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SBI Holdings Launches 10B Yen Blockchain Bond With XRP Rewards

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Japanese financial conglomerate SBI Holdings is introducing a blockchain-based bond offering for retail investors, blending traditional fixed-income returns with cryptocurrency incentives.

Key Takeaways:

  • SBI is issuing 10 billion yen in tokenized bonds recorded on a blockchain platform.
  • Investors will earn fixed interest plus XRP rewards tied to their subscription amount.
  • The launch reflects SBI’s broader push to integrate crypto assets into traditional finance.

The new issuance, called the SBI START Bonds, totals 10 billion yen (about $64.5 million) and will be recorded and managed onchain using the “ibet for Fin” platform developed by enterprise blockchain firm BOOSTRY.

The three-year securities carry an indicative annual yield ranging from 1.85% to 2.45%, with interest paid twice a year.

SBI Bond Investors to Receive XRP Rewards Alongside Interest Payments

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In addition to fixed returns, eligible investors will receive XRP token rewards. Retail buyers and companies investing at least 100,000 yen (roughly $650) and holding an account with SBI VC Trade qualify for the bonus program.

According to the product details, investors will receive XRP equivalent to about 200 yen per 100,000 yen invested.

The rewards will be distributed at issuance and again alongside each interest payment through 2029.

The bonds are expected to begin secondary trading on March 25 via the Osaka Digital Exchange’s proprietary START trading system, marking another step in Japan’s gradual rollout of tokenized securities markets.

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SBI’s move reflects its long-standing ties to the XRP ecosystem. The firm partnered with Ripple in 2016 and has since supported XRP-powered remittance services, including cross-border payments between Japan and the Philippines.

Chairman and CEO Yoshitaka Kitao has previously said SBI holds roughly 9% of Ripple Labs, underscoring the company’s strategic alignment with the network.

Founded in 1999 as part of SoftBank before becoming independent in 2006, SBI has grown into a major financial group with more than $8 billion in annual revenue.

Over the years, the company has expanded beyond brokerage and banking into digital assets, stablecoins and blockchain infrastructure.

SBI has also worked with Circle to introduce the USDC stablecoin in Japan and signed a memorandum of understanding with Ripple to distribute its RLUSD stablecoin.

By pairing bonds with crypto incentives, the firm is testing whether traditional investors will adopt tokenized securities that offer familiar yields alongside blockchain-based settlement and rewards.

In August last year, Ripple signed a memorandum of understanding with SBI Holdings and its crypto arm SBI VC Trade to distribute its Ripple USD (RLUSD) stablecoin in Japan.

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Ripple Secures UK Regulatory Approval Amid Global Expansion

The rollout comes amid Ripple’s broader expansion across regulated markets. Earlier this month, the company received approval from the UK’s financial regulator for an Electronic Money Institution license and crypto asset registration.

Ripple has also secured preliminary approval for a similar license in Luxembourg, positioning the firm to expand its payments services across Europe.

In the United States, Ripple applied for a national banking license with the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency in July 2025, joining a growing list of crypto firms seeking deeper integration with the traditional financial system.

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In recent months, the company has also secured approvals in Dubai and Abu Dhabi and onboarded partners including Zand Bank and Mamo.

As reported, Ripple is also weighing whether to bring staking to the XRP Ledger (XRPL), a move that would push the decade-old blockchain deeper into the rapidly expanding world of decentralized finance.

The post SBI Holdings Launches 10B Yen Blockchain Bond With XRP Rewards appeared first on Cryptonews.

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Spot Bitcoin ETFs Log Fifth Straight Week of Outflows as Institutional Demand Cools

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US spot Bitcoin exchange-traded funds recorded a fifth consecutive week of net withdrawals, extending the longest negative streak since early 2025 as institutional demand softened alongside a broader pullback in digital assets.

Key Takeaways:

  • Spot Bitcoin ETFs posted a fifth straight week of withdrawals, losing about $316 million and roughly $3.8 billion over the streak.
  • Midweek selling outweighed Friday inflows, showing cooling institutional demand despite stable prices.
  • Capital appears to be rotating within crypto funds, with Ether also seeing outflows while Solana and XRP products drew inflows.

Data from SoSoValue shows the 12 funds collectively lost about $316 million during the week ending Feb. 20.

Trading activity was compressed into four sessions due to the Presidents’ Day holiday, and the first three days all closed negative.

Bitcoin ETFs Post Heavy Midweek Outflows Despite Friday Rebound

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Roughly $105 million exited on Tuesday, followed by $133 million on Wednesday and $166 million on Thursday.

A modest recovery on Friday, when $88 million flowed back into the products, was not enough to reverse the weekly trend. BlackRock’s IBIT led the rebound with about $64.5 million in inflows, while Fidelity’s FBTC added roughly $23.6 million.

The current run of outflows began the week of Jan. 20 and has removed around $3.8 billion from the Bitcoin ETF complex.

The last comparable stretch occurred nearly a year ago during a tariff-driven market sell-off that also weighed on risk assets.

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While the duration of the streak matches that period, the magnitude has been smaller, with the heaviest withdrawals concentrated in late January when funds lost $1.33 billion and $1.49 billion in consecutive weeks.

More recent weekly losses have ranged between roughly $316 million and $360 million.

Despite the withdrawals, the ETF market remains substantial. Cumulative net inflows since launch in January 2024 still total about $54 billion, and aggregate net assets stand near $85.3 billion.

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Bitcoin has traded around $68,600, down more than 20% year to date and below a key onchain level identified by analysts as separating expansion from consolidation phases.

Ether funds showed a similar pattern, losing about $123 million during the week and extending their own five-week streak of withdrawals.

By contrast, newer products tied to Solana attracted approximately $14.3 million in inflows, while XRP-based funds recorded a modest $1.8 million gain.

The divergence suggests capital is rotating within crypto investment products rather than leaving the sector altogether, with investors repositioning across assets as sentiment remains cautious rather than panicked.

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Trump Media Files for Bitcoin, Ether and Cronos ETFs With Staking Rewards

Last week, Trump Media and Technology Group filed applications for two cryptocurrency ETFs that would track Bitcoin, Ether and the Cronos (CRO) token, expanding the company’s involvement in digital assets.

The proposed “Truth Social Bitcoin and Ether ETF” would primarily follow the performance of the two largest cryptocurrencies, while the “Truth Social Cronos Yield Maximizer ETF” would provide exposure to CRO.

The Cronos-focused fund would also offer staking rewards, with Crypto.com serving as custodian and providing liquidity and staking services.

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Trump Media has also signaled interest in integrating blockchain beyond ETFs.

The company recently said it intends to distribute a new digital token to shareholders on the Cronos network and previously disclosed plans for a corporate crypto treasury involving CRO.

The post Spot Bitcoin ETFs Log Fifth Straight Week of Outflows as Institutional Demand Cools appeared first on Cryptonews.

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Pi Network’s PI Token Plunges Again, Bitcoin (BTC) Stable at $68K: Weekend Watch

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BTCUSD Feb 22. Source: TradingView


In contrast, PIPPIN has become the top performer once again, rocketing by 17% daily.

Despite all the latest developments on the tariff front in the US, bitcoin’s price has remained relatively stable during the weekend, and continues to trade around $68,000.

Most larger-cap alts have produced little to no volatility as well over the past day, but some, such as Pi Network’s native token, have slipped once again.

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BTC Calm at $68K

Bitcoin marked some gains last weekend after it bounced from the then-low of $65,200. In just a few days, it jumped to almost $71,000 for the first time in about a week. This Sunday surge, though, came to an end as the business week began, and a few consecutive leg downs by the bears drove the asset down to $65,600 on Thursday.

It tried to rebound on Friday and Saturday again, as the bulls managed to take it to a local peak of $68,800. Interestingly, these minor gains came even after some controversial moves on the tariff front, a topic that has typically resulted in more volatility and price declines for BTC.

On Friday, the US Supreme Court ruled that many of Trump’s imposed tariffs were illegal. The POTUS was livid, calling the decision a “disgrace,” and quickly announced a global 10% tariff on top of the existing ones. On Saturday, he raised it to the maximum allowed of 15%.

Although bitcoin now trades below its weekend high, it’s still around $68,000. More volatility could be expected on Sunday evening when the futures markets open, similar to what happened several weeks ago during the EU tariff saga over Greenland.

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For now, though, BTC’s market cap stands at $1.360 trillion on CG, while its dominance over the alts is at 56.6%.

BTCUSD Feb 22. Source: TradingView
BTCUSD Feb 22. Source: TradingView

PI Declines (Again)

Pi Network’s first anniversary after the launch of its Open Network has not had any positive effect on the underlying asset’s price performance. PI is among the poorest performers in the past 24 hours, losing 6% of value and struggling below $0.165.

Other notable losers include ETC (-8%), ARB (-7%), and ENA (-7%). In contrast, PIPPIN has jumped by more than 17% to almost $0.60.

Most larger-cap alts are also in the red, albeit in a more modest manner. DOGE, ADA, and HYPE have lost the most value (around 3% each), while XRP, LINK, and CC are down by 1%. ETH, SOL, TRX, and BCH have marked insignificant gains.

The total crypto market cap has remained above $2.4 trillion on CG.

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Cryptocurrency Market Overview Daily Feb 22. Source: QuantifyCrypto
Cryptocurrency Market Overview Daily Feb 22. Source: QuantifyCrypto
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Vitalik Buterin Dumps Even More ETH as Prices Struggle Below $2K

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Vitalik Buterin Dumps Even More ETH as Prices Struggle Below $2K


Ethereum’s co-founder has been disposing of large amounts of ETH for several weeks now.

On-chain data from Arkham Intelligence and Lookonchain showed that Vitalik Buterin has resumed his selling spree of ETH with another multi-million dollar transfer.

The analysts explained that he had withdrawn another batch of 3,500 ETH (worth roughly $7 million at the time) from Aave with the likely intention to sell. At the time of the original post a few hours ago, he had already disposed of 571 ETH ($1.13 million).

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CryptoPotato has reported a few similar instances in February alone, in which on-chain data indicated that he had begun disposing of some of his ETH fortune. A February 5 report showed that the project’s co-founder had sold off 2,961 ETH ($6.6 million at the time) in just three days.

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A day later, Lookonchain informed that the total sales had grown to 6,183 ETH, which was valued at $13.2 million. The average exit price was $2,140.

Arkham Intelligence keeps a close eye on Buterin’s addresses, and a report from earlier this week noted that he still held more than 240,000 ETH, valued at around $467 million. However, that data was before today’s sell-offs.

Meanwhile, ETH’s price has been on a consistent downtrend for months. After it peaked at close to $5,000 in late August last year, it was violently rejected and ended 2025 at around $3,000. The late January/early February crash was brutal, pushing the asset to under $1,800.

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Although it has recovered some ground since then, Ether still struggles below $2,000. Popular analyst Ali Martinez outlined the formation of a bullish flag yesterday for ETH, but with a major catch: the chart was inverted, showing in reality that ETH could be primed for another correction to under $1,400.

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Bitcoin Miner Bitdeer Liquidates Entire BTC Treasury, Holdings Fall to Zero

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Bitcoin Miner Bitdeer Liquidates Entire BTC Treasury, Holdings Fall to Zero

Bitcoin mining firm Bitdeer has sold all of its corporate Bitcoin holdings, reducing its treasury balance to zero, according to the company’s latest operational update.

In its latest weekly report, Bitdeer disclosed that its “pure holdings,” excluding customer deposits, have fallen to 0 Bitcoin (BTC). The report shows the company produced 189.8 BTC during the period and sold the full amount, alongside an additional 943.1 BTC, which was liquidated from its existing treasury reserves.

In its earlier update on Feb. 13, the miner still held 943.1 BTC, selling 179.9 BTC out of 183.4 BTC mined that week, leaving its treasury intact despite routine sales of newly mined coins.

Bitdeer’s Bitcoin holdings drop to 0. Source: Bitdeer

Mining firms commonly sell a portion of production to fund electricity, hosting and equipment costs, but they also maintain a treasury balance to keep exposure to Bitcoin’s price appreciation. Fully liquidating reserves is less typical.

Cointelegraph reached out to Bitdeer for comment, but had not received a response by publication.

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Related: Bitcoin mining difficulty rebounds 15% as US miners recover from winter outages

Bitdeer announces $300 million convertible debt raise

On Thursday, Bitdeer’s shares fell sharply after the company announced plans to raise $300 million through a convertible senior note offering, with an option to expand the sale by an additional $45 million. The notes, due in 2032, can later be converted into company stock, cash or a mix of both.

The company, founded by former Bitmain co-founder Jihan Wu, said the funds will support data center expansion, AI cloud growth, mining hardware development and general corporate needs.

Bitdeer has also been expanding its self-mining operations as demand for its mining hardware weakens, increasingly using its own rigs to mine Bitcoin rather than selling them to customers.

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Related: Bitcoin miners chase 30 GW AI capacity to offset hashprice pressure

Bitcoin miners pivot to AI

On Friday, MARA Holdings purchased a majority stake in French computing infrastructure firm Exaion, moving deeper into artificial intelligence and cloud services. The deal gives MARA France a 64% ownership position while energy company EDF remains a minority shareholder and customer.

The transaction came amid a wider shift across the mining industry. Following the 2024 halving and tighter margins, several miners have adopted a hybrid model that combines Bitcoin production with AI and high-performance computing revenue.