Crypto World
builders shrug off ETH drop as network activity holds steady
Ether’s weekend slide at the turn of February revived a familiar question: is the Ethereum network falling behind newer competitors or struggling to justify its valuation?
As ETH plunged by as much as 17% alongside most of crypto, skeptics wondered whether this was a warning sign that the protocol’s dominance may be eroding.
Yet inside Ethereum’s ecosystem, the sell-off has not been met with the same alarm. Developers and long-term players largely framed the move as a market-driven correction rather than a verdict on Ethereum’s health.
By several measures, network activity remains near peak levels. “Ethereum TVL is actually near all-time highs when denominated in ETH,” said Sam Ruskin, an analyst at Messari, suggesting capital has not meaningfully fled the ecosystem even as the token’s dollar price slipped.
Other indicators point in the same direction. The entry queue for ETH staking — the wait validators face to help secure the network — has stretched to roughly 70 days, a signal that demand to commit capital to Ethereum, especially among large institutions, remains strong despite short-term volatility.
That resilience is also showing up across decentralized finance, where activity has held up even as prices have soured. Traders and users are still engaging with onchain applications in search of yield, a sign that usage has not evaporated alongside sentiment.
“We’re still growing and getting more users and revenue, but token price is lagging,” said Mike Silagadze, the CEO of ether.fi, one of the largest restaking networks, to CoinDesk over Telegram. “We’re just focusing on the long run.”
Some market observers argue that the price move itself is being overinterpreted. Marcin Kazmierczak, CEO of blockchain data firm RedStone, said ether’s decline looks more like market “noise” than a signal of weakening fundamentals, particularly as retail trading activity fades. What matters more, he said, is a level of institutional conviction around onchain finance that he hasn’t seen before.
“The absence of retail excitement is actually refreshing – the next cycle will be driven by real adoption, not memes, and it allows builders to focus on creating long-term value,” Kazmierczak added.
That disconnect between price action and progress on the ground is a familiar pattern in Ethereum’s history. Periods of market turbulence have often coincided with some of the network’s most consequential development milestones, as builders continue to ship regardless of short-term sentiment.
“As we have seen with the Merge, the market is pretty bad at pricing in the fundamental technical realities of chains,” said Marius Van Der Wijden, a core developer at the Ethereum Foundation, noting that major technical changes are often only fully reflected in prices well after they are completed.
For some analysts, the divergence between price and onchain data reflects broader market dynamics rather than Ethereum-specific weakness. Ruskin said the network “looks as healthy as it ever did,” arguing that ETH’s recent decline is more closely tied to bitcoin’s movements or wider market sentiment than to any deterioration in Ethereum’s fundamentals.
Read more: DeFi’s quiet strength: Value locked on platforms holds as market selloff tests traders
Crypto World
Bitwise Rolls Out Model Portfolio Solutions for Digital Assets on Major Advisory Platforms
TLDR:
- Bitwise introduces seven model portfolios across billion-dollar advisory platforms for crypto exposure.
- Model portfolios include Core options for broad exposure and Thematic models for specific crypto sectors.
- Portfolios offer crypto assets, crypto equities, and blended approaches with systematic rebalancing.
- Risk-managed options rotate between crypto futures and Treasuries based on momentum trading signals.
Bitwise has introduced Model Portfolio Solutions for Digital Assets, making them available across multiple billion-dollar advisory platforms.
The new offering provides financial advisors with seven professionally managed model portfolios designed to help clients access diversified cryptocurrency exposure through exchange-traded funds.
This development addresses a significant gap in the $645 billion model portfolio market, where advisors previously lacked structured options for navigating the expanding digital asset sector.
Comprehensive Portfolio Framework Addresses Growing Advisor Demand
The model portfolio market represents one of the primary channels through which financial advisors allocate assets for their clients. “Model portfolios are one of the most important ways financial advisors allocate to different assets,” according to the announcement.
Despite this market’s substantial size and influence on ETF flows, advisors have faced limited professionally managed solutions for cryptocurrency investments.
The company noted that “advisors have not had many professionally managed options to help them navigate the fast-growing crypto space.”
Bitwise’s new framework changes this dynamic by offering advisors a systematic approach to building crypto allocations.
The seven-model offering includes two distinct categories. Core portfolios deliver broad exposure to the cryptocurrency ecosystem through various investment vehicles. Meanwhile, thematic models concentrate on specific areas such as stablecoins and tokenization.
This structure allows advisors to match portfolio construction with individual client objectives and risk preferences.
As advisors weigh a growing number of cryptocurrency ETF options, “these models are designed to make it easy to build a crypto sleeve that’s tailored to their clients’ goals and preferences.” Bitwise maintains oversight through systematic monitoring and rebalancing procedures to control portfolio drift.
The portfolio options encompass different investment approaches to accommodate varying advisor and client needs. Some models focus exclusively on cryptocurrency assets, while others emphasize crypto-related equities.
Additional portfolios combine both asset types, providing blended exposure across the digital asset investment landscape.
Strategic Options Span Asset Classes and Investment Themes
The Bitwise Crypto Asset Portfolio employs market-cap weighting to deliver diversified cryptocurrency market exposure using spot crypto asset ETPs exclusively.
The offering aims to “offer diversified exposure to the crypto market using only spot crypto asset ETPs, giving investors direct exposure to the underlying crypto assets.”
Conversely, the Bitwise Crypto Equities Portfolio targets investors preferring exposure through publicly traded companies with traditional financial metrics.
The portfolio is “designed for investors who prefer owning real-world companies with revenues and earnings, as opposed to taking direct positions in the underlying spot crypto assets.”
The Bitwise Select Crypto Market Portfolio functions as the foundational offering, providing diversified exposure to major cryptocurrency assets and related equities while applying institutional risk screens.
For broader market coverage, the Bitwise Total Crypto Market Portfolio uses market-cap weighting across crypto investments and crypto-focused equity positions.
Thematic portfolios address specific cryptocurrency sectors and investment strategies. The Bitwise Select Stablecoin and Tokenization Portfolio targets “crypto assets and crypto-linked equities leading the growth of the stablecoin and tokenization ecosystems.”
The Bitwise Beyond Bitcoin Crypto Asset Portfolio serves investors seeking exposure to alternative cryptocurrencies.
It is “designed for investors who either already have significant bitcoin exposure or are looking to invest in crypto assets focused on ‘real-world use cases’ like stablecoins, tokenization, and decentralized finance.”
The models leverage “Bitwise’s eight-year track record in helping institutions and professional investors access crypto.”
In what some may see as a unique and slightly dystopian use of artificial intelligence, a crypto developer has launched a website that enables AI agents to rent humans to do tasks in “meatspace.”
In a post via X on Monday, user Alex, or @AlexanderTw33ts, an engineer at decentralized finance platform Uma Protocol and layer-2 bridging solution Across Protocol, shared a video of his website “rentahuman.ai” in action.
The site lets humans set an hourly rate and enables AI agents to hire them for tasks ranging from running simple errands to participating in business meetings, taking photos, signing documents, and making real-world purchases.
Alex said some of the humans-for-hire already include an OnlyFans model and a CEO of an AI startup, adding:
“If your AI agent wants to rent a person to do an IRL task for them its as simple as one MCP call.”
The website states that “robots need your body” as they “can’t touch grass,” while labeling itself as “the meatspace layer for AI.”
On the main page, it shows a selection of available humans, a button to “become rentable,” and a metric for platform growth.
So far, the site claims almost 26,000 people have signed up; however, that number may include multiple accounts owned by the same person or people impersonating others, which Alex said they have been working to address.
Alex has also confirmed that there will be no cryptocurrency associated with this platform, after sharing more details about the project during an interview on Tuesday on the Crosschain podcast from Across Protocol.
“There’s no token, I’m just not into that. That would just be way too stressful, and also again I don’t want a bunch of people to lose their money,” he said.
Related: Trustless AI agent standard could hit Ethereum mainnet on Thursday
Adding another layer of obscurity to the project, Alex said the website was built through “vibe coding” with an “army” of Claude-based AI agents.
This was achieved with a Ralph loop, a technique of running AI coding agents in a loop until they complete a task.
“I think we are out of the trough of disillusionment [toward AI capabilities] and now people are realizing we can ship real code with this, we can just write prompts now, we can have Ralph loops creating websites while we sleep,” he said.
“And actually, a Ralph loop created this [website], I have a custom Ralph loop that I run,” he added.
This isn’t the only strange AI agent website to emerge in 2026; the AI agent social media platform Moltbook has been making headlines this month.
The website, also the result of vibe coding, is designed to be a Reddit-like platform entirely for AI bots and has drawn attention to the odd discussions taking place there, such as bots coming up with their own religions.
Magazine: Crypto loves Clawdbot/Moltbot, Uber ratings for AI agents: AI Eye
Ripple announced today that it will support Billiton Diamond and leading tokenization provider Ctrl Alt in tokenizing over AED 1 billion ($280 million) of certified polished diamonds held in the United Arab Emirates.
The XRP price prediction suggests this initiative could expand access to diamond investment through Ripple’s institutional-grade blockchain, the XRP Ledger (XRPL), potentially enabling the XRP token to resume its bullish trend toward $2.00 and beyond.
Reece Merrick, Ripple’s Managing Director for Middle East & Africa, emphasized the significance, saying that “the initiative shows how Ripple’s technology can bridge the gap between physical assets and the digital economy, utilizing our enterprise-grade custody solution to secure high-value diamond assets with unrivaled trust and security.”
$1.2B ETF Inflows Drive Institutional Demand
Beyond infrastructural expansion, the strongest argument for XRP in early 2026 remains growing institutional demand for Ripple’s token.
The most immediate catalyst is the substantial volume of capital absorbed by spot ETFs.
Since the debut of the first U.S. spot XRP ETF in November 2025, the institutional vehicle has attracted over $1.3 billion in cumulative inflows.
This initial phase has functioned as a regulated mechanism that absorbed floating supply while maintaining continual demand for XRP.
Analysts suggest this sustained institutional buying pressure could drive a rapid recovery toward the $2.00 level once technical conditions improve.
XRP Price Prediction: Overhead Supply Targets $2.00 Breakout
The XRP daily chart reflects a market that remains under sustained corrective pressure, with price trading below all major moving averages and struggling to reclaim former support.
XRP is currently hovering around the $1.56 area after losing the critical $1.78 support, which now acts as a clear breakdown level.
This loss of structure confirms that bearish momentum is still dominant, as price continues to print lower highs and lower lows.
From a trend perspective, the 20, 50, 100, and 200-day EMAs are bearishly aligned overhead, reinforcing the idea that any short-term bounce is likely to face heavy resistance rather than evolve into a trend reversal.
The former support near $2.00 has flipped decisively into resistance, with additional overhead supply around $2.11 and $2.33, which align with prior consolidation zones and the descending moving averages.
A recovery toward these levels would require strong volume and a decisive daily close back above $1.78, which currently looks unlikely.
Momentum indicators also favor caution. The MACD remains in negative territory with a weak histogram, signaling that bearish momentum is still intact and that bulls lack conviction at current levels.
While selling pressure has eased slightly, there is no clear bullish divergence yet to suggest an imminent trend change.
As long as XRP remains below $1.78, the downside risk persists, with price vulnerable to a deeper move toward the next major support near $0.70 if broader market weakness continues.
Maxi Doge Raises $4.5M To Capture Rotation Capital
If XRP reclaims $2.00 and resumes a bullish trajectory, presale projects like Maxi Doge (MAXI) could attract capital from investors pursuing high-ROI opportunities in alternative sectors.
Maxi Doge represents an early-stage memecoin following the Dogecoin playbook that generated over 10x returns during the 2023-2024 breakout cycle.
The presale has established an alpha channel enabling traders to share strategies and ideas, mirroring community-building tactics from early Dogecoin that cultivated engaged holder bases.
The MAXI presale has raised over $4.5 million, offering participants 70% annual staking rewards at the current $0.000278 price point.
Interested investors can participate by visiting the official Maxi Doge website and connecting a compatible crypto wallet like Best Wallet.
You can purchase $MAXI tokens directly using USDT, ETH, or a direct bank card for immediate access.
Visit the Official Maxi Doge Website Here
The post XRP Price Prediction: Ripple Supports Tokenization of $280M in Diamonds on XRPL appeared first on Cryptonews.
Stablecoin-fueled dusting attacks are now estimated to make up 11% of all Ethereum transactions and 26% of active addresses on an average day, after the Fusaka upgrade made transactions cheaper, according to Coin Metrics.
Ethereum is now seeing more than 2 million average daily transactions, spiking to almost 2.9 million in mid-January, along with 1.4 million daily active addresses — a 60% increase over prior averages.
The Fusaka upgrade in December made using the network cheaper and easier by improving onchain data handling, reducing the cost of posting information from layer-2 networks back to Ethereum.
Digging through the dust on Ethereum
Coin Metrics said it analyzed over 227 million balance updates for USDC (USDC) and USDt (USDT) on Ethereum from November 2025 through January 2026.
It found that 43% were involved in transfers of less than $1 and 38% were under a single penny — “amounts with insignificant economic purpose other than wallet seeding.”
“The number of addresses holding small ‘dust’ balances, greater than zero but less than 1 native unit, has grown sharply, consistent with millions of wallets receiving tiny poisoning deposits.”
Pre-Fusaka, stablecoin dust accounted for roughly 3 to 5% of Ethereum transactions and 15 to 20% of active addresses, it said.
“Post-Fusaka, these figures jumped to 10-15% of transactions and 25-35% of active addresses on a typical day, a 2-3x increase.”
However, the remaining 57% of balance updates involved transfers above $1, “suggesting the majority of stablecoin activity remains organic,” Coin Metrics stated.
Users need to be wary of address poisoning
In January, security researcher Andrey Sergeenkov pointed to a 170% increase in new wallet addresses in the week starting Jan. 12, and also suggested it was linked to a wave of address poisoning attacks taking advantage of low gas fees.
These “dusting” attacks typically involve malicious actors sending fractions of a cent worth of a stablecoin from wallet addresses that resemble legitimate ones, duping users into copying the wrong address when making a transaction.
Related: Ethereum activity surge could be linked to dusting attacks: Researcher
Sergeenkov said $740,000 had already been lost to address poisoning attacks. The top attacker sent nearly 3 million dust transfers for just $5,175 in stablecoin costs, according to Coin Metrics.
Dust does not represent genuine economic usage
Coin Metrics reported that approximately 250,000 to 350,000 daily Ethereum addresses are involved in stablecoin dust activity, but the majority of network growth has been genuine.
“The majority of post-Fusaka growth reflects genuine usage, though dust activity is a factor worth noting when interpreting headline metrics.”
Magazine: DAT panic dumps 73,000 ETH, India’s crypto tax stays: Asia Express
Creators can now launch tokens on Solana via Solana DEX Raydium.
Ethereum (CRYPTO: ETH) co-founder Vitalik Buterin has reversed his long-held view that layer-2 solutions should be the primary engine for scaling the network, arguing that the approach no longer makes sense in its current form. In a concise post on X, he said a “new path” is needed as the Ethereum mainnet continues to scale through ongoing gas-limit enhancements and the advent of native rollups. The comments reflect a broader rethinking within the ecosystem about how best to relieve congestion, cut fees, and maintain robust security while enabling developers to push the boundaries of on-chain applications.
Buterin’s stance stands in contrast to years of rhetoric positioning L2s as the principal scaling lever for Ethereum. He noted that many rollups have fallen short of the decentralization and security ideals originally envisioned, and that the mainnet’s capacity is approaching a scale where a pivot toward other architectural approaches may be warranted. “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,” he wrote, underscoring the complexity of balancing throughput with trust minimization.
Layer-2 networks—such as Arbitrum, Optimism, Base, and Starknet—were conceived as fast, low-cost extensions that inherit Ethereum’s security properties. The goal was to create block space that remains secured by the L1 mainnet, ensuring transactions could be validated and final, uncensored. But Buterin contends that many L2 designs rely on bridges and mediations that can undermine true scaling if critical security guarantees are mediated by complex cross-chain mechanisms rather than being anchored to base-layer security.
While the narrative around scaling has often centered on throughput, the discussion has also touched on the security and decentralization characteristics of L2 ecosystems. Buterin’s comment that a 10,000 TPS “EVM” connected to L1 through a multisig bridge does not represent real scaling sparked renewed debate about whether the path to higher capacity lies primarily in more efficient rollups or in a broader reconfiguration of how Ethereum processes transactions.
In related commentary, prominent voices within the ecosystem weighed in on the pivot. Max Resnick, a former Ethereum infrastructure researcher who shifted toward the Solana ecosystem when scaling emphasis cooled around mainnet improvements, argued that focusing scaling efforts on the mainnet could yield more tangible benefits for developers and users. His stance underscores a perennial tension within Ethereum’s community: should efforts concentrate on pushing more work through the base layer, or should they continue to rely on rollups to provide modular scaling while maintaining strong security guarantees?
Not all reactions were muted. Ryan Sean Adams, co-host of the Ethereum-focused program Bankless, welcomed Buterin’s pivot, calling it a clear signal for strategic realignment. “This is ‘the pivot.’ I’m glad it’s now being said. Strong ETH, Strong L1,” he wrote in a post that resonated with a segment of the community seeking a refocused emphasis on mainnet engineering and foundational security. The dialogue underscores a pragmatic reassessment of the roadmap that has long prioritized L2-centric scaling as the default path forward.
Native rollups, gas limit rises key scaling Ethereum mainnet
Buterin argues that native rollups—where certain scaling logic is effectively embedded in Ethereum’s own protocol stack—will play a central role as scaling advances mature. He emphasized the importance of native rollups that can be verified directly by Ethereum validators, a distinction from traditional off-chain rollups whose security relies on bridges and cross-layer data availability. The emphasis is on deeper integration and trust assumptions that align more closely with Ethereum’s base layer, especially as zk-based technology matures.
One of the pivotal technical developments underpinning this shift is the anticipated integration of zero-knowledge Ethereum Virtual Machine (zkEVM) proofs into the base layer. zkEVM technology promises to enable more private, scalable, and provable computations, potentially unlocking new use cases while preserving security guarantees. As zkEVM proofs become more mature and broadly integrated, the consensus is that the mainnet could handle larger volumes of transactions with stronger cryptographic assurances, reducing the reliance on peripheral L2 constructs.
Historically, rollups have functioned by batching transactions off-chain and posting summary data back to Ethereum, thereby creating a balance between speed and security. The native-rollup approach, by contrast, weaves rollup logic into the core protocol, allowing transactions to be validated by Ethereum nodes directly rather than via bridging channels. This distinction is central to the argument that true scaling may hinge on deeper, more secure mainnet integration rather than layering on external validators and bridges. The idea is to maintain Ethereum’s finality and censorship-resistance while expanding throughput more aggressively than through isolated L2 ecosystems.
Looking back at the roadmap, Ethereum developers have previously discussed expanding the mainnet’s gas capacity as a mechanism to raise throughput. In late 2025 and into early 2026, discussions circulated about increasing the gas limit from roughly 60 million to 80 million per block, contingent on the successful deployment of the blob-parameter feature and subsequent hard forks. The blob fork, designed to increase block space without sacrificing security, began rolling out in December and was fully enacted in January, enabling more complex smart contracts and higher transaction throughput per block. This capacity uplift has the potential to lessen the perceived urgency for ever-larger L2 ecosystems if efficiency gains materialize quickly enough.
Industry researchers have long projected dramatic improvements in throughput. In July of the previous year, Justin Drake proposed a 10-year plan to reach approximately 10,000 transactions per second on the Ethereum mainnet once all scaling features are in place—a figure that would mark a substantial leap over today’s throughput levels and push Ethereum closer to truly global-scale usage. While ambitious, the plan continues to anchor the debate around how best to realize scalable, secure, and decentralized computation on the chain.
As the conversation evolves, the ecosystem remains split between doubling down on the mainnet’s capabilities and leveraging rollups that can be designed for specialized use cases. Proponents of L2-heavy scaling argued that external networks could unlock rapid innovation while preserving Ethereum’s security through data availability on the mainnet. Buterin’s pivot suggests a more nuanced approach: scale on multiple layers while ensuring core security guarantees are not compromised and user trust remains central to long-term adoption.
Ultimately, the path forward may combine elements of both strategies. Native rollups could become a cornerstone of the scaling architecture, with zkEVM and other zero-knowledge proofs enabling more efficient verification on the base layer. Meanwhile, mainstream L2s could concentrate on niches—privacy-centric features, identity services, financial primitives, social apps, and even AI-driven use cases—without becoming the sole mechanism for scaling the network. The evolving stance signals a broader trend toward a more integrated, security-focused scaling framework for Ethereum.
As the debate continues, observers will watch for concrete milestones: the progress of zkEVM integration into the base layer, the deployment milestones for native rollups, and the practical impact of the upcoming gas-limit expansion on transaction costs and throughput. The dialogue also highlights the importance of maintaining a balance between innovation and security, ensuring that scaling advances do not come at the expense of decentralization or user protections. The ecosystem’s ability to execute on these milestones could shape Ethereum’s competitive position in a rapidly evolving crypto landscape.
Related: Arbitrum, Optimism, Base and Starknet are among the L2s most discussed in this pivot, but the broader question remains: can native, deeply integrated scaling finally deliver on the long-promised combination of speed, cost-efficiency, and security on the mainnet? The coming quarters are likely to reveal how far the community is willing to go in redefining Ethereum’s layering strategy, and whether the market responds to a more unified approach that prioritizes mainnet scalability and cryptographic assurances over modular, bridge-dependent solutions.
— Sources: Vitalik Buterin’s X post; zkEVM integration discussions and related zk-tech articles; discussions on gas-limit increases and blob hard forks; commentary from Max Resnick; reactions from Ryan S. Adams; and historical plans like Justin Drake’s Lean Ethereum proposal.
- Sources & verification
- Vitalik Buterin’s X post: https://x.com/VitalikButerin/status/2018711006394843585
- Zero-knowledge Ethereum Virtual Machine (zkEVM) proofs and scaling: https://cointelegraph.com/news/2026-is-the-year-ethereum-starts-scaling-exponentially-with-zk-tech
- Gas limit rise discussions: https://cointelegraph.com/news/ethereum-could-get-faster-gas-limit-rise-january
- Blob parameter hard fork and January implementation: https://cointelegraph.com/news/ethereum-blob-limit-raised-to-21-layer-2-cheaper
- Lean Ethereum concept: https://blog.ethereum.org/2025/07/31/lean-ethereum
- Max Resnick’s perspective: https://cointelegraph.com/magazine/great-enemies-ethereum-solana-anza-economist-max-resnick/
- Ryan S Adams’ reaction: https://x.com/RyanSAdams/status/2018727620624384059
- Arbitrum, Optimism, Base context: https://cointelegraph.com/news/these-5-blockchains-led-2025
Wirex, a full-stack crypto card issuer and Banking-as-a-Service (BaaS) provider, today announced it is powering the launch of the Chimera Card — a Bitcoin-funded debit card that brings practical, everyday Bitcoin spending to users worldwide.
Wirex BaaS: One Integration, Complete Infrastructure
Through a single API integration, Chimera Wallet gains access to Wirex’s complete BaaS stack:
- Non-Custodial Card Issuance — Virtual and physical debit cards that let users spend while maintaining full control of their assets. Includes seamless Apple Pay and Google Pay integration.
- EUR & USD IBAN Accounts — Named virtual IBANs with SEPA Instant and Faster Payments connectivity for seamless fiat on/off ramping across 30+ countries.
- Unified Balance Management — Real-time stablecoin-to-fiat conversion at point of sale, with zero prefunding requirements.
- DeFi Yield with Enterprise Controls — Integrated yield opportunities on idle balances with full compliance and risk management.
“Our BaaS platform exists so that innovators like Chimera can focus on building great products instead of navigating payment infrastructure complexity,” said Daniel Rowlands, General Manager, Onchain Finance at Wirex.“With a single integration, Chimera gets non-custodial cards, banking rails, and DeFi — everything needed to launch a world-class Bitcoin spending experience globally. That’s the power of full-stack BaaS.”
Rapid Global Deployment
By leveraging Wirex BaaS, Chimera avoids the complexity of building payment infrastructure from scratch — no separate card issuers, banking partners, or compliance frameworks to manage. The result: a debit card accepted at 80+ million merchants worldwide, with users maintaining self-custody of their Bitcoin throughout.
The Chimera Card is a natural extension of our vision to make Bitcoin usable in everyday life without compromising self-custody,” said Simone De Gaspari, Chimera Chief Strategy Officer.
“By enabling direct wallet-based funding and pairing it with global debit card acceptance, we’re giving users a transparent way to spend Bitcoin while remaining in control of their assets.
Key Features of the Chimera Card
- Direct wallet-based funding via Bitcoin or the Lightning Network
- Global acceptance at any merchant accepting debit and credit cards worldwide
- Truly self-custodial, with card balances held fully onchain with private keys managed by the end users — eliminating commingling risk and providing protection in the event of issuer insolvency
- Bitcoin-to-fiat conversion at prevailing market rates with transparent pricing
- Permanent 1.5% transaction fee for pre-order customers (vs. 2% standard), with zero monthly and top-up fees for life
- Travel-friendly FX rates and ATM access for global spending
- The card also features seamless Apple Pay and Google Pay integration for contactless payments, along with travel-friendly FX rates and ATM access for global spending.
Pre-Orders Now Open
Pre-orders for the Chimera Card are now open for a limited time. Customers who reserve their card during the pre-order period will receive permanent fee protection. Both virtual and physical cards are expected to be available by the end of Q1 2026.
Reservation link | Pre-order fee: 20 CHF
About Wirex
Wirex is a global payments platform serving both consumers and businesses, offering card-based payment products alongside card issuance and banking infrastructure for partners. For end users, Wirex provides payment cards and banking features designed for everyday spending.
For businesses, Wirex offers Banking-as-a-Service APIs, card issuance, and payment rails that enable digital platforms to launch compliant, globally accepted card programs. Trusted by over 7 million users since 2014, Wirex has processed $20 billion+ in transactions across 130 countries. As a principal Visa and Mastercard member, it makes crypto spendable anywhere — instantly and effortlessly.
About Chimera Wallet
Chimera Wallet is a next-generation Bitcoin wallet focused on usability, transparency, and real-world functionality. Built on Bitcoin’s VTXO technology, Chimera enables users to manage their Bitcoin, fund everyday spending through an integrated Visa card, access gift cards, and participate in referral programs — all within a single interface.
Chimera Wallet is designed to bridge native Bitcoin infrastructure with practical financial tools, making Bitcoin easier to use in everyday life without unnecessary complexity. For more information, visit chimerawallet.com.
Cathie Wood’s Ark Invest kept buying into the crypto slump, adding to positions tied to digital assets as Bitcoin steadied in the mid $70,000s and sentiment stayed fragile.
Trade disclosures showed the firm’s ETFs bought about $3.25M of Bitmine Immersion Technologies on Tuesday, adding exposure to a stock that has tracked the broader slide in crypto-linked names.
The firm also added roughly $2.4M of Circle Internet Group through its funds, according to the same filings.
In addition, Ark picked up about $3.5M of Bullish, and it bought about $630,606 of Coinbase.
Ark Steps Up Buying As Bitcoin Slips And Risk Appetite Weakens
The purchases landed in a market still shaped by deleveraging and shaky risk appetite. Bitcoin had slipped below $80,000 earlier in the week, and the pullback kept pressure on crypto-related equities as investors reassessed how much risk they wanted to carry.
Ark’s Tuesday trades followed a heavier round of buying on Monday, when the firm disclosed about $24.8M of added exposure across several crypto-exposed names, with Robinhood and Bitmine among the biggest adds.
— Cryptonews.com (@cryptonews) February 3, 2026
@CathieDWood’s ARK Invest added ~$24.8M in crypto stocks despite market weakness, boosting exposure to @RobinhoodApp, @circle, Coinbase, and @BitMNR as $BTC dipped under $80,000#CathieWood #CryptoStocks #BTChttps://t.co/wCzlPlJH86
That earlier filing included roughly 235,077 shares of Robinhood valued at about $21.1M, alongside 274,358 shares of Bitmine worth roughly $6.2M, based on the disclosed figures.
Long-Term Crypto Thesis Drives Ark’s Buy-The-Dip Strategy
The buying fits Ark’s long-running view that steep drawdowns can create entry points in public markets linked to crypto infrastructure, trading and stablecoins, especially when liquidity thins and volatility shakes out fast money.
In its Big Ideas 2026 report, Ark laid out the upside it still sees in the sector. The firm said the market “could grow at an annual rate of ~61% to $28 trillion in 2030”.
The firm also expects Bitcoin to dominate that mix. “We believe Bitcoin could account for 70% of the market,” it said, with the remainder led by smart contract networks such as Ethereum and Solana.
The post Cathie Wood’s Ark Invest Leans Into Crypto Dip With Fresh Bitmine And Circle Purchases appeared first on Cryptonews.
Bitcoin (BTC) is trying to hold steady at $76,273 after dropping 3% in the past 24 hours, as the market reacts to a sharp increase in volatility. Even with the recent dip, spot Bitcoin ETFs saw $562 million in new investments as buyers took advantage of lower prices, showing that large institutional investors remain active.
Daily trading volume has reached $67.8 billion, setting up a contest between traders betting against Bitcoin and companies looking to buy more.
LSE’s New King: SWC Becomes Britain’s Largest Bitcoin Holder
This week, The Smarter Web Company (SWC) made its official debut on the Main Market of the London Stock Exchange, marking a significant moment for UK finance. Now the largest publicly listed Bitcoin holder in Britain, the company’s treasury has 2,674 BTC, making it 29th in the world among public companies.
CEO Andrew Webley aims for the company to join the FTSE 250 by 2026, highlighting a major move toward corporate Bitcoin adoption in the UK.
ETF Warriors: The $562 Million “Dip Buy”
After four days in a row of withdrawals spot Bitcoin ETFs had a robust comeback on Monday bringing in $562 million in new investments. This shows that some investors are “buying the dip” as Bitcoin recovers from weekend weakness partially offsetting last week’s massive $1.5 billion sell-off.
Institutional Conviction: Analysts note that Bitcoin is currently trading below the ETF average cost basis of $84,000, which is acting as a magnetic support zone for major funds.
Recovery Rally: The recovery from weekend lows below $75,000 back toward the $79,000 mark helped reignite demand, though macro uncertainty around US monetary policy remains a looming headwind.
The Gold Token Surge: A $6 Billion Market Test
The market for digital gold tokens such as PAX Gold and Tether Gold has grown four times larger since late 2024.
Flight to Safety: As spot gold hit a record $5,594.82, tokenized gold demand surged, though a recent historic one-day decline in precious metals is putting these assets to the test.
Custody Concerns: Experts warn that extreme price swings could trigger a rush for physical gold, raising questions about audits and actual ownership in the digital space.
Bitcoin (BTC/USD) Technical Analysis: Bulls Defend the $74,000 “Line in the Sand”
Bitcoin price prediction is currently navigating a period of stabilization after a “liquidity hunt” pushed prices to a nine-month low of $74,500. Before the correction, BTC was coiled in a massive symmetrical triangle. While the breach below $80,000 weakened the immediate bullish case, the long-term resolution target remains a psychological $100,000.
The Daily RSI has dipped into the 28–30 range, which typically signals an oversold market ripe for a reversal. A bullish Stochastic crossover further suggests that selling exhaustion is setting in.
Immediate structural support is anchored at $74,420–$74,666, while a reclaim of the $78,400 (0.236 Fibo) level is necessary to retest the $84,000 overhead resistance.
Conclusion
The current market setup points to a healthy reset of over-leveraged positions. With the Smarter Web Company leading corporate adoption on the LSE and ETF inflows picking up again, the main reasons for a bullish outlook remain strong. If buyers can keep Bitcoin above $74,000, reaching $100,000 may be more achievable than it appears.
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As Bitcoin activity climbs and demand for efficient BTC-based apps rises, Bitcoin Hyper stands out as the bridge uniting two of crypto’s biggest ecosystems. If Bitcoin built the foundation, Bitcoin Hyper could make it fast, flexible, and fun again.
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The post Bitcoin Price Prediction: Is the $100K “Moon Mission” Back on After the $74K Flush? appeared first on Cryptonews.
Kraken’s parent company, Payward, reported 2025 revenue of $2.2 billion, a 33% increase from the prior year, driven by a combination of higher trading activity and strong performance from newly integrated businesses. For the year, total transaction volumes reached $2 billion, up 34% year over year, signaling robust activity across the platform as it leveraged a strategic wave of acquisitions to broaden its revenue base. Payward described the mix of income as well balanced, with about 47% derived from trading revenue and the remaining 53% from asset-based and other sources. The results come as the group advances toward a potential public listing after filing confidentially for an IPO in November, underscoring a broader push to diversify beyond traditional exchange services into broader financial technology offerings.
Key takeaways
- 2025 revenue rose to $2.2 billion, up 33% from $1.6 billion in 2024, reflecting gains across trading and asset-backed activities.
- Total transaction volumes climbed to $2 billion, a 34% year-over-year increase, signaling stronger platform usage.
- Revenue mix remained balanced: roughly 47% from trading activity and 53% from asset-based and other revenues, indicating diversified income streams.
- Strategic acquisitions—NinjaTrader, Breakout, Small Exchange, Capitalise.ai, and Backed—expanded product offerings and supported a 119% rise in daily average revenue trades.
- Assets on the platform grew to $48.2 billion, with funded accounts increasing 50% to 5.7 million, highlighting growing user engagement and custody depth.
Sentiment: Bullish
Market context: The results align with a crypto ecosystem where exchange activity remains sensitive to macro trends and regulatory developments, while diversified product lines help firms capture a broader share of trading and asset-management activity. Payward’s performance underscores a shift toward modular offerings and cross-segment efficiency within a consolidating market.
Why it matters
The 2025 performance marks a notable inflection for Payward as it monetizes scale and breadth. By deriving nearly half of its revenue from trading while more than half comes from asset-based and ancillary services, the group appears to be hedging against volatility in a single segment. This balance matters for users and investors who seek a platform capable of weathering cyclical swings in crypto markets while continuing to generate recurring income from tokenized assets, derivatives, and automated trading tools.
Central to this shift is Payward’s active pursuit of product-level specialization. The company has drawn inspiration from tech giants in how it segments its offerings so each product tackles a distinct customer segment. This approach—designed to boost usage by making each product a tailored solution—addresses both retail and institutional needs, from advanced traders seeking derivative exposure to users exploring tokenized stock concepts. The acquisitions carried out over 2025 are the operational backbone of that strategy, providing Payward with more tools to engage users across geographies and risk appetites.
The 119% increase in daily average revenue trades underscores the impact of integrating platforms like NinjaTrader and Breakout, which broaden trading capabilities and expand the client base. While NinjaTrader’s ecosystem emphasizes futures and active trading, Breakout adds a proprietary-trading edge that helps Payward capture higher-margin activity. Together, these assets contribute to a more resilient revenue engine by feeding more orders through Payward’s systems and enabling a wider set of use cases for clients. The full effect of these acquisitions—along with Small Exchange and Capitalise.ai—appears in the asset mix and in the expansion of both trading and automation-enabled workflows on the platform.
Beyond trading desks, Payward’s foray into tokenized assets and AI-driven automation signals a broader strategic convergence. The purchase of Backed—a company active in tokenized stocks and the backbone of the xStocks platform—signals Payward’s intent to offer institutional-grade access to tokenized equity products. This kind of diversification aligns with industry trends toward hybrid models that blend traditional financial instruments with digital representations, expanding the addressable market for crypto-enabled finance. The company’s asset base, reported at $48.2 billion, and its burgeoning funded account base—5.7 million—indicate a growing footprint that could attract further liquidity and potential listing interest from a broader investor audience.
In addition to the earnings figures, Payward’s leadership emphasized a long-term, risk-adjusted throughput strategy over chasing short-term cyclic metrics. Arjun Sethi, Payward’s co-CEO, described a path focused on compound efficiency across a single system rather than pursuing a handful of standalone products. This philosophy suggests a framework where future growth hinges on the integration of existing platforms, the cross-pollination of product capabilities, and the sustained scaling of operations across multiple asset classes and jurisdictions. The company’s public-listing ambitions, having progressed to a confidential IPO filing in November, indicate that Payward seeks to translate its internal efficiencies into external value for a wider pool of investors while continuing to evolve its platform economics.
The disclosed results also reflect a broader industry pattern where sizable crypto-focused platforms are layering revenue streams to reduce reliance on a single line item, all while expanding product suites to attract diverse participant cohorts. The highlighted acquisitions demonstrate Payward’s appetite for strategic bets that can be integrated into a unified operating model, enabling cadence and scale without sacrificing the quality of user experience.
Looking ahead, Payward’s management continues to frame growth as a systemic improvement—an emphasis on operational efficiency, cross-product usage, and geographic diversification rather than chasing isolated performance metrics. The confidential IPO filing from November remains a key milestone, offering a framework for how Payward intends to position its diversified platform to investors. The earnings narrative, underpinned by rising assets and a widening product footprint, suggests a company that is betting on a longer horizon where liquidity, product breadth, and disciplined integration drive sustainable returns rather than a single blockbuster quarter.
What to watch next
- Progress and timing of the confidential IPO filing: any updates on the path to a public listing and the anticipated markets open date.
- Performance of key acquisitions (NinjaTrader, Breakout, Small Exchange, Capitalise.ai, Backed) and their contribution to trading volumes and revenue mix in 2026.
- Trends in assets under custody and funded accounts, with any new geography or client segments adding material volume.
- Regulatory developments and macro conditions that could influence liquidity, market structure, or crypto-adjacent financial products.
Sources & verification
- Payward/ Kraken 2025 financials report, detailing revenue, volumes, and the asset mix.
- Confidential IPO filing status and coverage in November, outlining the company’s listing trajectory.
- Breakout acquisition and related product diversification mentioned in Kraken’s filings.
- Small Exchange and Capitalise.ai acquisitions and their impact on the platform’s trading and automation capabilities.
- Backed and tokenization-related developments within the Payward ecosystem and their role in the xStocks framework.
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