Crypto World
Bitcoin Crashes to $63K as US, Israel Bomb Iran
Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC) faced renewed geopolitical turbulence over the weekend as reports of a joint U.S.-Israel operation targeting Iran intensified market chatter. The move came as traditional markets remained in a holding pattern, leaving crypto traders to assess the implications in a vacuum. On Saturday, BTC slid toward the lower end of a key trading band, briefly testing the $63,000 region as investors weighed the potential fallout from a campaign aimed at Iran’s nuclear infrastructure. The timing coincided with a quiet moment in traditional markets, where futures and other risk assets had not yet resumed full trading, underscoring how crypto can move on its own schedule during periods of geopolitical stress.
Key takeaways
- BTC traded around the mid-$60,000s, probing the $63,000 level as weekend escalation unfolded and U.S. and Israeli actions were reported against Iran.
- Liquidations tied to the move surpassed $250 million within a four-hour window, highlighting heightened risk-off dynamics within crypto despite a pause in broader market activity.
- Trump’s remarks—calling on Iranians to take over their government after describing the objective as targeting Iran’s nuclear infrastructure—added a political overlay to the headline-led move.
- Crypto markets moved independently of TradFi during the period, with traditional market activity disrupted or delayed, amplifying a crypto-driven narrative around safe-haven + risk-off tension.
- Historical echoes surfaced in trading chatter, referencing prior Iran-related shocks in 2025 that produced outsized volatility across crypto and risk assets, a pattern that some traders cited as context for the current reaction.
Tickers mentioned: $BTC
Sentiment: Neutral
Price impact: Negative. The weekend developments contributed to a near-4% drop and a test of notable support around the $63,000 area.
Trading idea (Not Financial Advice): Hold. Price action remains within a framework of key support and the potential for a renewed test of higher levels will hinge on evolving geopolitical signals and macro cues.
Market context: The episode underscored how geopolitics can drive crypto-specific volatility even when traditional markets are quiet or paused, with liquidity dynamics shaping the immediate response and sentiment.
Why it matters
The unfolding weekend episode reinforces the role of Bitcoin as a potential nonlinear reaction to geopolitical stress. While equities and other traditional assets were not fully pricing in the latest headlines, BTC moved with a decisive tilt, testing an important round-number barrier and illustrating how market participants treat crypto as a distinct risk-on/risk-off instrument during times of international tension. The magnitude of intraday liquidations—reported to exceed $250 million in a short span—highlights the rapid, leveraged dynamics that can accompany sudden shifts in sentiment, even when broader markets remain comparatively subdued.
Beyond the immediate price action, the incident raises questions about liquidity and correlation in the current macro environment. The absence or delay of traditional market participation on the weekend left a vacuum that crypto markets often fill with their own narratives, sometimes amplifying moves beyond what fundamentals would suggest. The juxtaposition of a hawkish geopolitical headline with a crypto market that has recently faced a prolonged drawdown in prior cycles adds texture to the analysis of BTC’s resilience near blocks of support, including around the $60,000 level that traders view as a psychological and technical hinge in this cycle.
The episode also nods to a broader history of Iran-related shocks in the crypto space. A notable note from observers cited a previous Iran-focused episode in 2025 that sparked a surge in volatility across risk assets—an echo that keeps some traders attentive to the potential for follow-through moves as headlines evolve. In this sense, the latest escalation becomes part of a longer-running narrative about how geopolitical risk translates into crypto-specific dynamics, particularly as markets approach monthly or quarterly closes where liquidity and risk sentiment can tighten further.
Against this backdrop, traders remained mindful of the broader inflation and macro data cycle that can compound or cap spikes in volatility. Prior to the weekend move, hot U.S. inflation data had already given Bitcoin bulls a reason to tread carefully, underscoring that price resilience often coexists with a fragile narrative around sustained upside. The combination of a fresh geopolitical shock and sticky inflation metrics paints a complex picture for BTC, where sharp short-term moves coexist with a longer arc of price discovery that is still trying to chart a sustainable path above key support levels.
As the situation evolved, the narrative around Bitcoin’s behavior during geopolitical flare-ups continued to gain traction. Analysts emphasized the importance of monitoring $63,000 as a test point—an inflection that, if held, could set the stage for a cautious rebound or a renewed consolidation. Conversely, a break of that level would invite a fresh wave of risk-off selling and raise the possibility of retesting lower cushions established earlier in the year, particularly given the sensitive macro backdrop and ongoing concerns about liquidity if volatility persists into the February close.
On the ground, observers also noted the role of media framing and social chatter in shaping short-term expectations. A post from political commentators and market analysts alike threaded together the weekend’s headlines with the technical narrative, underscoring how crypto markets continue to operate at the confluence of macro, policy, and technology-driven factors. The result is a market environment where BTC can diverge from traditional assets for stretches, but remains tethered to the same fundamentals that govern risk appetite, funding conditions, and liquidity availability as traders size up the next significant catalyst.
What to watch next
- February monthly close: Watch for whether BTC can defend the $60,000–$63,000 range or if a break below sharpens the downside bias.
- Geopolitical updates: Any new statements or actions from the U.S. or allied governments, and Iran’s official responses, could redraw the risk landscape for crypto markets.
- Liquidity metrics: Monitor liquidity flows and liquidation data from trackers like CoinGlass as markets digest new headlines and potential policy signals.
- Regulatory signals: Any regulatory commentary or policy signals that could affect crypto markets in the wake of geopolitical events.
Sources & verification
- BTC price action near $63,000 and intraday dynamics as reported by market data aggregators (e.g., TradingView) for BTCUSD.
- Public statements from U.S. President Donald Trump regarding the weekend operation and his remarks about Iran.
- Liquidation data tracked by market observatories (CoinGlass) during the four-hour window cited.
- Analysis and context provided by commentators referencing the Kobeissi Letter and its remarks on related Iran-related episodes.
- Historical references to prior Iran-related events affecting crypto and risk assets, including related coverage from Cointelegraph.
Geopolitical shock and Bitcoin’s path
Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC) moved to absorb fresh geopolitical headlines as a joint U.S.-Israel operation targeted Iran’s nuclear infrastructure. In the immediate aftermath, price action suggested a cautious mood among traders: the asset hovered near the upper mid-range before dipping toward support levels, with the market registering a roughly four-percent decline in intraday trading. Data from market trackers captured a considerable liquidation footprint—more than $250 million in a four-hour window—underscoring how liquidity can ebb and flow in response to headlines even when traditional markets are less active.
The weekend narrative was further shaped by political signals. A video message from U.S. President Donald Trump contained a dual aim: to describe the operation’s objective as targeting nuclear infrastructure while urging Iranians to “take over your government.” The message added a layer of political risk to an already delicate market environment, illustrating how policy chatter can intersect with price dynamics in crypto markets that are increasingly sensitive to headline risk.
In market commentary, observers noted that crypto markets were effectively operating in isolation as TradFi trading hours were unsettled or paused. This was a period where BTC moved independently of equity futures and other traditional benchmarks, a pattern that some analysts attribute to the asset’s ongoing role as a non-sovereign store of value during times of geopolitical strain. Yet even with a certain degree of independence, BTC’s trajectory remained tethered to the broader macro narrative—specifically, how inflation data and risk sentiment evolve in the days ahead and whether the market can defend key technical fortresses near $60,000.
The historical angle remains salient. Some market watchers pointed to a prior Iran-related episode in 2025 that produced a pronounced risk-off response across crypto and traditional assets, illustrating how geopolitical shocks can imprint a multi-month pattern on price action. While this does not define a forecast, it provides context for current traders who monitor the interplay between headlines, liquidity, and the delicate balance between risk-on and risk-off dynamics at a time when the February close looms.
As the near-term narrative unfolds, the market context remains one of cautious navigation. The combination of geopolitical catalysts, inflation dynamics, and the fragility of intraday liquidity means investors are watching not just the immediate price moves but the persistence of support levels that have held in prior tests. The coming days will reveal whether BTC’s reaction to the weekend headlines translates into a broader shift in momentum or a temporary pause as traders reassess risk preferences ahead of the next macro and policy updates.
XRP reversed sharply after failing to sustain its rebound, with a high-volume breakdown through $1.36 accelerating downside momentum.
News Background
- XRP fell alongside renewed weakness across the broader crypto market, but the decisive move was technical rather than headline-driven.
- The token had staged a brief relief rally earlier in the week, only to stall below key resistance and roll over as sellers defended higher levels.
- The breakdown extends XRP’s corrective pattern since its July 2025 peak, reinforcing a sequence of lower highs and failed recovery attempts.
Price Action Summary
- XRP dropped 9.1% from $1.42 to $1.30
- Selling intensified once $1.36 support failed
- Volume surged more than 170% above average during the main capitulation phase
- A brief rebound toward $1.33 was quickly rejected
Technical Analysis
- The critical event was the clean break below $1.36, which had served as near-term structural support.
- Once lost, downside momentum accelerated, driving price toward $1.30 on outsized volume — a sign of forced selling rather than gradual distribution.
- A short-covering bounce pushed XRP to $1.325, but the rally stalled immediately, forming a clear lower high and confirming the broader downtrend remains intact. Former support at $1.36–$1.37 now acts as resistance, while $1.32–$1.33 caps near-term recovery attempts.
- On higher timeframes, XRP remains below key retracement levels, with $1.47 representing the next meaningful structural hurdle should buyers regain control.
What traders say is next?
- Traders are focused on whether $1.30 can hold as a near-term floor.
- If $1.30 stabilizes, XRP may consolidate before attempting another push toward $1.32–$1.36. A reclaim of $1.36 would be the first sign that the breakdown was overextended.
- If $1.30 fails decisively, downside risk shifts toward the $1.20–$1.22 region, where longer-term demand is expected to emerge.
- For now, momentum favors sellers, and any bounce is viewed as corrective until resistance levels are reclaimed.
Key Takeaways
- SolarEdge (SEDG) closed down 9.5% at $36.57 on February 27, trading on approximately half its typical daily volume.
- Solar stocks experienced significant declines, with Sunrun plummeting 35%, Array Technologies falling 34%, and Shoals Technologies dropping 31% following quarterly reports.
- Industry-wide challenges include tariff-related margin compression and reduced federal incentives dampening residential solar adoption.
- While SolarEdge exceeded Q4 earnings expectations, the company continues operating at a loss with a net margin of -34.2%.
- Wall Street maintains a “Reduce” rating on SEDG, with the consensus price target of $27.28 indicating potential downside from current levels.
Shares of SolarEdge Technologies (SEDG) declined 9.5% during trading on February 27, finishing the session at $36.57 compared to the previous close of $40.40.
SolarEdge Technologies, Inc., SEDG
Trading activity was notably subdued, with approximately 1.57 million shares changing hands — roughly half the company’s 3.16 million share average daily volume.
The decline in SEDG wasn’t an isolated event. The entire solar industry experienced significant downward pressure throughout the week.
Sunrun plummeted 35% following its earnings announcement. Array Technologies saw shares drop 34%. Shoals Technologies declined 31%. First Solar fell 14%. The Invesco Solar ETF registered an 8% loss for the week — marking its steepest five-day decline since June.
This widespread selloff signals fundamental challenges facing the industry rather than temporary market volatility.
Tariff pressures are compressing profit margins at companies including First Solar, Array, and Shoals, with each citing these impacts during quarterly earnings discussions. Changes to federal energy policy have reduced financial incentives for consumers, while demand in the residential solar market shows signs of deterioration.
According to Wood Mackenzie forecasts, U.S. residential solar installations are projected to contract by 18% in 2026.
Sunrun’s quarterly results provided evidence of this declining trend. The company reported a 17% year-over-year decrease in new subscribers during Q4 2025 compared to Q4 2024, while the net value per new customer fell 30% in the period. The company’s 2026 outlook further dampened investor confidence — Jefferies analyst Julien Dumoulin-Smith downgraded the stock from Buy to Hold, pointing to expectations for “a more prolonged period of market contraction.”
First Solar’s Contract Backlog Signals Industry Headwinds
First Solar’s contract backlog declined to 50.1 gigawatts by year-end 2025, representing a significant drop from 68.5 gigawatts at the beginning of the year.
The company experienced more contract cancellations and terminations than new bookings during the quarter — marking the seventh straight quarter of declining backlog, according to Raymond James analyst Bobby Zolper.
Zolper observed that the company’s 2026 and 2027 projections fell approximately 15% short of earlier expectations across key metrics including shipment volumes, revenue, and EBITDA. He maintained a Market Perform rating, stating he would “wait out the near-term negatives.”
SolarEdge Posted Better-Than-Expected Results
Despite the share price decline, SolarEdge delivered fourth-quarter results that surpassed analyst forecasts. The company reported an adjusted EPS loss of $0.14, narrower than the anticipated loss of $0.19. Quarterly revenue reached $333.8 million, exceeding the $330.33 million consensus estimate and representing a 70.9% increase year over year.
However, profitability remains elusive. The company’s net margin stands at -34.2% with return on equity at -45.5%.
Wall Street’s view on SEDG leans bearish. The consensus recommendation is “Reduce,” comprising one Buy rating, 16 Hold ratings, and seven Sell ratings. The average analyst price target of $27.28 sits below the stock’s current trading range.
Recent analyst activity includes Deutsche Bank lowering its price target from $35 to $33 while maintaining a Hold rating on February 20, and Morgan Stanley increasing its target from $33 to $40 with an Equal Weight rating on February 19.
The stock’s 50-day moving average stands at $33.76, while the 200-day moving average is $34.19. SEDG maintains a market capitalization of approximately $2.06 billion with a beta coefficient of 1.66.
Institutional ownership accounts for 95.1% of outstanding shares.
Ethereum continues to host the largest concentration of stablecoins and decentralized finance (DeFi) capital, even as successive waves of faster networks emerge.
Newer blockchains have promised higher throughput and lower costs, raising questions about whether institutional capital could eventually migrate away from Ethereum.
Kevin Lepsoe, founder of ETHGas and a former Morgan Stanley derivatives executive in Asia, said he expects Ethereum’s lead to endure, as institutions tend to prioritize capital depth over flashy performance.
“[Transactions per second] is the metric that gets engineers excited, but is that what drives capital to the blockchain?” Lepsoe asked in an interview with Cointelegraph.
“The capital is on Ethereum; the stablecoins are there. TradFi is looking at where the liquidity is,” he said.
Institutional capital brings scale and stability to a blockchain’s ecosystem. Large asset managers and tokenized fund issuers move capital in volumes that deepen liquidity and anchor stablecoin supply. Their presence can establish a network’s position beyond hype-driven retail activity that surges in bull markets and fades in downturns.
Liquidity keeps Ethereum ahead of faster rivals
If institutions prefer to operate where most of the money already sits, then simply making a faster blockchain will not pull capital away from Ethereum.
Over the past several cycles, performance has become a weapon to attract users. Solana has emerged as Ethereum’s high-speed alternative, dubbed an “Ethereum killer,” though that label is debated. It onboarded retail traders through the non-fungible token (NFT) boom and the memecoin frenzy, but the heightened activities weren’t sustained in the long run.
Related: Can Solana shed its memecoin image in 2026?
Solana now has its own generation of “Solana killers” that advertise higher theoretical transactions per second (TPS). But Ethereum’s liquidity grants tighter spreads, lower slippage for large trades and the capacity to absorb institutional-sized transactions without heavily distorting prices.
“I think of Ethereum as like downtown,” Lepsoe said.
“You could build a marketplace uptown somewhere in the suburbs and you could get far off market prices there, maybe it’s more convenient or maybe you like the vibe. But if you want the deepest liquidity, you go downtown, and that’s Ethereum.”
Though past crypto booms featured high-stakes retail speculation, the next phase is shaping up to include more institutional capital. As it stands, institutional players have expressed interest in practical use cases such as stablecoins and real-world assets (RWAs).
Even the world’s largest asset manager is leaning into RWA products. BlackRock’s USD Liquidity Fund (BUIDL) is its tokenized Treasury fund that started on Ethereum and branched out to several blockchains. Ethereum holds over a 30% BUIDL market capitalization.
Ethereum is the largest network for stablecoins as well, which BlackRock’s global head of market development, Samara Cohen, said are “becoming the bridge between traditional finance and digital liquidity.”
Ethereum leads the industry in stablecoin market cap, with $160.4 billion, according to DefiLlama.
Ethereum’s L2 liquidity is returning to L1
Though Lepsoe said liquidity depth shapes institutional preference, a network’s efficiency cannot be completely disregarded.
Ethereum has been adjusting its own technical profile. Transaction fees that once routinely spiked to virtually unusable prices have fallen significantly, as layer-2 rollups eased pressure on the main chain. These solutions brought in new problems of their own. Rollups fragmented liquidity across multiple environments.
Related: 2026 is the year Ethereum starts scaling exponentially with ZK tech
Lepsoe described the liquidity fragmentation as a blessing in disguise for Ethereum. He argued that if L2s didn’t take away liquidity from the main chain, capital would have flown out to competitors.
“I think it actually saved the liquidity from going to other L1s, where they eventually probably couldn’t have brought it back,” he said.
Recently, Ethereum has shifted its focus back to scaling the main chain. Co-founder Vitalik Buterin said that many layer 2s have failed to decentralize, while the main chain is now sufficiently scaling.
“Both of these facts, for their own separate reasons, mean that the original vision of L2s and their role in Ethereum no longer makes sense, and we need a new path,” Buterin said in a recent X post.
Scaling upgrades strengthen Ethereum’s liquidity advantage
With transaction fees tamed, Ethereum is expected to execute the Glamsterdam fork in 2026, raising the block gas limit to 200 million from 60 million and putting its layer 1 on the road to 10,000 TPS over time.
For Ethereum, the timing coincides with institutions evaluating blockchain infrastructure for the next generation of financial services.
Alongside protocol upgrades, infrastructure providers are experimenting with ways to improve execution efficiency. Projects like Lepsoe’s ETHGas aim to optimize Ethereum’s block construction process through offchain execution and coordination, while Psy Protocol uses zero-knowledge technology to bundle multiple transactions into one.
Marcin Kaźmierczak, co-founder of blockchain oracle RedStone — which supplies data feeds for tokenized assets and institutional blockchain applications — said that Ethereum has the edge, as institutions prefer blockchains that have been battle-tested and around “for a very long time.” However, while institutions are “aggressively” expanding into Ethereum, they’re also shopping around.
“They look at Solana, which is getting good traction. Canton is extremely important for them because it gives them privacy, which they value very, very much,” Kaźmierczak told Cointelegraph.
Lepsoe said he sees “zero threat” from Solana or Canton, arguing that Ethereum still has the deepest liquidity pool, which is the primary draw for large allocators.
For institutional capital, performance improvements may expand Ethereum’s capacity, but liquidity remains its defining advantage. In blockchain markets, speed can attract users during booms, but capital tends to stay where the deepest markets already exist.
Magazine: 6 massive challenges Bitcoin faces on the road to quantum security
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With a few hours still to go, Bitcoin is on track to post its worst losing streak since 2018, with February about to mark a fifth consecutive monthly decline.
The run of losses would be the longest since that 2018–2019 bear market and follows what has already been bitcoin’s worst first 50-day start to a year on record, leaving BTC down more than 25% year to date and on course for its first-ever back-to-back January and February declines.
More? The bitcoin-to-gold ratio fell to 12.288 ounces in February, marking a 70% drawdown over the last 14 months.
Bitcoin is also about to close out its worst month since June 2022 as the collapse of Terra-Luna that year sent the price plunging by about one-third. With bitcoin currently at about $66,000, the decline this February stands at more than 16%.
But some analysts argue that comparing the current stretch to 2018 may be oversimplifying what’s unfolding.
Repricing within a structural regime shift
“What we’re seeing isn’t just weakness. It’s repricing inside a structural regime shift,” Mati Greenspan, senior eToro market analyst and founder of Quantum Economics, told CoinDesk.
He believes that while tariffs, ETF flows and macro fears may explain the timing of the selloff, they don’t explain the deeper move, which he sees as a broader recalibration in how markets value risk assets in an era of elevated uncertainty.
Bitcoin is also approaching a fifth straight weekly decline, a streak last seen between March and May 2022.
Geopolitical tensions have strengthened the U.S. dollar and crude oil prices, tightening financial conditions and weighing on risk assets.
Yet, this downturn stands out for another reason: bitcoin’s uneven relationship with equities. While U.S. stocks have remained relatively resilient, BTC has sharply underperformed, marking an unusual period of instability in its traditional risk-asset correlation.
Confronting arguments
“Bitcoin doesn’t have a narrative right now, and it’s getting squeezed from both sides,” Jonatan Randin, senior market analyst at PrimeXBT, said in an email to CoinDesk.
Randin pointed to mounting macro pressure, including $3.8 billion in ETF outflows over the past five weeks, escalating tariff tensions and a Federal Reserve that has yet to signal imminent rate cuts.
While gold has attracted safe-haven flows and equities have ridden AI momentum, bitcoin has lagged. “Gold is up roughly 48% since September while bitcoin has fallen about 41% over the same period,” Randin said, explaining that the divergence shows investors are still treating BTC as a liquidity-sensitive risk asset rather than digital gold.
The correlation picture has been volatile. “The 20-day BTC-Nasdaq correlation swung from -0.68 to +0.72 between early and mid-February. That’s not decorrelation, that’s instability,” Randin said. “When the risk-on trade is working, and one asset gets left behind, that’s usually weakness, not strength.”
The narrative “hasn’t changed since 2009. It is a global, neutral alternative to debt-based fiat systems,” according to Greenspan.
Decorrelations are not random
“When correlations break during regime shifts, it’s usually not random. It’s early repricing,” Greenspan said. “If equities are still being treated as cyclical growth exposure while bitcoin starts trading more like a sovereign hedge, that divergence is structurally bullish.”
Despite the scale of the drawdown, Randin cautioned against assuming the correction is over.
“Bitcoin’s now declined 52% from the October highs,” he said. “That sounds like a lot, but when you look at prior bear markets where we’ve seen drawdowns of 80% or more, we could realistically be only halfway through this correction.”
He added that while the weekly relative strength index (RSI) has fallen to its lowest reading in bitcoin’s history and accumulator addresses have absorbed roughly 372,000 BTC since late December, signals often associated with cycle bottoms, similar conditions in past downturns were followed by another 30% to 40% drop before a definitive low formed.
Greenspan, however, said sentiment may already reflect much of the pessimism. “When sentiment gets this uniformly negative while long-term fundamentals remain intact, reversals tend to be sharp,” he said.
Until bitcoin can reclaim the $68,000–$72,000 zone, Randin said, “I’d expect this streak to grind on rather than break cleanly.” He identified $60,000 as a key near-term support level, with the 200-week moving average near $58,500 just below it.
“The losing streak narrative focuses on five months,” Greenspan added. “The structural story spans decades.”
Quick Summary
- Broadcom’s Q1 FY2026 financial results scheduled for March 4, 2026
- Analyst consensus calls for $19.21 billion in revenue, marking a 29% annual increase
- Expected earnings per share of $2.02 represents 26% growth; the company has surpassed projections for nine consecutive quarters
- AI semiconductor division projected to generate $8.2 billion, representing a year-over-year doubling
- UBS maintains Buy recommendation with $475 target; analyst consensus shows Strong Buy rating averaging $452.32
Broadcom will unveil its Q1 FY2026 financial performance on March 4, 2026. The upcoming disclosure arrives with substantial anticipation from market observers and several critical factors demanding attention.
Financial analysts are forecasting quarterly revenue of $19.21 billion, representing a 29% increase from the comparable quarter in the previous fiscal year.
Regarding profitability metrics, Wall Street consensus points to earnings of $2.02 per share, reflecting 26% annual expansion. The semiconductor giant has exceeded analyst projections throughout the previous nine reporting periods, establishing elevated expectations for this announcement.
AVGO stock has surged 60% during the trailing twelve months, propelled predominantly by robust appetite for its specialized artificial intelligence processors. The shares have declined approximately 8% since the calendar year began.
Options traders are anticipating an 8.64% price swing surrounding the earnings announcement, illustrating considerable uncertainty regarding the forthcoming results.
Artificial Intelligence Semiconductor Division Takes Center Stage
Broadcom’s AI-focused chip revenues are forecast to approach $8.2 billion during this quarter, approximately doubling the figure from the year-ago period. This expansion stems from major tech corporations scaling their computational infrastructure.
On February 26, Broadcom announced expectations for exceptionally robust demand for an innovative AI processor utilizing sophisticated stacking architecture. According to Reuters reporting, deliveries may exceed one million units before 2027 concludes.
The semiconductor manufacturer has begun delivering its inaugural 2-nanometer custom compute system-on-chip, produced with its proprietary 3.5D eXtreme Dimension System in Package technology. Company executives emphasize the architecture enhances energy efficiency while reducing communication delays within AI computing clusters.
This represents a significant technological advancement. Reduced manufacturing node dimensions typically enable increased computational capabilities with decreased power consumption—a crucial consideration for enterprise-scale artificial intelligence deployments.
VMware Software Operations Draw Scrutiny
While semiconductor operations appear robust, market watchers are monitoring Broadcom’s infrastructure software business more closely, which expanded considerably following the VMware transaction.
UBS equity analyst Timothy Arcuri maintained his Buy recommendation before the quarterly disclosure, establishing a $475 valuation target. His analysis suggests recent share price softness correlates with compressed valuation multiples throughout the software sector rather than fundamental challenges within Broadcom’s semiconductor operations.
Arcuri identified several concerns within the software division, including possible customer attrition at VMware during contract renewal periods.
He additionally highlighted decelerating expansion following recent platform modernization cycles and the emergence of AI-powered development tools potentially accelerating cloud migration.
Wall Street sentiment toward the equity remains overwhelmingly constructive. Among 30 analyst assessments issued during the past three months, 28 recommend buying while two suggest holding, with zero sell ratings.
The consensus valuation target among these professionals stands at $452.32, suggesting approximately 41.5% appreciation potential from present trading levels.
Broadcom commences distribution of its 2-nanometer custom system-on-chip as the March 4 earnings announcement approaches.
TLDR:
- Ctrl Alt and Billiton Diamonds launch $280M UAE diamond tokenization on XRP Ledger.
- XRP Ledger enables secure, low-cost trading of previously illiquid luxury commodities.
- Ripple Custody provides bank-grade vaulting for $280M in physical diamond inventory.
- UAE regulatory alignment ensures global standards for on-chain real-world asset trading.
A $280 million diamond tokenization deal has launched in the UAE, bridging physical assets and blockchain. Ctrl Alt and Billiton Diamonds partnered to bring over a billion AED in diamonds on-chain.
The XRP Ledger will host the transaction, leveraging its speed and low costs for high-value real-world assets. The initiative highlights growing digital commoditization in the UAE’s regulated blockchain ecosystem.
XRP Ledger Supports High-Value Asset Tokenization
Ctrl Alt’s tokenization project relies on the XRP Ledger’s native features for secure and efficient trading. The platform allows diamonds, historically illiquid, to become tradable digital assets in real time.
Ripple Custody provides bank-grade vaulting for over $280 million in physical inventory. Integration with the UAE’s regulatory framework ensures compliance with DMCC and VARA standards.
Tokenized diamonds can be transferred or traded on-chain without moving the physical asset. The system uses smart ledger functionality to track ownership and provenance digitally.
Transaction costs remain low, which supports frequent trading of previously non-liquid assets. The platform demonstrates practical scalability for real-world luxury asset markets globally.
Regulatory and Market Implications of On-Chain Diamonds
The UAE’s regulatory alignment offers a blueprint for secure tokenization of high-value commodities. Ctrl Alt and Ripple operate within forward-thinking frameworks to reduce trust gaps for investors.
The project showcases how banks and custodians can engage with digital assets safely. Tokenization of luxury goods may expand to other commodities like gold, art, and collectibles.
Ripple’s involvement signals increasing institutional adoption of blockchain for asset-backed products. By addressing storage, verification, and transfer risks, the initiative strengthens investor confidence.
Digital ownership protocols reduce fraud risk while maintaining transparency in real-time audits. The project may accelerate broader adoption of the XRP Ledger for real-world asset markets.
Morgan Stanley has applied for a national trust bank charter to provide direct cryptocurrency custody for its institutional clients. This represents a major escalation in Wall Street’s push into the digital asset sector.
The $9 trillion banking giant filed the de novo application with the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency on February 18.
Morgan Stanley’s New OCC Bid to Rival BitGo and Anchorage
If approved, the charter would transform Morgan Stanley into a direct competitor to crypto-native custodians such as BitGo and Anchorage Digital, while testing the limits of traditional banking regulations.
The filing marks a significant shift in the competitive landscape. While the OCC has previously granted conditional trust charters to crypto-focused firms, a legacy wirehouse securing full approval would signal a major thaw in regulatory oversight.
Industry analysts attribute this renewed momentum to the Trump administration’s efforts to provide clearer federal guidelines for traditional financial institutions entering the digital asset space.
“People are going to be stunned this year — The world’s largest institutions and corporates are coming fully into crypto,” Hunter Horsley, Bitwise CEO, said.
Meanwhile, Morgan Stanley’s application outlines ambitious plans to offer custody, trading, and staking services under one roof.
So, the OCC filing is part of a bifurcated digital asset strategy that distinctly separates institutional wealth management from retail trading operations.
On the institutional side, the bank is actively investing in blockchain infrastructure. A recent job posting for a lead engineer revealed Morgan Stanley is building a platform for decentralized finance and real-world asset tokenization.
The role requires expertise in both public blockchains, such as Ethereum and Polygon, and private, permissioned networks like Hyperledger and Canton.
This highlights the bank’s intent to bridge walled-garden institutional assets with public network liquidity.
Simultaneously, Morgan Stanley is preparing a massive retail expansion.
The firm plans to launch direct cryptocurrency trading on its ETrade platform in the first half of 2026, offering Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Solana to everyday investors.
The ETrade integration represents a direct challenge to retail-focused exchanges like Coinbase and Robinhood.
Indeed, this dual approach underscores a broader trend among traditional financial titans.
Encouraged by a more accommodating regulatory environment in Washington, legacy banks are rapidly accelerating their crypto roadmaps. They are now hiring specialized Web3 talent and transitioning from passive exchange-traded fund facilitation to core infrastructure development.
The online gambling industry is changing fast. Established platforms built on traditional payment systems are facing serious competition from a new generation of crypto-native operators.
DraftKings is one of the biggest names in the game. But ZunaBet, which launched in 2026, is the platform a lot of players are starting to talk about.
DraftKings: Big Brand, Big Limitations
DraftKings started in 2012 as a daily fantasy sports platform and grew into one of the largest regulated gambling operators in the United States. It is publicly traded on NASDAQ and holds licences across multiple US states.
The platform offers a sportsbook, an online casino in eligible states, and a loyalty program called Dynasty Rewards. It is built for the mainstream American bettor and does that job well.
Payment options are traditional — debit cards, bank transfers, PayPal, and similar methods. Crypto support is minimal or unavailable depending on where you are.
The casino library also varies by state due to licensing rules. Some players get full access, others are limited to sports betting only.
DraftKings is polished and trusted. But it was built for a different era of online gambling, and that is starting to show.
ZunaBet: Built for the Next Generation
ZunaBet launched in 2026 under Strathvale Group Ltd, operating with an Anjouan gaming licence and registered in Belize. The team behind it has over 20 years of combined industry experience.
The platform was built around crypto from day one. It supports 20+ cryptocurrencies including BTC, ETH, SOL, DOGE, ADA, XRP, and USDT across multiple chains — with no platform processing fees and fast withdrawals.
The game library sits at 11,294 titles from 63 providers. That covers slots, RNG table games, and live dealer games from providers including Pragmatic Play, Evolution, Hacksaw Gaming, Yggdrasil, and BGaming.
That makes it one of the largest crypto-focused game libraries available right now. Most crypto casinos do not come close to that number of titles or providers.
The sportsbook covers football, basketball, tennis, NHL, and a full esports slate including CS2, Dota 2, League of Legends, and Valorant. Virtual sports and combat sports round out the offering.
Apps are available for iOS, Android, Windows, and MacOS. Live chat runs 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The platform uses a dark-themed HTML5 design built for fast loading on mobile.
Crypto vs Traditional: Why It Matters
This is not just a debate about payment methods. The difference between crypto platforms and traditional operators now runs much deeper than that.
Crypto casinos offer faster withdrawals, lower transaction costs, and fewer friction points around identity verification. For players used to waiting days for a bank transfer, switching to crypto feels like an upgrade.
Traditional platforms like DraftKings benefit from strong consumer protections and brand recognition. US players in regulated states know exactly what they are getting.
But that regulation also limits reach. State-by-state licensing means DraftKings cannot serve large parts of the global market. Players outside eligible US states often have no access at all.
ZunaBet operates under an international licence and is available to a far broader audience. For players locked out of US-regulated platforms, that matters a great deal.
There is also a generational angle. Younger players who already manage crypto wallets are not looking for a PayPal option. They want fast, low-cost transactions that fit how they already handle money.
Platforms built for that from the ground up have a real advantage over those trying to add crypto to a legacy system.
Loyalty Programs: Points vs Rakeback
DraftKings uses Dynasty Rewards, a points-based system where players earn crowns through wagering and redeem them for credits and free bets. It works, but it follows the same formula most major operators have used for years.
ZunaBet does something different. Its loyalty program is built around a dragon evolution system with a mascot called Zuno, running across six tiers: Squire, Warden, Champion, Divine, Knight, and Ultimate.
Each tier comes with direct rakeback — starting at 1% for Squire and rising to 20% at Ultimate. Rakeback means a percentage of every wager comes straight back to the player, with no points conversion or redemption required.
Additional rewards include up to 1,000 tier-based free spins, VIP club access, and double wheel spins. The whole system is more transparent and more rewarding than a standard points program.
For regular players, knowing exactly what percentage of their wagers comes back is a big deal. It removes the guesswork that makes most loyalty programs feel less valuable than they appear.
Where ZunaBet Stands Out
Most new casino platforms launch with a limited library, a basic sportsbook, and a generic bonus structure. ZunaBet launched with over 11,000 games, 63 providers, full esports coverage, dedicated apps across four operating systems, and a structured rakeback loyalty program.
That is a complete platform from day one, not a work in progress.
It sits in a smart strategic position — crypto-native enough to appeal to digital asset users, but broad enough in its game library and sportsbook to compete with established operators on content alone.
The welcome bonus adds to that. New players can claim up to $5,000 plus 75 free spins across three deposits: 100% up to $2,000 plus 25 spins on the first deposit, 50% up to $1,500 plus 25 spins on the second, and 100% up to $1,500 plus 25 spins on the third.
That is a generous offer spread across multiple deposits, designed to keep players engaged well beyond the first session.
The Bottom Line
DraftKings is the right fit for US-based players in regulated states who want a familiar platform with mainstream payments and strong consumer protections. It has earned its reputation and continues to serve that audience well.
ZunaBet is built for a different kind of player. Someone who holds crypto, wants a massive game library, bets on esports alongside traditional sports, and expects a loyalty program with real, calculable value.
DraftKings represents where online gambling has been. ZunaBet represents where it is going.
For anyone open to something new in 2026, ZunaBet is the most complete and most exciting platform to emerge this year. The library, the sportsbook, the crypto infrastructure, and the rakeback loyalty system all point to a team that understands exactly what modern players are looking for.
It is only just getting started, and that might be the most interesting thing about it.
Disclaimer: This is a Press Release provided by a third party who is responsible for the content. Please conduct your own research before taking any action based on the content.
World Liberty Financial (WLFI) has implemented a real-time, on-chain proof-of-reserve system for its $4.7 billion USD1 stablecoin.
This represents a pivot from the stablecoin’s monthly attestation reports following a recent security breach and market panic that briefly broke the asset’s dollar peg.
USD1 Stablecoin Adopts Live Chainlink Tracking to Soothe Market Jitters
The crypto protocol, which maintains close ties to President Donald Trump’s family, announced the upgrade on February 27.
The new system integrates the Chainlink Runtime Environment to continuously pull, validate, and write reserve data from crypto custodian BitGo.
As a result, USD1 users can now monitor the stablecoin’s total supply, reserve backing, and live collateralization ratio across five networks, including Ethereum, Solana, and BNB Chain.
Real-time proof of reserves confirms the existence of $4.7 billion in short-term U.S. government treasuries and cash equivalents at BitGo.
However, industry analysts caution that the dashboard still provides limited granularity.
The continuous data feed does not automatically reveal the immediate liquidity profile of the underlying assets during a bank run. It also fails to shield the protocol from future vulnerabilities in its smart contracts or executive security practices.
This is because the upgrade arrives just days after USD1 lost its $1 peg and briefly slipped to a low of $0.994.
The WLFI team attributed the de-pegging to a “coordinated attack.” They alleged that malicious actors hacked multiple co-founder accounts, paid influencers to generate panic, and opened short positions against the protocol’s native token.
However, the reliance on a “coordinated attack” narrative has drawn scrutiny. The admission that multiple executive accounts were compromised exposes severe operational security vulnerabilities in a protocol that manages billions in institutional capital.
Furthermore, the project’s unprecedented political connections inherently attract elevated regulatory attention and adversarial market behavior, raising the stakes for its security infrastructure.
Despite the operational failures, USD1 appeared to have avoided a catastrophic collapse because its core redemption mechanism remained functional.
(Note: The cover image has been removed per instructions.)
Crypto market enforcement and liquidity dynamics intersect as stablecoin issuer Tether pursues a more aggressive stance against illicit activity. In a period spanning three years, the company reportedly froze roughly $4.2 billion of USDt tokens tied to criminal schemes, with the bulk blocked since 2023 as regulators intensified scrutiny of sanctions evasion and fraud in crypto rails. USDt remains the dominant stablecoin, with outstanding supply reported to exceed $180 billion, up from about $70 billion three years earlier. Tether can blacklist wallet addresses to render tokens unusable on the blockchain when authorities request it, a tool that has become a central node in the crypto enforcement landscape.
Key takeaways
- Tether has frozen about $4.2 billion of USDt linked to crime over three years, with the majority blocked since 2023 as enforcement intensified.
- Recent actions include a nearly $61 million USDt seizure tied to pig-butchering scams, and a separate freeze of about $544 million in cryptocurrency at the request of Turkish authorities investigating illegal betting and money laundering.
- Elliptic’s analysis indicates that by late 2025, stablecoin issuers Tether and Circle had blacklisted roughly 5,700 wallets holding about $2.5 billion in aggregate, with USDt present in about three-quarters of those addresses when frozen.
- USDt supply has contracted sharply in early 2026, with February posting one of the largest month-over-month declines in three years, a trend seen alongside reductions in USDC during the period.
Tickers mentioned: $USDT, $USDC
Sentiment: Neutral
Market context: The actions reflect a tightening nexus between enforcement capabilities on-chain and liquidity management in crypto markets, where stablecoins serve as the primary rails for settlement and cross-border flows. As regulatory scrutiny increases, on-chain controls are becoming a more visible instrument for reducing illicit activity without fully constraining legitimate use cases.
Why it matters
Stablecoins anchor vast volumes of daily crypto activity, and USDt’s prominence means that enforcement actions reverberate across exchanges, wallets, and DeFi protocols. Tether’s ability to blacklist addresses to render USDt unusable embodies a centralized control mechanism within a decentralized asset class, underscoring a growing tension between anti-fraud and sanctions compliance and the user experience that market participants expect from permissionless rails. Exchanges and market makers rely on predictable liquidity; when on-chain assets are frozen at scale, liquidity pockets can suddenly reconfigure, affecting funding costs and the speed of settlement during periods of market stress.
At the same time, the broader ecosystem is watching how these on-chain tools interact with traditional regulatory levers. The seizure of nearly $61 million in USDt tied to criminal scams and the Turkish authorities’ $544 million action illustrate that cross-border enforcement remains active in the crypto space. Industry observers note that such actions, while important for deterrence, may also shape risk assessments for institutions and retail users who rely on stablecoins for risk management, hedging, and routine trading activity. The tension between compliance imperatives and the frictionless appeal of digital money will likely influence policy debates and product design in the coming quarters.
What to watch next
- Regulatory and enforcement developments related to stablecoins, including potential new guidelines on on-chain freezing powers and compliance standards.
- Expanded data from analytics firms on wallet blacklists, address clustering, and the distribution of USDt across exchanges and custody providers.
- Additional actions by Tether or other issuers to block illicit funds, including any official disclosures about scale and methodology.
- Liquidity indicators for crypto markets as USDt supply continues to evolve, alongside movements in USDC and other major stablecoins.
- Ongoing case developments in related enforcement actions, with updates from court filings or regulatory agencies.
Sources & verification
- Record of approximately $4.2 billion in USDt frozen over three years due to crime links, with the majority of actions occurring since 2023.
- Details on a nearly $61 million USDt seizure tied to pig-butchering scams in a DOJ-linked enforcement narrative.
- Turkish authorities’ case involving the freezing of about $544 million in cryptocurrency tied to illegal betting and money laundering.
- Elliptic’s analysis of blacklisted wallets and the share of USDt among addresses that were frozen by the end of 2025.
- Insights on USDt supply dynamics, including February and January declines, and comparative movements in USDC.
Rewritten Article Body: Enforcement actions reshape stablecoins and on-chain liquidity
USDt (CRYPTO: USDT) remains the largest stablecoin in circulation, with more than $180 billion outstanding, a scale that underscores how on-chain controls can influence day-to-day market dynamics. In a recent briefing summarized below, authorities and the token’s issuer have publicly detailed a string of actions aimed at curbing illicit activity linked to USDt on the blockchain. While the precise mechanics of such actions—blacklisting specific wallet addresses to render tokens unusable—are technical, their implications are deeply financial and systemic. A briefing linked here describes how roughly $4.2 billion of USDt has been blocked on-chain over three years, with the bulk of those blocks occurring since 2023 as authorities intensified scrutiny of crypto-related fraud and sanctions evasion.
One of the most tangible demonstrations of this enforcement capability occurred in a joint narrative about seizures and asset disruption: authorities seized nearly $61 million in USDt tied to pig-butchering scams, a criminal scheme in which perpetrators cultivate relationships with victims before persuading them to transfer funds. The details of that action are outlined in a linked briefing that avoids naming specific outlets, focusing instead on the mechanism by which the cryptocurrency—USDt—was effectively disentangled from illicit actors. The on-chain technique at the heart of this action—blacklisting affected addresses—highlights how a centralized control can operate within a decentralized asset class when requests come from law enforcement.
Enforcement actions are not limited to the United States. Earlier this month, Turkish authorities reported a separate freeze of approximately $544 million in cryptocurrency tied to alleged illegal online betting and money-laundering networks. The action demonstrates how cross-border investigations can intersect with stablecoins that are deeply integrated into global payment rails. In both cases, the underlying objective is to interrupt the flow of illicit proceeds and to establish a deterrent effect across the crypto ecosystem. The Turkish case, described in a linked article, underscores how national regulators leverage the on-chain properties of USDt to disrupt criminal ecosystems that span beyond a single jurisdiction.
Industry analytics firm Elliptic has provided broader context: by late 2025, the two leading stablecoin issuers—Tether and Circle—had blacklisted around 5,700 wallets holding roughly $2.5 billion in aggregate. Importantly, roughly three-quarters of the addresses involved contained USDt at the time of freezing. This is not merely a tally of addresses; it signals how the concentration of stolen or illicitly sourced funds often migrates into USDt-based wallets, prompting targeted enforcement actions and tighter monitoring of stablecoin flows across exchanges and custodians. The on-chain footprint of such actions matters because it provides a concrete, traceable path for authorities to cut off illicit liquidity without wholesale disruption to legitimate users.
On-chain data also point to shifting liquidity patterns within the broader market. USDt supply has declined notably in early 2026, with February marking one of the largest monthly reductions in three years, a development that coincided with declines in USDC as well. While Tether has argued that the contraction reflects distribution patterns rather than weakening demand, the data align with a broader narrative of tighter liquidity in crypto markets following the FTX episode and ongoing regulatory scrutiny. For users and institutions, this confluence of reduced supply and heightened enforcement signals an environment in which on-chain risk management, asset compliance, and regulatory expectations will increasingly shape day-to-day decision-making.
Looking ahead, observers anticipate ongoing adjustments across stablecoins as enforcement, compliance, and market structure continue to intertwine. The conversations around stablecoin freezes, on-chain blacklisting, and real-world enforcement actions will likely influence policy considerations, product design, and the practical ways in which traders, wallets, and exchanges manage liquidity. While the tools at hand—address-level sanctions and blacklists—offer clear utility for disrupting illicit activity, they also introduce new questions about resilience, user experience, and maintaining open, efficient channels for legitimate commerce in a rapidly evolving digital money landscape.
In sum, the actions surrounding USDt reflect a crypto market increasingly governed by traceability and accountability, even as it operates within the decentralized promise of blockchain networks. The balance between regulatory compliance and the foundational ethos of permissionless finance remains a live debate, one that will continue to shape the trajectory of stablecoins, market liquidity, and cross-border financial flows in the months ahead.
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