Saylor
The world’s largest DAT plans to convert $6 billion in bond debt to equity, claiming that it could survive an 88% Bitcoin crash.
- CoinDeskScore: 65
Russia's daily crypto turnover is over $650 million, Ministry of Finance says
Government and central bank officials are pushing for legislation to regulate cryptocurrency activities, aiming for passage during the spring session.
- CoinDeskScore: 65
Ether steadies after $540 million sell wave to outperform wider crypto market
Crypto markets remain under pressure despite firmer U.S. equity futures, with ether rebounding toward $2,000 as heavy weekend selling eases as gold leads.
- CoinDeskScore: 65
Hong Kong regulator approves first crypto company license since June
Hong Kong's Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) granted Victory Fintech a license.
- CointelegraphScore: 65
Metaplanet revenue jumps 738% as Bitcoin generates 95% of sales
Metaplanet reported about $40 million in operating profit but still recorded a $619 million net loss amid the Bitcoin price drop.
- CryptoSlateScore: 65
Wall Street is out of cash to “buy the dip” but $7.7T could rotate into Bitcoin if prices stay beaten down
I came across some analysis this morning that cut through the usual stream of charts and market takes with a stark claim: there is “almost no cash on the sidelines.” If true, it challenges one of the most persistent assumptions in both crypto and traditional markets, that a wall of idle capital is w...
- CointelegraphScore: 65
Ray Dalio’s world order warning revives case for Bitcoin as neutral money
Ray Dalio warns that the rules‑based order is now over, putting monetary debasement, dollar risk and neutral, permissionless financial rails back at the center of the macro conversation.
- CointelegraphScore: 60
Russians move $129B in crypto yearly ‘outside our attention’: Official
Russia’s deputy finance minister says around 50 billion rubles worth of crypto changes hands daily, calling for crypto market regulation.
- CryptoSlateScore: 60
XRPL holds 63% of this T-bill token supply but barely any of the trading, and that’s a problem
Tokenized US Treasuries are close to $11 billion, but the chain war is shifting from issuance to distribution and utility. Where yield tokens actually sit, how often they move, and whether they plug into stablecoin settlement and collateral workflows are what matters. Last week, XRP Ledger (XRPL) go...
- CointelegraphScore: 60
$75K or bearish 'regime shift?' Five things to know in Bitcoin this week
Bitcoin market analysis focused on liquidations and the wick to $59,000 for signs of the next significant BTC price move on lower time frames.
- The BlockScore: 60
Metaplanet posts $619 million net loss on bitcoin valuation as holdings climb to 35,102 BTC
Metaplanet posted a $619 million FY2025 loss on its bitcoin valuation, while its total holdings jumped to 35,102 BTC and revenue surged.
- CoinDeskScore: 60
Bitcoin could fall to $10,000 as U.S. recession risk builds, Mike McGlone says
McGlone links bitcoin’s downturn to record U.S. market cap-to-GDP levels, low equity volatility and rising gold prices, warning of potential contagion into stocks.
- DecryptScore: 60
U.S. Crypto Funds Shed $403M Amid Price Weakness: CoinShares
While the U.S. exited crypto funds, Europe and Canada posted inflows as international investors bought the dip.
- DecryptScore: 60
Bitcoin 'Boom-Bust' Era Is Over as Institutions Take the Lead: WisdomTree
Crypto's adolescence is over—and institutional capital is changing the rules of engagement, says WisdomTree's latest market analysis.
- CointelegraphScore: 60
Tokenized RWAs climb 13.5% despite $1T crypto market drawdown
Tokenized real-world assets added 13.5% in 30 days, led by increasing activity on Ethereum, Arbitrum and Solana, even as the broader crypto market lost $1 trillion in value.
- CointelegraphScore: 60
Bitcoin weekly RSI echoes mid-2022 bear market as BTC plays liquidity games
Bitcoin round tripped gains after a spike to $70,000 as liquidity traps began to characterize BTC price action on the US bank holiday.
- DecryptScore: 60
Bitcoin on Pace for Longest Losing Streak Since 2018 Bear Market
The selling simply won't stop. If February closes red, Bitcoin will register five consecutive red months, the longest streak in seven years.
- CointelegraphScore: 60
Paradigm reframes Bitcoin mining as grid asset, not energy drain
The cryptocurrency investment firm says Bitcoin mining is being unfairly lumped with AI data centers, arguing miners act as flexible grid demand, not constant energy drains.
- CoinDeskScore: 60
'We do not do illegal things': Inside a U.S.-sanctioned stablecoin issuer's race to build a crypto giant
Oleg Ogienko, the public face of A7A5, pitched the ruble-pegged stablecoin as a fast-growing trade rail built to move money across borders despite sanctions pressure.
- DecryptScore: 55
Metaplanet Posts $605 Million Loss After Spending Billions on Bitcoin
The firm signaled that it’s embracing preferred shares.
- CoinDeskScore: 55
Strategy says it can survive even if bitcoin drops to $8,000 and will 'equitize' debt
Strategy says it can withstand a bitcoin price drop to $8,000 and still cover its roughly $6 billion in net debt.
- DecryptScore: 55
Crypto Traders Rotate Into Select Altcoins as Bitcoin Stalls
Altcoins notch double-digit weekly gains as Bitcoin remains rangebound, but most remain well below all-time highs with macro data looming.
- CoinDeskScore: 55
From Wall Street to Web3: This is crypto’s year of integration, Silicon Valley Bank says
From bank-led stablecoins to tokenized T-bills and AI-powered wallets, digital assets will move from pilot projects to financial plumbing this year.
- CryptoSlateScore: 50
Bitcoin is not acting like “digital gold” because real gold and USD correlations collapsed toward zero
In 2025 and early 2026, Bitcoin's behavior has been less “digital gold” and more regime-dependent. Sometimes it trades like a tech beta, then like a rates-and-liquidity-duration trade, and only intermittently like a hedge. The real story is which macro regime makes which identity dominat...
- CoinDeskScore: 50
Hive, Riot earnings reports, Fed rate-decision minutes: Crypto Week Ahead
Your look at what's coming in the week starting Feb. 16.
- CointelegraphScore: 50
Bitcoin down 22%, could it be the worst Q1 since 2018?
If Bitcoin posts a loss at the end of this month, it will also mark Bitcoin’s first time ending both January and February in the red.
- DecryptScore: 50
Vitalik Buterin: Hedging on Prediction Markets Could 'Replace Fiat Currency'
The Ethereum co-founder argues that prediction markets’ current focus on short-term crypto bets is putting them on a path to ‘corposlop.’
- CoinDeskScore: 50
Binance's CZ echoes Consensus panelists on lack of privacy blocking crypto adoption
Lack of privacy is a barrier to both everyday and institutional use of crypto and blockchain technology, CZ and institutions argue.
- CointelegraphScore: 50
Willy Woo warns quantum risk is eroding Bitcoin’s edge over gold
Onchain analyst Willy Woo says markets are starting to price in the quantum threat, putting 4 million “lost” BTC and a 12‑year valuation uptrend versus gold into question.
- DecryptScore: 50
Binance Founder CZ: Privacy 'Missing Link' for Crypto Payments Adoption
Changpeng Zhao called on the industry to prioritise crypto privacy features, arguing that the gap is holding back mainstream adoption.
- CoinDeskScore: 50
Crypto mining can help energy volatility, Paradigm responds to policy onslaught
As U.S. lawmakers consider limits on data and mining facilities because of energy usage, the industry wants to explain that their crypto worries are unfounded.
- DecryptScore: 50
Crypto Trading Isn’t Coming to Elon Musk's X (Yet), Says Product Head
The company’s “Smart Cashtag” feature is aimed at crypto enthusiasts, but the platform won't facilitate trades directly.
- CointelegraphScore: 45
Aave founder pitches $50T ‘abundance asset’ boom to drive DeFi
Aave Labs CEO Stani Kulechov said onchain lending could help accelerate the development of solar, energy storage and robotics by putting money behind “future-proof” assets.
- CoinDeskScore: 40
Metaplanet operating profit to rise 81% in 2026 after soaring 17-fold last year on options writing
The company recorded a non-cash bitcoin valuation loss of 102.2 billion yen ($650 million) due to the cryptocurrency’s price drop.
- DecryptScore: 40
OpenAI Taps OpenClaw Founder to Lead Push Into Personal AI Agents
The founder said he is turning OpenClaw into a foundation, calling OpenAI the fastest way to bring open agents to everyone.
- DecryptScore: 40
Hollywood’s AI Crackdown Opens Door for Copyright Detection Startups
Studios are escalating pressure on AI developers, as new tools aim to document whether generative models are trained on copyrighted material.
- CoinDeskScore: 40
Crypto market drowns in red as bitcoin falls to $68,000
Traders are bracing for a heavy week of macroeconomic events, including Fed minutes and the core PCE inflation report.
- The BlockScore: 40
The Daily: Kevin O’Leary wins $2.8M defamation judgment against Ben ‘BitBoy’ Armstrong, Harvard trims bitcoin ETF holdings, and more
The following article is adapted from The Block’s newsletter, The Daily, which comes out on weekday afternoons.
- The BlockScore: 40
Crypto Fear & Greed Index hits record low despite ongoing institutional push into DeFi
The prolonged slide into fear territory traces back in large part to the events of Oct. 10, 2025, widely referred to as "10/10."
- CointelegraphScore: 40
Price predictions 2/16: SPX, DXY, BTC, ETH, BNB, XRP, SOL, DOGE, ADA, BCH
The relief rallies in Bitcoin and several major altcoins are stalling near their respective overhead resistance levels, signaling that the bears remain in control.
- CointelegraphScore: 40
ETH chart pattern projects rally to $2.5K if key conditions are met: Data
Ether is down 20% in February, but a developing bullish setup below $2,000 and growing upside liquidation clusters hint at a quick rebound.
- CointelegraphScore: 30
Kevin O’Leary wins $2.8M defamation suit against Ben Armstrong
A Miami federal judge has entered a default judgment against Ben Armstrong, who failed to respond to Kevin O’Leary’s complaint accusing him of defamation.