Market snapshot
Bitcoin trades below $68,000 and on-chain data shows a widening gap between new and old whales — analysts note uncertainty over whether younger accumulators keep buying or older whales will capitulate first (Cointelegraph).
Ether momentum is notable: major endowments shifting capital plus BlackRock’s staking ETF launch are cited as drivers as bulls target a $2,500 level and real-world-asset (RWA) demand highlights TradFi interest (Cointelegraph).
ETFs, flows and institutional moves
- Abu Dhabi sovereign/wealth funds increased holdings in BlackRock’s iShares Bitcoin ETF (IBIT), with combined IBIT exposure topping $1 billion at the end of 2025 (Coindesk).
- BlackRock’s staking ETF launch and growing RWA market cap are being pointed to as fresh on-ramps for Ether demand (Cointelegraph).
- eToro reported stronger Q4 earnings driven by crypto revenues, sending its shares up ~20% as the CEO positions the platform for an on-chain financial system (Cointelegraph).
Regulation, policy and industry rules
- The Digital Chamber launched a Prediction Markets Working Group to champion the sector and advocate for the CFTC to retain primary oversight of prediction markets (Cointelegraph).
- Coin Center urged the U.S. Senate not to repeal a crypto developer protection bill, arguing developers should not face prosecution when platforms are misused—drawing analogy to internet and cloud hosting providers (Cointelegraph).
- Stripe-owned Bridge won conditional/initial approvals toward a national bank/trust charter, which would let the firm issue and manage stablecoins under federal oversight; final approvals remain pending (Cointelegraph, Coindesk).
- Quantoz secured Visa principal membership to issue stablecoin-linked debit cards in Europe, enabling regulated token-to-card rails for dollar- and euro-denominated tokens (Cointelegraph).
Corporate & sector highlights
- HIVE Digital posted a 219% revenue jump as it expands into AI computing contracts alongside its mining business (Cointelegraph).
- Elemental Royalty plans to offer dividends paid in Tether’s tokenized gold, claiming a first for dividend payments in a crypto token backed by gold (Coindesk).
- Zora launched “attention markets” on Solana; the ZORA token rose ~6.2% to $0.022 in the 24‑hour window around the announcement (Cointelegraph).
Key takeaways
- Institutional flows are accelerating both into BTC ETFs (notably IBIT) and new Ether products like staking ETFs.
- Regulatory battles and policy design remain active: prediction markets, developer protections, and stablecoin bank charters are front‑of‑mind.
- Corporate product moves (Visa cards, tokenized dividends, miner diversification) show the industry expanding beyond trading into payments and real‑world assets.
- Market structure risks persist: whale behavior and concentration dynamics leave BTC price action uncertain near current levels.
Sources
- https://cointelegraph.com/news/the-digital-chamber-launches-prediction-market-working-group?utm_source=rss_feed&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=rss_partner_inbound
- https://cointelegraph.com/news/coin-center-asks-senate-crypto-developer-protection-bill?utm_source=rss_feed&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=rss_partner_inbound
- https://cointelegraph.com/news/etoro-shares-pop-crypto-revenues-bolster-q4-earnings?utm_source=rss_feed&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=rss_partner_inbound
- https://cointelegraph.com/news/zora-launches-attention-markets-solana?utm_source=rss_feed&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=rss_partner_inbound
- https://cointelegraph.com/news/ether-bulls-target-2-5k-as-staking-etf-launch-rwa-market-cap-reflect-growth?utm_source=rss_feed&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=rss_partner_inbound
- https://www.coindesk.com/markets/2026/02/17/abu-dhabi-funds-bought-the-bitcoin-dip-as-they-increased-exposure-to-blackrocks-ibit
- https://cointelegraph.com/news/bridge-stripe-occ-approval-national-trust-bank?utm_source=rss_feed&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=rss_partner_inbound
- https://cointelegraph.com/news/quantoz-gains-visa-principal-membership-to-issue-stablecoin-linked-debit-cards-in-europe?utm_source=rss_feed&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=rss_partner_inbound
- https://cointelegraph.com/news/hive-revenue-surge-artificial-intelligence-expansion-bitcoin-mining-pressure?utm_source=rss_feed&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=rss_partner_inbound
- https://www.coindesk.com/business/2026/02/17/gold-firm-elemental-royalty-to-pay-out-dividends-in-tethers-tokenized-gold
- https://cointelegraph.com/news/new-bitcoin-whales-are-trapped-underwater-but-for-how-long?utm_source=rss_feed&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=rss_partner_inbound
- https://www.coindesk.com/business/2026/02/17/stripe-s-stablecoin-firm-bridge-wins-initial-approval-of-national-bank-trust-charter
Disclaimer: Not financial or professional advice.