Crypto World
Ondo and Securitize discuss at Consensus Hong Kong
Hong Kong — Tokenization is gaining traction, but its success depends less on market hype and more on real-world utility, say executives from Ondo Finance and Securitize.
“There’s no shortage of firms, of issuers, of companies that are interested in tokenizing,” said Graham Ferguson, head of ecosystem at Securitize, during a panel discussion at Consensus Hong Kong. “But it’s on us to figure out how to distribute these assets on-chain via exchanges in a way that is compliant, regulatory-friendly globally.”
Ferguson emphasized that despite high interest on the institutional side, distribution and compliance remain the bottlenecks. “The biggest issue that we run into is communicating with exchanges and DeFi protocols about the requirements that are necessary to adhere to our obligations as a regulated entity,” he said.
Securitize has partnered with firms such as BlackRock to tokenize real-world assets, including U.S. Treasury funds. BlackRock’s BUIDL fund, launched in 2024, now holds over $2.2 billion in assets, making it the largest tokenized Treasury fund on the market.
Ondo Finance, which also focuses on tokenized Treasuries and exchange-traded funds (ETFs), has about $2 billion in total value locked (TVL) according to data from rwa.xzy. Min Lin, Ondo’s managing director of global expansion, said tokenized Treasuries today are a fraction of the potential market.
Both speakers stressed that the next phase of tokenization will be driven by what users can actually do with tokenized assets. Ondo recently enabled tokenized stocks and ETFs to be used as margin collateral in DeFi perpetuals — a first, Lin said.
“That brings a lot more capital efficiency in terms of the utility of those tokenized assets,” he added.
Ferguson agreed, arguing that technological advantages like programmable compliance and fast settlement aren’t enough on their own. “Utility is absolutely far and away number one,” he said. “That’s what will drive the next phase.”
Bitcoin faces renewed macro pressure after the latest US jobs report signaled a stronger-than-expected labor market, pushing Treasury yields higher and reducing the likelihood of near-term Federal Reserve rate cuts.
The US economy added 130,000 jobs in January, nearly double consensus expectations. At the same time, the unemployment rate fell to 4.3%, showing continued labor market resilience.
While strong employment is positive for the broader economy, it complicates the outlook for risk assets like Bitcoin.
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Strong Jobs Data Delays Rate Cut Expectations
Markets had been anticipating potential rate cuts in the coming months amid slowing growth concerns. However, a resilient labor market reduces the urgency for monetary easing.
As a result, investors repriced expectations for Federal Reserve policy.
Bond markets reacted immediately. The US 10-year Treasury yield jumped toward the 4.2% level, rising several basis points after the report. The two-year yield also climbed, reflecting reduced probability of near-term cuts.
Higher yields tighten financial conditions. They increase borrowing costs across the economy and raise the discount rate used to value risk assets.
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Why Higher Yields Pressure Bitcoin
Bitcoin is highly sensitive to liquidity conditions. When Treasury yields rise, capital tends to rotate toward safer, yield-generating assets such as government bonds.
At the same time, a stronger dollar often accompanies rising yields. A firmer dollar reduces global liquidity and makes speculative assets less attractive.
This combination creates headwinds for crypto markets.
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Although Bitcoin briefly stabilized near the $70,000 level earlier in the week, the jobs data increases the risk of renewed volatility. Without a clear signal that the Fed will ease policy, liquidity remains constrained.
“For Bitcoin, this report is a short-term headwind. A beat of this magnitude dampens the probability of a March rate cut and reinforces the Fed’s pause at 3.50%-3.75%. The cheaper money catalyst that risk assets need to mount a sustained recovery just got pushed further out. Expect the dollar to firm and yields to reprice higher, both of which pressure BTC into a range in the near term,” David Hernandez, Crypto Investment Specialist at 21shares told BeInCrypto.
Market Structure Amplifies Macro Stress
The recent crash demonstrated how sensitive Bitcoin has become to macro shifts. Large ETF flows, institutional hedging, and leveraged positioning can accelerate moves when financial conditions tighten.
A stronger labor market does not guarantee Bitcoin will fall. However, it reduces one of the key bullish catalysts: expectations of easier monetary policy.
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“In the short term, Bitcoin looks defensive. The key level to watch is $65,000. However, if this strong report turns out to be temporary rather than a sign the economy is heating up again, the Fed could still cut rates later this year. When that happens, Bitcoin’s limited supply becomes important again. Strong data today may delay a rally, but it doesn’t break the long-term bullish case,” Hernandez said.
The Bottom Line
The latest US jobs report reinforces a “higher-for-longer” rate environment.
For Bitcoin, that is not immediately catastrophic. But it does make sustained upside more difficult.
Unless liquidity improves or yields retreat, the macro backdrop now leans cautious rather than supportive for crypto markets.
Berachain’s native token, BERA, surged over 150% on February 11, marking its sharpest single-day gain in months. The rally follows weeks of renewed activity after the project spent much of 2025 under pressure from falling prices, token unlock concerns, and investor uncertainty.
The immediate catalyst appears to be the foundation’s strategic shift toward a new model called “Bera Builds Businesses.”
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Berachain’s Refund Fears to Revenue Ambitions: What Changed?
Announced in January, the initiative aims to back three to five revenue-generating applications designed to create sustainable demand for BERA.
Instead of relying on heavy token incentives, the network now plans to focus on projects capable of producing real cash flow.
That pivot changed the narrative.
Throughout 2025, Berachain struggled as TVL (total value locked) collapsed from early highs, and the token fell more than 90% from its peak. Critics questioned whether its incentive-heavy growth model could survive a prolonged market downturn.
However, another major overhang also disappeared this month.
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A controversial refund clause tied to Brevan Howard’s Nova Digital fund expired on February 6, 2026. The clause reportedly allowed the investor to request a $25 million refund if performance conditions were not met.
With the deadline passing, traders appear to view the removal of that risk as structurally positive.
At the same time, a large token unlock event also cleared without triggering heavy selling. That outcome fueled what analysts describe as a “relief rally.”
On-chain and derivatives data show rising trading volume and increasing open interest.
Liquidation heatmaps indicate clustered short positions above key resistance levels, suggesting that short covering may have amplified upward momentum.
Still, risks remain.
Berachain faces continued token distribution pressure and must prove that its business-focused strategy can generate sustained demand.
For now, however, the market appears to be rewarding clarity and the removal of uncertainty after a long period of silence.
Ondo Finance said its Ondo Global Markets platform has integrated Chainlink as its official data oracle, enabling price feeds for tokenized US stocks including SPYon, QQQon and TSLAon to go live on Ethereum.
According to a post from Ondo on Wednesday, the feeds are now being used on Euler, where users can post the tokenized equities as collateral to borrow stablecoins.
The integration provides onchain pricing data for the tokenized assets, allowing decentralized finance (DeFi) protocols to set collateral parameters and manage liquidations based on reference prices tied to the underlying equities. The feeds incorporate corporate actions such as dividends, enabling applications to reference updated equity values.
Initial support covers SPYon (which represents the SPDR S&P 500 ETF), QQQon (representing the Invesco QQQ ETF) and TSLAon (Tesla stock), with additional tokenized stocks and exchange-traded funds (ETFs) expected to be added as oracle coverage and protocol integrations are expanded.
According to the announcement, risk parameters for the new lending markets, including collateral factors and liquidation thresholds, are being set and monitored by Sentora.
Ondo said the move addresses a prior limitation for tokenized equities, which had largely been held for price exposure but were not widely accepted as collateral in DeFi. By pairing exchange-linked liquidity with onchain price feeds, the companies aim to enable broader use of tokenized stocks in lending and other structured products.
The announcement follows an October 2025 partnership between Ondo Finance and Chainlink, a blockchain oracle network launched in 2017, that designated Chainlink as the primary data provider for Ondo’s tokenized stocks and ETFs.
Related: Wemade taps Chainlink for Korean won stablecoin infrastructure
Race to tokenize US equities
As US regulators continue to refine the legal framework for tokenized securities, legacy financial institutions and crypto platforms are accelerating efforts to put equities on blockchain infrastructure.
In September, Nasdaq filed for a rule change with US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) that would enable it to list and trade tokenized versions of publicly traded stocks, potentially allowing blockchain-based representations of listed shares to trade within its regulated exchange framework.
On Dec. 11, the same day it clarifyied how broker-dealers may custody tokenized securities under existing rules, the SEC issued a no-action letter allowing a Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation subsidiary to launch a tokenization service for securities already held in DTC custody.
On Jan. 19, the New York Stock Exchange and its parent company, Intercontinental Exchange, said they are developing a blockchain-based platform for trading tokenized stocks and ETFs with 24/7 trading and near-instant settlement, pending regulatory approval.
On the crypto side, more than 60 tokenized US stocks launched in June across exchanges Kraken and Bybit. The product, developed by Backed Finance under its xStocks brand, provides blockchain-based exposure to blue-chip companies, though it is not yet available to US customers.
Meanwhile, fintech Robinhood, which introduced tokenized versions of nearly 500 US stocks for EU users in October, has launched a public testnet for Robinhood Chain, an Ethereum layer-2 network built on Arbitrum.
On Wednesday, the company said the network is designed to support tokenized real-world and digital assets, including 24/7 trading, self-custody and onchain lending and derivatives applications.
Magazine: Bitcoin’s ‘biggest bull catalyst’ would be Saylor’s liquidation: Santiment founder
HELOC provider Figure Markets accounts for the network’s entire TVL.
The Provenance blockchain hit a new milestone on Wed. Feb. 11, as its total value locked (TVL) climbed to an all-time high of $1.2 billion.
This marks a 7% increase in TVL over the past 24 hours, and a roughly 570% jump since early November 2025, when TVL stood at about $179.9 million, according to DeFiLlama data.
Notably, Figure Markets is currently the only protocol tracked on Provenance by DeFiLlama, meaning the network’s entire TVL is essentially tied to Figure’s activity. Figure Markets is described as a decentralized custody platform, which offers spot trading, crypto-backed lending, and yield-bearing assets.
DeFiLlama data shows Figure Markets’ TVL at approximately $1.22 billion, with about $301 million currently borrowed. The protocol has generated roughly $3.84 million in annualized fees and revenue, while 30-day decentralized exchange volume stands at approximately $2.08 billion.
Figure Technologies, the entity behind Figure Markets and Provenance, currently leads in the tokenized private credit space, accounting for $15 billion of the market’s $20 billion active loans, per RWAxyz. The company is also the largest non-bank home equity line of credit (HELOC) originator in the U.S.
Meanwhile, Provenance’s native token, HASH, was the second-best performing token on the day, rising about 8% in 24 hours to trade near $0.018, according to CoinGecko. Figure’s HELOC token is currently trading at $1.02, down 1% on the day.
Provenance’s TVL increase comes amid renewed attention towards tokenized real-world assets (RWAs), which have grown 14% over the past month to a distributed asset value of over $24.7 billion.
Experts are Divided
Still, not everyone views the milestone as a structural breakthrough. Brian Huang, co-founder of Glider, told The Defiant that tokenizing assets on a standalone or siloed blockchain does not necessarily increase their utility.
“Assets aren’t any more useful on chain than offchain unless they have composability. Provenance has no composability,” Huang said. “Overall, I wouldn’t read into the $1.2 billion in assets. In the long term, tokenization will favor open protocols like Ethereum and Solana.”
Danny Nelson, Research Analyst at Bitwise Asset Management, took a different viewpoint, calling Provenance’s business “very real.”
“It’s the secret sauce fueling Figure Markets’ rise to become the largest non-bank home equity loan (HELOC) business in the U.S,” Nelson said. “Figure Markets purpose built Provenance Chain to handle its HELOCs.”
He explained that Figure represents all loan-related paperwork, contracts, and finances as tokens on the blockchain. “There, it can process everything much faster than a traditional lending business can,” Nelson added. “Figure is cutting the costs of creating each loan, and speeding up its processing, by handling the entire loan lifecycle on Provenance.”
Provenance’s growth follows a January announcement from Figure launching the On-Chain Public Equity Network (OPEN) on Provenance. The move allowed companies to list their equity natively on-chain.
“Unlike other tokenization efforts, OPEN equities are blockchain-registered, not a tokenized version of Depository Trust and Clearing Corporation (DTCC) securities,” the announcement reads.
Figure said its own stock will be the first public equity trading natively on the blockchain, with market makers including Jump Trading preparing to support the platform.
The Defiant reached out to Figure and Provenance for comment, but has not heard back at the time of publishing.
In a House Financial Services Committee hearing on Wednesday, lawmakers grilled Securities and Exchange Commission chair Paul Atkins over the agency’s crypto enforcement record and the fate of several cases that have been dismissed since leadership changes. The session highlighted a growing debate about the SEC’s approach to a fast-evolving sector as enforcement activity appears to have cooled under the current regime. Representative Stephen Lynch, a Democrat from Massachusetts, cited a roughly 60% drop in enforcement actions since Atkins took the helm, pointing to the dismissal of several high-profile lawsuits, including the Binance case in May 2025, as indicators of shifting dynamics in the agency’s crypto strategy.
The hearing also touched on connections between the Trump family and various crypto ventures, with Lynch flagging foreign investments and memecoins tied to the family as areas of concern. A notable development cited during the discussion involved Aryam Investment 1, an Abu Dhabi-based vehicle backed by Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan, which reportedly acquired 49% of the startup behind World Liberty Financial (WLFI) — a decentralized finance platform linked to the Trump family. Lynch argued that such ties could undermine trust in the sector and complicate consumer protection, while Atkins maintained that the SEC remains committed to pursuing enforcement where warranted. World Liberty Financial (WLFI) was referenced in the discussions as a focal point of these concerns, a project that has drawn scrutiny amid international investment links and crypto-market activity.
“This is hurting the crypto industry, all these scams. Look at crypto today. I think it’s down 25% in the last month. People are losing trust, and it’s not good for crypto. It’s certainly not good for consumers, and it’s awful the reputational damage that the SEC is suffering.”
The SEC chair responded by reiterating the agency’s stance that enforcement actions continue where they are warranted and that the agency’s program remains robust. Atkins stressed ongoing cases and emphasized the normalization of enforcement efforts in the crypto space, even as some lawmakers pressed for a clearer accounting of stalled or dismissed actions. The exchange underscores a broader, bipartisan challenge: how to balance consumer protection with a market that is still evolving in terms of products, custody, and governance structures.
The discussion unfolded as the U.S. political calendar—set against a midterm election backdrop—adds complexity to crypto policy dynamics. Lawmakers suggested that a shift in congressional control could affect the pace and nature of market-structure legislation and other regulatory initiatives that touch the crypto industry. The hearing also touched on bilateral concerns about the influence of foreign actors in U.S. crypto projects, and how such links might shape lawmakers’ willingness to push ahead with comprehensive regulatory frameworks in the near term.
California Democrat Maxine Waters, who has been a persistent critic of both the Trump orbit and parts of the crypto ecosystem, pressed Atkins on the implications of pardons and dropped lawsuits for the credibility of the SEC’s enforcement program. “These cases were dismissed, despite the fact that the SEC was winning in court, proving that the SEC’s crypto enforcement program was well-grounded in the law,” Waters contended, underscoring concerns about the political contours surrounding enforcement decisions. The discussion touched on associations between pardoned executives and crypto ventures that have contributed to political fundraising, a point Waters framed as a broader issue of transparency and accountability in the sector.
The deliberations also highlighted broader questions about how foreign investment and purported national-security considerations intersect with crypto innovation. The conversation around WLFI and related projects was framed as part of a wider debate about whether foreign influence could shape policy at a moment when the sector is seeking mainstream adoption. The hearing did not resolve these questions, but it did illuminate the ongoing rift between calls for stronger enforcement and concerns about how aggressively regulators should pursue actions when cases appear to be in flux or subject to political considerations.
Why it matters
For investors and builders in the crypto space, the hearing underscores the evolving risk landscape around regulatory expectations. The fact that enforcement actions have declined by a substantial margin since Atkins took office raises questions about the SEC’s current priorities and the factors that drive case selection in a sector that is both technologically complex and rapidly changing. The dismissal of prominent cases—such as the Binance lawsuit—suggests that the regulatory environment can shift in meaningful ways, with potential implications for how market participants assess risk, pursue compliance, and engage with U.S. authorities.
At the same time, the linkage of crypto ventures to political figures and foreign investment underlines a broader narrative about governance, transparency, and consumer protection in the industry. The WLFI situation, in particular, places a spotlight on how geopolitical dynamics and high-profile associations might influence perceptions of legitimacy and safety in decentralized finance platforms. While lawmakers are calling for vigilance against scams and opaque schemes, others warn against overreach that could chill innovation or raise the hurdle for legitimate crypto projects seeking to operate within the U.S. regulatory framework.
As the midterm year unfolds, the conversation around crypto enforcement is likely to remain tightly connected to broader regulatory ambitions and the political calculus surrounding the Democratic and Republican coalitions in Congress. The balance between rigorous scrutability and enabling responsible innovation will continue to shape the direction of policy, enforcement priorities, and the market’s readiness to adopt new technologies and products in a compliant, transparent manner.
Beyond the immediate hearing, observers are watching for how the SEC will calibrate its approach to crypto assets, custody, exchanges, and complex DeFi structures in forthcoming rulemakings and guidance. The tension between enforcement actions and industry confidence is a key barometer for overall market sentiment—a factor that could influence liquidity, participation, and the pace of institutional involvement as the sector seeks clearer guardrails and consistent regulatory expectations.
Related coverage has tracked ongoing discussions about WLFI and related topics, including how foreign involvement in crypto ventures may intersect with national security considerations and regulatory oversight. As the ecosystem matures, stakeholders will be looking for signals on whether enforcement focus will intensify in certain sub-sectors or remain steady as policymakers evaluate the efficacy and proportionality of regulatory actions in a rapidly evolving landscape.
What to watch next
- Follow-up statements or actions from the SEC after the hearing, including any new policy guidance or adjustments to enforcement priorities.
- Updates on WLFI-related developments and any regulatory or legal steps involving Aryam Investment 1’s stake and its connections.
- Potential movements on market-structure legislation or other crypto regulatory bills during the current congressional cycle.
- Next round of congressional scrutiny or inquiries into crypto governance and cross-border links to high-profile projects.
Sources & verification
- YouTube video: US House Committee on Financial Services—Lynch questions SEC Chair Paul Atkins. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jAq7zM2sTuE
- Court documents: Motion to dismiss the Binance case. https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.dcd.256060/gov.uscourts.dcd.256060.301.0.pdf
- Cointelegraph: SEC dismisses lawsuit against Binance (filings show). https://cointelegraph.com/news/sec-dismisses-lawsuit-against-binance-filings-show
- Cointelegraph: UAE-backed firm buys 49% Trump-linked World Liberty (WLFI). https://cointelegraph.com/news/uae-backed-firm-buys-49-percent-trump-linked-world-liberty-wsj
- Cointelegraph: Trump-linked WLFI probe and UAE investment. https://cointelegraph.com/news/trump-wlfi-probe-500-million-investment-from-uae-official
Congressional hearing highlights a shift in crypto enforcement and governance
The hearing laid bare a tension that will likely continue to define the crypto policy conversation: regulators assert that they will aggressively pursue violations where the law supports it, while lawmakers—and a portion of the industry—argue that the enforcement regime should be predictable, proportionate, and cognizant of the sector’s growth potential. Atkins reiterated the SEC’s commitment to due process and to enforcing rules designed to protect investors, even as several high-profile cases have fallen away or stalled. Lynch’s remarks framed these outcomes within a broader concern about the impact on public trust and the long-term legitimacy of crypto markets. The exchange also underscored how the regulatory narrative around foreign involvement, national security, and consumer protection intersects with ongoing debates about the appropriate pace of rulemaking and the extent of enforcement discretion.
As the discussion moves forward, observers will be watching for concrete signals about how the SEC plans to align its enforcement posture with the evolving technological landscape—including DeFi, stablecoins, and non-custodial products—and how lawmakers on both sides of the aisle intend to shape the regulatory architecture that will govern these innovations in the years to come.
Crypto World
Pippin (PIPPIN) Enters Crypto’s Top 100 Club After Soaring 30% in a Day: More Room for Growth?
“Really nice chart, pure strength,” one popular analyst stated.
The meme coin pippin (PIPPIN) once again defied the ongoing bearish environment in the cryptocurrency market, with its price rallying by roughly 30% over the past 24 hours.
It has become a point of interest for well-known analysts who believe further short-term gains could be forthcoming.
Rising Through the Ranks
Earlier today (February 11), PIPPIN’s valuation climbed to as high as $0.46, marking the highest level since the end of January. Currently, it trades at around $0.44 (per CoinGecko’s data), representing a whopping 144% spike on a weekly scale.
Its market capitalization soared well above $400 million, making PIPPIN the 100th-largest cryptocurrency. Over the past few weeks, it flipped Pudgy Penguins (PENGU), dogwifhat (WIF), and FLOKI (FLOKI) and now stands as the eighth-biggest meme coin. The undisputed leader in the realm remains Dogecoin (DOGE), whose market cap exceeds $15 billion.
According to the analyst who goes by the X moniker Sjuul | AltCryptoGems, PIPPIN has more fuel to post additional gains, setting the next target at around $0.50.
“Really nice chart, pure strength! Extremely well-respected support and resistance levels, and full ripping after that deviation! If I smell this right, resistance should be next,” he said.
Earlier this week, the market observer Satori also put PIPPIN on their watchlist, claiming “a much stronger breakout” might be on the horizon.
Investors Should Beware
While the asset has undoubtedly turned into one of crypto’s sensations in the past few days, those planning to invest in it must tread lightly. First, meme coins are notorious for their high volatility, meaning PIPPIN can make a sudden move and crash by double digits in a short period.
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Second, some analysts on X have warned that the token is primarily driven by speculation, whereas its utility and use cases are questionable (to say the least). Critics like Diane De crypto went even further, calling PIPPIN “the biggest money laundering event happening right in front of your eyes.”
The asset’s Relative Strength Index (RSI) can also be interpreted as a warning sign for investors. The technical analysis tool measures the recent speed and magnitude of the latest price changes, and traders often use it to spot potential reversal points.
It ranges from 0 to 100, and ratios above 70 indicate PIPPIN is overbought and could be due for an imminent pullback. On the contrary, anything beneath 30 might be viewed as a buying opportunity. Currently, the RSI stands at approximately 72.
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Volume across Polymarket and Kalshi hit $400 million for the first time, with sports and political markets drawing nearly all the liquidity.
Open interest (OI) across crypto prediction markets just hit $1 billion for the first time, a surge likely fueled by increased activity around the 2026 Super Bowl.
According to data from Artemis, open interest across platforms, Polymarket, Kalshi, Limitless, Opinion, and others, jumped above $1.1 billion for the first time on Feb. 7, setting a new all-time high. OI indicates the value of all currently active positions — in this case, the “yes” or “no” positions across predictions — that have yet to be resolved, making it an indicator of capital inflow and liquidity.
As for spot volume, it also reached a new historic record of $1.4 billion across platforms, with Kalshi generating $800 million and Polymarket about $311 million on Super Bowl Sunday, Feb. 8, Artemis data shows.
Digging into sectors where users placed the most bets, sports led with $375.3 million, while politics was close behind at $359.7 million, and culture trails at $84.5 million, according to data from crypto venture capital firm Paradigm’s new dashboard, which tracks liquidity across sectors on Polymarket and Kalshi, the two largest marketplaces by OI and trading volume.
But the growing interest in placing bets on real-world outcomes doesn’t come without risks. In a recent report, analysts at blockchain security firm CertiK warned that despite the surge, prediction markets are still exposed to security risks like oracle attacks, admin key vulnerabilities and front-running.
The firm also warned that artificial volume on prediction markets reached 60% on some platforms “during airdrop farming peaks, distorting liquidity metrics, while probability outputs remained reliable for forecasting.”
The spike in prediction market OI coincided with news that Jump Trading, a high-frequency trading firm, is reportedly set to gain small stakes in both Kalshi and Polymarket in exchange for providing liquidity, Bloomberg reported on Feb. 9, citing sources familiar with the matter.
Bitcoin encountered renewed selling pressure at the key $70K resistance level, resulting in a clear rejection. As a result, the price action has transitioned into a consolidation phase above the critical $60K support zone, with further fluctuations likely in the near term.
Bitcoin Price Analysis: The Daily Chart
On the daily timeframe, BTC’s rebound from the $60K demand region stalled at the $70K resistance, where sellers regained control. This level closely aligns with the midline of the descending channel, reinforcing its technical significance. A decisive break above this dynamic boundary would be required to restore bullish momentum.
For now, Bitcoin remains confined within a defined range, bounded by the static $60K support and the channel’s dynamic mid-boundary near $70K. Consolidation appears to be the dominant scenario, with a breakout on either side likely to trigger a more substantial directional move.
BTC/USDT 4-Hour Chart
On the 4-hour chart, the rejection at $70K is more pronounced, with the asset retracing toward the $66K area. A notable bullish divergence between price action and the RSI suggests weakening downside momentum, increasing the probability of a short-term range-bound structure between the $60K and $75K levels.
However, the internal resistance at the channel’s midline continues to cap upside attempts, limiting bullish follow-through and keeping the broader structure neutral-to-bearish until a clear breakout materializes.
Sentiment Analysis
Bitcoin funding rates across all exchanges have recently flipped deeply negative, reaching extreme levels around -0.014 while the price dropped toward the $66.9K region. This sharp shift into negative territory signals aggressive short positioning, as traders are now paying a premium to hold bearish bets.
Historically, such extreme negative funding prints tend to appear during panic-driven sell-offs, when the market becomes crowded on the short side. The current structure suggests that derivatives traders are heavily positioned for further downside following the breakdown below the $70K area.
From a positioning standpoint, this creates conditions for a potential short squeeze if spot demand steps in. When funding remains deeply negative while price stabilizes, it often reflects exhaustion in selling pressure. However, if price continues to trend lower while funding stays negative, it confirms sustained bearish dominance rather than a temporary flush.
At this stage, the funding data highlights elevated fear and aggressive short exposure, placing the market in a sensitive zone where volatility expansion, either through continuation or a squeeze, becomes increasingly likely.
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Contagion fears rise as the Susquehanna-backed lender and trading provider cites liquidity issues.
Institution-focused crypto lender and liquidity provider BlockFills is blocking its clients’ deposits and withdrawals, a move reminiscent of previous crypto downturns.
The Financial Times first reported the development, which comes after BTC reached as low as $60,000 on Feb. 5, a 52% drop from the asset’s all-time high in October.
“In light of recent market and financial conditions, and to further the protection of clients and the firm, BlockFills took the action last week of temporarily suspending client deposits and withdrawals. Clients have been able to continue trading with BlockFills for the purpose of opening and closing positions in spot and derivatives trading and select other circumstances,” the company said in a statement earlier today.
While details are scarce, some consider the move reminiscent of 2022, when large crypto lenders and exchanges that proved insolvent followed a similar process.
The BlockFills representative who spoke with FT cited platform liquidity as an issue and stated in the article that “Management has been working hand in hand with investors and clients to bring this issue to a swift resolution and to restore liquidity to the platform.”
BlockFills is an institution-focused trading platform and crypto lender based in Chicago that recorded $60 billion in trading volume in 2025 and is backed by a crypto-native private equity firm, Susquehanna.
HONG KONG — Last week’s sharp crypto sell-off was less a replay of 2022’s scandals and more a macro-driven unwind spilling over from traditional finance, according to market participants at Consensus Hong Kong 2026.
“After Oct. 10th, a lot of people had already reduced risk,” said Fabio Frontini, founder of Abraxas Capital Management. “This is just a spillover from TradFi entirely… it’s all interconnected now.”
Panelists pointed to the unwinding of yen carry trades as a key catalyst. Thomas Restout, group CEO of B2C2, described the mechanics: investors borrow in low-interest-rate currencies like the yen and deploy that capital into higher-yielding or risk assets, including bitcoin, ether, gold and silver.
“What does that mean? That means people borrow currencies that have cheap interest rates, and they use it to put on carry trades,” Restout said.
The yen carry trade refers to investors borrowing Japanese yen at low interest rates, converting it into other currencies then investing into higher-yielding assets. However, should yen strengthen, investors have to buy it back to repay loans, causing the trade to “unwind” and trigger market volatility.
As yen rates rose, borrowing costs increased. At the same time, higher volatility triggered steeper margin requirements. “In metals, it went from 11% margin requirements to 16%,” Restout added. This forced some players to unwind positions as collateral demands surged.
The result was broad pressure across risk assets, not just crypto.
Exchange-traded funds (ETFs) tracking bitcoin also saw heavy volumes during the downturn, though panelists pushed back on the idea of full-scale institutional capitulation. At their peak, bitcoin ETFs totaled roughly $150 billion in assets; today they still hold around $100 billion, Restout said. Net outflows since October are about $12 billion—significant, but modest relative to total assets.
“If anything, it means that the money is changing hands,” Restout said, suggesting rotation rather than wholesale exit.
Looking ahead, Emma Lovett, credit lead for Market DLT at J.P. Morgan, said 2025 marked a regulatory inflection point. A more permissive U.S. backdrop has accelerated experimentation beyond private, permissioned blockchains toward public chains and stablecoin settlement.
“What we started to see in 2025… is the introduction of using public chains and… stable coins for the settlement of traditional securities,” she said, signaling a deeper convergence of TradFi and crypto infrastructure in 2026.
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