Stripe Unveils Preview of Machine and AI Agent Payments Supporting USDC and X.402 Standard Circle CEO Jeremy Allaire announced on X that Stripe has launched a preview of its machine and AI agent payments feature. This new capability supports payments made with USDC and integrates the X.402 standard. #crypto #blockchain #news

JPMorgan Downgrades Coinbase Price Target Ahead of Earnings, Maintains Overweight Rating Despite a significant downturn in Coinbase's stock price, which has fallen over 50% since Bitcoin's peak in October, and a 27% drop within 2026 alone, JPMorgan has adjusted its target price for the cryptocurrency exchange. The investment bank lowered its price target from $399 to $290 ahead of Coinbase's earnings report. However, JPMorgan continues to hold an "Overweight" rating on Coinbase, indicating an expectation of a 75% increase from its current trading price of $165. Analysts anticipate that Coinbase's fourth-quarter adjusted EBITDA will be $734 million, a decrease from the previous quarter's $804 million. This projected decline is attributed to reduced trading volumes, weaker cryptocurrency prices, and a slowdown in USDC growth. The company's spot trading volume for the quarter is estimated at $263 billion, with USDC-related revenue projected at $312 million. #crypto #blockchain #news #BTC #Bitcoin

Russia's State Duma Approves Bill on Cryptocurrency Seizure and Confiscation Procedures The State Duma of Russia has passed a procedural law concerning the seizure and confiscation of cryptocurrencies in criminal cases. This legislation, which has cleared its final reading, formally recognizes cryptocurrency as property and outlines the established procedures for its seizure. Under the new law, law enforcement agencies will be required to document the type, quantity, and wallet address of digital assets when initiating a seizure. Any related storage devices, media, or access keys to wallets must be sealed and kept secure. If technically feasible, seized cryptocurrencies may be transferred to a designated state-controlled wallet. The bill also empowers Russian government bodies to develop detailed regulations for the transfer and storage of confiscated cryptocurrencies and permits cooperation with foreign cryptocurrency exchanges for the purpose of seizure or confiscation. The law is awaiting approval from the Federation Council and signature by the President, after which it will take effect ten days following its official publication. #crypto #blockchain #news

Telegram CEO Vows to Resist Russian Access Restrictions Pavel Durov, CEO of Telegram, has publicly stated his intention to oppose Russian authorities' plans to limit access to his social media platform. The Russian telecommunications regulator, Roskomnadzor, announced its intention to restrict Telegram's access starting Tuesday, citing the platform's failure to comply with legal requirements. Durov criticized the move as an infringement on civil liberties, affirming Telegram's commitment to defending freedom of speech and privacy. He drew parallels to similar actions in Iran, where he noted that the majority of users continue to access Telegram through technological workarounds. Meanwhile, the Russian government is actively promoting its "super-app" called Max, which is designed to emulate WeChat's functionality and integrate government services, document storage, banking, and other public and commercial features. #crypto #blockchain #news

Whale Deposits $172 Million Worth of Bitcoin to Binance A significant cryptocurrency holder, identified by the address 3NVeXm, deposited 2,500 Bitcoin (BTC) to Binance approximately one hour ago. The transaction is valued at $172.56 million. The deposit was monitored by Lookonchain, a blockchain analytics firm. #crypto #blockchain #news #BTC #Bitcoin

TON Wallet Integrates Bitcoin and Ethereum Support TON Wallet has announced the integration of Bitcoin (BTC) and Ethereum (ETH) support, allowing users to directly store, send, and utilize these cryptocurrencies within the Telegram-based wallet. This development expands the functionality of TON Wallet, offering users greater flexibility in managing their digital assets. The platform now provides a streamlined experience for interacting with major cryptocurrencies directly within the familiar Telegram interface. #crypto #blockchain #news #BTC #Bitcoin

Robinhood Launches Public Testnet for Robinhood Chain, Paving the Way for Real-World Asset Tokenization Robinhood, the prominent US online trading platform, has officially activated the public testnet for its dedicated blockchain, Robinhood Chain. This new blockchain is an Ethereum Layer 2 network built upon Arbitrum technology. According to Johann Kerbrat, Senior Vice President of Robinhood Crypto, the testnet is designed to establish a foundational ecosystem for the tokenization of future real-world assets. It aims to facilitate developers in accessing decentralized finance liquidity within the Ethereum ecosystem. The testnet will serve as an experimental ground for developers to identify and resolve issues, ultimately enhancing network stability in preparation for the mainnet launch. #crypto #blockchain #news

Major BUIDL Token Minting Event on Solana An unspecified entity minted 376 million BUIDL tokens on the Solana blockchain early this morning. The BUIDL fund, managed by BlackRock, is recognized as one of the largest tokenized real-world asset funds, offering institutional investors a platform to invest in U.S. Treasury securities and cash equivalents on-chain. #crypto #blockchain #news

Michael Saylor Dismisses Concerns Over MicroStrategy's Bitcoin Holdings Michael Saylor, Executive Chairman of MicroStrategy, has addressed market anxieties regarding the company's potential to sell Bitcoin due to price declines, asserting these concerns are "baseless." In an interview with CNBC, Saylor reiterated MicroStrategy's commitment to its Bitcoin accumulation strategy, emphasizing that the company's net leverage is half that of typical investment-grade corporations. He further highlighted that MicroStrategy possesses sufficient cash reserves to cover 50 years of dividends. "We are not selling; we are continuing to buy Bitcoin," Saylor stated. "I anticipate buying Bitcoin every quarter moving forward." He characterized Bitcoin's significant volatility as an inherent feature of "digital capital," acknowledging it can be two to four times higher than traditional assets like gold, stocks, or real estate. However, he projected that Bitcoin's performance this decade would similarly outpace traditional assets by a significant margin. #crypto #blockchain #news #BTC #Bitcoin

White House Stablecoin Yield Meeting Deemed "Productive" but Lacks Agreement A recent White House meeting focused on stablecoin yields, involving representatives from the banking industry and the crypto sector, concluded with both sides describing the discussions as "productive." However, no compromise was reached by the end of the session, though deeper dives into potential agreement details occurred. According to crypto reporter Eleanor Terrett, banks and banking associations presented a written document outlining "red lines" concerning stablecoin yields, detailing areas where they are willing to negotiate and where they are not. A significant concession from the banking side reportedly involves the phrasing "any proposed exemption" in the second paragraph. This marks a shift from their previous outright refusal to discuss any possibility of exemptions related to transaction-based yields. Ripple's Chief Legal Officer, Stuart Alderoty, commented on the development, stating that "the atmosphere for compromise is building." #crypto #blockchain #news

MoonPay and Deel Partner to Launch Stablecoin Payroll in UK and EU Crypto payment firm MoonPay has announced a strategic partnership with payroll and HR platform Deel, aiming to facilitate stablecoin salary payments for approximately 40,000 businesses across the United Kingdom and the European Union. The service will leverage MoonPay's fiat infrastructure subsidiary, Iron, enabling businesses to disburse stablecoins directly to employees' wallet addresses. Initially launching in the UK and EU, the companies plan to expand this offering to the United States market in the future. This collaboration marks a significant step in making cryptocurrency payments more accessible for businesses and their employees in key European markets, streamlining the payroll process through innovative stablecoin technology. #crypto #blockchain #news

Hyperliquid's HIP-3 Achieves Record $5.2 Billion in Single-Day Trading Volume Amidst Precious Metals Surge The decentralized derivatives protocol Hyperliquid has set a new record, with its permissionless perpetual contract market, HIP-3, recording an unprecedented $5.2 billion in single-day trading volume on February 5th. This figure marks the highest volume since its launch in October 2025. The significant surge in trading activity was primarily driven by TradeXYZ, a major market provider operating on HIP-3. TradeXYZ commands nearly 90% of the trading share across precious metals, stock indices, and individual stock perpetuals. Notably, TradeXYZ's silver contract alone saw a remarkable $40.9 billion in trading volume on February 5th, accounting for approximately 68% of HIP-3's total daily volume. This highlights the growing interest among traders to seek alternative assets beyond traditional cryptocurrencies, spurred by the volatility in precious metals prices. The upswing in HIP-3's trading volume began in the final week of January, coinciding with gold surpassing $5,000 per ounce and silver exceeding $100 per ounce for the first time. #crypto #blockchain #news

Bitmine Further Increases ETH Staking Holdings, Surpassing 70% of Total Holdings On-chain analyst Ember reported that Bitmine has again staked over 140,400 ETH, valued at approximately $282 million, in the past four hours. Bitmine's total ETH holdings now stand at 4,325,738 ETH, with 3,037,859 ETH currently staked. This means their ETH staking rate has now exceeded 70%. With an estimated annualized staking yield of 2.8%, Bitmine is projected to earn over 85,000 ETH, or approximately $172 million, in interest income annually. This translates to an average daily earning of 233 ETH, or $470,000. #crypto #blockchain #news

FTX Founder Sam Bankman-Fried Seeks New Trial, Alleges DOJ Withheld Evidence FTX co-founder Sam Bankman-Fried, currently incarcerated, has filed a motion requesting a new trial. The motion, submitted on February 10th to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, was filed by his mother as a "pro se" petition and includes Bankman-Fried's written statement. In the filing, Bankman-Fried accuses the Department of Justice (DOJ) of concealing evidence and calls for the recusal of the original judge, Lewis Kaplan. The motion asserts that Bankman-Fried was wrongly prosecuted for "stealing FTX customer assets and causing billions of dollars in losses." Furthermore, it claims that several potential witnesses refused to testify in his defense due to pressure from a "weaponized DOJ." #crypto #blockchain #news

Coinbase Adds ETHGas (GWEI) to Listing Roadmap Coinbase has officially included ETHGas (GWEI) in its listing roadmap, as per an official announcement. The cryptocurrency exchange stated that the token's listing is contingent upon meeting market-making and technical requirements. A specific launch date has not yet been determined. #crypto #blockchain #news

Robinhood's Stock Drops Following Q4 Earnings Report Amidst Crypto Revenue Slump Robinhood's stock experienced a notable decline in after-hours trading, falling approximately 8%, after its fourth-quarter earnings report revealed a significant 38% year-over-year decrease in cryptocurrency revenue. While the trading platform reported a record total net revenue of $1.28 billion, a 27% increase compared to the previous year, and a 15% rise in trading revenues to $776 million, the cryptocurrency segment painted a different picture. Crypto trading revenue for the quarter stood at $221 million, a stark contrast to the 41% surge in options revenue to $314 million and the 54% increase in stock trading revenue to $9.4 million. The platform's total crypto notional value traded reached $82 billion for the quarter. However, this figure was largely driven by contributions from Bitstamp, an exchange acquired last year. Robinhood's own application saw a 52% year-over-year decline in crypto trading volume. This downturn in crypto revenue highlights potential headwinds for Robinhood's digital asset business, even as other segments of its trading platform demonstrate robust growth. Investors will be closely watching the company's strategy to navigate the volatile cryptocurrency market in the coming quarters. #crypto #blockchain #news

SafeMoon Former CEO Sentenced to Eight Years for Investor Fraud, Funds Used for Luxury Purchases The former CEO of SafeMoon, Braden John Karony, has been sentenced to over eight years in prison for defrauding investors. The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of New York announced the sentencing on Tuesday, also detailing the forfeiture of approximately $7.5 million and two residential properties. Karony, 29, was found guilty by a federal jury in May of conspiracy to commit securities fraud, wire fraud, and money laundering. Prosecutors stated that Karony misled investors through false advertising and illegally misappropriated over $9 million in project funds to finance a lavish lifestyle. This included the purchase of a $2.2 million residence in Utah, an Audi R8 supercar, a Tesla, and a custom Ford F-550 truck. SafeMoon, a cryptocurrency project launched in 2021, once boasted a market capitalization exceeding $8 billion. The scheme highlights the significant risks associated with speculative cryptocurrency investments and the potential for fraudulent activities within the digital asset space. #crypto #blockchain #news

LayerZero to Launch "Zero" Blockchain for Traditional Finance, Securing Backing from Citadel, ICE, and Cathie Wood Cross-chain protocol LayerZero, a project supported by Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) and Sequoia Capital, has announced the upcoming launch of "Zero," a new blockchain specifically designed for traditional finance. The initiative has garnered support from major Wall Street institutions. The "Zero" blockchain aims to leverage advancements in zero-knowledge proof technology to achieve a transaction throughput of two million transactions per second with a cost per transaction of less than one cent. This performance is intended to address the high-volume and low-cost demands of the traditional financial system. The network is slated for official launch in September. Key investors, partners, and advisors in this venture include Citadel Securities, ARK Invest founder Cathie Wood, and Intercontinental Exchange (ICE), the parent company of the New York Stock Exchange. This development marks a significant step towards integrating traditional finance with advanced blockchain capabilities, promising enhanced efficiency and scalability. #crypto #blockchain #news

Coinbase Adds OPINION (OPN) to Listing Roadmap Cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase has officially added OPINION (OPN) to its listing roadmap, according to an official announcement. The token's inclusion on the exchange is contingent upon meeting specific market-making and technical requirements. The exact launch date for OPN trading on Coinbase remains to be determined. #crypto #blockchain #news

Goldman Sachs Discloses $2.36 Billion Indirect Cryptocurrency Holdings via ETFs In a significant disclosure for the digital asset market, investment banking giant Goldman Sachs has revealed its indirect holdings in cryptocurrency totaling $2.36 billion. This exposure is achieved through investments in spot cryptocurrency Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs), aligning with the strategy adopted by many large institutions. According to crypto journalist Eleanor Terrett, Goldman Sachs' portfolio includes $1.1 billion in Bitcoin (BTC), $1 billion in Ethereum (ETH), $153 million in XRP, and $108 million in Solana (SOL). This approach signifies a move by traditional finance to engage with the burgeoning crypto space without directly holding the underlying digital assets. The firm's active participation in industry discussions was further highlighted as a representative from Goldman Sachs attended a White House meeting concerning stablecoin yields on the same day. CEO David Solomon is also scheduled to address the WLFI Forum in Palm Beach next week, indicating continued engagement with key financial and economic topics. The firm's substantial ETF-based cryptocurrency holdings underscore its evolving position within the digital asset landscape. #crypto #blockchain #news #BTC #Bitcoin