February 21, 2026

1. Ethereum Developers Plan Censorship Resistance Upgrade Backed by Vitalik Buterin

technology

Ethereum developers have scheduled a controversial upgrade aimed at enhancing the network's censorship resistance, a move backed by co-founder Vitalik Buterin. The upgrade is set to reinforce Ethereum’s cypherpunk principles, although it has sparked debate within the community.

Sources:Decrypt

2. Crypto Market Retraces Gains from 2024-2025 US Election Pump

market

The crypto market has retraced nearly all the gains made during the 2024-2025 US election period, following a historic crash in October. This downturn has significantly impacted investor sentiment, leading to a bearish outlook across the market.

3. IoTeX Suffers $2 Million Loss from Private Key Exploit

security

IoTeX faced a security breach involving a private key exploit that drained approximately $2 million from bridge contracts. Co-founder Raullen Chai confirmed the incident, noting that the losses were lower than initially estimated, as the team works to contain the damage.

4. Bitcoin Whale Deposit Activity Increases Amid Bear Market

market

CryptoQuant reports a significant rise in Bitcoin whale deposit activity, with the exchange whale ratio reaching 0.64, the highest since 2015. This trend indicates that large holders are leading the selling activity during the ongoing bear phase.

Sources:The Block

5. Five Crypto Exchanges Allegedly Helping Russia Evade Sanctions

regulation

Elliptic has identified five crypto exchanges that are reportedly assisting Russia in evading sanctions, filling the void left by the sanctioned exchange Garantex. One of these exchanges has processed at least $11 billion in crypto transactions, raising concerns about regulatory compliance.

Sources:The Block

6. Bitcoin Miner MARA Acquires Majority Stake in AI Data Center Firm Exaion

business

Bitcoin mining company MARA has purchased a 64% stake in Exaion, a French computing infrastructure operator. This acquisition marks MARA's strategic expansion into AI and cloud services, as miners diversify revenue streams beyond traditional cryptocurrency mining.

7. Spot Bitcoin ETFs Record $3.8 Billion in Net Withdrawals Over Five Weeks

market

US spot Bitcoin ETFs have experienced five consecutive weeks of net outflows, totaling $3.8 billion. The latest weekly outflow amounted to $315.9 million, as institutional investors continue to de-risk amid ongoing macroeconomic uncertainties.

All Sources

Last updated: 2/21/2026, 11:00:54 PM UTC

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