Bitcoin has been cut almost in half since its October high. By almost every measure, the selloff is the worst since the collapse of FTX. But there is a puzzle at the center of the wreckage: the institutional scaffolding that was built around the coin during the boom hasn’t come down with it.
The use of digital assets for international settlements is increasingly viewed as a structural shift in global finance. One of the most notable recent examples is A7A5, a stablecoin pegged 1:1 to the Russian ruble. Launched in February 2025 under the regulation of the Kyrgyz Republic and issued by Old Vector LLC, the token operates on the Tron and Ethereum blockchains. It is backed by ruble-denominated bank deposits, and holders receive passive income derived from deposit interest. The issuer states that it complies with international KYC and AML standards and rejects allegations of sanctions evasion. During its first year, A7A5 processed $39 billion in transactions. The token is listed on Grinex, Meer, and Bitpapa exchanges and positions itself as operating under international financial security frameworks. Scale of Operations Draws Regulatory Scrutiny Over its first year, A7A5 reportedly exceeded $100 billion in transaction volume. In 2025 alone, circulating supply increased by $90 billion. Trading volume reached $17.3 billion, including $11.2 billion in the A7A5/RUB pair and $6.1 billion in the A7A5/USDT pair. The number of holders grew from 14,000 to 35,500, while market capitalization reached approximately $540 million. The scale of activity has drawn sustained regulatory attention. In August 2025, US and UK authorities sanctioned the Grinex exchange, identifying it as a successor to Garantex. Within four months of operation, $9.3 billion in A7A5-linked transactions were processed through the platform. In October 2025, the European Union included A7A5 in its 19th sanctions package, prohibiting transactions with the token across the bloc and describing it as a potential tool for financing military activities. Growth Continues Despite Restrictions Despite these measures, A7A5’s reported metrics indicate continued expansion. Sanctions have not halted demand for alternative cross-border settlement channels within the ruble zone. The broader context suggests that digital assets tied to national currencies may increasingly serve as parallel infrastructure for international payments, particularly in regions facing financial restrictions. Whether regulatory pressure will eventually constrain this growth remains an open question.
Circle Internet Group shares (CRCL) surged more than 30% after the company reported stronger-than-expected fourth-quarter results. CRCL traded near $79.13, up 28% intraday at one point. The rally followed a sharp earnings beat and continued growth in USDC circulation. Investors reacted to expanding revenue and updated multi-year growth targets. Strong Q4 Earnings Drive CRCL Stock Higher Circle reported $770 million in total revenue and reserve income for Q4 2025. That figure marked a 77% increase from the prior year period. Net income from continuing operations reached $133 million compared to $4 million a year earlier. Earnings per share came in at $0.43, exceeding analyst estimates of $0.16. Adjusted EBITDA rose to $167 million, up more than four times year over year. Analysts noted that revenue less distribution costs margins reached 40.1%, above expectations. Reserve income accounted for $733 million of quarterly revenue. Average USDC in circulation doubled year over year to $76.2 billion. However, the reserve return rate declined 68 basis points to 3.8%. Circle shares initially jumped nearly 20% in pre-market trading. After the opening bell, gains extended further as investors absorbed the earnings report. USDC Circulation Reaches 75 Billion Circle ended 2025 with $75.3 billion in USDC circulation. That represents a 72% increase from the previous year. USDC remains the second-largest stablecoin behind Tether’s USDT, which holds about $183 billion in circulation. CEO Jeremy Allaire said, “USDC adoption continued to expand globally as more enterprises, developers, and public institutions integrated digital dollars.” He added that the stablecoin market reflects durable network effects between major issuers. Circle also issued multi-year guidance targeting a 40% compound annual growth rate for USDC circulation. If achieved, that pace could expand USDC’s market share in the coming years. Transaction volume linked to USDC reached $11.9 trillion, up 247% year over year. The company’s Circle Payments Network enrolled 55 financial institutions, with 74 more under review. Product Expansion and Regulatory Progress Beyond USDC growth, Circle reported expansion in other digital asset offerings. EURC circulation reached €310 million, up 284% year over year, while the USYC assets totaled $1.5 billion at year's end. The company’s Arc public testnet processed more than 166 million transactions with near 100% uptime. Concurrently, the daily average transaction volumes reached 2.3 million as of February 20. Moreover, a mainnet launch is planned later this year. Circle also highlighted partnerships with Visa and Intuit. In December 2025, the firm received conditional approval from the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency to establish a national trust bank. For the full year 2025, Circle reported a net loss of $70 million. The loss was largely driven by $424 million in stock-based compensation tied to its IPO . Despite that annual loss, quarterly growth metrics fueled a strong investor reaction.
CryptoQuant warns Bitcoin’s recent rise may not mark a durable market trend reversal. Low Binance Fund Flow Ratio points to limited spot selling pressure at this stage. Continue Reading: CryptoQuant Flags Caution as Bitcoin Rally Lacks Strong Trend Shift The post CryptoQuant Flags Caution as Bitcoin Rally Lacks Strong Trend Shift appeared first on COINTURK NEWS .
The second-largest cryptocurrency hasn’t been at its best lately, plummeting by double digits over the last 30 days and trading far below its all-time high of almost $5,000 witnessed in the summer of 2025. However, the past 24 hours brought some hope for the bulls, as ETH rocketed from $1,800 to over $2,000. Some market observers believe a more profound rebound could be on the way, while others think the valuation has yet to reach its bottom. Rally Soon? Ethereum (ETH) has soared by over 10% daily, currently trading above the $2,000 psychological zone. However, it remains 30% down on a monthly scale, while its market capitalization has shrunk to approximately $237 billion. Despite the major correction, many analysts remain optimistic. X user KALEO observed the asset’s recent performance and argued that it might be on the verge of a bounce. They assumed that ETH has formed a “clean double bottom off HTF support” and may be ready to spike above $2K. “More FUD than I’ve ever seen on the timeline. Send it with haste,” the analyst added. Merlijn The Trader also chipped in lately. He claimed that ETH is sitting in a five-year demand zone, emphasizing that this area has historically acted as a place where investors accumulate rather than distribute. “You don’t need the exact bottom. You need exposure before expansion. Big bases don’t drift. They reprice,” he stated. X user StockTrader_Max shared a similar thesis, arguing that ETH has evolved into “a long-term investment with slower, steadier growth that rewards patience and conviction rather than hype and timing.” The analyst believes the asset should be held in many portfolios, with a time horizon of years rather than months. Meanwhile, some industry participants noted that whales have been quite active lately and increased their exposure to ETH. X user Crypto Rover shared a CryptoQuant chart, showing that large investors now own over 24 million tokens, or more than 20% of Ethereum’s circulating supply. Whales’ activity is closely monitored by smaller players who might mimic their moves and enter the ecosystem with fresh capital. Additionally, it is commonly believed that large investors rarely make irrational purchases and may have inside information about upcoming events that could influence valuation. Last but not least, ETH’s exchange reserves remain quite close to the nearly 10-year low recorded earlier this month. This trend shows that investors don’t rush to transfer their holdings to centralized platforms: a move often considered a pre-sale step, and which can cause an additional price slump. ETH Exchange Netflow, Source: CryptoQuant Are the Bears Here to Stay? Many other analysts presented rather pessimistic views on the matter. X user Crypto Tony warned of new lows if the price plunges below $1,820, describing that level as “the last line of defence.” They later argued that if the bulls decisively reclaim $1,940, then “we are back in business.” Ali Martinez and Lucky also gave their two cents. The former claimed that the next major support levels for ETH, should it break below $1,800, are $1,584, $1,238, and $1.089. The asset’s Relative Strength Index (RSI) is another bearish factor to watch. Due to the price rebound experienced over the past hours, the tool’s ratio has risen above 70, signaling that ETH is overbought and could be due for a correction. The RSI is an important metric often used by traders, and conversely, anything below 30 is considered a buying opportunity. ETH RSI, Source: CryptoWaves The post Top Ethereum Price Predictions as ETH Reclaims $2K appeared first on CryptoPotato .
Solana sat near $76 support as one analyst flagged a bear flag and a triple top on the daily chart. At the same time, Artemis data showed Solana leading all chains with about $640,000 in fees over 24 hours. Solana Daily Chart Shows Bear Flag and Triple Top Near $76 Support Solana traded near a key support area as daily chart patterns tightened around the $76 level. An analyst on X, known as jussy (@jussy_world), pointed to two bearish formations on the SOLUSD daily chart. First, a bear flag formed after a sharp selloff, with price consolidating inside a downward-sloping channel. Second, a triple top developed across recent swings, with three rounded peaks failing to hold higher ground. Together, the patterns frame downside risk if support fails. Solana Daily Bear Flag and Triple Top. Source: jussy on X Meanwhile, the bear flag structure tracks a pause after the prior decline. Price action moved sideways within the flag while sellers kept control along the upper boundary. The projected downside target from the flag aligns near $37 on the chart. At the same time, the triple top marks repeated failures near the same resistance zone, which reflects fading momentum on rebounds. The pattern’s measured move points toward the $61 area, based on the height between resistance and the neckline. However, both scenarios hinge on a clean break of $76 support. The chart highlights $76 as the level that holds the structure in place. If price closes below that line, the analyst said the move would confirm. Until then, Solana remains compressed above support, with daily candles clustering near the breakdown point. The setup places focus on the next daily closes, as a loss of $76 would activate the mapped downside paths shown on the chart. Solana Tops Chains by Fees Over Last 24 Hours, Artemis Data Shows Meanwhile, Solana led all major blockchains by fees over the past 24 hours, according to Artemis data shared by Solana Hub on X. The chart ranks networks by total fees collected in the last day and places Solana at the top of the table. Solana posted about $640,000 in fees, which put it ahead of Tron and edgeX. The snapshot reflects network activity during the latest trading session. Top Chains by Fees Last 24 Hours. Source: Artemis via Solana Hub on X Meanwhile, Tron followed close behind Solana, with daily fees near the upper range of the chart. edgeX ranked third, while Ethereum placed below edgeX despite its larger base of users. BNB Chain and Bitcoin trailed Ethereum in the same 24 hour window. Hyperliquid, Base, Polygon PoS, and Osmosis formed the next tier, with visibly lower fee totals than the top three networks. Further down the ranking, Dogecoin, Cronos, and Arbitrum posted smaller fee totals over the same period. Internet Computer, Sui, TON, Stride, Starknet, Abstract, and Avalanche C Chain sat near the bottom of the chart. The distribution shows a steep drop from the top three networks to the rest of the field. The gap highlights how fee generation concentrated among a small group of chains during the period shown.
More than $400 million worth of short positions have been liquidated in the last day as Bitcoin nears $69K and Ethereum and Solana surge.
Bitcoin rallied above $69,500 after US stocks turned green on US policy clarity and strong earnings results. Will bulls target $70,000 next?
A governance dispute within the Aave ecosystem intensified this week after Aave Chan Initiative (ACI) founder Marc Zeller published what he called an “audit” of Aave Labs’ track record, seven hours after Aave Labs released its own contributions report ahead of a major funding vote. Marc Zeller Challenges Aave Labs’ Record in Detailed Transparency Report
Bitcoin price has climbed above the $68,000 psychological level and traded near $67,321 after gaining more than 5% in 24 hours. The move followed comments from U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer on tariff continuity with China. Markets reacted positively as fears of renewed trade escalation eased. While price action turned higher, on-chain data shows the broader structure remains fragile. Trump Administration Signals Tariff Stability With China Jamieson Greer said the administration intends to maintain tariffs on Chinese goods within a 35% to 50% range. He stated, “We expect that level to remain in place. We don’t intend to escalate beyond that.” The remarks came ahead of a planned meeting between President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping. The Supreme Court recently struck down prior tariffs issued under IEEPA authority. In response, President Trump imposed a temporary 15% tariff on imported goods. Certain products subject to Section 232 tariffs remain exempt from that 15% rate. Greer added that some countries could face tariffs above 15% during a temporary period of up to 150 days. He said the goal is “to have continuity in this program.” The signal of steady trade policy reduced uncertainty across risk assets, including Bitcoin. However, China has warned it will retaliate if the United States imposes new tariffs beyond the agreed framework. Chinese officials signaled that additional trade measures would be met with countermeasures, adding a layer of uncertainty to the current truce. Bitcoin Remains Range Bound Despite Bounce Bitcoin has been consolidating between $60,000 and $70,000 in recent weeks. The current price places BTC about 47% below its all-time high. This drawdown aligns with mid- to late bear market phases observed in prior cycles. According to Glassnode data, nearly 9.2 million BTC are now held at a loss. That represents close to half of the circulating supply. Elevated supply in loss has historically appeared during later stages of bear markets. Moreover, firms with BTC treasury plans like Strategy, as we reported, have also faced losses. Source: Glassnode Market breadth remains weak, and fewer assets trade above long term trend levels. Spot cumulative volume delta has turned negative across major venues. ETF flows also remain in outflow, suggesting institutional demand is limited. Liquidity and Leverage Show Reset Conditions Open interest in Bitcoin futures fell sharply during the recent decline. Total open interest dropped from $15.9 billion to around $8.73 billion. This reduction reflects a broad leverage reset across derivatives markets. Perpetual funding rates have normalized near neutral levels. This indicates speculative positioning has cooled. However, sustained positive funding has not returned, suggesting limited bullish conviction. Source: Glassnode The 90-day realized profit and loss ratio has fallen below 1.0. That confirms an excess loss regime and weaker liquidity conditions. According to Glassnode, the time spent below $70,000 increases pressure on weaker balance sheets. Implied volatility has stabilized and has not expanded sharply. Dealer gamma positioning suggests price remains sensitive to incremental order flow. The market is stabilizing but has not yet confirmed a structural recovery.